Week 2: What Should YOU do when Tishspiration happens?

Week 2: What Should YOU do when Tishspiration happens?

by | Sep 5, 2018 | #Tishspiration

#Tishspiration is the word I finally created to describe what has been going on in my life for the last two years or maybe even longer. I have been aware of it for the last two years, this I am sure of. I have been telling my husband for years that I am full of surprises. It went from being a saying to becoming what my superpower is. The best part of all of this is that I am using my powers for good. I am constantly surprising people around me with what I am doing. The best part is when I surprise myself. That is the true meaning of Tishspration, the part I want to share with the world. It can happen to you. I am going to try to explain it, and then give advice for what YOU should do when Tishspiration happens to you!

I have been on a journey for the last 2 years. It started when I watched that inspirational video, where I took away the message that I need to live while I am alive so that when I die and I think back on the life I lived, not filled with regrets and what ifs. I want to live life to the best of my ability. That includes trying things and doing my best. It means not dwelling on what might or might not happen, because I have done something to make a change. I am pushing my limits. I am trying new things. I am chasing my passions. I am surprising myself.

#Tishspiration.

Where do you start? Well, asking me is one way to find out more. Waiting for my book about Tishspiration is another option. It will be a few months from now before it is ready. What do you do in the meantime?

Think about what you want to do with your life. What is something that you are really good at, something that you get so involved with that before you know it, several hours have gone by. It should be something that comes really easy for you, even if you don’t think it is your passion. If it isn’t it might be a clue to where you are supposed to be going on your journey.

People are starting to pay attention to what I am up to. Some of them are curious. Some of them want to say they knew me before I started my journey, to be a cheering squad from the sidelines. There is nothing wrong with either of those reactions.

There is a small group of people that are watching me, and thinking about their own lives. They have seen me change and start to grow into the person I am now, and they wonder what if it happened to them? To me, the answer is simple. I would simply ask them, why not? Why not take one step in the direction you want to go in? Why not prepare yourself for what could be, instead of hating the way things are and doing nothing?

What is stopping you?

Fear.

Fear of failure.

Fear of not being accepted for being the unique and wonderful being that you are, from the inside out, the one you have buried inside for safe keeping.

Want to know a secret?

I am scared of failure too. When I try something and it falls flat, I let myself lay there for a while. In the melodrama of despair.

I cannot do that for very long, anymore. I have a drive in me, fueled by passion, bursting at the seams with stories to tell.

I am a Lyricist, with songs I cannot sing.

I am a Blogger, because I need to write.

I am an author, with some small published works, who is writing her first novel, and planning 5 more.

I need to let my stories out. If I keep them inside, they hurt me because I am selfishly not sharing the gift I was born with. By writing my books, I will be accomplishing my lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Surprising myself and others with how good I am at this writing thing. Most importantly, I will be sharing this gift with the world.

Because deep down inside, all of us know what our purpose is. We just have to be listening to our hearts whispering the answers to us. Then we need to make a plan and act upon it. One step at a time, on this journey of life. If you smother a spark, it will extinguish in time. Don’t smother your passion. Let it trickle out until you feel like opening the dam and letting it flow free.

Friends, I am standing in front of a lever, preparing to open the floodgates. The next step for me is getting my book published. I hope that you are 1% as excited as I am about it. I can assure you, I am the other 99% on the excitement scale, and then some! I cannot wait to be able to share this book with the world. I sincerely hope that you all will agree that it is worth the wait.

So what do you do if #Tishspiration strikes? Congratulate yourself on a job well done, then move on to the next goal. That is what I do, and I am an expert at #Tishspiration. It has gotten me this far…

#TishspirationTuesday Week 1 What is Tishspiration Tuesday?

#TishspirationTuesday Week 1 What is Tishspiration Tuesday?

by | Aug 22, 2018 | #Tishspiration

In an effort to get back on track with my blogging, I have decided to change up the Tuesday category. I love Treasure Seeker Tuesdays, and I am hoping that I was not alone in that sentiment. The time has come to try something new. #TishspirationTuesday Week 1 What is Tishspiration Tuesday? I might not even know yet.

I am going places.

I am going places.

Yes, I am writing my first book. Yes, I just took on a new project at work. Yes, I am planning a limited jewellery collection to be launched with my first (and every) book. Yes, draft 2 is in progress, in preparation for editing. Yes, I am all over social media, and I even got Instagram before I got a cell phone so that I can contribute there. I can follow I just can’t share there. Yes, I do talk to my husband when I am awake, and maybe in my sleep too.

No, I have not managed to hire a maid to keep up with the housekeeping. No, I have not hired a chef to keep me on track with my meal plans. No, I do not sleep very much when I am in a high creativity & productivity cycle. No, I haven’t been to Zumba regularly this summer. I will be changing that as soon as possible.

I drink my coffee black (which I review alternately with wine reviews on my Facebook live videos) and I take really good multivitamins. I try to eat healthily, and although I still have pop for a treat, I have basically given it up as an everyday beverage. I am making changes.

I ended the Birthday Bling Club. It did not get the number of subscribers I had hoped for. I have replaced it with a closed secret group to help people like me stay motivated and accountable with weight issues. It is going well. Now if only I could get back on track with my own weight loss goals…

What on Earth am I doing now?

I’ll bet some of you are wondering. There are days when even I am wondering…

I am shaking things up. I am using the momentum created by the positivity I have surrounded myself with to try and give you all a glimpse into the possibilities into what your own potential is.

That was a mouthful, wasn’t it?

Tishspiration. The Art of Surprising Yourself. Once upon a time, these two concepts were not linked. Until I thought about it. Someone I spoke with encouraged me to somehow find a way to meld these two things together. Now, it is as if they were never separate concepts. I made the term. I defined it. And now, I am going to run with it!

Tishspiration has been hovering around in my mind since April 2018, but it has had a much longer history than when I put a name to it. I will be writing a book to describe it in more detail. That will be book 2. I have to get book 1 written, published, and shared from my heart with the world before I can shift gears and get to work on book 2.  I can’t wait to explore what all of this means for me, and what it could mean for you.

As it grows and develops, there will be opportunities. Some will help me to fine tune this concept I have created into something that will change over time. I have been working on this in the background while doing all of the above. I have to keep going. You can witness all of it. I am hoping that when the time is right for you, you will take the leap with me. It all starts here. Now.

Are you with me?

tishspirationstation@gmail.com

Let’s start a conversation about this little thing I call #Tishspiration!

Salt Water Therapy

Salt Water Therapy

by | Aug 2, 2018 | Vacations

Salt Water Therapy is what is known to other people as beach time. It does involve the Atlantic Ocean and the coastline of Cape Breton Island, for me. This year, I was able to take a camera with me that I have on a long-term loan from a friend. I am grateful that I have been trusted to take care of the camera, and have been learning the craft of amateur photography since borrowing it. It is fun to take nice pictures. I can’t wait to share some with you all!

The featured photo at the top is of Margaree Island. I went out one afternoon to take pictures for the blog. It was the best of the bunch and my mom helped me decide which one to choose. I love taking pictures, but I do not always know which ones are the best, and which ones are not. I ask different people for help with different projects. This one was perfect for Mom.

We went back to Chez Edmond Vacation Home. I wrote about visiting my family there last year, and this year we all were able to stay in the same location. As much fun as it was last year to be staying with my friend, it was equally fun to be staying with my whole family under the same roof.

You can read about last year’s family vacation trip in a guest post on another blogger’s website. Homesick for the Home of my Heart was written to be shared on Mohamad Al Karbi’s blog specifically for his Around the World category. I encourage you to check out other stories and categories on his website, as there are many other authors who write as guest bloggers there. You can see more pictures from last year’s vacation that blog and also in the introduction blog post I wrote for my own blog, Sun Kissed and Salt Licked. Both posts were a little different and they both have stunning photography, contributed by myself, friends and family. I am blessed to have such a beautiful location to call my home.

We did enjoy wonderful weather all week long. I did venture into the host’s home to check out another business on the property. K Rugs LeBlanc creates her own custom designed,  unique traditional rag rugs. Located in the same driveway as the vacation home, it was a stop I was glad to have made. If you would like more information about the rugs or other art in the pictures of the next group, please send an email to giggleskleblanc@yahoo.ca

She uses the traditional rug hooking known in that part of Cape Breton. It is a French Acadian hobby. She also recycles t-shirts into her work. It was very interesting to talk to her and to see the project she was working on while we were there. She was using a picture to create the design. I hope to see the finished rug next year.

 

 

We did have some plans to go to The Dancing Goat. We made it a ladies day out, and also went to a gift shop after. The Dancing Goat Cafe & Bakery has a very good reputation for being an upscale cafe in Margaree, not far from Margaree Forks. I may not remember exactly what we all ate, but I did snap pics of everyone’s meal. There were 7 ladies there, and we all chose something different to eat!

Other food was prepared by different family members all week long. Here are a few of the highlights. I made the deviled eggs for a potluck barbeque birthday party. Same 3 people as last year, not as surprising for me to be included this year. My Dad and cousin share the same birthday, and mine is a few days earlier.  They tricked me into asking my Aunt to make the cake last year. I didn’t know that it would be for me too.

Most of us love lobster, and it is a real treat to have it cooked fresh. My dad and uncle set up a propane burner to cook them in a large pot outside at the farmhouse. If you go there for your vacation, you will not find this outdoor lobster cooking assembly. It was brought over by my uncle, who took it home after the lobsters were all cooked. As we have friends that share pics of their lobster all cooked and ready to eat, I wanted to take a picture to share of our fresh cooked lobster too. You will find this and the deviled eggs in the next slideshow.

I know. You are looking at these pictures, and reading my words, and wondering where the beauty of Cape Breton is. Wonder no more. I will share some pictures of some birds and flowers in the next group. It is a hint of what is to come. I am an amateur photographer, but having a really nice camera makes me feel like I know what I am doing! I love taking random pictures of things that I think are beautiful, or things other people might not think to take a picture of. With so many pictures to share, I thought it made sense to separate them into groups.

I spent a few hours at Chimney Corner Beach. With so many things planned within the week, it was the only day I was able to get to the beach and dip my feet in the ocean. Some of my nieces and nephews braved the chilly ocean waters, but it was not as warm as it had been the year before. I did not go in past my knees. It was literally bone-chilling, as the water had not had enough time to warm up for the swimming season yet. I decided to go for a walk with the camera. I made a video which has yet to be edited and subtitled for my YouTube channel, Tishspiration Station. I will get it worked on soon, but this blog post kind of took priority. Here are some pictures of my afternoon at the beach.

I was sitting on a towel, after my walk, when I heard people hollering for Daisy. When I finally turned to look, there was this lovely dog heading in my direction. She promptly laid herself down beside me and snuggled right up to my leg. I gave her a little attention before her family collected her. She was on a leash but made a beeline for me. Her owners apologized and explained that they think she is losing her hearing. Maybe it is selective. Unbeknownst to them, they were at a gift shop at the same time as me a few days later. She escaped from the family vehicle, and I heard the shouts for Daisy again, pleading with her to get in the car. The heat wave had not hit yet, at that point, and people don’t spend hours at the gift shops, so Daisy was not in any danger if she was waiting in the car for a few minutes.  This just confirms to me that it is definitely time for me to get a dog. Daisy seemed to like me, that’s for sure!

Finally, we have arrived at the space for the scenery of Cape Breton Island. I will not have to explain most of the pictures here, as they focus on the Cape Breton Coastline. There are a few other pictures mixed in here, but I feel that they are also worth sharing, a bit of the everyday mixed amongst the raw beauty. Enjoy. I enjoyed learning how to take better pictures, and I am really proud to share them with you all.

There you have it! I am really glad that I went. I am really happy for the memories we made on our family vacation. I hope that you enjoy the story, but even more, I hope you can see the beauty I tried to capture with my amateur photography skills. Someone with more training will likely see flaws and would edit or touch up some, I am sure. I have not taken any courses in photography, it is just another hobby which I love to do. Just like my writing and web page design; it is something else I am learning to do as I go. Since I am having fun, I hope that you can see this when you take a look at the results of my efforts.

Part 2 from the overnight visit to the other end of Nova Scotia will be ready soon. It will be a shorter story, but I felt it was worth a separate blog post of its own.

How is your summer going?

 

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #25 Treasure Yourself

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #25 Treasure Yourself

by | Apr 4, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays

This week in Treasure Seeker Tuesday, I want to write about someone very important. YOU! The world is a harsh place at times, and it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. People disappear in the mundane routine of work eat sleep repeat. I am writing today to tell you that you matter and that you need to stop existing and start living. Treasure Yourself! What do I mean by that?

Everyone on this planet is capable of making choices. Some people choose to fly under the radar and just sit in the background to avoid the spotlight. It isn’t for everyone to be the centre of attention all of the time. I think we all get our chances to shine in the world, but it is up to us to grab on and go for the ride. When it is your time to show the world what you can do, you need to own it.

I have spent many years of my life just surviving, and I have realized that I was meant to thrive. I am on a mission to tell stories, here in the Blog and also in my books. I do not know how successful this adventure will be, but I know that I am determined (okay, stubborn) enough to see it through to the finish line. I have literally come to life since I stumbled onto the path I am on, and I can honestly say that I have no regrets. It is lighting a fire in my soul called passion, and it is sometimes flickering but never extinguished. When I am on a low burn, that is when I need to find the desire to try something different or do the things I do not want to do so that I can get back to doing what makes me happy.

When I am quiet, and I let my thoughts roam, I come up with some brilliant ideas. They could be jewellery designs, topics to write about here on the blog, or plans for my current WIP (work in progress aka book.) I can solve problems, and create a solution just by sleeping on it. I can find so much joy when I press publish on a blog story like I will with this one because I know that I was inspired just before I decided to write, and it has a purpose and a message.

So do you. You are reading this because you are looking for something. Inspiration, guidance, hope. Something makes you read this category, or the title caught your eye. I am told that the featured pictures are getting stale, and that will be one of the changes I think seriously about this month. I need to work on this website. I need to edit my WIP. I don’t really want to do either of those things, any more than I want to clean my house from top to bottom or crawl out of bed to face the work week, especially on Mondays. Sometimes, you have to do the things you don’t want to do so that you can do the things you want to do. Adulting is hard.

I used to go around cranky saying that I hated being responsible. I was really miserable deep down inside before I rekindled my love for writing. The answers are within you, and being cranky all of the time, as a victim of circumstance is not one of them. I am writing today to tell you that you have to do some soul searching to find your answers.

Just like everything else, anything worth doing is never easy. If it was, we would all be doing it already. You have to ask yourself the tough questions, and then be patient enough to learn the answers.

Bad things happen. To everyone. The hardest thing is to pick yourself up by your socks and move on. Move over. Move around. Whatever obstacles stand in your way, it is up to you to find the way to crush them and seize your answers. If you just take a little tiny step, you will see that you can take another one. After that, you can keep moving forward, one baby step at a time, until you are moving forward by leaps and bounds, bracing yourself at the sharp corners, and tumbling like a pro when something dares to try to slow you down. You will stumble, and you will fall. The only thing to do is get up and try again. The only thing I ever gained from giving up was being cranky all of the time. I don’t want to be that person. Go find your baseball glove and start throwing the curveballs. Don’t dodge them. Catch them, and throw them right back where they came from.

Do you remember reading the Choose Your Own Adventure books? I used to love them. I would read the first ending, and then I would reread all of the other options until I had learned every scenario. That is how you need to approach life. We don’t know how it will end until we try all of the possible scenarios. Choose wisely, and start living to your fullest potential. I am only beginning to discover just what I really am capable of doing. The world is not ready for me yet. I am full of surprises, and I am going to keep pushing my boundaries as far as I can. The only thing standing in my way is myself. I choose to Treasure Myself and trust in what feels like I am meant to do. Treasure Seekers, do it. Treasure Yourself. Open your heart and mind to the possibilities, and believe in yourselves. I can do more than I ever thought was possible. So can you. Go get it!

#TreasureSeekerTuesday

 

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 39

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 39

by | Nov 24, 2017 | Trust Your Gut

 

Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues.  It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on.  Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real.  The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale.  If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog.  I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.

 

The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name.  If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story.  The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors.  I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.

This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.

Here is  Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 39

Balance. I was trying to decide what my topic was going to be about this week, and it came to me. I need to write about balance. It is a word that has a lot of meaning and plays an important role in my journey to become a healthier version of myself.

 

I will start with Zumba. It is a dance exercise class. I am not the most athletic person. I really love dancing, though. Almost as much as I love swimming. I like biking and skating also. I have not done the latter two for years. I was swimming in the ocean in July. I went to Zumba class twice this week. So I am most active in Zumba class. I go. I do my thing.

I had Wednesday off for a vacation day this week. I then went to Zumba class, and it was an amazing class for me. I felt free and had no weight on my shoulders from spending the day at work. What a nice change it was.  I danced and moved around with a little more zest last night at class. During the stretch, I always amaze myself with my balance. If I take a few extra seconds to set up for my “tall” stretch, I can stand on my tippy toes and reach high up and hold it longer than I used to. It takes those few extra seconds to set it up, but I can be comfortable in the stretch when I do. If I don’t, I wobble. I have yet to fall over at Zumba (it is not a goal, it is a fear) and I have to catch my balance there sometimes. I can trip over my own feet in a split second, and then recover in the next second. I have mad skills at this. Once in a while, gravity wins. The result of that usually leaves me in shock, because I am such a clutz, I normally have an equally remarkable recovery skill.

Balance.  The Trim Healthy Mama (THM) plan, also involves balance. I am still having commitment issues, but that is not what I am referring to. The plan encourages a way of pairing the foods that you eat to maximize weight loss by using protein as the foundation and pairing it either with low carbs, or healthy fats. The way you plan your meals on THM creates the balance for you. It evens out if you find the way your body responds to the different types of food combinations. When I focus, I can see it working. I need to work harder, but also find the balance for real world situations.

Balance. The time spent and meal planning will be the balance for the healthier version of me. I need to make the time to plan and prep cook. Then when I need something quick, it is an easy fix. That is a no-brainer.

Balance. Sleep and exercise. I need to find more time to sleep and exercise. I have been so busy at different times this year. I know that sleep and exercise are important. Especially if I am going to work my way into writing full time. I know I function better if I have regular sleeping hours. I just get wrapped up in things when I am working on the website, the blog, or my books. It also slips away from me when I am working on other hobbies.  Working on my passions is a source of great happiness for me, but I have to remember that other things matter as well.

Balance.  I love coffee. I love pop. I love alcoholic beverages. I do not love water.  When I do drink, I choose everything before water. I need to balance that a little better.

Balance. I need to find it. In my blood sugars, food, health, exercise, sleep, hydration, passion, creativity, and every other aspect of my life.

What are you doing to achieve balance in your life?

#TrustYourGut