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Hi .

In the last issue of Treasure Your Life Now, which featured sunflowers, I wrote briefly about my trip to Colorado. I mentioned that I took 40 plus videos of hummingbirds going back and forth to and from the feeder at my friend's home. I promised to share in this issue. I was having challenges getting started in the writing of it, so many choices and possible directions. Ultimately I decided to take my own prescription, as covered in my upcoming Kindle Book - Writing for Self-Discovery: Creating Breakthroughs:

"Simply set a timer, grab a pen and paper or go to your keyboard and start free-flow writing on the phrase or phrases running around in your head... no editing while writing. I set the timer for 5 minutes and then another 5 and finished before." The result:

Hummingbirds and Fascination

Flitting… flying… up close and far away.. 
How did they find this feeder high up, outside this mountain house?

I’ve been wanting to share the video playlist…
even promised my subscribers.

Thinking of themes… Scattered or focussed.
What do I make of it?

Searching for meaning… getting sidetracked. 

Does the Hummingbird get sidetracked or
is it purposefully searching for and finding it’s food… 
nectar from flowers… sugar water from feeders...
hopefully mixed in the right proportions...
certainly not colored with red dye.

I had a feeder once. I'm not searching for that now.

And it's when I write for my readers, it seems I need to
present facts... value... and I worry about judgements.
Create all kinds of mental "shoulds" and "should nots," 
second-guessing seeming expectations of the reader.

And then what came without conscious intention, as I was free-flow writing to the timer, were questions, "perfect" for today's:

Self-Reflecting Queries - 
And can we really be true to ourselves when confining/restricting 
our attractions and behaviors to what we think others expect and want?

By not being fully self are we ripping off ourselves and those who are important to us?

What if we were satisfied...could be satisfied... simply trusting ourselves... presenting the beauty or uniqueness to which we are present that might may be meaningful to us?

Meaningful without the necessity of finding "meaning" in it...

If I allow myself to simply appreciate feeling good, those in my presence, or whom I'm reaching, might feel the same. 

And, so ended what came up in my free-flow writing.

Finally, in relation to the SRQ'S, I invite you to consider:
 

Are you driven by Passion or Curiosity?
Are you a Jackhammer or a Hummingbird?

During the time I was reflecting on preparing this issue of Treasure Your Life Now, I was reminded of "Eat, Pray, Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert's evocative presentation in a SuperSoul Session on Oprah's SuperSoul TV. In it she spoke of "Passion and Curiosity" as two different paths people take.

Gilbert stated that the world is divided into two kinds of people, "jackhammers and hummingbirds." She described herself as a jackhammer - passionate, direct and focussed. She said that hummingbirds move from field to field, tree to tree, flower to flower, trying this trying that, and two things happen. They create incredibly rich lives for themselves and they end up cross-pollinating the world. She went on to talk about the service the hummingbird gives.

Gilbert concluded with: "If you are willing to release yourself from the pressures and anxieties surrounded by passion and just humbly and faithfully continue to follow the trail of the hummingbird path… going here, going here, going here, going here and you just trust it, one of these days, you might just look up and realize, 'Oh my word. I’m in exactly where I’m meant to be!'"  

You can see this portion of her talk by clicking, or tapping, on Elizabeth Gilbert: Don't Chase Your Passion And Maybe You'll Find It | SuperSoul Sessions | OWN

Whenever I remind myself of Gilbert's talk, which I heard several months ago, I feel reassured again as I think about the multi-different directions to which I'm often drawn.  I'm definitely a "hummingbird"? "Is that why I am so drawn to them?" I wonder.

How about you? Do you consider yourself a Jackhammer or a Hummingbird? 

And, if you are a Jackhammer, driven by Passion, the curious me wonders, did you enjoy the Hummingbird videos?

Again, can view anyone or all of the five different videos in the playlist by going to SheilaSuggests.com/hummingbird-playlist.  

Each are short and set to music.  I expect you will find them relaxing.

Comments Invited - 
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Passion and Curiosity - Jackhammers and Hummingirds in the "Leave a Reply" section at the end of this post on the BLOG.

Another Invitation -
As either a Jackhammer or a Hummingbird, we all have the

Opportunity to be AWESOME.

On September 1, my friend, Nicole Dean, is starting the fourth round of 30 days of Awesomization.  It's an opportunity to get an early jumpstart on the last quarter of the year. It's generally said that it takes 21 days to form new habits. If you are interested in forming any new I suggest that this is perfect for you. Nicole has this structured for us to take simple small steps daily for 30 days.

There's the opportunity for group support and interaction in a Facebook group or you can simply take any actions on your own being accountable to yourself, should that be your preference.

There will be a daily email with suggestions, if you need them, to do

* 1 Small but Powerful Thing Daily to Improve your Business or whatever you choose, if you're not in business
* 1 Small but Powerful Thing Daily to Improve your Life
* 1 Small but Powerful Thing Daily to Make the World a Better Place

For more details and to register, go to http://SheilaSuggests.com/awesomization.

If You Missed it - 
In the last issue, I also went a bit into about having been in denial as a caregiver around the Parkinson's Disease with which my late husband was afflicted. I introduced the following book which I want to make sure you know about should it be relevant to you or to someone you you might know.

 

The fact that denial did come up for me led me to think of my friend, Dr. Ina Gilmore's ebook package, From Burden to Blessing: 31 Days to Start Transforming Caregiving and Life.

Dr. Ina "lived it... Both as a professional and a family caregiver." Her years of experience led her to the 10 Simple Steps that Can Transform Your Caregiving. To discover what they are, simply click or tap on the image on the left or on Transform Caregiving. It’s A HEART PLAN™, the step by step guide to transforming caregiving.

Last Invitation - 
RE my upcoming Kindle book that I mentioned at the beginning of this issue - Writing for Self-Discovery: Creating Breakthroughs:

It is a compilation of mostly "poetic" free-flow writing I did several years ago, along with "how-tos" of free-flow writing, doing Morning Pages, using Haiku for anger and boredom control and more.   

If you have a Kindle device or Kindle app on your computer or any of your mobile devices, and are interested in looking through it and giving some simple feedback, I would be glad to send a Preview of the book in its final stages to your Kindle.

Simply send a request by clicking or tapping on Email me the Preview 

To Discovery - Wonder, Joy and Love in 
A world Full of Many Wondrous Perspectives,
Living and Loving with No Regrets.

Inspirationally,

Sheila
Sheila[a]TreasureYourLifeNow.com