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Task #1 sounds like it could be fun! I still have the teddy bear from my childhood room, and I have a porcelain doll my older brother sent me from Japan while he was stationed there. I'm going to haul the out of the closet and add them to my beading room!
Task #2 Another fun one - but, don't get hung up if you can't think of 5 right off because you might slide into thinking about hat you didn't like and that' not the direction we want to go. If you can't get five right off, wait a bit and try again.
Task #3 List five childhood accomplishments; that should be easy. And the food list sounds like fun, too. I just found a place that sells an ice cream bar I loved as a kid - I think I'll go buy one.
Task #4 Listing the bad habits, the subtle foes, the sabotage tools. Ahem. No, this one may not be easy, but remember that once we understand how something is harming us, it loses power over us. We have identified a downfall or an enemy to creativity and can then work to get around it or eliminate it from our lives. Like a vampire (which is how this kind of thing acts) it will die off when exposed to the light of day. A big creativity killer for me was hanging out with people who would be verbally rude or purposely confrontational to one another in discussion groups. While some pose this behavior as being "mature" "brutally honest" or tell us "that's reality" it does not have to be my reality, or yours if you are involved in it and it is blocking you. Sometimes brutal honesty is spoken less for the sake of honesty and more for the sake of brutality and therefore brings shame to just below the surface, where they can keep us unhappy but never fully present themselves. We may not realize just what is happening until we are mired in despair. Unfortunately, the anonymity of the Internet has fostered this attitude among some users and many people find themselves involved in such groups almost without knowing it. If you are and you have been unhappy, quit the group for a time and see what happens. You can always join back up!
Task #5 Make a list of friends who nurture you. This can include pets and fur friends if they are important to you.
Task # 6 Call a friend. Many of us have e-mail friend with whom we can communicate, too. It is so nice to visit with a friend who really does nurture you - and who is supportive of you even if they do not bead or even enjoy beads.
Task # 7 Inner Compass. I like this exercise. Use it to spend time with your beads, just looking at them and touching them. Pull out a package that you have kept put away for safe keeping. Open a new packet of beads or pile up a bunch on the table. If cleaning is a good activity for you, clean out the bead area and reorganize (always an excellent bead activity) or just open all the containers and touch the beads.
Task # 8 The list of those you admire. Then the list of those you secretly admire. At first glance, I thought it wold be the same people, but it is not. Put a little time into this one, it may surprise you when you admit to some of the folks you've always secretly admired. If you have time, make this into two sets - one in general and one of bead people you admire/secretly admire.
Take # 9 The list of the dead dinner date, as I call it. I like to think of this as my guest list of a fantasy dinner if I could spend time with 5 different people who have passed. Also, list the five folks you'd like to hang out with in eternity. I'm going to include some anonymous bead collar maker from ancient Egypt in my list!
Compare the lists and tweeze out those things that you really do, indeed, like and admire versus those things that you think you should like and admire. Head versus heart - it is a very interesting contrast.
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