by Lucretia | Jul 13, 2016 | Cool People I Know, create your life, follow your dreams, Inspiration |
Guest post by Ellie Chadwick for the #coolpeopleIknow series.
One thing you’ve got to know about me is that I’m an over-doer, or I used to be. During my time at uni I was the vice-president then the president of a club, I signed up for a few programmes including Business Advantage and Leadership, Development and Innovation (LDI) from which I gained a new volunteer role with Volunteering Qld designing social media graphics and assisting with event promotion. I was also a full-time volunteer state manager with a youth based non-government organisation tackling extreme poverty and I had a part-time job as the general manager’s assistant at a hotel in the city. During my summer breaks I traveled, mostly for volunteer work in Cambodia, first as a participant and then as a leader. Now not all of these ran smoothly for me and on a daily basis I would run into problems where I’d have to deal with a work issue during a lecture, or a volunteer issue at work and so forth. At the time I thought being busy was a sign of success and I always wondered why I had no time for things like drawing or going to the beach. I definitely took on too many responsibilities and didn’t focus on achieving one stepping stone at a time. The biggest lesson I learnt was quality over quantity and learning when to say no.
After I graduated I traveled to the Mediterranean and the United Kingdom. I actually skipped my graduation ceremony because it wasn’t about receiving that piece of paper, it was the experiences I had during that time and the person I grew into which I found most valuable. I’m not perfect, I’m still working on being a better sister, daughter and friend and I also know I have a lifelong journey of learning ahead of me. But I’ve found travelling has made me a part of the world not just the town I grew up in; I’ve met and learnt from people, history and culture and learnt new things about myself.
Returning home was difficult because I was back to reality. After having the job at the hotel and seeing my more mature co-workers stressed and complaining about their jobs, I decided not to apply for any but start my own instead. I applied for an ABN and became my own boss just like that, providing graphic design and communication services to small businesses and social enterprises in Australia from my van. Yes, that’s right, my van. The idea came to me after meeting my boyfriend. As a musician he travels a lot for gigs and I enjoy travelling, change and I had no idea where I wanted to base myself. So now I live in a van, travel Australia and freelance for work. It’s great because I’m combining all my passions into one, including my passion for being a global citizen leading a low-impact life, buying Fairtrade and organic, travelling and exercising my creativity through photography and design.
I got so fed up with consumerism especially fast fashion trends and people believing they needed the newest products. I have a keen interest in organic and sustainable living, using natural remedies over artificial and harmful chemicals, and creating less waste. I’m still to try dumpster diving but I truly believe we consume and waste too much so I want to be part of a counter culture which goes back to basics. I’ve always had a thrift mindset, limiting the amount of plastic I use and re-using, upcycling and fixing my possessions. So I cleaned out my bedroom and kept only what I truly needed: clothes, toiletries, laptop, camera and kitchenware. You’ll be able to find all the things I own in one place, my van.
My van has a duel battery system with two solar panels which run the fridge, pump for the tap (you don’t realise how important running water is until you don’t have it), lights, fan, a USB plug, lighter plug and an inverter to charge my laptop and camera battery. It’s fitted with a queen size bed, pantry, plenty of storage and a pull-out table.
So far I’ve travelled extensively around Tasmania and Victoria as well as visiting Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane multiple times. Along the way I take photos and notes about the towns and natural wonders for my own travel blog, Girl vs Van. My focus is on van travellers providing tips about living or temporarily traveling on the road and travel tips and insights about Australia’s beauty.
Living on the road is no picnic all of the time. There’s limited cooking facilities which means we eat a lot of one-bowl meals like rice, pasta, wraps and canned foods but I see it as a challenge to create yummy food with one saucepan. Also I’ve learnt a lot about how the van works because clocking up those kilometres requires a lot of tending to the engine and wheels. On rainy days there’s not a lot of options for activities apart from reading on the bed or retreating to a café. Another weakness of ours is to visit the local café for a coffee that turns into breakfast some mornings while trying not to spend over the weekly budget. The cost of living on the road is reasonably cheap compared to renting although luxuries such as a bathroom are exempt. To compensate for this we stay in free campgrounds and make friends who willingly invite us to their homes to share their company and utilities. I don’t feel like I miss out on anything instead I feel it’s more liberating to make do with limited stuff and it encourages more creativity for problem solving.
In the near future I’ll be travelling up the entire east coast aiming to reach Cairns by the end of August and have a wealth of content to write about. Eventually I’ll make my way around the country, a few times probably. I need to maintain my communication business to be able to live this life. I don’t miss being busy at all, I have found contentment in taking life slow and enjoying the simple things. With time on my hands, I get to work on my own designs and artworks which I had no time for while at uni. I sometimes miss having friends nearby but I enjoy meeting new people and seeing new sights. Living in a van is a challenge but it comes with complete freedom to go anywhere and it creates a sense of blissfulness that I love.
Ellie Chadwick is a freelance graphic designer, writer and amateur photographer born in Tasmania. With a BA Mass Comm (Med, Com & PR) she started her own Communications business focusing on graphic design and copywriting. She lives a minimalist life in a solar powered van writing a travel blog, Girl vs Van to help others explore the best of Australia.
by Lucretia | Jul 11, 2016 | Cool People I Know, create your life, follow your dreams, Inspiration |
Have you ever felt so happy that you could literally skip along the street? That is how I felt so many times during my recent trip to Italy. I felt playful, childlike and overwhelming joy for the moment and place I found myself in. Italy often generates these feelings for me and I find many of its inhabitants also create the same response.
On the day I arrived for my stay in a small town called Montefalco, my host offered to collect me from the nearest train station in his little black VW beetle.
Filippo was the epitome of the creative Italian – a furniture designer, painter, musician and writer, his enthusiasm and passion for life simply bursts from his every pore. With kisses on both cheeks and a warm embrace, he then somehow crammed my huge suitcase into the back seat of his car and we were off.
During our drive up the hill, his conversation covered Brexit, refugees, Syria, Libya and Gaddafi, Germany (their policies and the fact they would face off against Italy in a football match that night – clearly they were the ‘enemy’) and so many other subjects.
I liked immediately.
Filippo invited me to join him, his girlfriend Martina and some friends to watch the match at a bar that evening. Of course, I said yes. I’ve never watched Italians watching soccer before but it certainly lived up to all the stereotypes you could imagine; it was an emotional, dramatic and engrossing experience. We sat on plastic picnic chairs watching it on a big screen television. The bar was in a suburban street and drivers would often beep their horns in solidarity as they travelled past while my fellow match-watchers yelled their approval in response.
One supporter had brought along an Italian flag about the size of a Queen-size mattress and every now and then he’d stand in the middle of the street, waving it this way and that (while making way for the occasional passing car and lady on a bike).
As an observer, it was the passion of these people that struck me the most. Passion seems to be a way of life for so many Italians. They are passionate in love (you only have to walk down any street to witness the frequent public displays of affection to know this), passionate in argument and discussions (it’s never about restraint and control), passionate in their expressions (witness the hand gestures that accompany many conversations) and passionate about their football.
Passion for life is a way of life, not an exception. It’s this passion that I find inspirational and my trip to Italy also reminded me of my passion too.
I’m always inspired by people who are passionate about what they are here to do on this planet. I’m inspired by those who take chances and take the roads less traveled. I’m also inspired by those who, simply by getting up every morning and doing the best they can, make a difference just by showing up.
It is passion that is at the foundation of creating change, growth and the diversity of our experiences. For me, passion is the key.
My trip to Italy and meeting inspirational people like Filippo reminded me of my passion and my purpose. My passion is stories; the stories about how we live, the decisions we make, the challenges we face and our willingness to just keep going when we’d honestly rather give up and go back to some place that’s more safe and mainstream. And it’s my purpose, sharing stories to heal, that supports my passion.
I believe that everyone has at least one (usually several) inspirational stories to share. It is only by sharing our personal stories that we enable others to see what is possible; reduce individual isolation and create connections; and ‘normalise’ our diverse life experiences so that others understand that although our journeys are unique, there are always commonalities, challenges and shared experiences (no matter how seemingly unusual and unexpected).
This Wednesday I will begin sharing weekly stories of #coolpeopleIknow on my Lucy and Life blog. The contributors will share their personal stories to help inspire others. They will be my friends or friends of friends who are seeking to make things better through living a heart-led and authentic life underpinned by their passion (whatever that might be).
I’m really looking forward to publishing these stories and I hope that in doing so, readers will be inspired to begin living their passion today.
by Lucky Lucy | Jun 7, 2016 | create your life, follow your dreams, Inspiration, self belief, self development, self discovery, Self esteem, Sense of self |
If there’s one thing I’ve observed repeatedly as a mentor and just an average person walking around living this life, it’s that people rarely seem to be asked, ‘What do you want?’ or they rarely ask themselves this question. And if they do, they give little credence to the answer they receive from within themselves.
So much of what we’re geared to do and be is about pleasing others: our families, our friends, our bosses, our teachers, our lovers, and the list goes on. Yet surely the question, ‘What do I want?’ should be the most important thing you ask yourself, and ask it regularly.
But I’m not talking about, ‘Do I want pizza or steak for dinner?’ The question I’m talking about is, ‘What does my soul want?’ or even more specifically, ‘What does my heart desire, for me?’
When I ask this question of clients and friends too often the response, ‘I want to do X but…’ and they follow the ‘but’ with a myriad of reasons why they can’t do or have what they want. These range from, ‘It’s too expensive’ and ‘XX would disapprove’ to ‘I could never make money out of it’ or ‘I couldn’t make it work’. Or it’s some kind of other self-restriction we’ve created for ourselves that may appear real but is not real all.
And when I hear these responses, underneath there is the call of a larger truth desperately seeking a way out. It is the heart of that person trying to be heard above self-doubt and pleasing every single other person in your life except for you.
Now we all have responsibilities and yes, we have bills to pay. But please allow yourself the opportunity to ask what you really want and then listen to the answer. I can’t tell you how passionately I feel about this issue and when I see people getting up and doing the same thing repeatedly, that they don’t want to do (professionally or personally) I just think, ‘What is the point of that?’
Everyone single person reading this blog is here to live their purpose and I don’t care what that purpose is because it’s not mine, it’s yours. And if you don’t ask yourself the question, ‘What do I want?’ and listen carefully to the answer, you are missing out on one of your greatest gifts…the capacity in you to create whatever it is that you are here to create.
If listening is the second step, then the third one is taking some kind of action however small, to help move you in the direction you truly desire to go. That might be simply getting up 15 minutes earlier to develop that online course you know people out there need, before you go to work. It might be making sure you take a notebook with you on the train every morning so you can capture those beautiful thoughts about that book that is bursting from within you. Or it might simply be seeking the advice of someone to help you work out how to move forward from that terribly stuck place you find yourself. Perhaps it is as simple as asking for help. Whatever action you take will help you get there. It will help you move closer to what you want. It will help you reach the thing your heart desires.
Of course, there are always going to obstacles – who told you that the act of creating something amazing is easy? It’s not. There are peaks and troughs, lightning and raging seas along the way. But if you remember, ‘This is what I truly want’ and you just keep going you will be amazed at where you end up. It might even be a place you never expected that is so much more wonderful than you ever imagined.
So please, for every single one of you reading this post ask yourself ‘What is it that my heart truly desires?’ Then listen to the answer and take just a single step today towards your goal. You have a purpose and your heart needs you to heed its call. It’s what you were born to do.
by Lucky Lucy | Feb 16, 2016 | create your life, empowerment, follow your dreams, self development, Uncategorized |
Our ability to keep ourselves small and negate our achievements is something that constantly surprises me. Comments like, ‘I don’t think I’ve done any interesting stuff’ or the rejection of a genuine compliment with a dismissive ‘Oh, this is just an old skirt’ or ‘I need to lose 5kgs’ are just some of the examples that have recently popped up in conversations with people I care about.
I’m not a paragon of virtue in this area either. I can be just as dismissive of my own strengths, talents and attributes. It’s an unhealthy habit and one I’m trying to break.
Australians have long been taught that we shouldn’t get too ‘big for our britches’. The tall poppy syndrome, where we try to keep others ‘in their place’, has long been part of our culture. Our capacity for self-deprecation is also very common indeed. But when I hear people bring themselves down I wonder, is it really healthy to make ourselves small when there are enough reasons to be pulled down in this world?
I often find myself repeating in my head, anything is possible if you believe. It’s become a bit of a personal mantra for me. But this habit of keeping ourselves small works in direct opposition to that. So I have this internal struggle of believing I can achieve what I long for, while being undermined by the fear of pushing myself forward. It’s a bit of a challenge to negotiate this conflict.
Unfortunately, other people often play a role in supporting this idea that we should not stand out too much. One friend was recently told that she should tone down her resume after she reached a certain level in a recruitment process because she’d (in a nutshell) ‘already stood out to get to that stage anyway and didn’t need to do that anymore’.
Hmm. I say a big fat ‘no’ to that one. Standing out and being who you are is a good thing. Being truly yourself, being authentic and going for what you want is absolutely what you should be doing. Living the essence of you, your purpose, is what you’re here to do. It’s not about ramming how great you are down everyone’s throats. Instead it’s about claiming the fabulousness that is you. But you can’t do that if you don’t acknowledge that you have unique gifts and skills no one else has. Because there is no one else on this planet who can do exactly what you do in the way you do it.
So the next time you think, ‘I haven’t done anything that great’ step back and give yourself a little credit. And the next time someone gives you a compliment say, ‘thank you’ and know you deserve it.
You don’t have to make yourself small to keep other people comfortable. That’s not what you’re here to do. You’re here to shine. So gather your courage, step into the light and say, ‘Here I am Universe and I’m going for it!’
I’ll be here cheering you on from the sidelines.
Would you like to learn more about living your purpose and using your intuition to make the right decisions for you? Check out my intuitive mentoring and life purpose sessions at lucretiaswords.com I’d love to help you on your journey.
by Lucky Lucy | Jan 29, 2016 | Advice, break ups, Emotional, follow your dreams, Uncategorized |
Last weekend, my friend Susan* discovered she had lost some of her friends. Somehow, over the past 12 months, as she became absorbed more and more in her purpose and life in general, her friends began to pull away. Then over the weekend, Susan experienced a ‘friend break-up’.
‘It would be great if you could write a blog about how to deal with that!’ she said. So here it is.
Susan has done a lot over the past year or so. She’s had a baby, established a not-for-profit and organised fundraising events that delivered valuable and much-needed outcomes for those in need. Put simply, she’s been following her heart and purpose to make the world a better place.
Unfortunately, some friends have decided not to support Susan’s journey. For whatever reason, they never ask what she’s up to, they don’t support her fundraising events and they don’t care about the path she has chosen. They don’t get it and now deliberately isolate her at social events. The situation felt like schoolyard bullying and, as she felt hurt by their behaviour, Susan decided to ask them what was going on.
Their reaction wasn’t positive and included statements like ‘All you ever talk about is you’, ‘You’re never free when we want to see you’ and ‘You didn’t come to my party.’
Some of her friends’ complaints stretched back to August last year. But when Susan asked, ‘Why didn’t you say something back then?’ they had no response.
Now, while Susan has been engrossed in various activities and could probably do with more ‘balance ‘in her life generally, she definitely hasn’t been making it all about her. She’s been juggling a baby, work and trying to make the world a better place in the only way she knows how. Susan has been busy but also made an effort to stay in touch with her friends. However, her commitments meant she wasn’t as available as she used to be. Meanwhile, her friends aren’t interested in what she’s doing and want her to be the way she was before.
But Susan isn’t that person anymore and she can’t go back.
‘What do I do?’ she asked with tears in her eyes. ‘I’m doing my best but they’re not interested. They don’t want to know.’
Breaking up with friends is hard but we can’t stay in one place just to make other people comfortable. In life there will be moments when you realise you must leave some people behind. Life is like that. Some people will always be in our lives, others will stay only for a certain period of time before going their own way. Then there are others who will leave and return when the time is right. That’s just how our soul contracts with each other work. We support and learn from each other, then move on when the contract is done (read Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss if you’d like to know more about this).
Our relationships, platonic, familial and romantic, do require work and commitment. However, sometimes you are simply moving in a different direction and must let go. And that’s okay.
My advice to Susan was to seek out those friends who support her journey; the ones who ‘get’ what she’s trying to do.
‘Seek out the ones who help you feel lightness in your soul and encourage you to live the life your dream of,’ I said. ‘What would that feel like?’ Susan’s smile was all the answer I needed and I felt her spirit lift at the thought.
Some people are only in our lives for a season. Others will remain connected over long periods to teach us lessons or support only certain parts of our lives. And then others will return when we believe the connection is broken, because that too is what’s needed. The challenge is to protect our hearts and know it’s okay to let go when the contract is done.
*Names changed and story published with Susan’s approval.
If you’d like to me to respond to one of your questions, please comment on my blog or email me at lucretia@lucretiaswords.com
by Lucky Lucy | Sep 13, 2015 | create your life, empowerment, follow your dreams, let go, poem, poems, poetry |
Forget about the how
It doesn’t even matter
For all the gold lies in the now
After all the reasons scatter.
Forget about the how
Throw away your cares
For it is the now that are you seeking
The answer to your prayers.
Forget about the how
When anxiety comes a-calling
For it is an illusory beast
With a superstitious calling.
Forget about the how
The secret is the passion
That you’re feeling in this very moment
For that person, project or fashion.
Forget about the how
Pursue the dream instead
The details will be taken care of later
Without you stalking them every step.
Forget about the how
You hold the key, you know
For all that lies ahead of you
Will happen whenever you go.
Forget about the how
Step forward into the light
Your now is waiting patiently for you
It will keep you out of strife
Forget about the how
The future will be just fine
For now just focus on the now
Its treasures are great
There’s gold right in front of you
And for you, it’s never too late.
