Here's to an exciting week ahead!

I know that most of you (or let me rather say us) is just glad that we've reached the mid day mark of Monday!  It can only go downhill from here on.  During this week, specifically, we have a couple of 'happy places' to go to (and the Ster-Kinekor movies are not even on the list).

We're celebrating new beginnings on Thursday - spring is in the air!  It's such a cliché but Spring Day still is the metaphor for 'out with the old, in with the new' - so let's embrace the crisp, fresh season and all the exciting opportunities that is part of the Spring package.

Thursday is not only Spring Day, it's also officially Springbok Day in South Africa.  A huge party is held for our green and gold boys before they take off to defend their world champion status in New Zealand.  If you cannot join the official Fans' Farewell party, let's create our own celebrations and unite behind the Bokke!

The fun is not over with Thursday's festivities - remember to support persons with disabilities on Friday when it is national Casual Day.  This year's theme is 'Worn to be wild' - if you've always wanted to wear that leopard print cat suit to work, now is your chance! Let's remember to wear the official Casual Day sticker as well.  I couldn't agree more with their slogan: "If no one reaches out, no one can be touched".

If you have a boring, 'same old' week you only have yourself to blame - enjoy!

Creativity: the ability to go beyond the expected

Many of us might think that creativity is the ability to show artistic skill and expertise - to design a beautiful dress, paint a masterpiece, write a poem or design and develop something new.  Creativity does include all of these things, but does also include characteristics and traits that we often regard as basic or fundamental and not belonging to the categories of creativity, art and innovation.

I'm referring to the ability to not necessarily design but appreciate a beautiful dress, to be able to differentiate between the different brush strokes, use of colour and contrast in a painting, to read a poem from the heart and to identify areas that might be improved regarding a new invention - to apply creativity in another, 'mindful' way, perhaps.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi stated in 'The Creative Personality', Psychology Today that "creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals".

 

Creativity in this sense is therefore not limited to the ability to show artistic skill.  It is defined as having the ability to use whatever means, skills and opportunities available to one's disposal to ensure that a goal is reached.

 

Csikszentmihalyi mentioned characteristics of creative individuals which I found to be quite interesting: 

• "Creative people are both rebellious and conservative".
• "Most creative people are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well".
• "Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment".
• "Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility".
• "Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality".
• "Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted".
• "Creative people are humble and proud at the same time".
• "Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping".

We all have varying degrees of creativity within us and I do believe that it is an ability that can be further enhanced and developed.  Let's throw our fears aside and explore, go beyond - be creative!

 

Fun facts for a Friday!

You don't have to buy chappies today, here is a couple of interesting did-you-knows:

• Tomorrow is National wiggle your toes day AND Work like a dog Day (hey, what can we say, we'll try our best on a Saturday).  Pretend you're five years old again and get wiggling!  It can be serious fun if you get a few pals to wiggle along.
• Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
• South Africa has the longest wine route in the world.
• There are more chickens than people in the world.
• Almonds are a member of the peach family.
• There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
• Honey is the only natural food that never goes off.
• The oldest word in English is 'town'.
• A cockroach can live several weeks without a head.
• The Lost City Resort Hotel at Sun City is the largest theme resort hotel in the world.

It's always good to expand our general knowledge, and it doesn't always have to be about serious stuff.  Please share your facts on the lighter side of life.

P.S.  I'll be away for two weeks, chat again by the end of August.

Happy Women's Month!

Celebrating Women's Month...one small act at a time!

This morning I'm searching for information on remarkable women or women who inspire us.  Nothing really grabbed my attention. I went outside to take a quick phone call when someone walked passed me, giving me the warmest smile.  The person looked as if he was deep in thought, and then the unexpected smile.  He (okay ladies, let's give some credit to the guys) really made my day.  

This made me think that it really is the small things, unexpected gestures of kindness, that goes a long way.  With August being Women's Month I'm thinking about all the random acts of kindness, goodness and unselfish love that is shared by grannies, mothers, daughters and special girl friends all around the world.  Not to say that these acts are exclusively exhibited by or towards women.  But since we celebrate the wonderful work done by women during August, we might just as well give some credit to the remarkable women that all of us know, who change the world - one act of kindness at a time.

Ladies, let's give ourselves a pat on the back and continue to be true to ourselves. In the words of Mother Teresa:

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile".