Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - D is for...

D is for...Dare to Dream

When we are children we dream of becoming a pilot, or an astronaut or maybe even a celebrity. But what do we dream about as adults? To have more money? Fame? A peaceful existence?

In her book, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron implores the reader to rediscover their creative selves. The dreams you had when you were young but were either too fearful to chase or were convinced that such a life was not the responsible thing to do.

There are many reasons why people suppress or ignore their creative sides. Time is one reason that many cites. But what if you made a commitment to explore that side of you again? You make commitments to many things: your work, your family, friends, other responsibilities...but do you make any commitments to yourself? Can you honestly say that by giving so much of yourself to others, and nothing to yourself, can truly lead to a path of happiness?

Here is my dare to you today:

Find an hour somewhere in this week, and book it in your calendar. Go to your room, a quiet spot in the garden, or secluded spot in the park - somewhere quiet where you can be by yourself. Leave your mobile phone and computer - or switch them off. Use pen and paper and spend a minimum of 20 minutes to consider the following:

1. What in my life makes me truly happy?

2. What do I miss doing?

3. How can I bring more creativity back into my life, even if only to please myself?

While writing your thoughts might drift to things you liked as a child, or a young adult. Explore the way that doing those things made you feel. Not every exploration has to be dramatic. It could be as simple as taking up reading again. Or going fly fishing with a close friend.

Make a commitment to yourself

If there is more than one activity, or you cannot decide which one, make a list and explore each one. The journey to find your activity in itself might lead you to where you need to go.

The number of activities is not important, nor is the amount of time that you spend doing it. The important part is that you need to be happy actually doing it.

On a personal note: I found my 'activity' when I realised that I could spend hours and hours doing something and not feel the time pass. It was the same for both my writing and drawing. At first, I painted too. Although I liked it, it was only once I did a very basic pencil drawing not intended as an outline for a painting, that I truly found my creative happiness. I also love reading.

So my list has three activities where I can lose myself with happiness. It is often difficult to decide where to spend my time, but I am working on that too. (part of my Live in Balance goals for 2017)

Be kind to yourself

Remember this is a journey, not a race. If it takes you days, weeks, or months to find that one thing where you can lose yourself for hours, don't worry about it. Note your journey and how each new activity makes you feel and grow.

Also, read Julia Cameron's book. There is a good reason why so many books about journal writing use hers as a reference.

I dare you!

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - C is for...

C is for Colour

We all need a little colour in our lives whether it be literally, or metaphorically. Today I am focusing on the literal meaning of the word. I am sometimes teased because my favourite colour is black. My engineering friends and colleagues (including Francois) constantly tell me that black is not a colour. Well, technically I suppose they are correct since black does not feature in any colour of light. Note: if you mix all the colours of the rainbow (in lightwaves) you get white, but no combination will ever give you black.

When mixing paints you do get black, but let's not argue that point.

Today I want you to explore your favourite colours in an art entry in your journal. I have done mine with the video clips you find below.

Before you watch (and dig in) a few pointers:

1. Wear an old t-shirt to protect your clothes. Most water-based paints will set permanently once dry and ruin your clothes. A lesson I learned once when I dropped a paintbrush covered in black paint on my favourite denim-blue tennis shoes. I went out and bought the eye-blindingly bright pink housecoat you see me wearing in the video clips (now I paint with those shoes!). It works, what more can I say.
2. You are most welcome to copy my designs for your journal or use your own. Keep it simple, something you can draw and paint in a matter of minutes.
3. If you want to use another medium or design that takes longer to be ready, allocate the space in your journal to glue it in later when it's ready.
4. Use the link here, to find your colour (or its closest match) and pen your thoughts about that. Remember to explore your emotions about the colour, as well as your experience of doing the art project for today's prompt.

Hints and tips:

• Put down a layer of plastic on your work surface to protect it from the paint. I used a plastic bag that I cut open. 
• Put newspaper on top of the plastic. It will absorb any excess moisture and prevent your artwork from unwanted bleeding across the paper.
• Try to use only the text part of the paper. Any pictures will create odd colours or shading of your design.
• Measure your journal's page size and cut the paper rectangles the same size or smaller. This way you know the end result will fit.
• Remove any jewellery from your hands. Paint sticks to everything and will dry quickly because of your body's heat. If your wedding ring has no gemstones, grooves or uneven surfaces like engravings, it may not be a problem, but the smallest crevice will be very hard to clean once the paint is dry.
• I put my hair in a ponytail because I have accidentally painted the ends a time or two and then the paint gets transferred to my face or glasses. But that's just me.
• Lastly, enjoy the art project!

Watch the short YouTube Videos!

Introduction

Drawing and painting a flower

Finishing the leaves

Preparing the design

Finishing the design in my journal

My favourite colours, what they mean, and my thoughts on that

Black

According to the website, it is a colour of mystery and secrecy. While I would like to think that I am mysterious and secretive, the closest I ever get to that are the mystery novels I love to read. Deep down I don't think I want to be mysterious.

Perhaps because I am an introvert who is happy to be on my own or left alone to do my own thing. Took me years to figure that part out. Only when I got to know other writers, did I begin to understand this part of myself. Interesting thing to discover in your early thirties, I can tell you.

But knowing this also allowed me to more easily accept this part of myself. Understanding it has been a journey, but I feel that understanding this part of me, helps me define my path to happiness.

Purple

This is the colour of creativity. My mother used to tell me that it is the only colour where you can wear any shades of it together without clashing with yourself. I am no fashionista and have no interest in dressing fashionably (if I do, it is pure luck), so I don't know if that is true. What I do know is that creativity is something I am still learning about every day.

After reading The Artist's Way, it opened even more doors in my mind. While I love my art projects, I have not experimented much simply because of my (mistaken) notion that painting (irrespective of the medium) was the only true expression of visual art, excluding sculpting.

Logically, I know that is not true, but until recently painting was all I did. I liked it, but it didn't grab me by the throat to drag me to the blank canvas. Only once I started experimenting with pastels and pencil do I feel as if I have truly found my art. I have a lot still to learn, but learning is easier for me if I have a passion for the subject.

It was the same for my engineering studies until I discovered electromagnetism in my third year. But that is something to explore at another time.

Jade

The closest colour to jade (or teal) on the website is turquoise. According to the website, it is the colour of balance because it sits right in the middle of the rainbow (mix of blue and green).

Sheesh, was I surprised when I read that the first time. There is no way I can convince myself that my choice of jade as a favourite, can have anything to do with my Live in Balance motto for this year. I have always loved this colour (it is also one of the few colours that both my mother and I liked equally), so the meaning cited on this website was pure coincidence, but not an unwelcome explanation!

When I think about my three favourite colours and their meanings, I am quite happy with the combination. Of course, there are negative connotations too, but I prefer to focus on the positive. I am striving for happiness after all!

👉 What have you learned today about your favourite colour(s)?

Live In Balance: A to Z Challenge - B is for...

B is for Books

Since I am not a trained therapist (of any kind) my perspective on journal writing comes purely from years of experience and a lot of reading on the subject. I read wider than only journal writing - one does need a wider perspective in my view. Writing a journal is a simple exercise of taking a pen and writing in a notebook.

The problem with keeping a journal is that people very often start but do not keep up with the practice because they want to achieve something, set a goal, get to it and then you are done. Journal writing is not about achieving some goal. It is a process and as such can be difficult to keep up, unless you find another reason for doing so.

For me, it is the pure pleasure of writing. Of having a means to work through an issue in my head. Our subconscious minds are powerful and often we don't let it do the work it can - helping us make decisions, or sort through an issue we are having difficulties to define to ourselves. Journal writing helps me with putting the issue out there, even if I don't understand it or don't have an answer yet.

To my mind keeping a journal is not something I do, it is something I am. Whether it is a prayer entry, a whining and moaning day, or just recording some events because I feel I have to, my journal is a part of who I am; a part of who I have become. Even if the changes I have seen in myself over the years have been subtle or dramatic, I wouldn't hesitate to attribute at least some of that to my journal.

If you have recently started to keep a journal but find it hard to keep up the practice, you need to find something in the practice that you like. Writing with a beautiful fountain pen? Time to yourself, if only a few minutes? The way you feel after you let go of the stuff in your life that keeps you down or lifts you up after realising that something good has happened. We live such busy lives and it is only when we sit down to take a breath to take stock that we can see what is lacking; to see what we need to find our own happiness.

That is one reason why writing a journal by hand allows you to slow down and spend the time with yourself.

Books and articles I like that may also help you find your journey to happiness through journal writing:

• You Love What You Invest Yourself In 
• “Mind Surgery”: My 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat

• Persist. It Matters
• 50 Ways Happier, Healthier, And More Successful People Live On Their Own Terms
• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
• Flow - the Psychology of the Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan B. Peterson, Ph.D
• Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick
• The Journal-Writer's Guide to Staying Started by Nathan Ohren

... and there are many, many more.

Read widely and explore with your journal, what these topics could do for your journey in life.

Live in Balance: A weird week

A weird week

The past week had been odd because every time I had to buy something I had to use my credit card. While that may not sound weird to most people, Francois and I have an agreement that only items we both need to pay for (e.g. groceries or things for our dogs) will be bought using our credit cards. It just makes it easier to figure out who is responsible for what expense. For my personal things or buying gifts for him, I would use my debit card.

But the bank made a screw up when they issued my new card - they linked it to his personal savings account. So yeah, I had to get that sorted first, which I could only manage yesterday. The next credit card statement is going to prove a challenge to sort out.

Staying on track

On my Live in Balance goals, the only thing I am really happy with this past month was my weight-loss. Nothing dramatic, but that is a good thing. Keeping my blood sugar levels stable while adjusting my diet is important. And clocking a consistent loss so far is something I am quite happy with.

April and its challenges

The blog challenge is proving to be a true challenge for me. To be honest I am a bit nervous about the response some of my posts might get, because it is more than a blog challenge; it is a journey. The daily entries are but drops falling into the river of life itself.

My journal writing has been on this journey for more than thirty years and yet some days I feel as if I am just starting out. But that is how it should be, otherwise, I would stagnating instead of growing as a human being, an artist, a writer.

Even with my goals for this year, my journal forms a significant part of the journey to Live in Balance. April is the month dedicated to my journal, yet it never functions as if it is a separate entity in my life.

The A-to-Z Challenge posts for the coming week will be as follows:

Monday: Letter B…for Books

Tuesday: Letter C…for Colour (simple art prompt)

Wednesday: Letter D…for Dare to Dream

Thursday: Letter E…for Explore

Friday: Letter F…for Forgiveness

Saturday: Letter G…for Gratitude (prompt)

See you then!

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - A is for...

A is for Architecture

Architectural design is based on a few basic rules and a whole lot of creativity. The same could be said of journal writing, especially if you have never done it before.

Here is a basic guideline on how you can start your entry for the day:

Suggestion	Example
Note the date and time	1 April 2017, 7h13
Note the place where you find yourself	At home. Got my feet up in the living room because I am home alone today. F already left for a photo shoot in Jo'burg. Coffee brewing in the kitchen and making my mouth water.
Note your physical well-being	Knee is aching like a bitch. Tried to be careful in my work-out this week, but will need to carry on with the anti-inflammatory meds the doctor gave me on Monday. Although I am happy with...
Prompt for the day	……
Conclusion	Today I wrote about.../ that my experience…/I learned…/I have to…

There is no right way of doing this, but you can start with the suggestions above and work from there.

Drifting thoughts?

It is alright if you start off on one thought and then progress or jump to another. Don't think about it, just let the words come. Single words. Bullet points. Short or long sentences, it does not matter. What is important is that you let your thoughts come while you write.

Time?

Most authorities on journal writing recommend that you do so first thing in the morning, for about 20 to 30 minutes. Give your mind a chance to clear before you start the day.

There is no fast rule for early morning writing, as you might prefer to reflect late at night, or before you go to bed.

Tools of the trade

There are many beautiful and elegant notebooks available today that you can use, but that is not necessary. Any notebook, cheap or expensive, will do exactly the same job: record your thoughts when you write them down.

The same goes for the pen. Personally, I like using a fountain pen (I have several that I acquired over the years) but on some days I like to use a simple ballpoint pen. You can use whatever writing instrument feels comfortable in your hand.

Different colour pens can be used too. If you feel particularly happy, use a blue pen. Or when you're thinking about an issue, use a black pen.

Finding a particular entry again

When I write in my journal, I sometimes get an idea for a blog post, an art project, or a story. I write it down, but it can easily get lost in the words around it. So I came up with a simple system to mark specific entries that I might want to go back to. I use a fiber tipped pen to mark the pages on the edge. If the journal is closed you can spot the marks on the side of the pages and they are then easy to trace.

This is your journey

Whether you choose to follow a prompt to direct your thoughts, buy an expensive notebook or not, this is your journey. Start today and make the most of it. You will be surprised when you open yourself up to this new experience.

Live in Balance: Challenges Ahead

Despite all my efforts to not-write (Haha!) in April I will force myself to make up for that. Since I cannot resist a challenge, the next month will see me taking part in two writing based challenges – at the same time!

The A to Z Challenge will kick-off on Saturday with the letter A and in keeping with my theme, I will be using the letter A for Architecture. I can just hear you go, huh? What does that have to do with the Journal to Happiness theme?

Bookmark this page and have a look on Saturday. My posts go live at 1 am (GMT+2) my time.

Speaking of Saturday. I will be giving away 4 books and 4 ebooks to 8 lucky subscribers to my mailing list. Have you signed up yet? If you are worried about spam or constantly being bludgeoned by promotions, don’t be. I don’t promote my books unless there is new one (and it’s not coming as soon as I had hoped) and that only happens (if I am not procrastinating so much) once a year. So, your inbox is safe from me.

Now onto the second challenge I mentioned: Camp NaNoWriMo. The practice event for the main course in November. 

I am very excited to once again be working on a new book project. Although I will be using the blog posts of Journal Writing in the Pursuit of Happiness, the blog challenge will only be the start. After the incredible feedback I got on Negotiating the Maze (my book of the month coming in April), tackling another non-fiction book project seemed like a good idea. Non-fiction requires a different approach, and I found that I like that too. Never too old to learn, I think!

This coming week is going to be super busy for me, but may yours be filled with happiness and success! 😁

Live in Balance: The Blog Challenge theme reveal and a giveaway

Picking a Theme for the challenge

The theme for my A-to-Z Blog Challenge in April is not something I dreamed up for the sake of filling my blog with 26 posts. In fact, it is an outflow of my Live in Balance goals for this year.

Since I have been keeping a journal for more than 30 years, I wondered why it took me this long to came up with the idea for the blog challenge. I have also been reading up on the topics of happiness and creative journal writing and would love to share with you some of the things I have learned.

So here goes...from 1 April I will be posting about Journal Writing in the Pursuit of Happiness in 26 parts. A post for each letter of the alphabet. Keep an eye out for posts on Sundays to get a preview of the posts coming that week.

The three Ps

A-B-C is perhaps not the best acrostic to explain the concept of Creative Journal writing. Instead, I decided to use three Ps instead:

Private: Journal writing is not a group activity. You don't share your journal. Make sure it is kept in a secure place to ensure your absolute privacy.

Personal: This is about you. Your personal issues, experiences, observations, growth, musings, etc. We seldom make time for ourselves, but we need to and journal writing is one way of doing exactly that.

Process: It may sound weird, but journal writing has no end goal. There is no target to be achieved, either in the individual entries nor any time frame that may exist in your mind. It is a process: of self-discovery, observation of yourself, your environment, and your experiences of your world. It is what you want to it be: a sympathetic ear, a prayer book, a companion, a therapist, or all of these and more. And the best of all - you decide what kind of journal you will keep, and you can change the style, the depth, and your method of journal writing whenever you want.

I have noticed that often people say that they don't know what to write about. If you feel panic setting in at the thought of keeping a journal, there is absolutely no need. There are many books, and even more online resources to help you find your way.

The most important part is just to get going. A pen and any notebook will do that job. No fancy writing instruments or elegant notebooks (although some people prefer them) required.

What we are going to write about

This is the blog series I mentioned on 6 March. I am inviting you to explore the concept of happiness through journal writing with me. I will also provide a prompt upon occasion.

The prompt will be for a written and/or and art entry for that day. Keeping a journal can also be a creative outlet, and I will provide all the instructions, and pictures, to show you what you need.

Artistic skills are not required.

I mean, you can tear out a piece of newspaper and make a colourful mess on it, can't you? It will be that easy. No drawing, or complicated painting, or sculpting required. If you do know your way around a paint brush, or a charcoal stick, by all means, explore the prompt in your preferred medium or style. There are no rules, nor any limitations in keeping a journal. The only rule (if there ever was one) is being honest with yourself. This journey is for you, and only for you.

And there goes my pants...

When the word 'prompt' appears in the title of the post, be sure that the post of the day will also be my response to that same prompt. *gulp*

Of course, it will be the same as taking my proverbial pants off in public by doing that, but what would be the point of taking a risky journey if there is no risk taking involved?

Subscribe to win

About the book -> http://buff.ly/2nzMZ4y

A last word... as mentioned in my previous post, four people stand a chance to win a small swag pack by signing up for my mailing list before the end of March.

• The swag pack is limited to South African residents only.
• However, for international friends signing up, I will give a discount voucher to an additional four winners of the ebook version of JOURNEY.
• You don't need to take part in the Blog Challenge (but I would love it if you did!) or buy any of my books to be eligible to win.

So, are you brave enough to embark on this journey to happiness with me?

Live in Balance: Time to just carry on

As I sat down in front of my computer to compose my blog post for this week, I realised that I have nothing to say. No wise words, no boring words, just nothing. So instead of waffling my way through 500 words or so to put something on my blog, I am putting my 6 graphs of progress up. And that's it.

Next week, along with everyone else, I will reveal my theme for the A-to-Z Blog Challenge.

There will also be three swag packs (South African residents only) to give away to subscribers to my mailing list. Details next week.

Until then, Live in Balance, my friends!

Live in Balance: Connections, Inter-connections and Threads that Bind

Have you ever wondered what it means to be happy? In recent weeks I have been musing about the concept. The question came to mind while reading Stephanie Dowrick's book, Creative Journal Writing. The book is not about what it means to be happy, but it planted a few ideas for a book of my own. These things happen, and I am sure not a foreign concept to any other writer: read a book and ideas pop into your head that makes you ponder some new ideas. Eventually, I did more than think about it.

So what is happiness?

According to Wikipedia: “Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happy mental states may also reflect judgments by a person about their overall well-being. A variety of biological, psychological, economic, religious and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.

Various research groups, including positive psychology and happiness economics, are employing the scientific method to research questions about what “happiness” is, and how it might be attained.”

And here I thought it was just a simple matter of an emotional high resulting from the achievement of some goal or a positive personal thing. It would seem that people, a lot smarter than I, have been pondering this same question and still haven't formulated a definitive answer. Who would have thought?

So now I am writing a book?

While I would love to say yes to the book idea, it is not as simple as that plonking my butt into my chair and bleeding on top of my keyboard (liberal paraphrase of the Hemingway quote - sorry!). For a start, I am no psychologist, but then the idea for the book is not about to write about happiness either.

I know, I am contradicting myself even as you read this. This seed of an idea still needs a lot more research before it could be considered a 'book idea'.

The problem I am invariably stuck with: how much research and what to read?

While I consider myself smart enough to know to stay away from the formal academic publications, several articles and suggested books have crossed my path in recent weeks. Luck? Or fate perhaps? While I believe that nothing ever happens without reason, I have started to read books and articles completely outside of my comfort zone.

Remember, I am an engineer, and any material to do with human behaviour or philosophy or psychology would generally make me green around the gills.

However, I found myself immersed in a new world and am fascinated by what I found.

Connections, inter-connections, and threads that bind

While reading (and studying) these publications somewhere in subconscious mind I get the feeling that there are more to all of these topics than what I can see at first glance. Somewhere, somehow the topics of journal writing, happiness, achievements of goals, life and my Live in Balance goals are connected. Of course, very few things in this world stand independently on their own feet.

These connections, to my mind at least, are threads of lessons I have to learn or tie together in my quest to Live in Balance, and not only for this year.

While these threads have a logical connection, it is the non-rational, the non-academic, gut feel there-is-a-link-for-me that I have to find. Maybe you have found yours, or perhaps you are still seeking, but this journey for has turned into far more than I have anticipated when I made my list for 2017.

Now, about that book...

During the month of April, there are two challenges going out to the world for writers and bloggers: Camp NaNoWriMo and the A-to-Z Blog Challenge.

I have taken part in both and have as a result published books (fiction and non-fiction) afterward.

With Camp, I usually prefer fiction, while the blog challenge lends itself to both fiction and non-fiction. The problem is time and I don't have more than two hours per day during the week, about double that on weekends. So the solution was there before my eyes - I can do both at the same time.

Develop the book idea with blog posts, and it would be great if you offered your opinions as we go along. Then I can also use the words for my Camp target during April. Remember that word count target I have for my Live in Balance year?

*taking a deep breath here* It is not easy putting myself out there, but I believe that I can do it. What I also know is that feedback from you, my readers, could help to develop this seed into a good idea.

In fact, I think it could be a great idea with your help. Are you in?

Live in Balance: Slowing down, because I had to

The fist in the stomach

Pencil drawing in process

Do you feel overwhelmed sometimes? To be honest, it doesn't actually happen to me. I know where I am going with my life, and I have faith that there is Someone in control of everything, including my life.
But sometimes the odd feeling of everything being too much pops into my head. It isn't something that I am comfortable with, and neither do I like it. But it is there, brooding in the subconsciousness of my thoughts. The difficulty of this subconscious awareness is how to deal with it.
It cannot be reasoned away. Or can it? I am not sure. Neither do I know what sparked this problem in the first place. Was it just the coming together of all the things in my life, or did something happen (even something I am unaware of) that started this downhill trend?
But my bigger issue is to deal with it because it could become too much or too big, or too something.

Retreat and reassess

It has taken me a while, becoming aware of this. You know how you talk to people and they ask you how you are? My answer usually depends on how well I know someone or how likely they are at gossiping. It would hardly be a good idea to confide in someone only to have one's personal issues traveling through the grapevine the next day.
Even this simple question 'how are you?' posed by a friend, didn't raise this matter in my mind. The niggling was there, and it wasn't until this past Friday that the niggle became an awareness at a higher conscious level.
I haven't been writing much, not even in my journal and I began to wonder if that was the reason for it? My writing, including my fiction projects, have been such a part of my life becoming so ingrained into the way I define myself as a human being.
Was the lack of words to be blamed for this feeling of too much? Did I put too much pressure on myself with my Live in Balance goals, that my creativity had dried up? Just the thought that it might be the case, makes my hair turn grey despite the exotic colour job.

Distract to conquer

I don't believe in writer's block, but something had to be done, and fast. I have a novel that I need to finish editing, and since I had to make a major change at the start of the story, there is some rewriting required as a result of this. Not writing is simply not on!
So I fell back into my comfort zone, my plan B if you like: I read. I read three full-length novels in two and a half days.
I really pulled my security blanket close on this one, foregoing several hours of sleep, to read three books by my favourite author, Maya Banks. Now, you have to understand, I stopped binge reading a long time ago, but this was an emergency to distract my brain and hopefully conquer this feeling of being overwhelmed.
I don't need a lot of sleep so I cannot forego even half an hour of that, because of the way it disrupts my life. But I did. And I am going to pay the price for that in the coming days.
But did it solve the problem? 

The glass may be half-empty, but there's space for vodka

I wouldn't lie and say to you that I am madly writing words in my journal or my novel, but there is a light in the distance. Reason for celebration? That's why the vodka. Or maybe I should have thought of another analogy, I rarely drink alcohol. It's early days yet.
What I do know is that my creative juices did not dry up. I started drawing and spent most of the weekend doing that. Pencil drawings require a lot of time and patience, but those hours of drawing brought a smile to my face and a lightness to my mind.
Art may be on my Live in Balance goals for this year, but I deliberately forewent the need to attach a target to it. And that was my saving grace, I think. Something I can do, spend time with and yet, just enjoy the process without adding more stress to myself.

I learned another lesson this week: I love writing, but I should stop putting so much pressure on myself to perform. I may not have had a block, but it would be good to remember that to Live in Balance requires more than the completion of a novel in record time.

Until next week!

Live in Balance: A matter of choice

I finally figured it out

As I got onto the scale Sunday, yesterday, morning, I had been less apprehensive than all the previous times this year. Not because I knew I lost another kilogram, I didn't, but I realised that I got this weight-loss thing sorted. I knew exactly where I went wrong during the week, and why my weight was exactly the same as last week.

So the week ahead is already planned out, and the goal for the week - dropping 1 kg - is in the bag. I just have to do the things I planned, including finishing reading a book I promised to review. More about that later.

What is interesting, though, is when you tell someone you are busy working on losing weight everyone and his friend has the world's advice to give to you. Do this diet or do more squats, or fast.

I ignored all their advice since I know what my medical and physical issues are and no matter how well intended, people just don't know what will or won't work for me. But the fasting thing threw me for a loop.

Fasting - really?

I am familiar with the concept but in a religious or spiritual environment. I know of friends that have fasted to gain clarity or to seek answers for a problem they struggle with, but fasting to me has never even entered the realm of losing weight.

On a personal note: no matter what my religious beliefs are, I cannot fast. The risk is too high that I can pass out, due to blood sugar issues. Since I drive where I want to be, safety cannot be ignored.

Now, I did read about fasting diets, purely to understand why someone would do such a thing and how it would work. Some of the article writers mentioned that they entered a once-a-week fasting regime - no food for 24 hours - to help them gain focus and to be more creative. This to me made sense - while it might not be for a spiritual reason, the fasting process helped them to address an issue in their lives. Only they could say if it really made a difference or not.

I choose the sensual pleasures every time

Source: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/category/healthy

The people who were fasting for weight-loss baffled me. If you could be disciplined enough to forego all food for 24 hours, once or some even twice a week, why can't you be disciplined enough to follow a healthy, calorie-restricted diet every day of the week?

There are many studies, and websites, that tell you that you can learn a new behaviour (or fix an old one) in a matter of 20 to 30 days. So why deny yourself the sensual pleasure of food, for the sake of losing weight? You have to eat, there is, unfortunately, no getting away from that if you want to be alive and healthy.

No matter what they tell you about not over compensating the next day, or binging on chocolate after denying yourself, does a more balanced approach not sound more attainable? And more rewarding over the long term?

I don't know. While some of the medically based studies say there is no health risk to fasting one or even two days a week, to me the denial of such a basic need seems contrary to the human experience of life. But that's just me.

Adapt or die trying?

To honest, I haven't changed my mind on my weight-loss regime, and nor am I likely to. I had a good hard look at my behaviour around and attitude towards food. I found what was wrong, and I am working on correcting that. Will it happen overnight? It hasn't so far, but 6 weeks into my Live in Balance goals, and I know that I am doing better than any previous attempt to do the same.

It is not up to me to tell you what you should do if you want to follow a weight-loss plan, or getting into shape plan, or writing a book for that matter.

What I do suggest is that you:

• decide first on what you want to achieve,
• figure out what of your own behaviour is standing in your way,
• and how you are going to hold yourself accountable in working to achieve that goal.

The hard choices will come

Make no mistake, nothing worth striving for will come without sacrifice. But if you want it bad enough, no sacrifice can be too great to achieve it. And you don't have to do it on your own. Whatever you want to do this year, there at least ten other people who want to do the same. Find them in your area, on Facebook, or at work, and join forces to help and support each other. Achievement of a goal is so much sweeter when you can share them with people who have been with you on that journey every step of the way.

I wish you only success with your journey!

Live in Balance: Week 6 - taking stock

Stuck in a rut

We often step back to take stock of our lives: work, time spent with family, the future, retirement, and so on. But this past week I wondered if we do that often enough, or do we wait too long to consider where we stand? Do we wait until it is too late to make a course correction, or even a complete change in direction?

Even if you are happy with yourself and your achievements, shouldn't you too just take a moment or two to take stock?

Creative people are more prone to awareness of stagnating, or procrastinating in their art or craft. They get frustrated, or blocked or give up when that seemingly insurmountable obstacle is preventing them from moving forward. We are constantly being bombarded with media and psychological imperatives that if you are not moving forward, you are digging yourself deeper into a rut. But should you be moving forward at that point in time? And how do you know when is the right time?

Stop - right now!

It is the start of a new month and I think a good time to spend a few minutes considering where I am on my Live in Balance goals. Am I on track? Where do I need to have a relook at a specific goal, or adjust the target?

I spent that time today, Sunday, and assessed my progress on my five primary goals. And surprisingly two of them are exactly on track (weight-loss and word count), while I could definitely spend more time looking at how I spend my time on my art projects.

The step counter and Tai Chi activities suffered a setback when I injured a ligament in my left hip. I can walk okay, but many other physical activities are pushing my pain boundary just a touch too much. It is already feeling better, but I will need to be careful for a while still.

The last, the number of books read, was a surprise too. Then again, I have always read a lot, although I have not kept track of the number of books read in a month as I am doing now.

While most of my goals seem to be on track, my efforts to keep them there need to be reinforced. When it comes to weight-loss, it is much easier said than done - and the graphs show that.

For February there will be baby steps

Having a weight-loss graph going up and down is not a good thing, so I need to focus on a slow by steady loss approach. With the month ahead having four weeks (four Sundays) my target will be another 2 kilograms.

Francois and I attended the opening night of an art exhibition at ArtBox on Saturday. We spoke to the artist and while doing so I realised that I have been spreading myself too thin. I want to try every technique and play around with all mediums, and that could be part of the problem that I am not spending my time on my art projects productively. That will change.

This month I will focus primarily on urban sketching. I already have the materials I need and have taken a few more photographs to help with the ideas I have.

My writing targets are split into two: editing Waiting for Adrian, and writing a story that has no title at present. In numbers that translate to roughly 50 hours of editing and 20 000 words of writing.

Baby steps this month.

Looking further ahead

When the artist we chatted to mentioned that she had made a change in direction in her art, it got me thinking about taking stock in one's life. Maybe going forward is not always the answer. Sometimes it requires a complete change in direction to get going again.

And that is where I think my art is at this point. I need to do the urban sketching and then decide if that is my way forward. Or do I need to change direction before I get stuck in that rut of digging myself deeper instead of recognising that change is required before the rut sets in?

Time will tell, but now I am on the lookout for those signs of frustration and procrastination that will warn me that change might be imminent.