The Upside Down Project (Follow up Part 1)
Some of you may have seen my post yesterday titled "THE UPSIDE DOWN PROJECT". The purpose of this post was to set an intention on taking action in an area of life that could use challenging. I personally am challenging myself to take one image everyday from a unique angle/ vantage point. Today's photo was of a tree at Old Santee National Park. :)I asked that friends and family who would like to participate in a personal challenge, write to me explaining their struggle and how they plan to overcome it. So far, I have received 4 letters! Here are the stories of people who are focused on the solution rather than the problem. Here are the stories of people who would rather get up, than give up. And here is how they do it!Thank you to everyone who wrote, and kudos for the courage to face your challenges head on! May the power of positivity be with you! Feel free to subscribe below and follow along for support and motivation.If you would like to participate in this project, GREAT! I plan on continuing this project for the month of April. Please email your story/struggle/intention/action plan to: info@melissamileyphotography.com and it will be published anonymously in the next blog post!Read more about "THE UPSIDE DOWN PROJECT" at: http://melissamileyphotography.com/the-upside-down-project/Writer 1:
"I want to be someone who wakes up every morning with a go-getter attitude who is full of energy. I want to have the energy to be able to get up early and work out, or just go for a walk, or do a project. What is holding me back seems to be my energy levels. I never feel like I get enough sleep or rest to be able to wake up early to do anything. I always sleep in until the last second. I would like to challenge myself to wake up 1 hour earlier every day to stretch or walk or get something done. An area of my life that needs a new perspective is how my life will turn out. I have been through many trials and hard times and I can't help thinking how many more there are to come and it gives me a little bit of anxiety. I need to look at my life excited and not fearful." -Anonymous
Writer 2:
"Whether at work or at home, my constant challenge is to focus on the big picture – the important things I need to do each day – without letting the urgent things get in the way. For example, it may be urgent that I pay the mortgage, schedule an appointment, or go to the bank. However, it’s important that I work on a major project, spend time in prayer, and call my mom. When the urgent little things trump the important, those big picture projects often don’t get done. Paperwork, housework and errands can be a black hole of time that suck in the entire day. To combat that failure, I do the important things first. I KNOW the urgent things will get done – because, you guessed it – they are urgent! So I pray first thing in the morning to start my day off right. Then I call my mom because once I get busy, I know that’s not gonna happen. (Sometimes I set the timer. Sorry Mom!) Then I spend a chunk of time working on my major, big picture project. After several hours, I’m ready for a break so I complete those urgent items on my to-do list. I always squeeze in the urgent but they don’t have to be the first thing I tackle. Here’s a bonus: because I’ve spent the majority of my day focusing on the big picture, it’s fresh in my mind. This helps me breeze through those urgent items with anticipation of getting back to my major project. That’s my plan for focusing on the BIG picture!" -Anonymous
Writer 3:
"I'm currently in the never ending battle between work vs. life! Right now, I'm caught in a career with unbelievable demands and I'm facing serious burnout. In an effort to combat the struggle, i've made a commitment to MYSELF! I've had to ask for some help from others, but I'm working on leaving work by 4:30 on 3 out of 5 days. I allow myself one late day per week and I can stay until 6. While this may seem like a ridiculous challenge to some, I have to set alarms, have an accountability partner, make after work plans, etc. to be able to put the work down. The benefits have helped me to take better care of myself by exercising, spending quality time with my partner, cooking and eating healthier, and enjoying my life. I'm not doing it perfectly. In fact, the only thing that seems consistent is that it is a struggle!" -Anonymous
"Being a vocal leader and speaking in front of a group is something that has always challenged me. The way I push myself to become a better leader and speaking in public is by volunteering with coaching Special Olympics Athletes. Coaching all varieties of sports including; basketball, softball, soccer, bocce ball, bowling, swimming, football, with more to come. Standing in front of a team and having all eyes on me required me to overcome this fear quickly! Now I look at coaching as an opportunity to better myself and lead a great group of people to become leaders themselves." -Anonymous
End note: You guys rock. Period.Till next time,Peace, Love, and a lil' Spunk- Mel ;)