30 days of thinking, writing, reading, making friends

It’s the last day of the April UBC Challenge. This is the fourth challenge that, by the time this is posted, I will have successfully completed. For me, it has been the hardest one yet. That may be because I have been quite busy professionally, with interrupted nights which come with the type of work I do and some very long days. Also, I had created a structure for my blogging, put a lot of thought into it and ensured that every single post was accompanied by a photograph, all of which meant I needed to spend more time and effort on my posts.

I started with looking at how we think, and why we have certain beliefs and make certain assumptions. I examined all sorts of subjects like age, appearance, education and money. There was a wonderful guest post from Ani Richardson about emotional eating. My most popular post was about housework and illustrated with a lovely picture of Alfie which I’ve used again here. It’s important for me to remember how powerful images can be!

For the second half of the month many of my posts addressed how we can take charge of our thinking and gain more freedom, rather than feeling controlled by our thoughts. I looked at living in all of our bodies, not just our heads, smiling (another popular post), creativity, presence, self-care and creating a nurturing community. The recurring theme is how we can develop a worry-resilient lifestyle so that we no longer need to feel overwhelmed and even controlled by our problems.

There is so much more I want to share and that is why I am writing a whole book on how I learned to walk away from chronic, debilitating worry myself. Now that the Challenge is over, and I won’t be blogging so often, please keep in touch by signing up for my newsletter (link below) and that way you will be among the first to know when the book is nearing publication, and even be able to read exclusive extracts.

Of course, the UBC isn’t just about our own blogs; we have the chance to read and comment on a wonderful variety of blogs from all over the world, on a wide range of subjects. I particularly enjoyed Nadine Honeybone’s inspiring posts and Caroline Ashby’s moving and practical advice, both focussing on families with autism. Lyn Bromley writes eloquently on image and authenticity, in particular, and Jacqui Malpass is just amazing on writing, branding and marketing. I have also loved Amy Young Miller’s blog on her life in Nebraska , Caro Ness’ lyrical Thoughts and Musings, and as always Gordon Bryan on achieving goals and success. I feel privileged to be able to visit various blogs, be given an insight into people’s lives and to communicate with such thoughtful, creative and entertaining writers. Thank you everyone. And thank you to Michele and Michelle for running the Challenge again.

Right now, I feel as if four separate months of daily blogging have been enough. I have found my authentic voice, discovered new subjects to write about, made friends and gained readers from all over the globe. I am much busier now than when I took the first Challenge and am looking forward to writing more and more and growing my heart-centred community. So please, make my day and sign up for the newsletter. Let’s keep in touch, keep reading each other’s work and supporting each other in the contributions we make. Thank you to everyone for being there, for reading, for encouraging and supporting me xxx