Timp pentru tine (podcast)

Când viaţa îţi pare greu de trăit, fă o călătorie printre stele. Te vei regăsi acolo. Apoi întoarce-te, cu intenţie.

Salutare, oameni frumoşi!

Cât de frecvent vă acordaţi timp vouă înşivă/ însevă?

Până acum câţiva ani, eu nu am ştiut ce înseamnă “timpul pentru mine”. Însă viaţa aranjează lucrurile în aşa manieră încât să ne învăţăm lecţiile şi să deschidem ochii în privinţa valorii proprii. Şi, evident, acest lucru s-a petrecut şi cu mine. Prin practica dezvoltării personale, la început cu paşi mărunţi, am ajuns să înţeleg de ce este atât de important să mă ascult. Totusi, cu atât mai important a fost să înţeleg că trebuie să îmi acord eu mie timp. Şi să mă vindec… Şi să mă iert… Şi să mă iubesc… Şi câte şi mai câte! Dar toate la timpul lor, pe rând.

Pe măsură ce scriu acest text, realizez că nu am vorbit mai deloc despre podcastul în limba română, în acest mediu atât de personal şi drag mie. Dar, iată, astăzi vreau să îndrept această eroare. Podcastul “Oameni Frumoşi – într-o lume de plastic” l-am început în octombrie 2019. Această aventură a venit ca rezultat al dragostei mele pentru frumuseţea sufletului uman, dar şi din dorinţa arzătoare de a demostra că şi în România există oameni minunaţi, care fac lucruri pentru bunăstarea acestei culturi. Până la acest moment, podcastul are deja 8 episoade publicate, dintre care 6 sunt interviuri. Vă las mai jos un playlist, în caz că doriţi să vedeţi despre ce am vorbit cu invitaţii mei, dar şi câteva episoade scurte înregistrate pe cont propriu. Fiecare like, share & subscribe (abonare) contează tare mult pentru mine!

Totuşi, vă recomand cu cea mai mare căldură să căutaţi podcastul şi pe principalele platforme de podcasting (de ex: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc), pentru că este posibil să public episoade pentru care să nu consider că este necesar un video.

Vă las eu mai jos 3 link-uri utile:

Anchor:

https://anchor.fm/flavored-ventures (puteţi lăsa mesaj vocal prin intermediul acestei platforme 😉 )

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oameni-frumosi-intr-o-lume-de-plastic/id1484504621?uo=4 (dacă lăsaţi un review aici sunteţi cei mai tari şi cei mai frumoşi!)

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5hntSVgOfccmuJDR8WdJKh?si=eP09feKzQdee4eXbeCgbZA

Revenind la titul acestei bucăţi de text, în episodul de podcast publicat astăzi vorbim putin despre importanţa timpului acordat nouă înşine. Deşi multe voci spun că acest timp nu este important, fiind mai valoroase activităţile desfăşurate pentru într-ajutorarea aproapelui – şi atât, eu am învăţat pe pielea mea beneficiul timpului acordat sinelui (mai ales prin prisma experienţei de părinte singur). Fie că este vorba de 2, 5, 30 de minute sau o zi întreagă, trebuie să înţelegem că bucuriile vieţii stau în lucruri mici. Uneori, aceste lucruri mărunte sunt de-a deptul invizibile altora, însă pentru noi reprezintă oaza de liniste şi pace.

* Daca vă place acest episod, vă încurajez să îl împărtăşiţi cu cineva care are nevoie de aceste cuvinte astăzi. *

** Mă găsiti pe social media prin următoarele mijloace:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrada.anitei

Instagram: @anitei_andrada

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrada-anitei/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndradaAnitei

Dacă aveţi întrebări, sugestii de subiecte despre care aţi vrea să aflaţi mai multe sau propuneri de oameni frumoşi, aştept e-mail-urile voastre la Office@flavoredventures.com. De asemenea, puteţi folosi aceeaşi adresa de e-mail pentru obtinerea unei oferte pentru servicii de scris, editare, consultanţă, video-uri sau traduceri (română-engleză & vice versa). Găsiţi informaţii şi pe https://flavoredventures.com. **

*** Voiceover: Aurelian Ivan (HaiTv – https://haitv.ro/) ***

Vă mulţumesc pentru prezenţă! 🙏🏻

When every cent/ penny/ euro cent matters, free advertising is a blessing

The entire world has been struck and now we’re stuck. That’s a fact no-one can counterpart. Economy is, in many areas, going down. People are being laid off, due to businesses being forced to close their doors during these times. Anxiety and depression levels grow exponentially, as most people worry about the length of all this situation. But not just that – it’s certain that most of the ones who have been laid off need to learn how to adapt, to change direction, since nothing is going to be the same, once everything is over. There might be times ahead of us when most businesses that shut off will not be able to make a return.

What is the direction of marketing?

Since everything is now clearly going digital, even the smallest of businesses is looking for ways to showcase their uniqueness, via one big channel – social media. New specialized platforms appear with each passing day, but driving traffic to them might be daunting. Yet, there is another reason why many of these platforms that appear now out of the blue will go back into the blue, in no time: money.

Yes, it’s clear that we are all trying to support our existence, to put food on the table for our families and decrease the stress and anxiety regarding what tomorrow may bring. So – at this point – we need help in this regard. We have to open our eyes even wider than before and look for every option available on the market, in terms of (re)building our image and branding.

Let’s take the example of a barber’s shop. This sort of business depends exclusively on people being physically present in the shop. Nonetheless, during these times, their doors display the following message: “Closed for an undetermined period of time”. So, what is left for the owner to do? Adapt. Rebuild themselves, from the scratch, online. Pretty heavy to redirect, right? An option would be for barbers to start opening into their creativity and start showing it off online. How? Well, I guess that is up to individual efforts, but I trust that they can do it, as hard as it may seem at this point.

Another example of a business that needs to look more into exposing itself is the one of a stationer’s shop. Of course, most of their goods are already available online, if the owners were well grounded. Regardless, their marketing strategy also needs to adapt. The audience is getting tired of the targeted ads on social media, although this strategy might yield good results. What we need to understand, though, is the fact that it is now the time to adjust our ways of sending the message out.

WorkApp is your answer

7 years ago, an Aussie guy urgently needed a worker in his area. It was shocking to learn that there was no way to find that very worker by only walking around the streets, asking people or shouting it off. And there was no available system in place to use for searching and displaying a result quickly, based on location and certain requirements.

As such, after that experience, this guy went home and spoke to his family about the struggle. Shortly afterwards, in the course of a few days, the concept behind WorkApp was born. It would be an app that allowed everyone (regardless of education, gender, skin color, beliefs or financial situation) to showcase their skills (as a job seeker), business (even for HR) or products and for others to find it quickly, based on location. The closest and most relevant search result would show at the top and no-one could buy that position. Going even further, the team brainstormed about whether to make it financially available to everyone or not. And their answer was YES. Therefore, they made a plan for this new system to come out (and remain) free for all. It’s as if these guys foresaw the times we are currently facing. Isn’t this simply amazing?

Every cent/ penny/ euro cent matters now

Going back to the title of this article, I believe that we can all agree on the fact that every cent/ penny/ euro cent matters now, more than ever before. We need to carefully build a new strategy when it comes to advertising our business and in how to deliver our messages. In terms of crafting the message, Flavored Ventures can help. However, when it comes to advertising, what better place to be on than WorkApp? Right now, it is the only free available option. Whether you are in Romania and you craft earrings, in India and craft sarees or you are in America and you create a coaching course you need attendees for, this platform has it all covered for you, at no cost.

“Too good to be true”?

I know that this saying has been spread around, from generation to generation. Because we were and still are conditioned to believe so. But it is now the time to look for the new and believe in what’s in front of us. When our existence is in our hands, completely dependent on our decisions, the area of choices needs to expand. Consequently, if there is a free option, what’s holding us back from embracing it? An old belief system?

Just think about how much money you can save by adopting a free marketing platform. Yes, you still need to create an attractive message and image, but the costs go down considerably, compared to a banner, flyer or a billboard that no-one can reach to now around the city, due to worldwide lock-down. Plus, if you already have your banner/ flyer/ billboard design created, there’s no more money to invest. You already have what it takes to advertise your business on WorkApp. Of course, you need to take a tiny step and create your free account on the platform and make your clients aware of where they can find you. But you can have your account created in minutes and your business can flourish quickly.

Free advertising is a blessing. And “WorkApp works for you!”

At this point in time, we are all struck and stuck. But it doesn’t have to remain that way. It is worth giving a try to something new, especially as no cost is involved. I have my own listings up on WorkApp for 2 years now and I never paid a cent for having my services, podcast, books and profile as a worker there. The only thing I need to do is refresh my listings every day, in order to have them among the top listings in my area or even globally. For me, as an entrepreneur, it works like a charm, as I only have to put in a bit of an effort (in refreshing my listings each day) for a huge gain.

I am aware of the fact that my statement “free advertising is a blessing” is very strong, yet I am sure that most of you understand why I put it that way.

You can give this option a try by downloading the app (for both Android and IOS) here: https://workapp.link/GetApp. Or you can go to their website: https://workapp.world/.

If there is any question you might need an answer to, you can drop a line to info@workapp.world.

Happy free advertising!

Much love,

A.

#FlavoredWriting

🖋 💙

* Article initially published on April 16th, here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-every-cent-penny-euro-matters-free-advertising-anitei-mha-/

The unconscious mind and the SECRETS behind the healing properties of Writing

We – as human beings – by nature are being driven by the conscious mind, on a daily basis. We are being taught that this is the way to go through life, in order to stay safe from harm or to achieve our utmost desired goals. As a consequence, most of us are being kept away from a precious teaching, which is being proved more and more by science, lately.

But before I move on, I would like you to take these quick questions and honestly answer them for yourself:

Did you ever lose anything around the house?

When that happened, did you try, with all your strength, to remember where you put that thing? Maybe even by retracing every step of the way in the last hour, half of day or so?

And here comes the best part: when you ran out of ideas of where to find that thing and dropped the conscious thought, moving on to doing something else, did you suddenly remember where to find it?

Characteristics of the unconscious mind

I dare to say that all the answers to the above questions are “yes”, in 99.9% of the cases. And I will explain – in plain English – why I’m so certain. But in order to do so, we need to go through the characteristics of the unconscious mind for a moment. For this, I will make a call to Tad James’s teachings. Please let me know at which bullet point(s) did you identify the answer(s).

• The unconscious mind does not process negation.
• The unconscious mind needs to be told what to do, in detail, with precise instructions but it also needs practice. It loves to serve you, yet you need to allow it to do so. It is also responsible for instincts and generating habits, therefore the need for repetition and for clear guidelines. 
• The unconscious mind is like a child playing hide and seek. The moment you look for it, it will most probably not show up. However, when the conscious mind is being silenced, the kid [aka subconscious mind] will come out of its hiding place and play with you.
• The unconscious mind stores all our memories, in relationship or not in relationship with time, and organizes them.
• The unconscious mind is the domain of our emotions. 
• The unconscious mind represses memories tied to negative emotions. And it has the right to do so, for our own protection (if our evolution stage is not there yet – see next point). 
• But it will also bring up memories, in order to deal with their effects. In other words, to gain resolution – get healed. It can bring up a memory, for this specific process, more than once, until the person is ready to take responsibility for it and open to healing it. 
• The unconscious mind runs and preserves the body. Just think about breathing or automatically made gestures. Can you remember a time when you did something and had no idea why? Now you have your answer. 
• The unconscious mind is a highly moral being. Therefore, it accepts the morals you embraced in growing up – especially the ones you are not aware of. 
• The unconscious mind controls perceptions. Did you ever feel that you like or dislike someone at first sight? 
• The unconscious mind is programmed to always seek more than what meets the eye and it functions best as a whole integrated unit.
• The unconscious mind works on the patterns of least effort.
• It uses symbols to create your personal internal representative system and it responds to symbols. 
• The unconscious mind takes everything personally. It translates whatever you see in the belief that you are thinking about that thing yourself. And this is the starting point of “Perception is projection”. 

The unconscious mind is programmed to always seek more than what meets the eye

I am sure that, by now, you already have your answer to the questions in the beginning of this article. It sounds cheesy, but the moment you leave the territory of the conscious mind, giving it a break, the unconscious mind can step in and serve its purpose. That’s why you will find your keys (or whatever you lost) in the moment you drop the search. The memory of the place you left the thing comes “out of nowhere” and, in the same percentage of cases (99.9), voice out loud, with a deep sight, that “That was easy! How come I didn’t think about that?” and the answer is simple: you didn’t have to think about that. You just needed the conscious mind to take a rest for the answer to show up.

This is a principle that deserves a very deep dive in, yet the purpose of mentioning it in this article is achieved by now.

The unconscious mind and its relationship with writing 

The most prolific writers are being told that they are geniuses and that their creativity has no boundaries. People are being drawn to their work without a clear (conscious) explanation and, therefore, success happens.

Having been there myself and in doing all the inner work, I understand why. If we take the example of the most controversed writers, we will observe that they were labeled as weirdos. And that is precisely because – knowingly or unknowingly – they had a wonderful relationship with their unconscious mind. And when you do, you simply can’t explain where you got the information from. It happens like this: when a writer in this spectrum starts putting words on paper, the information simply flows. There’s no questioning about it, just peace. There’s no interaction with the outer world, and that’s why people interpret their piece of writing as falling from another world. Because it is so.

When I wrote my first book, this is exactly what happened. I had nearly no connection to the outer world, besides the basic needs humans living together have. For an entire week, I was anchored in solely writing the manuscript, as I couldn’t (rather, didn’t want to) stop the information from flowing. This is also one of the secrets behind my most appreciated articles – when I start writing, for an hour or so (the time I need to put something together) I ignore almost everything. It’s not something I necessarily intend to do, like others mention as practice, rather it’s like an involuntary induced state. However, in going back to the bullet points above, you will understand who is in charge of it.

Moving on to the relationship unconscious mind – writing – healing, I need to mention the association between the task the unconscious mind has to store memories and organize them and the process of healing through writing. There is a metaphor I created and I like to mention as often as possible, in relationship to writing: when we write down a thought, it’s as if ripping a piece of paper off from a notebook and burning it. In other words, memories show up when we need to deal with them. And, when we have the courage to deal with them, we heal. That is the actual relationship between the unconscious mind and the healing power of writing. We allow ourselves to step into another dimension, where everything makes sense and we learn from the past. As such, we make room for a renewed life to unfold.

To make it even more clear, if necessary, let’s take another example.

Throughout our lives, more often than not, we get engaged in different jobs and different positions. The reason behind it may already be obvious, as we have the willingness to evolve, to learn new things and to avoid boredom. In moving on from one job to another, especially if they are completely unrelated, we consider that we lost X number of years/ months in a place where we had nothing to learn from. However, as time rolls its dice, we might discover that a certain task we did/ a certain information we learned in a previous workplace is useful to the current unrelated job. Did you ever think about it? I’ve been there many times, and it hit me like a boulder; I couldn’t get my head around the thought that something so (maybe) insignificant could make such a huge difference in the present moment.

Step aside and allow the unconscious mind to unveil itself

In linking the above to writing, just think about how much information gets stored into our subconscious mind, without us being (obviously) aware of it. Once you allow yourself to access all that information and connect the dots (either on a conscious level or in silencing the conscious mind so that the unconscious one can take over), things happen. Answers (even to unasked questions) unveil. And this is how an incredible piece of writing shapes up. This is how geniuses have information regular people can’t explain and label as surreal or crazy. Because it is so. The rationale can’t process that information, as it is not trained to do so.

Conclusions

The next time you lose something or feel in a certain way about someone or when you don’t understand a piece of writing, don’t try too hard. Make way for the unconscious mind to step in, in creating its magic. Moreover, if you feel like writing, just do it and acknowledge the healing power of it. Don’t think it through, just go for it. That’s what I do, whenever I write.

Magic exists. And it’s buried deep within you!

A.

#FlavoredWriting #CoachingWithFlavor #BornFromLove #WriteAndHeal

🖋 💙

 

The snowflake that made the world go round (I)

I started working on this story (which is meant to have 3 parts) a few days before Christmas. Then, when the lonely Christmas day came, writing the continuation gave me the strength to believe that my existence matters, somehow. I hope you enjoy the ride and, if you do, you will share it with your friends. I would be honored to learn your thoughts, in the comments section, as well.

Part I – Where did all the snowflakes go?

“Why is there no snow?” the little girl asked.

“Well, snowflakes never come alone, my dear” Mommy answered. “They need queen fairy Freeze to do her magic first. But seems like she’s been exiled, to the land of Sadness, by the mean ogre of Envy. He was jealous of the beauty of Freeze and the marvelous landscapes she created, so I believe that he decided to send her away, so that he could take over the world.”

“Oh, Mommy, but how will the world know it’s Christmas time if there are no snowflakes?” the sister asked. “Oh, my! And what about Santa? How will he ride his sleigh if there’s no snow?” she carried on, with bitter tears in her eyes.

“My darlings”, the Father said, “there must be something we can do about it. Let us check out the fairy tale library, shall we?”

Sparkles of excitement would shine in the eyes of the little ones at hearing their father’s idea. And a huge smile took over their tiny faces:

“Darlings”, the Father carried on, “each of us four should pick up a fairy tale book. We will read them, one by one, every night before bed. By Christmas time, I’m sure that the mystery gets solved. But be aware: we cannot skip any book or page. And, to avoid dispute, we will do this: after we choose the books, Mommy and I will write down the titles on small pieces of paper. Then, with your eyes closed, you two will take turns in drawing the titles. Deal?”

“Oh, oh! How exciting!” one of the kids said. “Can I go first? Since I’m the elder…” the girl giggled.

“Well”, Mommy replied, “let’s play a little game before deciding who goes first, ok? Both you and your sister should tell the rest of us why should the snowflakes come back. The reason that touches our hearts the most will be the winner. And so, the girl who gave the winning answer can go first. Fair enough?”

“Yeah, sort of…” the youngest replied. “But I’m worried. What if I can’t give an answer that’s good enough?” she carried on.

The father looked the mother in the eyes and they knew it was the perfect timing for both girls to learn something important. Mommy confidently winked at daddy and he spoke:

“My darlings, no answer can be right or wrong. We accept all ideas and this game is meant for you to understand that no one is above another. What matters here is the intensity of the feeling the answer sends out. We’ll give you five minutes to think about the answer. All you have to do is ask your heart why you want the snowflakes to come back. After you ask, close your eyes and listen closely. You should make no sound while listening. When Mommy and I walk back into the room, you can open your eyes and tell us what your heart’s answer was. Sounds good?”

“Perfect!” the elder sister said.

“Ok, then. Daddy, let us set the table for dinner” the mother lovingly said.

After the parents stepped out of the room, the youngest one said in a demanding voice:

“No cheating! Do you think you can do this, Jane?”

“Look who’s talking!” Jane said in defensive. “Really? I should be asking you this, Diana. It is you that’s cheating all the time!” Jane scolded her sister.

“That’s not true!” Diana said. “Not true at all!”

“Yes, it is! Stop lying!”

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m not!”

“YES, you are!”

Jane turned her back and so did Diana. One moment later, they were sitting back to back, angry at each other.

Silence followed, but the girls found it impossible to focus on their task. Deep within, they were angry as they thought the parents would choose the answer of the other.

Mommy and Daddy overheard everything, so they agreed to give the children some extra time. And so, the girls were left there for thirty minutes, instead of five. During all this time, none of the girls said another word to the other.

Suddenly, the girls heard a strange set of noises in the distance:

Boom-boom-boom! Clink! Clink-clank! Clink! Clink-clank! Boom-boom-boom! Clink! Clink-clank! Clink! Clink-clank! Boom-boom-boom!

In the beginning, those noises scared them, yet they were too proud to talk to the other. But the more they listened, the more beautiful it became. It was as if those noises were the secret tool they needed to dive within. Soon, there was no shade of anger on their little faces. Instead, hope sprang in their hearts and light covered their beautiful faces. It was the perfect setting for asking their hearts why they wanted snowflakes to come back. And just the right time to learn the answer.

“Honey, let’s check on the girls” Daddy said. “There’s something going on there.”

“Darling, just let them be” Mommy replied. Do you like to be interrupted when doing something important?”

“Not really. No, I don’t like anyone to intrude in my business” Daddy replied.

“Then give them the space they need, honey. We’ll find out everything when they’re ready. You’ll see” Mommy giggled, while giving daddy a warm hug.

“Maybe you’re right” Daddy said, hugging Mommy back.

When the time was up, Mommy and Daddy walked into the room. The girls looked so peaceful, standing still, with their eyes closed! It was as if they have been taken out of a marvelous angels painting: they were smiling and still closely listening to their hearts. Seems like the given quest was exactly what they needed.

(Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay)

The girls opened their eyes at the same time, without knowing about the other doing the same.

“Welcome back” Mommy warmly said. “How was the trip?” she giggled.

Diana wanted to tell her story first, so she couldn’t afford any delay in answering:

“Oh, Mommy ! It was the greatest adventure ever!”

“How come?” Mommy asked. “Would you like to share it with the rest of us?”

“Certainly” Diana spoke. “But you need to listen closely!” she carried on in a sweet childish, demanding voice.

“Of course we will” Daddy said, with a serious yet calm face. But his heart was filled with joy at seeing that the girl understood part of the task so well. “Please, enchant our ears” he added.

Diana cleared her throat and started:

“I always loved snowflakes. They’re so perfectly shaped and they’re almost fluffy. Too bad they can’t last more than a few seconds if they’re alone. But as they fall down from the sky along with the others, they make a magical white blanket that protects nature. And you know how much I love nature! This is why I want snowflakes to come back.”

She took an even more serious stand and gave it another thought, for a few more seconds. Then, as if she turned into a completely different, big-eyed and energized child, she added:

“And of course! I want to play with snowballs, I want to build a snowman and I want to shape angels with my arms and legs!”

Mommy and Daddy indulged a few seconds of silence, for Diana’s excitement to settle down for a bit. Then, Mommy exquisitely played the role of the judge:

“Great answer, Diana. We’ll evaluate your answer and give you an answer once Jane finishes sharing her reason as well.”

“Oh? But why not now, mommy?” Diana asked.

“Because justice requires us to listen to both stories, first. We can’t share our opinions without learning Jane’s story, can we?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” Diana said in a disappointed voice. “But I’m going to win! I know it!” she added in a laughing, pure voice.

“We shall see” Daddy replied. “Let us hear Jane’s story as well, ok?”

Diana sealed her lips, without losing hope. She just knew that her answer was the best.

Jane’s turn to clear her throat finally came. She gracefully did so, then she spoke:

“I would like queen fairy Freeze to be set free. If only the ogre let her speak, he would understand why winter is so important and why snowflakes can’t dance by themselves. I’m sure that Queen Freeze can turn the ogre into a charming Prince. And I know that, if that happens, the ogre – now turned into a charming Prince – would take over the kingdom of another season. Maybe autumn? Or summer? Maybe spring? It doesn’t matter what season, but he would let winter to queen Freeze. They would be happy to take turns in changing seasons, instead of fighting all the time.”

Mommy and Daddy were fully immersed into Jane’s story. And so was Diana. None of them was able to say a word, so Jane carried on:

“I wish for the snowflakes to come back and I hope that my sister and I never fight again…”

Fairy Happiness waved her wand in that very instant. Mommy and Daddy hugged the children and Diana burst into tears.

“I don’t want to fight with you again” the little girl said. “I love you so much, Jane!”

“I love you too, Diana” Jane sweetly answered. “We should always be hand in hand, sis, not against each other.“

That answer made Diana cry even louder, as waves of love invaded her small heart! Deep within, Diana knew that she and Jane could make a great team, if they wanted. At the same time, she knew that if both of them behaved well, they would make their parents proud and very happy.

That last thought helped the little girl to calm down. As this happened, an idea popped into her mind. She didn’t want to lose one precious moment, so she spoke:

“I think Jane’s story is the winner! She made me cry with happiness… I think no answer could be more intense than that.”

Mommy and Daddy silently agreed, yet Daddy found it fair to ask:

“Diana, why should we choose Jane’s story and not yours? We know how much you enjoy winning. Why do you give this chance away, this time, sweetheart?”

Daddy’s question had a hidden purpose. He wanted to make sure that Diana caught the correct lesson from this little game.

“You are right, daddy, I do love to win. And I was sure of my success until Jane shared her story. There is something about it… I’m not sure if I can say it right, but… I don’t know. There was some sort of strange feeling I got while listening to her.”

The girl took the thinking stand of an adult, placing her right fist under her chin and looking in the distance. Suddenly, she jumped with joy and added:

“Huge love, that’s it! That’s the feeling I got.”

“That’s wonderful” Mommy said. “But now I would like to learn an answer from Jane (Mommy turns to the elder sister and says): what is it that you felt when Diana shared her story, darling?”

“I was proud of her, because she said she loved nature. And I love nature too. Fairy Freeze should protect it with the white blanket Diana mentioned, mommy.”

“Wow! Great answers, you two!” Daddy said. “We are very proud of you, girls! Now, Mommy and I will take two minutes to decide which one should be the winning answer ok?”

“But, daddy, why do you need to think about it? Didn’t you say that you need to feel it?” Diana asked.

“Bravo!” Mommy said, clapping. “You really got this one too, child!”

“I guess you caught me on this one, Diana” Daddy said with a smile. “It is so. You need to feel…”

“And how do you feel about our answers, daddy?” Jane asked.

Neither Mommy nor Daddy predicted this! Their children were way wiser than the parents knew. The father found himself in a very delicate position, as he didn’t want to hurt any of the girls’ feelings. He looked at Mommy, scratched his head, took a deep breath, stood up, walked around the room and still had no idea how to word his answer to such question. Diana was very competitive and winning was everything to her. However, she was ready to give up on the first place to allow her sister’s story to take the gold. On the other hand, Jane was very sensitive, compassionate and always ready to make her sister happy, so she was also willing to give up on the prize. Difficult task!

Mommy realized that Daddy was not ready to give an answer just yet, so she broke the silence:

“Girls, both of your answers were beautiful. Do you know why?”

“Why?” Diana and Jane said in a voice.

“Your answers were beautiful because both of you put someone else first. Diana, you chose to put nature and its safety before your own happiness. Jane, you chose to put the power of communication, collaboration and love between Queen Freeze and the ogre first. You see, my darlings, your answers say a lot about what your hearts desire, deep within. I believe that you two learned a very important lesson from this little game. And the lesson is that the love for the other makes each of you feel happy. Is this I correct?”

“You are so right, Mommy!” Diana jumped. “And I also realized how much I love my sister!”

Daddy seemed to have finally found his answer:

“My darlings, let me tell you how I felt while listening to your stories. I felt happy, proud, amazed and very grateful. Both of you made me realize that I want queen Freeze and the ogre to become friends too, so that they can both protect nature, together. So, I believe we have our winner now. Please stand up!”

Diana, Jane and Mommy stood up. Mommy joined Daddy’s side, making two teams. At this moment, each team was standing in front of the other.

Daddy took his right fist to his mouth, then placed the left one in front of the right, pretending to have a horn he was blowing. Then, in a very official tone, he said:

“Ta-ta-ta-ta! The winner of our game is…”

Daddy whispered in Mommy’s ears: “Drums, please.”

Mommy pretended to play the drums, making funny gestures in the air.

Daddy cleared his throat and took it from the beginning:

“Ta-ta-ta-ta! The winner of our game is… Oh, wait ! (he lifts his right index finger and scratches his chin with his left hand) It can’t be just one winner. (Clears his throat again) The jury has decided. This game has been won by… Diana and Jane! Ta-ta-ta-ta!”

“Oh, my God! I won, I won! Yupieeeeeee!” Diana jumped with joy.

“Uhm… We both did, sis” Jane laughed.

“Oh, yes! Yes, you’re right, Jane. Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Milady” Jane said with a giggle, and made a reverence to her younger sister. “Congratulations to you too!”

Diana found it fair and funny to imitate Jane with the bow and they both burst into laughter.

“Congratulations, my darlings” Mommy said. “I couldn’t be happier!”

While she was hugging the girls, Mommy realized something. She suddenly said:

“Who is going to draw the name of the books now? How will we decide which story goes first, in our quest of saving Queen Freeze from the ogre and bring back the snowflakes?”

“Oh-oh!” the girls said in a voice. “That is a serious problem” Diana added.

Daddy had such a good laugh at hearing this, making the girls even more confused!

As soon as he managed to put his serious face back on, he said:

“I believe Mommy should draw the titles”.

“That’s a wonderful choice, daddy” Jane said. “So be it!”

Mommy blushed at hearing this, but she said in a funny voice:

“Can I cheat?” and she couldn’t help her laughter.

“You know what, Mommy? To make sure that you can’t cheat, you will draw the titles blindfolded” Daddy giggled.

“Here goes my chance!” Mommy laughed, and her joy was followed by the daughters’.

***

To be continued…

Featured photo by Egor Kamelev from Pexels

“Trăiește Autentic” de Andreea Săvulescu (recenzie)

În ultimii ani, Crăciunul și-a cam pierdut din magie, în ceea ce mă privește; nu mai este o perioadă pe care să o aștept cu nerăbdare. Ba din contră. 

Totuși, anul acesta se pare că am fost foarte inspirată în a-mi alege cadoul. Am ales să îmi hrănesc mintea cu cele două cărți lansate de Andreea Săvulescu. La pachet. 

Fiind fan dezvoltate personală și sănătate mentală de câțiva ani buni (mai mult de 10), am crezut că am învățat să mă analizez destul de bine. Însă am avut surprize în momentul în care am deschis cartea pe care mi-am pus în gând să o citesc înainte de Crăciun. 

În dimineaţa zilei de 23/12/2019, în timp ce îmi savuram cafeaua, m-am delectat cu ultimele pagini ale cărții “Trăiește Autentic”. Cartea ei a venit ca un balsam pentru sufletul meu – mai ales în această perioadă tumultuoasă din punct de vedere emoțional. Știm cu toții că unii oameni au nevoie de mai multă susținere acum decât în restul anului. Pentru că vedem peste tot luminițe vesele, reclame fastuoase pentru cadouri grandioase, oameni care sunt sau pretind a emana fericire prin toți porii și copii care așteaptă cu nerăbdare momentul întâlnirii cu moșul cel blând și darnic. Unele persoane găsesc dificil înotul în acest val de festin forțat. Mai ales că, datorită consumerismului excesiv, sărbătoarea Crăciunului nu mai este de prea mulți ani ceea ce ar trebui sa fie. Trist este ca mulți oameni “se transformă” în ceea ce nu pot fi în restul anului: oameni buni, cărora le pasă de ceilalți și care împărtășesc momente efemere de fericire. Să recunoaștem: odată cu finalul sărbătorilor, acești oameni se întorc la personalitatea de zi cu zi. O personalitate care nu are nimic de-a face cu măștile strălucitoare pe care le poartă în aceasta perioadă. 

Dar să revenim la cartea Andreei, despre care vreau să vă spun câte ceva. Evident, nu voi dezvălui conținutul, însă voi scrie puțin despre efectele pe care această lectură le-a avut asupra mea. 

În primul rând, vă spun că dacă nu sunteți pregătiți să faceți o călătorie interioară mai puțin tipică (adică înfășurată în lauri aduși la adresa voastră), nu are rost să deschideți această carte. Din punctul meu de vedere, această lectură este destinată celor care sunt deschiși spre adevărul personal, oricât de mare ar fi zdruncinătura. Și va fi un cutremur de multe grade, pentru că Andreea spune lucrurilor pe nume. Iar dacă nu sunteți pregătiți să acceptați ceea ce veți citi, zona de confort este cea care vă va ține în siguranță, departe de acest cutremur și efectele sale. 

Unul dintre lucrurile care au avut un impact extraordinar asupra mea este faptul că, prin intermediul acestei cărți, am aflat câte frici poate duce un om cu sine; și, obiectiv privind, am înțeles câte dintre ele le duc chiar eu. Apoi aflăm despre autosabotaj și cum să ne oprim din a mai face asta. Totuși, ceea ce m-a impresionat la un nivel greu de exprimat a fost “tehnica întrebărilor”. Poate sună ciudat, clișeic chiar, însă – paradoxal – nimeni nu ne învață ce întrebări se ne punem pentru a scoate la iveală informații reale și benefice despre noi înșine. Chiar dacă doare. Pentru că, pe parcursul acestei cărți, veți afla lucruri dureroase despre propria persoană. Însă, odată aflate și (mai ales) acceptate, aceste aspecte duc la o acțiune conștientă; duc la a face primul pas către o existență activă, lăsând-o în urmă pe cea pasivă, cărată în spate de prea mulți ani. 

Evident, există și un aspect de care sunt foarte mândră, și anume acela că unele informații le știam deja, datorită interacțiunii intensive cu oameni înțelepți de dincolo de granițele țării noastre. Cu toate acestea, în momentul în care am citit aceste informații în cartea Andreei, “palma” aceea mult așteptată și-a făcut efectul. 

De ce?

Cel mai probabil din cauza faptului că, la momentul primirii informației dintr-o altă sursă, vedeam lucrurile complet diferit. Mă aflam într-un cu totul alt stadiu al dezvoltării personale și într-o stare emoțională diferită. 

De multe ori pretindem că înțelegem informația primită la adevărata valoare. Însă, așa cum s-a dovedit în cazul meu (și sunt convinsă că nu este singular), aceeași informație – primită în stadii diferite ale existenței noaste – poate duce la consecințe/ acțiuni radicale. În această situație, deschiderea către procesarea informației joacă un rol critic. Mi-e greu să descriu în cuvinte cât de important este să fim dispuși să ne punem pe noi înșine sub lupă, pregătindu-ne să dăm “nas în nas” atât cu subconștientul nostru, cât și cu un sistem de valori și credințe ce nu ne aparține!

Totuși, despre “Trăiește Autentic” vă mai spun doar atât: mi-a deschis ochii, într-un moment de amorțeală. Iar în momentul în care am închis coperțile cărții deja aveam un plan clar asupra ariilor proprii de îmbunătățit. Însă efectele acestei lecturi nu se rezumă la atât. Am înțeles, de data aceasta și mai clar, ceea ce vreau să devin și direcția în care vreau să merg pentru a lăsa copiilor mei acea moștenire importantă la care chibzuiesc de ceva timp. 

În concluzie, părerea mea este că această carte ar trebui citită, cel puțin o dată, de toți cei care doresc să înțeleagă cine sunt și ce rol au pe acest pământ. Din nou, deschiderea este foarte importantă, pentru că informațiile nu sunt nici pe departe ușor de acceptat. Însă dacă sunteți dispuși să faceți aceasta incursiune în adâncurile sufletului și ale minții, cu siguranță îi veți mulțumi Andreei și o veți felicita pentru conceperea și expunerea acestei cărți. 

Urmează “Ziua în care m-am iubit cu adevărat”, pe care am răsfoit-o fugitiv în momentul primirii coletului. Știu sigur că voi găsi multe lucruri de valoare, într-o lectură care se anunță a fi chintesența vulnerabilității unui om frumos. Vă spun mai multe după Crăciun. Probabil așa îmi voi petrece aceasta perioadă – descoperind cum să mă iubesc pe mine, aflând povestea autorului. 

Mulțumesc, Andreea, pentru ceea ce ești, pentru curaj și pentru că – prin împărtășirea înțelepciunii tale – le dai celorlalți ocazia de a se descoperi pe sine, în toată splendoarea. Atât cu bune, cât și cu ariile de îmbunătățit. 

În încheiere, doresc să împărtășesc cu voi vorbele Andreei:

“Să fie cu iubire de sine!”

Cu recunoștință,

A.

#FlavoredWriting #ScrieriAromate 

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