Blisscraft Life With Christina Katz

Welcome to the online book discussion about Quiet, The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain with author, journalist, and writing coach Christina Katz.

This is the first post. I am going to post six times today about this book, approximately every two hours between six am and six pm. Feel free to join in the discussion by commenting below or by writing up a post in your own blog and linking it back to the post you are commenting on. Of course, you can also keep your thoughts private by writing in your journal or carrying on a discussion of your own with a close friend. You might draw or doodle your feelings about the book, or express yourself in any way you deem fit. I also want to encourage you to write an Amazon review of the book, if you would like to support it.

I made some initial comments about the book when I first started reading it in this post a few weeks ago. You may wish to check it out if you have not already.

I wanted the focus of this discussion to be on answering questions about yourself. I felt like this book prompted me to ask myself a lot of questions about introversion as it relates to me, and I thought I would share some of these questions with you, and see what you think.

1. Before you read the book, did you want to be an introvert or were you afraid of the label? Did this change once you read the book?

If you did not start or finish reading the book, I encourage you to check it out before you answer these questions. But you are welcome to answer the questions whether you read or finished the book or not. A little self-discovery never hurt anyone!

Please keep in mind that my blog is public, and therefore your comments will also be public.

So much inspiration, so much time! Please subscribe to the Create, Share, Prosper blog and sign up for The Prosperous Creative ezine for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere. Click on the Enter School tab above to put your creativity to prosperous use right now. Like words? Check out my Etsy shop. And you haven’t seen anything, if you haven’t seen all the helpful offerings in my online shop. Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing this post with fellow creatives!

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If you did not already know of her yet, you may have heard of Amy Krause Rosenthal by now.

She wrote an essay for the NYT Modern Love column called You May Want To Marry My Husband.

When a friend of mine posted a link to this essay yesterday, I knew from the title, I did not want to read it.

And I knew I would end up reading it eventually.

I have my inbox set up to deliver inspiration to me daily. And this is how a stumbled on a tribute to Amy Krause Rosenthal by Austin Kleon’s in his weekly newsletter.

If you do not have your email set up to create a happy, inspiring space for you, I hope you will check out Austin’s newsletter and consider subscribing. I almost always find at least one thing that lifts me up every time I read it.

He shared some quotes from Amy Krouse Rosenthal and I liked them, so I decided to suck it up and read the essay.

I survived. And I recommend it. I thought I would be bawling, but the essay is so well written, I couldn’t have stopped reading if I’d tried. The woman is a damn good writer.

So, I checked out some of her books, and at some point in my AKR deep-dive, I realized that we are kindred spirits, whose paths had somehow never crossed. Until now.

So I dug into her TED talks.

2010 Ted Talk: 7 Notes On Life

2011 Ted Talk: The Crevices Of Life

2012 Ted Talk: Wandering

How do you honor a writer you never knew about until she was about to leave earth?

It’s a tough question to answer.

To Amy, I would simply say: You did the bravest thing a woman and mother can do — you lived out loud. You followed your instincts and your reverie. You followed the dance of your creative spark. You were indelibly yourself. I am so inspired by your example. Thank you.

To her family, I would say: I am so sorry you have to go through this. It’s clear that Amy is a really incredible person unlike any other. You seem very fortunate to have known her.

To the rest of us, her friends, her fans, and folks like me, who just learned about her, I would say: Why not buy one of her books as a testimony to a life so creatively lived? She is such a great example and I think she could inspire just about anyone.

I checked out her memoirs, and I am buying both of them because the voice is so fresh that I have to own them.

But you might like her children’s books, especially if you have young children.

I can’t think of any better way to honor this amazing outpouring of soul into the world except by inviting you to partake in what she has created and shared.

So here’s a link to her works on Amazon. Have fun perusing them. I know I did.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal on Amazon

If Amy Krouse Rosenthal is new to you, and delights you as much as she affected me in the 24 hours I have known of her, then I hope you will share what you have learned about her with others.

If you don’t have time to write up something personal, feel free to share my post or the link to her Amazon page.

I feel like Amy Krouse Rosenthal is an important person for my friends to hear about. I hope her example inspires you to become more you.

So much inspiration, so much time! Please subscribe to the Create, Share, Prosper blog and sign up for The Prosperous Creative ezine for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere. Click on the Enter School tab above to put your creativity to prosperous use right now. Like words? Check out my Etsy shop. And you haven’t seen anything, if you haven’t seen all the helpful offerings in my online shop. Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing this post with fellow creatives!

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Yes, I said, “Joyful.”

Remember this equation: joyful mom = joyful daughter.

A key to moving towards a future of powerful, confident, and joyful women, is raising our girls this way today.

My daughter is not perfect, and neither am I, but she is a joyful girl — meaning a girl who is in touch with her own ability to make herself happy.

I see other girls — girls who are mean, who manipulate, and who use gossip and peer pressure to tear others down in an effort to attempt to get their way and control situations.

Girls who do these things are wounded. They are wounded by mothers who don’t do their healing work. They are wounded by mothers who unconsciously use their children as success surrogates, while they hang back and stay toxic.

If your daughter can’t enjoy this moment, something is wrong. If she constantly has to please you and impress others, she is going to exhaust herself with codependency. If she sees herself as an object rather than a human being who gets to enjoy living just for the sake of living, she has a rough future ahead of her.

Historically, we have not been able to think of girls as joyful, because they have been raised in a patriarchy.

And if we know anything about patriarchy, we know that it’s challenging to be female in a male-dominated culture.

But I believe that we are on the verge of changing this. Despite what you read in the daily news these days, we are moving to a more female-empowered world.

We will likely realize a better world for girls and women in the future, possibly even after you and I are gone. But it will only happen if we parent towards it.

So why not believe it with me?

I’ve gathered up some articles that I’ve written and that others have written that focus on raising empowered daughters.

I would like part of my legacy to be that I raised a joyful daughter. A joyful girl who grew up into a joyful woman. And this means letting her enjoy every day rather than making her a slave to my unmet emotional needs. This means, I take care of my needs, so I can meet hers, so she will grow up happy and even joyful.

I don’t do it perfectly. But I have done a ton of work on myself over the past 22 years. I started doing healing work in 1995 for my own sake, so I could learn to enjoy life again. But my passion for healthy living was reignited after getting married and again after having a daughter. And guess what? My work is never done. Not as long as I want to grow, evolve and enjoy life.

We need a world full of joyful daughters who grow up into joyful women. Imagine what a better place the world would be if joy for all was the goal. Because there is plenty of joy to go around today, tomorrow, and in the future.

But healthy, happy girls won’t happen, unless we parent towards that goal.

Let me know your thoughts!

Articles:

Power Down The Parent Pressure, 10 Ways To Stop Micromanaging Your Kids’ Goals

Momfidence, Address Your Needs And Stand Strong, Mom

10 Conversations To Have With Your Daughter Inspired By International Women’s Day

Raising A Powerful Girl on PBS

The Curvy Girl Club

Dismantle The Mean Girl Time Bomb

Mommy-Daughter Time, 11 Outings That Won’t Break The Bank

Kid-friendly Feature Films With A Girl Protagonist (Or A Boy Girls Can Relate To)

What We Can All Learn About Creative Empowerment From The Film Pitch Perfect

Bucket List Living Helps Me Bond With My Daughter

10 Mompower Mantras: Positive Self-talk For Mothers

So much inspiration, so much time! Please subscribe to the Create, Share, Prosper blog and sign up for The Prosperous Creative ezine for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere. Click on the Enter School tab above to put your creativity to prosperous use right now. Like words? Check out my Etsy shop. And you haven’t seen anything, if you haven’t seen all the helpful offerings in my online shop. Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing this post with fellow creatives!

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I often write about creative success and self-expression satisfaction.

So I thought it might be fun to write about the opposite for a change.

How to undermine your creative strides and insure that you do not enjoy expressing yourself.

Maybe there is something to learn in the opposite message. Let’s find out!

Doubt yourself.

Be a pessimist.

Set unrealistic goals.

Put a lot of pressure on yourself.

Believe there is never enough time.

Seek continuous external validation.

Overdo it on reality checks.

Practice self-abuse.

Don’t learn anything new.

Be cynical.

Never practice.

Expect yourself to be an expert overnight.

Don’t enjoy each day.

Scatter your energy so much you can’t succeed at any one thing.

Envy the successes of others.

Drink a lot of alcohol and/or do a lot of drugs.

Ignore inspiration and your instincts.

Believe no one wants what you have to express.

Care too much about how the house looks.

Never sit down and focus.

Constantly compare yourself to others.

Don’t get enough sleep.

Let others dictate your choices.

Put your creativity last on your priority list.

Cling to your negative expectations.

Blame others, the marketplace, the economy, and the world for your plight.

Don’t celebrate small positive strides.

Hang out with emotionally needy people.

Make parenthood your go-to excuse for not making time for what you love.

Always paint yourself as the victim.

Talk about what you want to do instead of actually doing it.

Focus on being discovered.

Expect overnight success and quit if you don’t get it.

Tell yourself you’d be better off with a “real job.”

Socialize constantly.

Don’t have creative goals.

Tell yourself that normal people are not artists.

Focus on getting sympathy for all your disappointments.

Eat garbage and drink soda until you wreck your health.

Believe that only “talented” people succeed.

Make friends with a lot of demanding, dramatic people.

Try to go from zero to hero in one sitting.

Be responsible for everyone else’s happiness, except your own.

Believe everything your parents and the world have taught you.

Spend most of your time swapping favors with others instead of creating.

Be hard on yourself, especially when you make a mistake.

Focus on pleasing others with your work instead of pleasing yourself.

Surround yourself with “realists.”

Spend too much time on social media.

Make yourself feel badly for dreaming of a life you enjoy.

Be defensive and un-coachable.

Forget that you are in charge of your choices.

Distrust yourself and any ideas that come from within.

Dismiss your deepest desires instead of slowly building a life you love.

It’s a brutal list. But sometimes we don’t realize what we do to ourselves until someone points it out plainly.

Do you recognize any of your beliefs in this list?

If so, explore the opposite idea. Could you begin to believe the opposite is true?

You’ll find more encouragement for success in all of my books, articles, posts, and online courses.

If you really feel stuck, and you need help finding your positives, I am available for phone coaching by appointment.

You can also check out my new gentle, encouraging goal-setting course in my online school. All of my online courses are self-paced, so you can fit them into your busy schedule.

So much inspiration, so much time! Please subscribe to the Create, Share, Prosper blog and sign up for The Prosperous Creative ezine for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere. Click on the Enter School tab above to put your creativity to prosperous use right now. Like words? Check out my Etsy shop. And you haven’t seen anything, if you haven’t seen all the helpful offerings in my online shop. Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing this post with fellow creatives!

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I missed February due to personal commitments, so I will send two packages in March. Donate now, if you would like to contribute to my project.

Last month, I saw that a fellow author and colleague had been through some tough stuff in 2016.

And as I read the list of painful occurrence after painful occurrence, I had an inspiration.

I’d put by some old craft supplies instead of recycling them or donating them, because I couldn’t let go of them, but I wasn’t sure what to do with them either.

By the time I’d finished reading this friend’s list of hardships, I knew I could turn those supplies into something fun and playful that might cheer her up.

So I sat myself down one snowy Saturday afternoon with a smattering of supplies strewn all across the kitchen table.

I did not know what to send, so I just started making stuff up. Next thing you knew I was having a blast and the ideas were just flowing.

I gathered items to share with her from around the house, embellishing them with cute labels and vintage papers, until I had about 12 or so items.

I added a few store-bought items to finish off the care package. Nothing pricey, just a few things here and there to supplement what I’d already pulled together.

Then I pulled out a box holiday gifts had come shipped in, which was fairly large and full of packing peanuts and I buried all of the fun things I’d created inside.

When I was done I thought to myself, “Now this is the kind of care package that I would love to get.”

So I sent it, once I could finally get to the UPS store, because there was so much crazy weather.

And a little while afterwards I got a thank you card. It said, “I opened your box like a kid on Christmas morning. I cannot express how much joy and gratitude I felt…”

And I felt like the heartfelt intention behind my inspiration had been fulfilled. And that was a really good feeling.

A little while later, I thought, “Dang, that was fun!”

So I considered my options. Did I want to do it again? How often? To whom would I send the packages?

And eventually it all kind of came to me, as many things do. I would ask for folks to send me their extra craft supplies. I would  create care packages when I found a good match for my efforts. And I would send about one per month.

And now it’s almost time for me to create the next care package!

So I thought I would ask for some help.

I need your leftover craft supplies. I am looking for the ones you are not sure you really want to use again.

They may feel old to you, but they will feel new to me. Even a large envelope full of bits and pieces will surely spark my imagination. It does not need to be a lot of supplies.

If you don’t have any craft supplies but you still you want to support my efforts, you can always send me a gift card to Michaels. I get most of my craft supplies there, and I promise to get good discounts on any care package items that I find there.

You could also get me a gift card to Etsy, and I promise to use it only on craft supplies. They have lots of cool craft supplies on there that I love, and you might, too. Check it out!

[This is not technically part of my business. This is more like a charitable hobby. So nothing is tax-deductible and nothing will be claimed on my taxes. But since I am asking readers for help, I will update you on my progress as I care-package my way through the year.]

And if this post inspires you to send out some whimsical care packages of your own, I think that’s great. Why not comment on this post or on a later post and share your process. You can also post something in your blog and do a pingback to this post.

In the meantime, here is my address. I hope you will participate in helping me spread a little cheer in the dreary New Year!

Christina Katz
PO Box 1354
Wilsonville, OR  97070

Thank you in advance for your support!

Christina Katz has been a self-care advocate for women and moms since she wrote the popular article, “The Art Of Making Time For Yourself,” which lead to an appearance on Good Morning America. Since then, she has written gobs of articles on the self-care, which are regularly published in magazines all over North America. To learn more about taking better care of yourself, check out her new video class More Joy Now, her ebook, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, and her 50 self-reflection questions for women, Creative Knowing.

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I have been saying for a while now that the world will keep spinning even if you go ahead and live your life.

One of the ways I am able to follow this advice is by getting The Skimm in my inbox.

The Skimm is a news summary service that was started by two young women name Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin.

They use reputable news sources to learn about what is going on in the world and then summarize it for me in an email in my inbox. The result is a quick read the timely and to the point.

As a sensitive person, who often feels bombarded by sensationalism instead of informed by it, I so appreciate The Skimm.

They have a way of delivering even the worst news in a way that makes it digestible and not terrifying.

They don’t use a lot of the typical jargon that other news outlets use, so I always feel like I’m being kept informed by a good friend.

If this sounds like something that might help you stop wasting time online and so you can stay focused on living your life, I hope you will try it.

If you do, please use my referral code, which I have included in the links. I don’t think I get anything except credit for referring folks, but I like credit. I’m not really interested in swag or any other incentives like that.

When I find something genuinely helpful to creative types, I like to share it. And I’ll keep doing this, as long as you think it’s helpful.

Thanks for reading and sharing!

When you take excellent care of yourself, you can live the most creative life possible. And getting The Skimm can certainly help manage news overload.

Christina Katz has been a self-care advocate for women and moms since she wrote the popular article, “The Art Of Making Time For Yourself,” which lead to an appearance on Good Morning America. Since then, she has written gobs of articles on the self-care, which are regularly published in magazines all over North America. To learn more about taking better care of yourself, check out her new video class More Joy Now, her ebook, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, and her 50 self-reflection questions for women, Creative Knowing.

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This discussion is scheduled for all day on Wednesday, March 15th right here in this blog. Read the book, and join us!

I am reading Quiet, The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking [LINK], and every time I share about this on social media, folks seem interested and ask me what I think of the book.

So, I thought I would tell everyone what I think.

I think it’s great. And I highly recommend it for introverts like me.

Unless people know me pretty well, they don’t realize I’m an introvert.

I like people, I like public speaking (now I do), I like  socializing (occasionally), but I am happiest, most productive, and most creative when I am alone.

I mean totally alone. Like with no one in the house with me except pets.

And I mean alone for long stretches of time, without interruptions, and concentrating deeply on my work.

I have realized over the years, if spending time happily alone was a competitive sport, I could definitely be a contender. I have far more stamina for it than most people I know.

And this book by Susan Cain, explains in well-researched detail, why I am the way I am. She also explains why I have struggled in the past by trying to mold myself into the dominant extrovert paradigm of our society.

I know plenty of extroverts. My husband is an extrovert. My daughter is about a 50/50 extrovert/introvert. And I am a hard-core introvert.

This book also explains why I like the Internet so much. As a tool, the Internet really helps me interact with others in ways that do not drain my energy.

So if you have ever wondered if you are in introvert or how much of an introvert you might be, you will find a lot of answers in this book.

I also like that the book talks about the POWER of introverts. Introverts can do a lot of good in the world, and this book describes how. Don’t think for a second that this is a book about how inferior you are if you are an introvert. That’s the common misperception that this book turns on its head.

This is not a formal book club, but when I am done with the book, we can have a discussion about the book here in my blog. I used to do an online book club and folks were crazy about the idea, but it wasn’t a profitable use of my time, and I am a creative professional, so I had to quit doing it.

I have a bit more time now, and basically I am just sharing a tool that is helpful to me, so if you think you might be an introvert and this book might benefit you, too, then why don’t we read it together?

Good things are better when shared. So join me, if you feel like it. There is no hard deadline, because blog posts are forever. But let’s aim to finish the book by the end of February.

And if you have already read the book, let us know if you liked it, but don’t give away too much, okay?

Onward! Into the quiet…

So much inspiration, so much time! Please subscribe to the Create, Share, Prosper blog and sign up for The Prosperous Creative ezine for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere. Click on the Enter School tab above to put your creativity to prosperous use right now. Like words? Check out my Etsy shop. And you haven’t seen anything, if you haven’t seen all the helpful offerings in my online shop. Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing this post with fellow creatives!

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Everything moves much faster today than things moved in the past. News travels fast and is often inaccurate or incomplete. People travel fast and are often stressed and rushed. As a result, our minds can race, our thoughts can be chaotic, and it’s too easy to jump to the worst possible conclusions.

These are all reasons why it’s so important to get grounded and stay grounded in our daily lives. When we are not grounded, anxiety can become a normal state. But when we are grounded time returns to its normal rhythms from our point of view and we feel much more safe and secure.

So how do you get from one state, ungrounded, to the other state, grounded?

When you are trying to get grounded, get out of your head and focus on bringing your attention downward, towards earth instead. You are not going to get grounded from anything out in the world. And you can only ground you, you can’t ground anyone else. You also cannot save the world. And if you are trying to, maybe you should stop and see someone about being allowed to focus on yourself and your own life.

Another good idea is to stop talking so much. Stop ranting, defending or picking fights, if you are doing any of that. Find your happy place and hang out there for a while. Animals have their dens where they can feel safe and secure. We have our homes and they should feel like safe havens to us.

A good visual metaphor for being grounded is to imagine a large tree with deep and widely established roots. See the tree bending with the strong winds but still standing tall because it’s roots are solidly established. Rain or sleet or snow, this tree does not crack, bow, or break. This is how we need to be if we want to stay grounded no matter what else is going on.

Spend the day noticing which activities you do that make you feel more ungrounded and which activities you do that make you feel more grounded. Keep your attention inside yourself, on your subjective point of view, focused on how you feel as you move through your day. What are you learning about what makes you feel better and what makes you feel worse? Paying attention to how you feel and trusting that is the key to making healthy future choices.

There are lots of simple ways to feel more grounded in a very short time. Here’s a quick list of reminders to help you slow down and get both feet firmly planted on the ground.

Turning off the news

Staying off social media

Doing grieving work for any recent losses

Drumming

Dancing

Taking a walk outdoors

Jumping rope

Tap dancing

Using a mini-trampoline

Running or jogging

Doing aerobics

Doing physical work in the yard

Gardening

Doing heavy chores indoors

De-cluttering and creating order

Cleaning the room you spend the most time in

Soaking your feet then rubbing them with lotion

Getting a pedicure

Trading a foot massage

Wearing quality socks

Wearing supportive shoes

Making your bed cozy and luxurious

Carrying small stones in your pockets

Wearing jewelry with stones that feel grounding

Putting rocks you like around your home

Sprinkling the edges of your property with salt crystals

Making soup or stew with root vegetables

Eating quality, home-cooked meals

Putting your health first

Taking responsibility for whatever you’ve been avoiding

Being direct and honest with others

Wearing red clothing, especially socks

Considering whether past traumas are still affecting you today and getting help

Joining an in-person support group

Working with a supportive coach or therapist

Getting a deep-tissue, full-body massage

Spending time with pets or getting a pet

Making a list of what your priorities are, letting go of everything else

Staying away from chaotic, disruptive people

Having a no-drama policy in your life

Remembering that you are the primary authority in your life

Taking your power back from anyone you are putting on a pedestal

Renewing your sense of healthy safety and solid security on a daily basis

If you did not get your basic childhood needs met, don’t be surprised if you struggle to keep yourself feeling grounded no matter what your age. If you have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect, you may benefit from spending some time seeing if you could become even more grounded than you are.

If you unconsciously put yourself into situations where you re-experience the same trauma, abuse or neglect you experienced in your past, why not get some help? We all deserve to live a happy, safe, and grounded life. And once we put ourselves and our self-care first, we can have that, no matter what happened in the past.

Christina Katz has been a self-care advocate for women and moms since she wrote the popular article, “The Art Of Making Time For Yourself,” which lead to an appearance on Good Morning America. Since then, she has written gobs of articles on the self-care, which are regularly published in magazines all over North America. To learn more about taking better care of yourself, check out her new video class More Joy Now, her ebook, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, and her 50 self-reflection questions for women, Creative Knowing.

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