Happy New Year!

Here in the UK, there are just a few short hours before we shall be bidding farewell to 2010 and welcoming in 2011. For those of us who find the changing of the years depressing, here is what a friend of mine has to say:

The Chinese believe that the "decade" birthdays (i.e. 20, 30, 40 etc) are gateways that set the scene for the next decade. The same can be said for decades, of which people don't believe traditionally start until the 1 (i.e. 1991, 2001, 2011 etc).

So see this year changing as the beginning of a new period in your life. Make your wishes and hold onto them. Stay happy and positive and the next 10 years will be happy and positive. Keep smiling. Keep loving those around you even when they wrong you. Say "I love you". Say "Sorry". Or you could take some advice from the song "Sunscreen":

"Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch. "



Have a very happy and joyful 2011!



(Photo - Christmas 2009)

The Season of Giving and Goodwill

“He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.”
~Lao-Tzu

Christmas, they say, is the season of goodwill and giving. And, as I'm discovering, there are a lot of thoughtful and giving people out there.

Over the past month or so, I have been rendered speechless by the blog posts which have been cropping up from people who are in support of my pen-palling film (For those not in the know, it's a user generated film about people who take part in the age old hobby of exchanging letters through the postal service. I'm a fully paid up member of this hobby and wanted to make a film based around it). There have been several and I wouldn't have known about any of them unless various kind hearted people hadn't emailed me to let me know. But it's the fact that people are taking the time out from their lives to talk about something by someone they've never met. They've never met me and never spoken to me yet, with all the love in their hearts, they are grabbing this project by the proverbial horns and spreading the word. Wow! Just wow! I can't find the words to express how I feel about what these kind and lovely people are doing for me! Blog posts, emails, words of encouragement and love. Where has this outpouring come from?!

So thank you to the team at Sandbook for dedicating so much of their website and magazine to this project.
Thank you to Maxine at Penpal Magazine for blogging about us!
And thank you to the blog I discovered today, Penpalling and Letters for giving us space as well!

And thank you to everyone who emails and writes and keeps me going when the going gets tough! Thank you to all of you for being here and reading this, for offering your help and your support. You are all very special and extremely wonderful. May you all have a wonderful and joyous Christmas.

A human being is only interesting if he's in contact with himself. I learned you have to trust yourself, be what you are, and do what you ought to do the way you should do it. You have got to discover you, what you do, and trust it. 

Barbra Streisand

 

It seems that if you trust enough, if you smile enough and if you wait enough, things do begin happening. 

Firstly Sandbook.net, a large and popular pen-palling forum, got in touch after being past one of the postcards I'm circulating regarding an art project about pen-friends. They're now acting as sponsors and promoters, encouraging people to get in touch and be involved. 

Secondly, the lovely owner of Penpal Magazine posted a wonderful blog entry about the film:

http://penpalmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/12/pen-pal-video-by-glass-completely-empty.html

So it's gathering steam, which I'm really happy and really thankful for. It's not the project that I thought would begin to take off first but it's certainly a welcome surprise! 

The Complaints Department is now CLOSED!

A noble person is mindful and thankful for the favors he receives from others. ~ The Buddha

Everybody moans. It's a fact of life. There are times when we just have to get some things off of our chests and air our grievances to another person. But we seem to be living in a world where there are nothing but complaints, where no one thinks of the good, only the bad. They complain because the boss hasn't performed the task they said they would. They moan because of the hours they have to work. They whine because such-and-such in XYZ department isn't doing their job the way the complainer thinks they should. They find fault with the bus company because their bus was late. They moan and fill the world with negative energy, never thinking beyond that little realm.

Perhaps it's time we should take a closer look and be thankful for what does happen. To be thankful for the boss who pulls out the stops so that we can have a safe working environment. To be thankful that, in this climate of unemployment and low pay, we have a job. To be thankful that the person in XYZ department goes above and beyond the call of duty and asks for nothing, not even thanks, in return. To be thankful for the bus driver who stopped when he saw someone collapse and stayed with them until help arrived.

That's all I ask, to take a closer look at your life. To look at the people we work, live, love and exist with and to see the good they're doing in the world today. To go up to them and say "Thank you". It's 2 words, 8 letters, and so easy to say. To stop before we open our mouths and complain and moan and whine. We know that we can never please everyone in this world and we know that we will complain and that we will be at the end of the complaints, but the least we can do is be thankful. Your words, your kindness, your smile, may touch that person's life. We don't know how a person is feeling at any given time and that gesture, no matter how small, may be just what they need to pick them up from a rut. Let's be thankful, let's be happy and let's spread that happiness! In this approaching season of peace and goodwill let's go out there and spread some goodwill!

Be Thankful!

Be Happy!

The "I Can" Attitude

"Why do you always say "no problem" to everything I ask you to do?"

That was what one of my bosses once said to me. "Whenever I ask anyone else to do anything, they roll their eyes as if it's too much of a problem. But you always say "No Problem".

Because it is "No problem", that's why. If it's something that can be easily achieved, then it's "No problem". And if it's something I've never done before then perhaps it's "No problem" to go and learn how to do it.

It's the "I Can" rather than the "I Can't" attitude. It's not about whether it's your job, or your role or what you're supposed to be doing. Going into something with an "I Can" attitude is so much better than going in with a glum "I Can't" attitude. It makes you smile and makes you happy when you can have "I Can" in your mind. The world seems like a better place and anything can be conquered.

Sometimes people tell me it's useless to chase my dreams because "I Can't" do them. But how does someone know you can't do something? How do they know you can't do it until you've tried? It's only through trying and either failing or succeeding that we know whether we can do it or not. And if we fail, we go back for another go. And another. And another. It's just a case of finding what works until that particular problem is solved.

Besides, do you think the world's best scientists, engineers, athletes, musicians, film-makers, actors, explorers, astronauts et al had an "I Can't" attitude? Damn right they didn't! They were filled to the brim with "I Can Do This!" It may take time, it may take several attempts but it can be done!

Let's have less of "I can't" and more of "I can!"

"I can!"
"I can!"
"I can!!!"

If you want to be happy, be.  ~Leo Tolstoy

There are now two new ways to connect with Glass Completely Empty. I'd like to introduce myself as the staff as one very demanding office cat...

Office Cat's Facebook page

Office Cat's Blog

Enjoy and take everything he says with a pinch of catnip!

Go On - SMILE!

 It was only a sunny smile, And little it cost in the giving. But like morning light, it scattered the night, And made the day worth living. ~ Anon

Do you know whose life you've touched today? Do you know if it was in a positive or a negative way? I truly hope that it was in a positive way. A smile, a kind word or a hug, even to a complete stranger, could mean the difference between hope and despair. Touching someone's life does not have to be expensive, it does not even have to cost money. The smile you gave the glum looking cashier at the store could have brightened their day. How do we know that they're not struggling with illness or a death in the family? The helping hand we gave as someone's groceries hurled themselves across the floor could have been just the thing they needed. How do we know that they suffer with a painful brittle bone disease or that this was just another in a long line things that had gone wrong that day? It costs nothing to give a smile and it takes less muscles to smile than to frown. Go on, SMILE! You know you want to and you know it makes the world a better place. Heck, even if you're feeling rubbish today, crack a smile. It'll make you feel better! Trust me on that one!

Gratitude...

"If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough."

  ~ Meister Eckhart

I believe that we should be grateful for one thing every day. I mean, how hard is it to be thankful and happy for one thing in your life every day? It might be the weather, it might be an unexpected letter or comment, it might even be your health. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just something small, something which perhaps made you smile today, or think, or laugh.

Today I am grateful for my friends, for those who have stood by me through thick and thin. They may not have given me anything of monetary value but they have given me something more; their friendship. They have been there when I've ranted (sometimes at them about themselves), they've been there when I've laughed. They've stood by me while the world seemed to fall apart and now they stand beside me as I make a life for myself. They have been proof-readers, coffee makers, hug givers and care givers. They have been the bringers of smiles and laughter, encouragement and unadulterated love. They have listened and advised and, while we may have had our wobbles, they have come back stronger than before, forever walking beside me. My friends, the family I have picked for myself, have been there through thick and thin, through happiness and sadness, through winters and summers. They were there yesterday and they are here today. My beautiful and wonderful friends, I am thankful for you every day and I hope that tomorrow will be another day with you.

Random Acts of Kindness

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.  ~Author Unknown

 

Today it was a lady in the waiting room of the dentist, a complete stranger, who held my hand and talked to me, telling me I wouldn't be in pain for much longer.

Today it was a dentist who didn't charge me for the work he did, saying he was happy that I would no longer be in pain.

Tomorrow it could be me, or it could be you. A smile costs nothing and uses less muscles than a frown does and it could make the day of someone who is feeling utterly awful.

Smile, even if you feel awful; it will make you feel better even if you think it won't. Laugh; it really is the best medicine. Be happy, because if you're happy, then the world seems like less of a dark place.

Welcome To My New Life!

‎"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal." 

~ Pamela Vaull Starr

So far this year, I have:

Finished my novel.
Started work on my first documentary.
Lined up 2 more films to work on.
Lined up 3 more books to write.
Finally taken a walk don Brighton pier.
Begun to embrace who I really am.
Am more secure and happy with who I am.
Have lost even more weight.


So much has happened this year and I don't think I've been thankful for it once. This year I celebrated 6 years of being clean of drink and drugs. A friend of mine threw a fantastic online party for me (don't ask how we did it but it involved a lot of rude, yet funny, comments on Facebook!). I'm so much more comfortable with who I am, with the person I've grown in to. No longer am I frightened of people on the street, of walking around a corner and coming face to face with those I who want to hurt me. Quite the contrary in fact. Now I'm in a place where I'd have them running for cover.

I am NOT a victim. I am NOT a survivor. I am ME! A beautiful, strong and, confident and proud woman. A woman who demands the attention of those around her. A woman who is heading to make a difference in this world. I love the woman I have become! And I love the changes that I am constantly making. I am proud that I am clean. I am proud of what I have become.

I am grateful for everything that's happening in my life right now. Grateful for those who love me and support me. I am grateful for the opportunities I am being given.

Welcome to my new life!

Novels, Websites and Projects

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


Due to time constraints, I can only work on one project at a time at the moment. So, for the next few weeks, it's my novel that's getting my attention. It was finished at the end of August and is now being spruced up and edited ready to make its way around publishers.

However, once all that is done (can't wait!) I'm going to set about building the official Glass Completely Empty website. Currently I have bits of paper spread around me as I decide on how to make it look. It's there, in my head, it just needs to come out and, for the moment, it's good 'ole pen and paper! What I really wanted to say was, watch this space because, along with the launch of the website will come a big announcement about the documentary. Can't wait! Bring it on!

Updates to follow...

Hi! Welcome if you're reading this blog for the first time. This is my first post here and I'm a little nervous. New blog, new blog site, new hopes and dreams.

My name is Rae and this will be the blog for my production company, Glass Completely Empty Productions. Why did I call it that? Well, I liked the name. Plus it also links in with how I like to see the world around me. The glass isn't half full, nor is it half empty. It's completely empty and waiting to be filled with ideas, ideas which will be fun, quirky and hopefully touch the lives of those around me.

Right, I'll keep this one brief! Take care! :)