Monday, November 12, 2018

What I stand for


Ninacat :)

 I was thinking about my blog and writing the other day, because I never know what to say when people find out I am a writer and ask what I write about.  I truly don’t know what to tell them!  Saying ‘pretty things’ is what I want to say, but I can’t imagine it would be very helpful.  I’d also rather say, ‘here’s one of my books, just read that and it will tell you’ because I find it hard to articulate what my topic is.  It’s okay once we get talking, but the ten-second elevator soundbyte you’re supposed to have has always been a challenge for me.

What I love to think about more, is what do I stand for?  That’s easy.  I stand for inspiration, creating and appreciating beauty, and living in a peaceful way.  I stand for serenity in outlook, lifestyle and with food.  I believe in each of us making the most of ourselves and treating ourselves to what truly makes us happy in life.

I believe a positive mindset contributes to our wellbeing, and that each of us has the brilliant opportunity to create our own incredible life.  We can have our feet on the ground and live in the real world, but we don’t need to be OF the real world.  We can be down-to-earth AND have our head in the stars at the same time.  We can design our own lifestyle: our home, wardrobe and our state of mind, as pretty and as delicate as we’d like it to be.  And, we get to choose what brings us joy!  We don’t need to go along with anyone else’s rules.

For me, my world is rose-tinted, rose-scented, and sparklingly effervescent.  I do my daily chores and get things done, but I also immerse myself in my own magical world through my writing, how I keep my home and what I fill my mind with.  I read books, watch movies and populate my thoughts with beauty and inspiration.  My home is quite simply decorated, but it still has pockets of exquisiteness which elevates my frequency.

And none of this takes money.  If you choose to look upon the world as a enchanted place full of possibility and love, it is.  You can be aware of what’s going on and do what you can without feeling bogged down by perpetual bad news which you can do nothing about.

I feel like my role in the world is to share my inspiration with others through my blog, social media accounts and my books.  I know how uplifting it feels to read a book and be bursting with ideas afterwards, as well as feel indescribably happy for some reason.  It’s a fabulous day when I come across a gold nugget in a book which provides me with a new, different, or better way of thinking about something, and I hope you find them with my books too, because that’s why I write them.

What do you stand for?  Think about the things you value and see if they translate into how you live your life.  I value simplicity, so my home is consistently being decluttered, organised, simplified and cleaned.  When I get busy or less motivated and don’t do these things on a regular basis, it feels heavy.  When I pursue simplicity and clean out and clean up, I feel buoyant again.

Love what you love and stand for what you stand for.  Don’t let anyone else tell you how you should be, think or feel.  Please share with me what you stand for and make a commitment to yourself that you will go forth with pride in your choices today and every day :)

~Fiona~

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love you to share it with a friend you think would like it too!

https://www.michellemariemcgrath.com/65-fionaferris/

PS. I was interviewed by the lovely Michelle Marie McGrath for her podcast 'Unclassified Women', which is all about women who don't have children whether through circumstance or choice.  I talk about my own situation and why I don't have children, plus a bit about my career as a write-from-home author with tips on how you can start too.

You can listen on YouTube and iTunes through Michelle's link here.  I had such a lovely time chatting with Michelle, so I really hope you enjoy this interview!



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16 comments:

  1. I, too, value simplicity. The more complex the world gets, the simpler I like my life to be. It seems that most people work long hours at jobs they hate just to earn money to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like. I have made the rather anachronistic choice to be a homemaker -- even though I don't have kids. (For some reason, people seem to think it's okay -- grudgingly -- to stay home if you have kids, but look askance at you if you don't. They ask me if I don't get bored... which really says more about them, if you think about it.) I enjoy making meals from scratch, baking bread, canning vegetables from our garden, and even cleaning and laundry don't faze me. I also have time to read voraciously, (The library is my "happy place.") go on hikes, exercise, and birdwatch. The things that I'm "missing out on" (social media, television, shopping as "retail therapy") just don't appeal to me. There is only so much time in a day, and one must set priorities. When people say, "I don't have time to cook" or "I don't have time to exercise", what they mean is "It isn't a priority with me." They usually seem to know what everyone on FaceBook is doing and the plots of the latest TV shows... which apparently are their priorities. We make time for things we enjoy doing.

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    1. I agree, Mimi. We make time for what is important to us. A simple life is my happy place too. When I start feeling uncomfortable I know I've been less mindful of my daily routines and what I am bringing into the home.

      Your comments always bring me a peaceful feeling, thank you.

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  2. Freedom, beauty, integrity. That encompasses a lot though, the freedom bit alone keeps my house clean and as clutter free as I can as I want the freedom from a cluttered house and the freedom to enjoy my time at home. Beauty...well I try to always have flowers if I can afford them and a big treat is a scented candle.
    Integrity...if I say I'm going to do something...I do it, which means I think hard and deep if I want to committ to something and only agree to that I enjoy or which serves me and my growth.
    It sounds a simple creed and yes...often I fall off my path but it's getting better with age and time (and as thehouse gets gradually more renovated!)

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  3. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? For me, it's half-full, especially in my online activity. Blogging has put me on the lookout for pretty things to photograph and interesting tales about my adopted home.
    As for what I stand for, I hope it's kindness. I don't live always live up to it, especially when somebody cuts me off in traffic. But as the years go by, I am more accepting of people's weaknesses and more able to see the world through their eyes.

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    1. I love for my blog to be positive and pretty too. And kindness is a wonderful thing to stand for. It never goes out of style!

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  4. Although I've not written books, I have been a published writer for about 25 years, Fiona, and when people ask what I write about (I'm a feature writer for magazines - or I was until recently, when I decided not to pursue this for the time being at least, I needed a break from it) I always found my topics hard to describe, as I've written about so many things. I say, "Oh, all kinds of things - from gazetteers of towns and villages to rare breeds, from the life cycle of the sea horse to antique furniture ..." and they soon get fed up with asking!
    I share a lot of your values, too, but I don't tend to de-clutter too often. I think there is a distinction between 'clutter' (to me this is unnecessary rubbish which hasn't been binned) and 'collections' (and I don't mean vast amounts of the same thing, such as a lot of little glass animals or masses of pottery owns - with apologies to anyone who has these and loves them!) but treasures which mean a lot, things which - as is the case with me - have been inherited and are given a new lease of life. And books - well, are books 'clutter'? I regularly go through my books but there are still many thousands of them here. But yes, I tend to be a person whose cup is half full and I hope, even at my great age, that this continues. I am always inspired by your blog posts (I will listen to the podcast later) and I hope, similarly, younger people might be inspired by my own blog, so that they know that there is life after fifty, ha ha!
    Margaret P
    www.margaretpowling.com

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    1. Hi Margaret!, To me, clutter is anything that makes me feel heavy. I streamline my possessions as I go, and someone might consider that I have a lot of one kind of item, for example, but if I am happy with that it's not clutter. Some things seem to build up by themselves, such as clothes and magazines :)

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  5. I’m so thankful for you and what you stand for! You’ve taught me so much since I began following your blog and reading your books! I have four small children still at home with me, so that’s where my focus is right now. I guess I would say I stand for raising them WELL and giving them a stable, happy, carefree childhood. Thank you for sharing your passion with us! You are making a positive impact on the world! 💗

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  6. PS I meant 'pottery owls' ... sorry, fingers unable to spell again!
    Margaret P

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  7. I agree that simplicity, integrity and beauty are the best parts of living a happy life and being a positive agent in a muddled up world. I have had many new thoughts and ideas as a result of reading your blog, Fiona. Everything starts with a thought and yours carry great positive energy. I could imagine hearing you reply that you write about living a beautiful life (or a valuable or remarkable life) if I asked you what you write about. Thanks for sharing chic-ness with us. That idea keeps me going on many a challenging day. XO

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    1. I like that Karen, and it's simplicity in itself, thank you :)

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  8. ps.... the ideas and the habits!

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  9. It's inspiring that you've stayed true to yourself, Fiona. That's one of the reasons that I love your blog so much

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Merci for your comment. Wishing you a chic day!