Jessica Watson - an Extraordinary Australian

I'm proud Jessica Watson is Australian. She has circumnavigated the world in a 10.23 metre yacht. Not only do I get sea sick but I'm also claustrophobic. This young lady's adventure has caught my imagination. No matter how hard I try, I can't imagine bobbing around in this small craft in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. Jessica has done it with only modern communication methods to keep her company. She hasn't seen another human, nor has she set foot on dry land since leaving Sydney on 17th October, 2009 - amazing for a sixteen year old female. But that's what kept me connected to Jessica's blog for these last seven months. This young lady is not your average sixteen year old. Jessica is brave, intelligent, adventurous, talented and much, much more. She has taken on the world's oceans and made them her home for seven months. Link to Jessica's blog to learn about how she coped with living at sea for seven months at http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/_blog/Official_Jessica_Watson_Blog/ .

Then I heard bad press that her attempt won't be recognised because she didn't sail far enough. Does recognition matter to Jessica? No. Her blog dated 6th May states:-

"I don't normally bother addressing critics because someone's always going to be saying something, no matter what I say or do. But I thought I'd have my 2 bobs worth on these claims that I haven't 'officially' sailed around the world.

Call me immature but I've actually been having a bit of a giggle over the whole thing. If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time! Yes it's a shame that my voyage won't be recognized by a few organizations because I'm under 18, but it really doesn't worry me.

I mean there's millions, properly billions of people who still don't believe in global warming, so I'm more than happy to settle for a few people going against the tide and declaring that mine hasn't been an official circumnavigation. Well I think I've wasted more than enough time on the whole petty debate - so moving on!"

This sums up Jessica's personality. This is what heroines are made of. Jessica has a big future ahead of her. I always dreamed of being an astronaut, and thought maybe I could really become one and be the first woman to land on Mars. Unfortunately, that dream won't be fulfilled because I now realise God has other plans for my life. But Jessica may have the time to study for such an adventure if she is that way inclined. I'm sure she has more goals in sight and it wouldn't surprise me if space travel was one of them.

Jessica expects to arrive in Sydney this coming Saturday. I take this opportunity to wish Jessica all the very best for the next stage of her life's journey. I am confident she has the courage and nous to deal with all the challenges ahead of her during the coming days, months and years.

Well done, Jessica Watson. You're an incredible young Australian!

Dating My Creativity

A grat location for a creativity date.

My passion is writing - on paper and by computer. My writing goal is to evoke emotion, inform, and entertain my reader. I will write and re-write the words until the desired result is achieved.

Each day, I sit at my desk, hunched protectively over my work for six to seven hours. Sitting there for that long is so easy to do. The hours flit by before I know what's happened.

During the writing process my brain never stops. It is a whirl of words and ideas all clambering to the front of my mind wanting to be used. I use many of them, but some have to be relegated to the background to be used at a later time.

Creativity is fun, but what's happening to my body while all that energy circulates in my head? My body, a sagging bag of meat, sits waiting and hoping I'll give it some attention. Sometimes, subconsciously, my feet move restlessly, I scratch my head, my neck or some other part of the body. By the end of the day, I'm sluggish, worn out and absolutely brain dead, but I still sit there because I'm reluctant to move out of my creativity, the place where God and I share some great stuff. We have a fun time, but I'm human. I've been sitting so long, my body becomes stale as a school lunch lurking under the bed during school vacation, and the lethargy and stiffness set up home in the muscles. When I get like this, I know it's time to get out in the real world and get the blood circulating.

I go on a date with my creativity to refill the creative well, and to remind my body it's part of me, too.

There are many ways I refill my creative well. I like to vary the way I do the physical and where I take that time out. Sometimes, I take a morning walk in my suburb. I like the warmth of the newly risen sun on my face, and the smell of the clear moist freshness of a dew-coated morning. The flowers' perfumes and the scent of a gum tree are sharper, and if it's rained overnight there's a raw earthiness blending with those smells promising today is going to be something special. Other times, I head to the beach for a whiff of that salty air to awaken my lungs and purge the stale air that accumlates in there with lack of exercise.

After 4 p.m. is also my favourite time of day. The smells of a day lived is what inspires me. After a day in front of the computer, the open air breathes life into the heaviness that hangs behind my forehead. In the same way as my body gets tired from a day in the gym, so does my brain get tired from a day in the zone.

So I take time out physically and spiritually and develop a sharper and deeper edge to my creativity. I encourage you to do your mind and body a favour - go out and have a date with your creativity. You might be pleasantly surprised how relaxed you feel after the experience.

Remember, creativity comes from the one who created the earth.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27 NIV

And God rested, too,

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." - Genesis 2:2-3 NIV

God took time out to rest and refresh from his creativity. I want to encourage you today to follow God's example and not only do brain exercise but physical exercise, too. Renew your mind, body and spirit and be ready for the creative work God has set aside especially for you.

Finishing ...

I've just completed my current work in progress. The last few weeks have felt like I've been swimming in a pool of glue. I was so keen to finalise the last draft, but I got stuck at chapter seven. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't continue on. This resulted in giving myself a swift talking to.

What created my demise? Self doubt. Ecclesiastes 1:3 came to mind -

"What does man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun?"

I began to think, so why do I write here in my office all day long while the sun is shining outside? I hear the children laughing as they play; I hear the wind in the trees; and the cars going places. They all seem to have purpose, but what was I doing? Typing words into a computer. What for? Would there ever be any end to this writing work I'm doing? All these questions and more bombarded me from every corner of my mind. I was stuck on the last draft of my novel with another twenty-nine scenes still to edit. The work stretched before me seemingly endless. Will it ever be finished?

I sat back and took an honest look at where the work was going and the reason why I write novels. On the wall of my office I have my mission to "Inspire women to heal from past hurts and be the women God created them to be." If I didn't finish this draft, this manuscript had no chance of crossing a publisher's desk. That means I would not only fail in my work, but most importantly I would also fail the women I want to encourage. A half-baked manuscript wasn't going to reach anyone.

So I found a quiet spot and shared my frustrations with Jesus. We discussed my doubts, my human failings, my insecurities about my work. After sharing with Jesus my burden didn't seem so overwhelming. Jesus was faithful as always and gave me his mighty power to finish the work. He reminded me it's not about the end, it's about the journey and what we learn on that journey.

That wisdom was timely.

Trusting The Small Voice

Do you like the excitement of the unknown, meeting new people, discovering strengths within yourself you didn't know you had? Welcome to life.

Exploring life needs confidence. In a recent post I briefly touched on gaining confidence. Confidence is believing in ourselves and our abilities. Most people gain self-confidence from the affirmations received from our parents or caregivers since birth, and this continues until adulthood when we branch out on our own to try new activities.

Sometimes, when we attempt a new activity we may feel defeat and lose heart. The next time we take on a new challenge it becomes harder to step out, and after a few stumbles we consider ourselves a failure.

I see failure as an opportunity to get up and have another go, except the next time I'll learn from my mistakes. I go and find more information about the new activity; I read how to books; I search the internet for information and most importantly I approach others who are already involved in that line of work or hobby and find out how they do it. Why re-invent when I can tap into the experience of others who have been before me? This saves time which can be hard to find in our busy lives. It's important we make the most of our time because our days on this earth are numbered. Many people will go out of their way to help you if they know you're genuinely interested.

Stepping out to do a new activity takes a certain amount of faith. Faith is what keeps me looking for new and interesting experiences so that I can learn about myself. Faith for me is knowing my God is in control of my life. God gives me peace, strength and perseverence to do projects I might not attempt in my own strength. Faith is listening to the soft small voice, trusting its guidance and stepping out obediently. Faith and action are partners. Faith without action brings inactivity and action without faith becomes unfulfilling and meaningless.

For me, a life without faith would mean living in a dark place afraid and alone. Faith gives me the courage to pursue my dreams, to build relationships, and to know myself the way God knows me. God's holy spirit is within me, and because it is I can do all things through him who gives me strength.

Do you draw your strength from the small voice that prompts you every day? He'll be the best friend you'll ever have.

Gaining Confidence

Welcome to the official website and blog of Laura O’Connell.

This website is for you, my reader, and writers who may be interested in writing, and how I see the world.

One of the greatest pleasures in my life is corresponding with people from all corners of the globe, so I'd love to hear about what happens in your part of this living, breathing and evolving planet. My part of the world is the beautiful Gold Coast in eastern Australia where I love to body surf, walk along our magnificent beaches, and bushwalk in our lush rainforests. Throughout my site you will see lots of photos of this part of Australia.

I think, and write about everything and anything. You may not necessarily agree with everything I say ... I expect and welcome that, but please exercise courtesy in your communication with me and others on this website. I respect your views and expect you will do the same for me. Profanity will not be tolerated.

Hearing about your approach to life expands my mind. Sharing with others takes courage. I encourage you to take a leap of faith and tell me what's on your heart when I write about something that resonates with you.

On my "About" page I stated how it took me two years to put pen to paper after I got my light bulb moment. Why did it take me so long to move? Plain old lack of confidence, and I had a hundred plus excuses for not writing, but once I started I couldn't stop. There's a drive in me I don't understand that's pushing me forward and I can't make it slow down, so I have to go with the flow. The result is the construction of this website. I'll be sharing on this post what is on my heart each week.

Have you ever experienced a force within you that has pushed you out of your comfort zone? I'd like to hear from you and how it changed your life.