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#Cultivate2012 Reframing

Reframing: How are you framing yourself, your relationships, your community, and your dreams? Could you reframe these as we enter 2013?

I’ve been working on the frames I assign to myself and the various facets of my life. Most days I frame myself as a capable woman who’s resourceful enough to make life work. Other days, my frame darkens and reflects a very miserable individual stuck in a deep, dark chasm.

I’ve framed my relationships as broken and dysfunctional. Instead of viewing them as such, I might reframe them as works in progress or in need of TLC. If something seems broken or dysfunctional, it should be fixed and given better functioning.

I viewed my community as a back-water, middle-of-nowhere location until this summer. I began reframing it as a cozy, quiet rural community that’s close enough to Chattanooga for my urban needs. I’ve also noticed areas in our county that need some life injected back into them. I’ve been inspired by a local philanthropist who’s breathed new life into downtown Lafayette and built a classy restaurant, an adorable tavern, and renovated the historic Mars Theater.

So during 2013, I’m going to frame everything as needing cultivation. Cultivating is an ongoing process that always leaves room to nurture bonds and growth.

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#Reverb11: Reframing

Reframing (Inspired by Patrick Rhone): How are you framing yourself and your life? Could you reframe things going into 2012?

I began to question the frame in which I view my life back in September. I’m unhappy with my current life’s circumstances and my overall health. I’ve been framing myself as a victim of unfortunate circumstances most of the year, and I couldn’t help falling back into that view throughout the year. Try as I may, I couldn’t seem to shake that feeling even after I knew we passed the half-way mark through this temporary situation in life. Even knowing that February’s fast approaching hasn’t helped — in fact, I’ve become a bit more highly strung as a result. The pieces haven’t fallen quite into place the way they should just yet, and I know I’ve got a lot to do between now and February. This is me viewing myself as a frazzled mess scrambling to plan for better days. But this isn’t working for me.

What if I changed my perspective? What if I went into 2012 with a completely different outlook? What if I changed the frame? All these hardships and circumstances are learning experiences, teaching me to uphold my values, cherish what I have, and live my life in a way that honors myself and my loved ones. I don’t have to be a victim because I’m really a student of life. I’m studying and learning. This experience has opened my mind to downsizing and questioning if we really, truly need something. It has reminded me that my values and code of ethics are just fine. Family and education are incredibly important, and no one should ever try to sway me otherwise. I’m a stronger woman for having weathered these challenges. 2012 will bring plenty of opportunities to better myself and my circumstances. I possess the power to change things.

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#MindfulMonday Reframing

Last week I read an essay by Patrick Rhone about how we apply frames to what we do and how we go about doing it. For a while, I had come to terms with the word “blogger,” sort of allowing myself to become a blogger who blogs. I remember when I originally started this, the term “blog” seemed vulgar to me. I hated it. I didn’t want to say it aloud. And yet here I am, a blogger who blogs — not anymore. I am a writer who merely hasn’t published any major works just yet. I write nearly everyday, and I simply use the blog platform as a means to publish my essays. If I continue to view this as blogging to be a blogger, I’m not going to move forward with my goals of writing. I want to publish meaty works, but I’m still practicing and honing my craft via essays. These aren’t your public school five paragraph essays, but they are essays. I have no need for a thesis statement with three neatly sculpted points to make before concluding with some well-thought out conclusion. I assume my readers grasp the main concept behind my essay simply by reading through it — from start to finish.

This ties in with my efforts to realign myself and my work. If I don’t add reframing into the recipe, I would be missing a key element to achieving my dreams. And because I’m brimming with “re” words these days, I’m currently working to reinvent myself. I’ve been inspired by Jasmine of the The Brokins and her Project Totus, and she asked me what I’m doing in response to my comment expressing as much. Well Jasmine, I’m not quite sure yet — but I know that I want to stop living in this place, in this frame of mind that continues to oppress me. In following with that inspiration, Gwen Bell’s weekly intentions got me thinking about making my own weekly intentions. I currently have a sticky note on my laptop that reads “my intention for this week is to escape oppression.” In short, I’m tired of feeling like I have to deal with the day-to-day drama that seems to permeate my life without my permission. I have a few options to deal with these feelings, but I know in my heart that I desperately want and need change. I’ve already been granted a means to affect that change, but now the ball rests back in my hand, awaiting my next move. Where I throw that ball next remains to be seen — but you can bet I’m going to channel the inspiration that seems prevalent in my life, even when more negative energy seems to monopolize my environment.

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