Bridget McNulty

More Blog Touring!

// May 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogs, Inspiration, Strange Nervous Laughter

Ready to discover yet another wonderful blog?

Today I’m guest posting over at This Ordinary Day, a really inspiring group blog that focuses on our ordinary lives, and why they’re really rather extraordinary…

Sound good? Head on over and read up some of their archives, I guarantee you’ll leave feeling happier!

PS: Don’t forget to write a creative comment about love here, for a chance to win a copy of the US version of Strange Nervous Laughter!

What are you grateful for?

// April 21st, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Time

It’s such an over-asked question, isn’t it?

But it can have an extraordinarily far-reaching effect if you answer it honestly.

I’ve been reeaall busy lately. Real busy. Have I mentioned that I’ve been real busy? Trying to juggle a handful of really exciting balls (Strange Nervous Laughter in the USA, online marketing, Round the World trip and sponsorship, as well as that old thing called everyday life and, oh yes! Work!)

What’s interesting, though, is that no matter how exciting the work is, when I’m busy busy I tend to get focused on it and not much else. Which means I’m not very happy, or excited, or joyful. Which is why it’s such a treat to stumble across the ‘What are you grateful for right now?’ question (a question I found while editing one of my blog posts from three months ago), and answer it honestly. You might have a heap of to-do’s on your list, but if you can be grateful for a cup of hot tea, a slice of fresh banana bread, a cool breeze and blue skies, and a man you love, that’s a pretty wonderful morning, don’t you think?

So what are you grateful for?

Gratitude now!

// January 30th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Inspiration, Laughter, Life (and the living of it)

Are any of you Seinfeld fans? I’m a huge Seinfeld fan, it’s my favourite show ever and I’m busy collecting the whole series. One that I haven’t got to yet, but that has stuck in my mind for years is when George’s dad is trying to become more peaceful, and he walks around saying, “Serenity now!” any time he starts feeling stressed. Funny.

Eckhart Tolle (in his amazing discussions about ‘A New Earth’ with Oprah) suggests a similar thing, only with gratitude. I call it, “Gratitude now!” and it’s basically stopping what you’re doing – right now! – and focusing on what you’re grateful for.

Right now!
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Did you do it? For me, I’m grateful right now for the cup of tea I’ve just finished, for feeling well and healthy, for the light breeze blowing in the window and my beautifully sun-filled flat. I’m grateful that it’s Friday and that I get to decide how much work to do today and that I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I’m grateful for aloe-scented moisturiser and fresh banana muffins and  a map of the world to keep me inspired. I’m grateful for this life of mine.

You?

Be here now. And now. And now.

// January 14th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Time

So I fell for all the hype and I’m reading ‘A New Earth’ by Eckhart Tolle. I know, I know, the whole world is reading it because Oprah told them to. But it is incredible! Mind-blowing. Life-altering, in the deepest sense of the word.

The one thing I keep returning to, though, is this idea that if we can just stay present in the present, that if we can just be here right now, without worrying about the past or future, that’s the space where enlightenment (and happiness and peace) can be found.

But crikey moses! It is hard to do. My mind is like a rabbit on speed.

Still, it’s a worthy goal, I think, to keep drawing our busy minds back from wherever they’ve wandered off to. I find that focusing on my senses is the best route to presence, focusing on what I feel or hear or smell or taste. For example, I was in the shower this morning, and my mind was a million miles away – thinking about this and that, planning my day in a lackadaisical way, remembering what I saw on TV last night. And then I caught myself, and brought my attention back to Now. And now was so great! It smelt like raspberries and there was hot water falling on my back and a great view out my window. I was missing out on all of that because I was so wrapped up in my head! Of course, there are times when you need to plan and think ahead, but to do that consciously, to sit down and with all your wits about you to think about the future, is far more powerful than casually letting your mind wander down future paths while you’re in the shower.

So this is my challenge for the moment: to be right here. Now. And now. And now.

What if…

// November 26th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

…. the purpose of life is to be happy?

There has to be a balance, of course, and obviously you can’t be swinging from the happiness tree 24/7/365, but I’m beginning to think that if I lighten up and really enjoy what’s going on around me more, a flood of happiness might just whisk me away. How’s that for mixed metaphors?!

So I’m off to pick up my best friend from the airport, how exciting! He’s spending two days with me (a whole two days, this is an unimagined luxury!) and then I’m off to the Cosmo Awesome Women event on Friday, which should be lots of fun (We get goodie bags. Enough said!) And then, on Friday evening I’m going to Knysna for my man’s grandpa’s 90th birthday, and to meet his nephew for the first time.

Happy times ahead! Here’s wishing you a bolt of happiness. Round about now!

In a spirit of hope…

// November 5th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Inspiration, Laughter, Life (and the living of it)

I woke up this morning feeling hopeful, and not only because I’m not sick any more!

Barack Obama is the president of the United States. The first black president in history, and a pretty charismatic guy at that! Doesn’t this bode well? Surely this could have an enormous impact on a number of issues that affect us all over the world, even here in South Africa?

Now, my normal response to News of any kind (political / economic / violent) is to stick my head in the sand. Not because I don’t want to know what’s going on, per se, but just because I think that the more energy you give to a crisis of any kind, the stronger it grows. And South Africa has more than its fair share of violent horror stories – if I paid attention to all of them, I’d be a dithering heap.

That said, I’m also quite sensitive to the prevailing mood, and the mood in the last couple of weeks (could it be months?) has been one of fear, uncertainty and doubt. The economic crisis, the global meltdown, the political uncertainty, none of it makes for happy times. Add to that severe financial restraints for the upcoming holidays, and I’m not seeing too many happy campers.

But perhaps this one shift – this shift where the most powerful country in the world has chosen the right person to lead them – will start to change all that. Do you think I’m being naive? Perhaps. But wouldn’t you like to join me? Just for today, what if this heralds the beginning of a new age? What then?

I began my day today with a cup of tea in the sun on my verandah, and my gratitude journal. In the hubbub of daily activity I’ve forgotten, lately, to list the reasons I’m grateful for my most wonderful life. Writing them down this morning helped propel me into this hopeful, festive mood. Why don’t you give it a try? If nothing else, a gang of hopeful people will infect those around us, and they’ll infect those around them, until we have a small colony of hope growing.

The cultivation of hope: a worthy goal, I believe.

The tiny little things.

// October 22nd, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

I must apologise for my slack blogger attitude of late, I’ve been more than a little swamped!

I have a huuuuge deadline for the end of October, and it kind of feels like I’m buried under a pile of work, and I’m slowly clawing my way to the surface. Only, when I imagine it, the pile is made out of bread and I have to eat it to get to the air. Sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it?? But it isn’t! Not at all. The work is fascinating – research and writing about the (not-so-)terrifying trip I took. There’s just a lot of it. To be done in just over a week. After that, though, and after the editing process, I will be free as a bird! Free to edit my new novel and lie in the sun reading and go for long walks and chill after this extremely busy year…

I’m also trying to figure out Google AdWords PPC advertising for the No Excuse Novel. Lordy lord! Does anyone have any idea how to do this? I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but this has me totally and completely stumped. It’s so complicated! Any help would be much appreciated.

And in the midst of all this, I’m trying to remember to appreciate the tiny little things. We had a couple of friends over for dinner last week (a most delightful dinner) and out of nowhere one of them said, “You know, I just love going to bed. Talk about simple pleasures – climbing into bed at night is one of my all-time favourite things to do. I can’t help but smile every time I do it!”
Isn’t that lovely? To take pleasure in the tiny, ordinary things: eating lunch in the sunshine, a nice hot cup of tea, lying down at the end of a busy day, holding hands with someone you love… We are surrounded by countless opportunities for joy all the time, but how often do we actually notice them?