Stop! It's Going Too Fast and I Want to Get Off!

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Okay - I don't actually mean that I want things to stop so that I can get off because I'm having too much fun but, over the last few months, my life has become a daily whirlwind of new businesses, taking on new projects, building websites and building a brand and it's not showing any sign of slowing down.

I have loved every minute of it so far but it has meant that so many other things in my life have had to be put on the back burner whilst all this has been going on, including Cupcakes and Cadenzas. It will all have been worth it in the long run but I just want to say thanks to everyone who has stuck around and not abandoned this blog and to say that I haven't forgotten about it or you.

Why I love Cupcakes and Cadenzas so much and refuse to give up on it it is that it was the very first blog that I set up and is therefore my 'baby' as far as blogs go. I have several other blogs set up for various business ventures but Cupcakes and Cadenzas is the only blog where I can simply talk about random stuff.  Whether or not anyone reads it is, of course, another matter, but for me, coming on here and writing a post is like coming home from a day at the office, kicking off my shoes, pouring myself a glass of wine and getting on the phone to a good friend for a gossip.

Anyway, just to keep you in the picture, here's what I've been up to over the last little while:

• I have set up my directional and performance coaching business and it's now running successfully. You can find out more about that by clicking here

• I am still teaching singing and piano although I have greatly reduced the amount of teaching that I do. 

• I have joined a fabulous affiliate marketing opportunity devised and run by two of the best known marketing guys around today - Tim Erway and Mike Dillard and it's aimed at anyone who wants to make passive income. It's perfect for anyone and everyone but is particularly suited to coaches, authors, musicians, network marketers, entrepreneurs, work-at-home-mums and anyone who fancies making a bit of extra money. You can probably already tell that I'm hugely enthusiastic about this and if you want to find out more about that - just ask me for details. Blog posts and vlogs coming up about it over at Denise Mitchell Coaching in the next few days.

So - that's where I'm at. I also want to start making videos to put on my coaching site but, despite being a performer, I'm really nervous about making videos to put onto YouTube as I've never done it before so, I was thinking about putting a couple on here to start with - maybe about Filofaxes or something - and see how it goes. Feedback would be appreciated but please...be kind to me :-)

Shake it Off Like a Donkey

Some time ago I heard this little story and it really had an impact on me so I thought I would share it with you. 

"There was once a farmer who owned a prize donkey.

One day the donkey fell into a very deep well next to the farmer's house and began to panic at the bottom of the well when he realised there was no way out. Because the well was so deep, the farmer could see no way to help the poor donkey and so he decided that the only course of action to take was to bury it in the well and, in that way, end its suffering and stop its crying. With a heavy heart and tears in his eyes the farmer began to shovel dirt into the well to bury the little donkey. However, the donkey had no intention of being buried and so, every time the farmer threw a shovelful of dirt into the well, the donkey shook it off his back then stepped up on to it. The farmer kept shovelling and the donkey kept shaking the dirt off. Eventually the donkey had shaken off and stepped on so much dirt that he reached the top of the well, was able to jump out and was free once more!"

It just goes to show that with a bit of determination even the most difficult of situations can be overcome. You only have to 'Shake it Off Like a Donkey'

Looking After Number One

Joint pain

This wasn't what I intended posting today but it seems appropriate and hopefully may save one of you from a lot of pain and suffering in the future.

The human body is an incredible piece of machinery as we all know and I fully believe that if we are very aware and intuitive, we can work out exactly what our bodies need to function properly and when they need it.  For example, a sudden craving for sweet, salty or citrus type foods could indicate that something is lacking in our diet. Thirst and hunger are generally signals to let us know that we need fuel in the form of food and/or fluids. We feel tired and that's normally an indication that we need to rest our bodies and at times we feel we a real need to exercise. We start stretching our muscles and becoming restless simply because we're not designed to sit around for long periods of time.

And then there's pain.

Pain is the body's way of letting us know that something isn't right; the body's way of saying maybe you need to get checked out; the only way our bodies can tell us to STOP.

Sadly, despite knowing all of the above, I don't always take notice of what my body is telling me and that's why I ended up being wheeled into A&E on Saturday night with a suspected collapsed knee and the threat of an operation hanging over me. For about seven weeks my knee has been bothering me. Not painful enough to stop me doing things but enough for me to be constantly aware of it. It's been a very busy few weeks though and I didn't really have time to go and get it seen to. I'll say that again but slightly differently. Everything I had to do was more important than taking care of me. Had I gone to the doctor weeks ago I would never have ended up in A&E on Saturday night. My body warned me over and over that something wasn't right and eventually it forced me to do something about it. I was stopped in my tracks (literally on this occasion). It could have been worse though. At least I don't have to have an operation. Despite having to take painkillers and anti-inflammatories and despite having my leg strapped up and facing 6-8 weeks of physiotherapy, I consider myself to have been lucky this time. I have been told that if it happens again it will require surgery.

It could have been a very different story though. What if the pain had been caused by a life-threatening condition? What if it hadn't been a damaged ligament but had been something far more serious?

This really brought home to me that, because we all lead such busy lives, we don't always take the time to take care of ourselves. We're too busy caring for others in some way whether it be family, friends, colleagues, customers, pets... That's all very well but we won't be much use to anyone if we don't look after ourselves.

So, what I'm suggesting is that we all become a little bit more aware of what our bodies are trying to tell us. It doesn't take much practice to tune into yourself. When you feel you need something or you feel pain simply take a few minutes to find out what's really going on. It won't take long to master this skill. Very few of us use our intuition nowadays but it's still there - you just need to find it.

Why would you want to take the time to do this? Because you really are worth it!

When You Walk in the Room

When You Walk in the Room

This morning, whilst checking my Twitter timeline, I came across a brilliant question which had been asked by @chrismarr101. The question was very simple and straightforward but it resonated with me immediately and really got me thinking.

Chris's question was:

'Do you brighten up the room when you walk in, or when you walk out?'

Well, I'm a fairly confident person and my first reaction to the question was 'I'm fine with that. I definitely brighten up the room when I walk in!' 

Then I started to think about it a bit more and of course, the doubt started to creep in. 

'I'm sure I brighten up the room when I walk in! At least I think I do... What if I don't though? What if a blanket of doom and gloom starts to spread whenever I appear...suppressing conversation...stopping people from having a good time? What if they can't wait to see the back of me so that they can all get back to their happy, jovial conversations without anyone (me) casting a grey mist over them? What if...?' (OK, I do suffer from a slightly overactive imagination at times).

Joking aside though, I would like to think that people are happy to see me when I walk in a room or anywhere else for that matter bearing in mind that this could also apply to Social Networking Sites. I hate the thought of anyone's spirits sinking at the thought of spending time with me online or off. I have to admit that I know people like that. They walk into the room (or Twitter or Facebook) and you just know, even before they open their mouths, that they're going to bring the mood down with their negativity and inability to see the good in anything. Having said that, I do know that if I'm not in the best of moods or I really don't want to be somewhere then I don't always make an effort to hide the way I feel about it all. This question however has made me think about how I might be perceived by others and has made me realise that it's not all about me and so, from now on, I am on a quest to brighten up every 'room' I go into and hopefully leave it a little brighter too.

So, what would your answer be if someone asked you this question? Could you honestly say that the room brightens up when you arrive? Do you spread happiness and positivity wherever you go or do you sometimes, maybe just the teeniest bit, have the opposite effect? 

You can check out Chris's blog/website by clicking here

Happy New Year!

I would like to start by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and I hope 2013 brings health, wealth and happiness to you all!

2013

Happy New Year

I love a new year and I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be a good one. I always see the new year stretching ahead like a blank canvas; a chance to really focus on what direction you want your life to take. You can either start something completely new or you can start to compound and move forward with things that you have started previously.  Over the last few weeks I have been giving a lot of thought to where I want to be by the end of this year and I have decided that as well as continuing with my teaching, I will expand the part of my music business which I love most and focus on building that this year.

My Plans

For many, many years now I have used a combination of NLP (neuro linguistic programming), mind power and confidence enhancement techniques to help actors, singers and musicians achieve their full potential. I love watching these people (over time) blossom and gain confidence and a new sense of self-esteem when they realise that they can actually do things that they felt they might never achieve. Because I enjoy this part of my job so much, I have decided that that's the area to expand this year and so I have decided to offer a life coaching/business life coaching service to anyone who wants it. You can find out more about that by visiting my new website/blog by clicking on this link Denise Mitchell.

A couple of weeks ago I thought that I might give up on Cupcakes and Cadenzas (this blog) and just take it off the blogosphere but I love this blog so much that I just couldn't do it so, I've decided to dedicate some time each week to keeping this blog up and running. Blogging is one of my favourite things in the world and Cupcakes and Cadenzas is a personal blog where I can talk about almost anything so it's a bit of light relief.

I have also decided to get back to my writing this year It has fallen very much by the wayside over the last 12-18 months and I'm really looking forward to getting back to it. I have set up another blog which will be for book reviews and all things bookish and writerish and I hope that if this interests any of you then you will join me over there. You can find it by clicking this link Life with Yvie  It's a very new blog so keep checking back and you will gradually see some content appearing.

Anyway, I really just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year and let you know what's going on in Deniseworld.  It's taken a lot of thought to finally decide just which direction I wanted to go in, but I truly feel I am there now. It seems like a lot to take on but I know that the time is right.

What About You?

What are everyone else's plans for this new year? Do you also see a new year as a blank page, a chance to take your life in a new direction? Do you intend to work on the things you've already started or do you just see it as another year of doing the same old thing?

Monday Cuteness!!

Just HAD to share this tweet with you all. This is just so cute!

Tiny bunny, enjoying a carrot. twitter.com/EmergencyPuppy…
— Emergency Cute Stuff (@EmergencyPuppy) November 12, 2012

Beating the Spammers

No More Spam!!

This is just a very quick post tonight to say that I am having to put word verification back on 'Cupcakes and Cadenzas; in the hope that it will stop or a least reduce the number of spam comments that the blog is receiving.

Over the last few weeks I have been getting anywhere between 5 and 10 comments every day ranging from offers of payday loans to viagra to protein shakes for bodybuilders and I am starting to get a bit fed up with it. They are being caught by Blogger's security and placed in the spam folder and I do have comment moderation on but it still annoys me. Perhaps it's because I haven't been posting regularly. I would be interested to find out if anyone else is having this problem too.

I don't get this on my Wordpress.org blogs but, having said that, I do pay a monthly fee to have all the spam caught, analysed and deleted if it definitely is spam. Blogger is free and they do a pretty good job of stopping the spam getting through but I would like to try and stop it altogether.

So that's it for tonight. I apologise for having to do this as I know word verification can be frustrating at times but hopefully it will be a temporary measure.

As I said, I would be interested to find out if it's just this blog having this problem or if it's a problem affecting everyone. Let me know.