I'm doing it again!

I have entered a new 'selfish phase'. I had to!

When I started the whole Project Rika thing I imagined that at one point one would arrive, and then be THERE for good. I now have to realise, that there is no THERE. New challenges - yes, falling into old habits - as well, but there is no 'arriving'. I surely have reached a level of content which I didn't have before, but arriving would mean that I am standing still. This wonderful idea of reaching a higher level and then having my peace and basically the same comfort like before Project Rika, just without the back pain and the headaches, is just not working.

I now realise that for me standing still is almost the same as going backwards. Over time I have conceived a level of self observation which now allows me to see that slowly but surely I was on my way of being dragged back into the old ways, and not just in what I do, but in what I think and feel as well. Again, like three years ago when I set up the Lifestyle part of IL, I now feel selfish when I am not socialising as much in order to keep myself together. Again, it seems that my doings are not necessarily seen as work but as 'a phase she is in', this is at least how it feels when I excuse myself for leaving the dining table early and am told: 'Yes, you are allowed to be asocial'. I know it's a joke, but there must be something in my body language provoking that joke... and that is not good!

So my dear friends: I herewith apologize in advance for any asocial behaviour. I have a new project to run!

The aim is to bring Incredible Ladies Project up to decent levels and to win me a reputation as a writer! That means that I will have to work a lot, and that I will have to learn a lot, and that  I will have to do the right things to have something to write about. And it means that I only will go to the movies when I really need a break, or the movie is really worth watching, and altogether I will have to be rather strict in my time management. I am going back to my Incredible Ladies roots, learning from myself and inviting you to join me on that journey. Praise to Farnaz who four years ago gave me the idea to write it all down!
Love

PS: It is the 27th November 2010, 16:10 and I am sitting at my computer!

Wifi-Blogger-Me and the Town

Hello Dears,

I cannot believe how great life can be if one only just DOES. I always felt that one never can lose even if things aren't looking good, as long as one is willing to put in some effort and learn from it.

Well, IL and my writing had reached a bit of a brick wall, but as Randy Pausch, a splendid professor of Carnegie Mellon University, once said:'Brick walls are there to show you how badly you want something'. It turned out that I wanted my IL and my writing very badly. So many thoughts I wanted to share and nowhere to put them. FB is all nice and fine, but what to do with the things needing elaboration? I am a hoarder, and one of the things I apparently like to hoard is thoughts.

I however found it difficult to sit at home with a system not allowing for easy feedback - Didn't I preach myself: 'If you want people to do something you have to make it easy for them'? And I felt trapped spending so much time on a desk while not being able to explore things in the meantime. How was I to be inspired into writing?

Guess where I am now? After yesterday's trial from my armchair I now took the trial into a wonderful coffee place: Salthouse Harbour hotel Ipswich. It's my favourite for the atmosphere, the view and the great coffee after all. I had planned for a town afternoon off to meet a friend there at 6PM, however estimated that I might have to wait a bit and hence better take the netbook with me to at least be able to write in MS-Word. As predicted I was an hour early, ordered my cappuccino, switched the netbook on, and had wifi access for free. I couldn't believe it! So now I am sitting here like in an office, can find my links on the internet and typing directly into blogger.

Loving it!

The only hiccup is that I cannot show you the view. I don't have the cable for the iPhone with me... one really can tell that I am still a newbie in this 'flexible life' thing.

So that is it really! I am a happy bunny. I can write while actually experiencing life and stay in touch with ILP. I even just found the spell check in this editor.

Life is good!
Love

Posting Remotely

Yippieh! This is brilliant!

For the past almost four years I have been locked away in my IL headquarters and writing using my desktop computer. I needed my software to create the pages and to be able to upload. Now I am sitting in my comfy armchair in front of the telly - watching something I have seen before - with my little netbook and use this as a trial.

Imagine: In the future I can post directly from London, Germany... wherever I am, as long as I have internet connection.

Wonderful!

So now ILP headquarters is the world and hopefully that makes it a bit more interesting and appealing!



Love

Official Start of the Incredible Ladies Project

As of today Incredible Ladies Project will be my new thing! I have been using the term here and there before, but a few things needed sorting before making it official.

Incredible Ladies Project is now a collection of blogs whith this one being the diary part of it. The various blogs will only vaguely mirror the sections of the original IL site and I will build blogs as we go along... hence the term 'project' in the name.

The most important thing to to find out before official lauch, was how to save the content so that I can rebuild the blog should it get lost. Today I figured it out and here we are.

The blogs we have so far are:

• Rika's Column
• Bloody Hell... What did I do now?
• Anaconda and other IL

and of course the original site

• IL - Sleeping Beauty

is still online to look up recipes and other stuff until I will have it re-posted in one of the new blogs.

The next task will be to build an overview page showing all the blogs with short descriptions to easily choose from. I might need a bit of time for this, though. I so much would like to see if I can do something at least a little bit fancy.

I am hoping that this concept will make things more lively, that you can subscribe to only the parts you are actually interested in and not having to read through the rest of it, and I am hoping that you might be dropping the one or the other comment.

If you would like me to post an article on something: I am happy to test my writing skills on your challenge. This blog is the best place to leave me notes of this kind.

And now I am wishing you a wonderful rest of the weekend, hoping that you will like the idea that ILs are back!

Love