Mother’s Day Challenge

By Kathryn P. Haydon

This image is from my favorite line of cards.

With sayings like

“Kindness makes sunshine wherever it goes.” – Jerome Paine Bates

and

“All good things are wild and free.” – Henry David Thoreau

the cards are light, uplifting, and simple. I love the designs and sayings on them so much that they became framed art at my learning laboratory, Ignite Creative Learning Studio, which many of you will remember. I still have these very framed cards hanging in our basement.

So, you can imagine my delight when I was interviewing Kobi Yamada, author of the What Do You Do With an Idea? series, and he shared with me that he INVENTED the card collection that I love so much!

Kobi is also the CEO of Compendium, a publishing company that creates these inspiring cards (called Positively Green for the recycled paper used) and gift books. You’ve certainly seen them at gift stores and you’ve probably even bought them. I loved Kobi’s books and cards so much, I asked if there were more that he had written.

Instead of sending a link, Kobi’s assistant, Moira, actually sent me the books themselves. One of Kobi’s originals, called She . . ., is an airy book of sayings and seemed to be written directly for one of the mothers in my life. I gave it to her and she was touched, heart-warmed. She felt that it was both aspirational and a compliment.

“She turns her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans”

“She lives for today and builds for tomorrow”

It was as much of a book as it was a celebration of this mother’s beautiful qualities.

So why do I write so extensively about Kobi, Compendium, and their products in this Mother’s Day email? They aren’t paying me to do this. Why do I choose today to share with you my decades-long card obsession?

Because mothers need creative inspiration!

As moms (or as people in general) we need to find things that keep us inspired and fresh.

We especially need to find inspiration in our daily lives so they don’t become a stressful grind.

For years I have been an inefficient card shopper because I spend time in our local card shop just reading the Positively Green cards even if I don’t need them. They refresh and inspire me in the middle of a busy life.

If I have to go grocery shopping, I prefer Trader Joe’s or the small local market in our town because I can always find new and interesting ideas and ways of presenting products.

When I’m working, I like to make myself tea in a glass pot so I can watch the colors change as the tea steeps.

The point is, if we wait until “later” to get inspired, that time will get eaten up by other commitments. And it will never happen. Ya know what I mean?

So this is my Mother’s Day challenge to you, whether you are a mom or not:

Imagine yourself moving through your day, your week.

Think about where you go, what you do.

Are you in an office? Around the house? Traveling the world?

As you imagine your routines, think about the moments when you feel inspired and fresh.

What are all of the small things in your daily life that give you a quick spark of inspiration?

Write a list of at least 10 things, maybe 15, that bring you inspiration. Just small, inspiring things like seeing your neighbor walk by with his new puppy or talking to a certain colleague at work.

Keep that list on your phone or in a little notebook, and make sure you deliberately do these things.

For example, next time I need food I might deliberately choose my favorite markets so that I can renew my inspiration rather than feel depleted by the shopping experience.

What are those things in daily life that renew your creativity? Email me and share!