Blogging is a Journey…

Good afternoon everybody!

I hope you’re all having an awesome start to the week!

I’ve been writing blogs here on Sweeney’s Blogs for well over 2 years, and in that time, I have learnt so so much. Blogging, for me, has been a journey, one that I have thoroughly enjoyed so far, and I am looking forward to whatever is to come next! Let’s take a close look at some of my thoughts in today’s blog!

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The Hero Within

Andrew's avatarA Life of Virtue: Philosophy as a Way of Life

Why is it that hero stories continue to capture the human imagination?

While we have no shortage of action-packed Marvel films, the archetypal hero myth is manifested is different cultures throughout history.

If you pay close attention, you’ll start to realize similarities in structure and pattern across different stories and mythology. Achilles in the Homer’s Iliad, to Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films and Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings are all connected in their journeys of adventure and personal transformation.

For the mythologist and scholar Joseph Campbell, the ubiquity of these stories reveals some fundamental truth about the human experience. He calls this framework commonly found in our literature, stories and films the hero’s journey.

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

The Framework

In the Hero with a Thousand Faces Joseph Campbell lays out the 17 steps of the hero’s journey which can be summarized in

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World Mental Health Day 2021

Good afternoon everybody

How are we all doing?

World Mental Health Day 2021 falls tomorrow on Sunday the 10th of October 2021!! World Mental Health Day is one of the biggest days on the Mental Health calendar and is something that I am very passionate about. In today’s blog, we are going to be taking a look at this special day, why it is so important, and how you can get involved!

Let’s get cracking!

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World Alzheimer’s Month 2021

Good afternoon everyone!

World Alzheimer’s Month is running through September 2021, a national holiday that means the world to me! To help celebrate such a special event, today’s blog is going to take a look at World Alzheimer’s Month, and why it means so much to me. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

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Finding Life Balance Using the Four Forces of Flight

AP2's avatarWise & Shine

Do you feel like the weight of responsibility is keeping you grounded? Or the sheer drag of life is forcing on the brakes?

Do you find it hard to muster the requisite lift and thrust to overcome these forces in life?

Of course, we’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days where everything has felt like one big drag, where the simple act of getting out of bed has felt like this herculean task.

To be honest, that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling recently. It got me thinking about this idea of life balance and how, exactly, one is supposed tofindit?

Then something struck me. I thought, “Of course! Balance isn’t something youfind.It is something you have tomaintain– like a tightrope walker!”

Three ideas immediately sprung to mind:

  1. Don’t carry too much weight.
  2. Go at a steady pace.
  3. Don’t stop moving.

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International Day of Charity 2021

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope you are all having a fantastic start to the weekend!

Tomorrow, Sunday the 5th of September 2021, is International Day of Charity 2021. This is a very special day designed to encourage people from all around the world to help & support others through volunteer & philanthropic events. We are going to be taking a look at this great day in today’s blog!

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How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation — Be Inspired..!!

Jon Kabat-Zinn–a leader in the field of mindfulness and health–has defined mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.” This means consciously paying attention to our senses, and to our feelings, without further judgement. For example, mindfulness could be practised by focusing on the sensation of water […]

How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation — Be Inspired..!!

How to Achieve Mastery over Your Mind — Leadership Mindset

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash I love that we can change our mindset to change our lives. Because we can choose how to think and react, we can have so much control over how we want our lives to look like.   For the longest time my mind was a hot mess!  I used […]

How to Achieve Mastery over Your Mind — Leadership Mindset

Supporting Your Children’s Mental Health – Jennifer McGregor

Good afternoon everyone!

Have you ever wondered how you can help support your child’s Mental Health? Would you like to find out more about how to transform your home into a positive wellbeing environment? Well, look no further, as today’s guest blog is the one for you!

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Sweeney’s Stuttering Update – July 2021

Good afternoon everybody!!

Another month has come & gone, so you know what that means, it’s time for another Sweeney’s Stuttering Update! I like to try & do a post every month, where I give you all an update on my speech, how my Stutter has been over the last couple of weeks, and about some of the different things which I have learned about my talking.

So, let’s see what we have in store for today!

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Experiment With Gratitude

GS's avatarBe Inspired..!!

When was the last time you said “thank you”? With all your heart? Everybody preachesthat an “attitude of gratitude” is the key to success, but very fewreallypractice it. Well, start by experience gratitude first, as in doing an experiment with it, and take it from there.

I once did a gratitude experiment. I decided to write down at the end of the day all the things I was grateful for. I created a sort of a gratitude journal. Didn’t plan in advance what to write, went with the flow. Each evening, five minutes.

After 30 days I re-read it. I was amazed by this simple fact: the things I was grateful for grew from one day to another. It was like feeding them with my gratitude. Looking back after 30 days made it obvious: I experiencedmore of what I was grateful for in my life.

Expressing gratitude doesn’t cost you…

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The Power of Perspective

“Every moment is a fresh beginning”

T.S. Eliot

The quote above is holds a very valuable life lessons for each & every one of us, don’t you think? Personally, it’s one that I have always been a fan of, and a quote that I revisit from time to time, when I am planning where I want to take my life next.

Let’s take a look a closer look at this quote, and at the power of perspective, in today’s blog!

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6 Benefits of Awe — Workplace Navigator

I have always had wanderlust.  I love an unexplored trail, waterfall, canyon or beach. It was not until I heard Jonah Paquette, author of Awestruck, on a recent webinar that I realized that what I have been seeking in this wandering was awe. Nature is where I usually seek awe, but Paquette pointed out that […]

6 Benefits of Awe — Workplace Navigator

My Placement Year has come to an end!

Good afternoon everyone!

Friday the 25th of June was my final day working as a Communications Co-Ordinator, within the Student Success & Engagement team at the University of Reading, during my Professional Placement Year. Although I am gutted that my time in the role had come to an end, I wouldn’t change a minute of this past year for anything!

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of my thoughts regarding leaving the role!

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