Recently, my husband Neil and I had a morning date. We went out to participate in a sport/hobby we both enjoy. He gets to play often. I haven't had the opportunity for a long time.  Even though it had been quite awhile for me, it was as if I had been  playing/practicing all along. I must say, I surprised myself.  I felt good. I felt competent. As I felt competent, my confidence grew. As my confidence grew, the fun factor multiplied.

Experiencing competence is empowering. It is a quick dose of feel good booster, particularly if it's something I really enjoy.  Feeling competent can be a tremendous  shot in the arm.

I think of my son, Kyle. As is sometimes or maybe, often, true for many people on the autism spectrum, he does not get to experience competence on a regular basis. This is something we have been focusing on a lot over the last few years. I have to break things down into the tiniest  pieces and offer just enough support without offering too much to help him get to a place of competence. Once again, it's complicated. In fact, it's more of an art than a skill. As he feels competent, he gains confidence. He is less likely to want to flee the scene of an activity. (He's a competent flee-er :-) ) When he knows he's competent, he responds more quickly. 

Experiencing that feeling of competence gave me a boost of energy. It was "feel good fuel" for the rest of the day.

The soul's caffeine, perhaps? Ummm, feels so good. Have you had any lately?

 Life has been quite a whirlwhind since the birth of "Breathe" on February 22. That same week, we had new carpet installed which was basically akin to moving out of half our house. Shortly afterwards, there was a wonderful book launch party (hosted by Kim) where both my daughters plus one boyfriend came home to be part of the celebration. Then,  there was a continuation of the launch at the Arizona Autism Coalition new website celebration. In the middle of all this, I had to squeeze in some time to finish compiling  tax records (yuck!) for our accountant and also complete a brand new speech for my presentation at  the autism conference next Friday.  While all this was going on (plus my usual life), I added a new home therapist for Kyle and began exploring new options for making his days even richer!        Ok, I'll stop! I promise not to tell you what I had to eat today. :-)

 Well, maybe just one more thing. I've also just added some great "products with attitude" to the "autism with attitude toolbox" collection.  Six of the most incredible photographs in "Breathe" are now available as prints (6 x 9 on 9 x 12 stock) AND blank greeting cards (individually & in packages of 6). They are spectacular and very inspiring! There are also "Breathe" tanks and t-shirts .....with a new addition of purple tanks and a really cute ladies style fitted t-shirt too.  

Phew! I'm pretty exhausted. In fact, not feeling 100% today, I have taken the day to regroup and reflect. I'm thinking maybe I need to crack open one of those copies of "Breathe" I have laying around here and take a few words of my own advice. Some times a lot of excitement feels stressful too.

One thing is for sure, I miss writing... so here I am. I hope to get back to some regular blogging starting ..... now. 

I would like to share a particularly inspiring message I just read from the popular life coach, Cheryl Richardson.

"When you consider the notion that our thoughts have creative power, complaining about something without doing anything to change it, takes on a whole new meaning.  While talking about our problems is a normal (and important) way of working through the difficulties in life, fixating on them can end up magnetizing the very thing we most want to avoid.  When we complain, ruminate, whine, moan or gossip about what isn't working in our lives, we may find that the problem persists or even shows up in a whole new form." (Problem can be defined as anything in your life that you don't like or want to be in your life.....AUTISM???)

"That said, there's gold to be found in the act of complaining and worrying about our problems.  Just think about the strategy behind what you do.  For example, if you're worried about money (and who isn't nowadays), you might:

• Continuously think about what you don't have, your debt, or upcoming bills.
• Talk with others about how bad the economy is or how it's going to get worse.
• Write about your fears in a journal. 
• Go to sleep at night imagining worse-case scenarios in your mind.
• Pray about the problem. 

Again, these are all useful ways to process the challenges we face in life, but when we get stuck on these behaviors alone without adding positive actions, we contribute to the problem.  Now, imagine what might happen if you used these same strategies to your advantage.  To bring more abundance into your life, you could:

• Continuously think about what you do have by noticing the little things that make you happy right now.
• Start looking for and sharing the stories of abundance that show up in your life.
• Begin each day by writing down fifteen things you feel grateful for.
• Go to sleep at night imagining yourself living debt free or enjoying a new, higher-paying job.
• Pray for the discipline and strength to focus on the good in your life and the ability to receive the abundance that's coming your way.

  You think about it, talk about it, write about it, meditate on it, pray about it, or imagine best-case scenarios.   As you begin to use these steps to turn things around, please keep in mind three important things I've learned over time:

1.  Simply thinking about something you want to bring into your life isn't enough.  You need to combine thought with action and be willing to do the work.

2.  Making the shift from "me" to "we" is where the law of attraction really becomes powerful.  My greatest joy (and success) comes in sharing my good fortune with others.

3.  We must surrender to the reality that there is a power greater than our humanness at work in the world and we can't always get what we want.  Some things just aren't meant to be."

So, when you think about your life and what you're energizing every day, does it make you smile or is it time to make a shift?"    ~~

This is powerful stuff, don't ya think? I share some similar strategies in "Breathe".

What's happening at Autism with Attitude these days?

"Breathe" 52 Oxygen-Rich Tools for Loving and Living Well with Autism is officially in print and available! (Click  the homepage tab to place an order.) This has been an amazing 2 1/2 year journey for me beginning on August 1, 2007 until Monday February 22, 2010 when I held my first copy of Breathe. What a thrill, I must say. So much writing and rewriting and decision making throughout this entire process. I took "trusting myself" to a new level for this book and learned a tremendous amount in the process. I was lucky enough to use the same creative team (editor and graphic designer) and they were awesome to work with once again.

Breathe is my special gift to the parents of children on the autism spectrum extending to any parent of a child with special needs and then extending to any parent, period. We all need to take care of ourselves so we can be the best we can be for those we love and of course, for ourselves too. Teachers and caregivers will also find Breathe valuable. In fact, if you are breathing, Breathe is for you.

Breathe is full of nourishment, support and inspiration in the form of short stories, hands-on tools, and inspirational photographs. My daughter Rachel is the photographer. It was wonderful collaborating with her on this book. She hand picked each amazing photograph to complement  my stories. This means you don't even have to read the book to feel inspired. (I highly recommend reading it though.) In fact, Breathe is a book which can be savored slowly, one week at a time. I invite you to try some or all of the tools. They really DO help!

My first online interview is on autismhangout.com. Take a peek. In the middle of the interview you will get to preview a couple of the photographs from the book.   {youtube}sbEYt-lcuhs{/youtube}

I just received my first reader comment! Jaime is an autism consultant and parent of 3 typical children.

"I have already cracked my copy open- AND.......I LOVE IT! It is great for busy Mom's- the short chapters allow me to take just a moment for myself and still feel like I am "doing" for the betterment of my family and myself. I have been practicing "5 breaths"- and it really does relax me and allow me to put things into focus! Thanks."

Would love to hear from my readers. Please send me your feedback.

All it takes is one deep breath to get you started,

Gayle