Purple Crayon Factory Articles











	Articles, Reflections and Mini-Reflection Exercises Enjoy the following reflection articles written by Purple Crayon Factory facilitators. You are welcome to reproduce the articles at no charge. We just ask that you include the author's name and reference Purple Crayon Factory and link to our website. Reflections: The Year of... If your 2007 were to be made into a movie, what type of a movie would it be and what might it be titled? What role did you play and who was in your supporting cast? Would this movie be want you'd want anyone else to see? Read more... Reflections: Finding the Sunny Side It’s a gray, foggy Saturday and it’s affecting your mood. You brew a cup of tea, pick up a good book, make yourself a nest of blankets and make the most of it. Or you stir up some iced tea and turn on a travel channel to escape somewhere sunnier.Read more... Reflections: Now With Radiant Action In the story of Charlotte’s Web, our heroine searches for a special word to spin into her web to describe Wilbur and save his life. She’s given a soap label that reads, “With new RADIANT action.” The barnyard animals cannot define radiant but they sense it must be wonderful. Wilbur comes to the conclusion that he does feel radiant. Read more... Reflections: Remembering Your Heartbeat In the very early age of our lives, our senses were filled with the rhythm of the heartbeat that sustained us. As children, we’d notice our heartbeat after playing hard or before drifting off to sleep. We were fascinated to hear and feel the heartbeats of each other. As young adults, we paid attention to the “heartbeat” of our interests and goals as we explored who we are and what we wanted to become and then embarked upon our career paths.Read more... Reflections It is the perfect time to reflect on what has brought us to where we are now and what lies on the road ahead, to make peace with ourselves and to remember that "regrets are just lessons we haven't learned yet." Let's embrace all of the mistakes we have made and approach the New Year as a fresh start, an opportunity to do what we might have been afraid to do in the past, and a time to step boldly into our own futures. Read more... Present of Presence With all the bustling activity over the holidays, it's especially important to take quiet breaks to remember that which most sustains us. We're keeping this reflection short in hopes that you'll welcome the pause and create a *Present of Presence. Read more... Wheels: Encouragement* Think of a child first learning to ride, her excitement tempered with a healthy amount of fear. We know that she’ll need lots of practice and cheering from the sidelines. We want the child to get a feel for what it’s like to ride solo, so we let her experience training wheels and zip down the sidewalk. Read more.. Wheels in Motion Let’s continue to think of how we approach our careers, or any of our life’s work, as the way we ride a bicycle. When our bike is tuned up and we are riding at a brisk (but safe) speed, we get exercise, appreciate the scenery and reach our destination. At a steady pace, we have an easier time noticing and avoiding upcoming hazards. Read more.. Wheels How many unicyclists do you know? Of them, how many of them use their unicycles exclusively to get where they need to go? Probably not many. Most of us need at least two wheels to travel much distance. We need even more when we're learning to ride. Why should this be any different in life? Read more... Breezy Summer Tips Read fun, summer tips from Purple Crayon Factory facilitators. Graduating from the SOHK Are you from the school of hard knocks? For whatever the reasons, those of us who are part of the SOHK often believe that the hard way is the only way. Read more... Fun and Simple Earlier this year, we reflected upon regaining focus and how remembering what we love about our work can help. Now, let's add a handy tool to get even clearer about clarity. Read more... Spring Forward Here in Minnesota, most of us sigh in relief when we get a glimpse of spring. Ready for change, we are thrilled to see buds grow green and flowers emerge from their wintry sleep. Read more... Begin to Thaw March seems to be a transitional season in which Winter and Spring melt into one... A reminder to integrate the blessings of both seasons. Read more... I Love My Work! It's the month of love and we're thinking of those we hold close in our hearts. Let's add a twist to this love tonic and consider what endears us about our work, whether it's a paid job or what we consider to be our life's purpose. Read more... Clear Vision It’s the time of year for reflecting on what has been and what is to come. When PCF expanded, I started incorporating what others thought the vision ”should" include (and I made plenty of assumptions about what ‘they’ wanted). Read more... What Gift Do You Bring? In this season, we focus a great deal of our time on gift-giving, spending long hours searching for just the right gifts for those we love. But have you included yourself on your list of those who deserve the best? Read more... Just BE It! 'Tis the Season! Have you noticed your schedule becoming even busier lately? Have you found yourself doing more preparations around your house for the holiday season? Read more... Autumn: Letting Go Its official! Autumn has arrived. And much like the external changes of the seasons, our internal seasons of the spirit continue to unfold. As the animals prepare for hibernation, we also have an opportunity to prepare during this time of vibrant changing colors and falling leaves. Read more... Support Systems In these troubling times, it is especially important to be surrounded by a strong system of support to keep our aspirations alive. A message I’ve heard countless times is that in order to strive effectively for peace in the world, we must also nurture a sense of peace with ourselves. To hold peace within ourselves is so much easier when we have the support we need. Read more... Carrying the Right Load As you wander your life path, it helps to feel unencumbered to climb the hills or take a quick corner. The lighter your load, the more easily you’ll meet your destinations along the way. Think of yourself carrying a backpack with your goals and dreams. Read more... An Ideal Life What does an “ideal life" mean to you? As the director of a business that strives to bring people closer to living their ideal lives, this question continually beckons me. To me, it means being fully satisfied by the way you live your life, having meaningful interactions with the world and the people around you, fulfilling your truest dreams, embodying your values, being mindful and appreciating the present moment. Read more... Help on Your Goals Chances are you’ve set goals for yourself in the new year and maybe even a detailed plan for reaching those goals. In addition to having a concrete plan with specific and measurable steps, arranging help to meet your goals is another key to succeeding. Read more... I AM - Creating who we are I AM…These are among the most powerful words to use when you’re creating. After all, we are creating all the time; we create who we are by our belief or lack of belief in ourselves. Read more... Self Image Spring Clean I do compare myself with others. I know better. I've studied and taught Body Confidence for the last twelve years, so when my little critic appears she says things like: "She's thinner, cuter, or richer than I am. Read more... Recharge Ever have one of those days when everything seems to be moving faster than the speed of light? By mid-day, you’re left feeling dazed, confused and exhausted. I find that when I become aware of feeling this way, I need to listen to my body... Read more... Embrace Change In this greening time of tender buds and bird song, the poetry and promise of what is happening in nature makes us eager for our own new beginnings. Whatever has simmered inside, through winter, longs to get out. Read more... Back Roads Life is rarely lived in a straight line. In an effort to simplify our lives we tend to narrowly drive from point A to point B in as little time as possible. In doing so, we miss the back roads full of wild flowers and the farmers markets; we even drive by our own feelings. Read more... Savoring Summer When we get set to travel somewhere, we usually put considerable time into planning what we want to do, see and experience. We do some research and sketch out a plan for what we’d like our vacation to be like. Even if it’s just the vaguest notion, it’s usually more thought than we put into our off-time when we are at home. Read more... Home \| Workshops \| Clients \| Facilitators Resources \| Services \| Contact Us \| Articles \| Recommended Reading Newsletter Sign Up \| Newsletter Archive \| Testimonials \| Blog