Now let’s get something straight right up front:  I am not the scientific expert in the family.  I’m pretty sure that honor goes to my younger brother who is obviously a genius (when he was 11 years-old, I clearly remember him explaining to me in detail how the eyeball converts light to “vision”).  So what can I possibly know about physics and how can the laws of physics relate in any way to The Pageant Wave?

No doubt you’ve seen a demonstration of The Pageant Wave during a local parade or during one of those annoyingly stereotypical, yet adorable, pageant movies like Miss Congeniality.  The arm is bent in a 90 degree angle at the elbow and you gently rotate you hand back and forth at the wrist.  It’s a very small, very subtle movement that’s become the hallmark of beauty queens everywhere. So what does executing the perfect Pageant Wave have to do with achieving EBQ success?

Well, if you’ve ever ridden in a convertible during a parade, you know that parades typically go on for hours and hours!  You’re out there in the blazing hot sun, or pouring rain (it’s never perfect weather), smiling and looking pleasant even though you’re wondering how many more times you can listen to the high school band’s rendition of Eye of the Tiger without losing your mind.  You start out with lots of energy, but quickly realize that this is going to go on for miles and miles at a snails pace.  Strategically you adjust the energy with which you’re acknowledging the cheering crowd and dial back your enthusiastic wave.  What starts out as a broad wave that takes massive amounts of energy transforms into The Pageant Wave which uses one of physics most commonly understood laws: a wise EBQ strategically uses the least amount of energy necessary to produce the desired outcome.  For those of you who haven’t learned to speak “EBQ physics” just yet, that means “work smarter, not harder”!

We’ve all heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder”, but are you really putting it in to practice everyday?  (Sigh) We’re usually so busy running around trying to get everything done that we just don’t take 15 minutes to review what’s on the list to make sure we’re working efficiently.  So make a point this week of viewing your “to do” list with the skeptical eye of an energy-conservationist and really ask yourself “What’s the most effective way to achieve what I want while expending the least amount of energy?”  Being energy efficient will actually make achieving your goals more fun plus you’ll have energy left over for your next fabulous EBQ project! 

So next time you’re looking at that “to do” list and feeling a tiny bit overwhelmed, just smile, close your eyes, imagine yourself at that parade, and go ahead and show the cheering crowd YOUR best Pageant Wave – in no time you’ll be on your way to EBQ success!

On my last post I talked about doing a project that requires you to use some personal creativity.  For my project I’m going to be sewing curtains for the front door of our home.  You see, Miss Bennett (my 7 pound Toy Poodle who thinks she’s a German Sheppard) loves to stand at the door on the tippy-top of her hind legs and bark at every single thing that puts a toe into what she thinks is her territory!  She’s really quite adamant about this whole “protection” thing (I don’t think she knows that she’s a TOY Poodle!) and it’s starting to drive us all nuts.  So I’m sewing beautiful sheer white curtains so she can’t see anything through the glass on the door or side window. 

I was probably around 6 years old when I first learned to sew.  My parents lived in a tiny little house in northern Utah where my Dad attended college and supported the family by working as an auto mechanic.  The “sewing room” consisted of a sewing machine squeezed between the gigantic furnace and noisy washing machine in our grey cement basement.  My mom taught me to sew by tracing straight lines on paper and then showing me how to guide the paper through the machine (there wasn’t any thread in the needle).  As I got the hang of it I moved up to doing squares and oversized circles to gain the skills necessary to guide the fabric correctly.  Then finally it was time for me to try sewing swirls on paper.  My mother carefully drew swirly lines that changed gracefully from one direction to the other and I had to feed the paper through the machine, continuing to follow the lines without breaking or stopping.  I was so excited when I could finally do swirls because I knew that meant I was ready to sew!

Since those humble beginnings I’ve graduated to a computerized sewing machine and sew in a fabulous space complete with a closet full of fancy tools.  I don’t often sew now, but in the past I’ve made created countless Halloween costumes, sewn all types of curtains and bedding, and in typical self-reliant EBQ fashion even sewed and hand-beaded my wedding gown.  But it really all started with those swirls – the basic skills necessary for every other creative skill that followed.

So when you’re working on your creative project don’t try to get all fancy right away.  It you haven’t used your creative skills for a while you may end up feeling overwhelmed and be tempted to give up.  Just relax and give yourself permission to start with the basics.  Using your personal creativity regularly will inspire you and give you the confidence to succeed in other areas of your life.  I suspect you’ll be surprised by how doing a creative project now and then will improve your confidence and ability to take on anything.  So when you’re feeling a little stuck and need some “positive YOU time”, just get out your EBQ project supplies and swirl!

So we’re half-way through the week and I totally know what you’re thinking.  You’re already looking forward to the weekend, aren’t you?  I knew you were!  And this weekend is going to be the perfect opportunity for you do a little EBQ project.  Yup, we’re going to do a project!  Did you think the blog was just about inspiration and motivation?  Silly, you!  Inspiration and motivation without action is what I like to call “puff and stuff”.  What’s the value of getting all puffed up about the possibilities in front of you and then letting that feeling dissipate before you actually DO something?  So I’m challenging you to do a little EBQ project this weekend.  It can be a tiny something, a little something, a medium sort of something, or a big weekend-long something.  But just carve out some time to do something!  Okay?  So here’s how it works:

Start thinking about your EBQ project now.  Now, let’s have an honest conversation about what an EBQ project is and what it isn’t.  An EBQ project is something that requires you to use your personal creativity.  It’s not one of those mundane, boring projects that don’t actually require any brain power to do.  You know, like cleaning out the garage, packing up all the holiday items for storage in the attic, doing your grocery shopping, or finishing that writing project for school.  We’re going to challenge ourselves here and flex that “creativity muscle”.  You might decide to create a collage or slide show of some photos that you’ve got.  You might create a painting, update your scrapbook, or rearrange the décor of a room in your house.  You might take a ballroom dance lesson, learn to snowboard, or build a snow sculpture in your front yard.  It can be something that takes 30 minutes or the whole weekend.  Just find something to do that requires you to think or act creatively!

Now just to be specific (if you know me, you know that I’m a-l-w-a-y-s specific) here’s what doesn’t count: working out (totally necessary for good health but not necessarily “creative”), preparing meals for yourself or the family (unless you’re having an Iron Chef inspirational moment), doing laundry, running errands, blah, blah, blah.  You get the idea.  It has to be something that gets your creative juices flowing and that is going to make YOU FEEL GOOD about YOURSELF once it’s done.

I’ve already got my project picked out and purchased my supplies.  But I’ll tell you more about that later.  In the meantime, start giving your project some thought and wake-up that creative streak that’s inside of you.  So put on your best “thinking” face, get in touch with your inner EBQ, and get ready to create!