Curiosity Map

 Something a little different on the blog today, a video!There are many things which spark our interests. We all have passion and wonder within us. We all have a sense of curiosity. But at times each of us finds it hard to figure out our next moves.And so, may I introduce ‘The Curiosity Map’ - a simple coaching tool to help you figure out your own next step and to nudge yourself gently onwards, carrying your sense of wonder with you.This video was recorded about a year and a half ago, originally as part of my online Living Seasonally course. I have since got a dog and I have since set up Thrive School - just two of the things that made their way onto my map. It reminds me that what we focus on is so important. Our words are our maps.

Summary of the Curiosity Map process:

 Step One: Brain dumb mind map - what is zooming around in there. Get it down on paper.Step Two: What are the conversations you have been having this week. Trace the stories that you are telling…Step Three: Compare the lists from step one and step two. Where is the overlap? Notice the patterns and themes which are emerging.Step Four: Ask yourself, what one little step can I take on one of these overlapping areas.Step Five: Take that step.Step Six: Rinse and Repeat Now over to you- start mapping- and hope you enjoy the process.(PS: Yikes, it takes courage to share videos. Go me! And Go you too!)Onwards,Clare. x

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 Thrive School Dublin starts in just a few weeks time. It's 5 months of deep diving into your vision and mapping it out with the support, focus and skills to get you there. Applications open. More info here.

A Furry Kind of Vision

  Dreams can manifest themselves in multiplicitous ways. Sometimes they may be big ones, or sometimes small. But whenever one of your long held dreams comes true it can seem like a miraculous thing. I’ve had one particular dream for a very long time which happens to be furry.Since as long as I can remember I have wanted a dog. In vision boards, visualisations, and when day dreaming of future times there has always been a furry friend at my side. I have visualised us walking on the beach, playing in the sands, exploring the wilds and cozying by a fire. I have imagined doggie companionship as I work at my desk or go about my daily tasks. However, the timing of me getting my own dog never seemed right and the commitment felt too huge. Could I really take care of another being? What would that mean for my travel and work plans? Will it restrict me? Taking on a dog is a huge commitment and until this point having one of my own seemed like a commitment I could not quite make.But things can change quickly. Last year the little and lovely Finn came along- my housemate’s dog who I readily adopted as my own, loved as my own, and treated as my own. However, she was never quite my own and the longing in me to have my own little creature grew. So I knew it was time… I dreamed it up again and started searching. Last December the search resulted in Milly, and as I write this she is sitting by my side.It is been a full on few months with a new little puppy- at times very challenging but mostly amazing. She is so very sweet and a lively little thing, full of love and huge personality. But she has also shifted things; my work pattern and the demands on my time, and has tested my patience at other times too!It reminds me that our dreams and visions aren’t always pretty packages (although in fairness, Milly is pretty high on the cute scale!) . Dreams take effort, engagement, work and often patience. They can test us and challenge us and expose parts of ourselves which we have not necessarily explored before. A vision is there to expand us into our possibility.I’m glad I listened, and I am glad I responded too. Because now I have a little Milly, and a little Milly has me. Each day I get to know her better, and fall in love a little bit more. And for the challenging parts- we’ll figure it out. Together, and each with a wag in our tails.Woof.

Your advice please...

Something a little different today, and a little ask from me to you. I am wondering if I can borrow your brain for a few minutes please.As I move into 2016 I am taking some time to reflect and think about where I am headed with my business. So I am popping onto my blog  ask for your advice.I'm currently developing some new products and services but before I dive into creation mode, I would LOVE your input and ideas. Your continued support means a lot to me and I greatly appreciate the readership which is gradually growing over on my site and through my work.To help, I have created a short survey. It should take no more than 5 minutes of your time, and will be invaluable to me, and down the line hopefully to you too.You can fill in the survey over here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8MF7NVRTo thank you for your support I will be putting names into a hat and drawing one winner, who will receive in the post a limited edition print from me- it is of a little squirrel (you can see it over here. I will draw the name on Sunday 20th December.Thank you again- in deep appreciation and looking forward to the adventures ahead,Clare. xx

Until the tide turns..

 There have been words. Many words. Words of pain, of grief, of anger, of despair. Words which search for reason and can find none. Words that grope in the darkness. Words as blame and words as balm. There will be many more words.In times like these we can wonder if words really matter; but sometimes they are all we can turn to, as way finders in a wilderness of doubt.As I write these words, I read too of retaliation; more fighting, more fear. I try to remember that every killer was once a child; free from ideology or notions of difference, until he was taught so. And until a series of choices to act led to something so heinous it belies words.So, what to do? What to do as a citizen of this world who believes in the citizenry of this world.It is a huge question, and today, as it seems like the world is spinning on an axis of self destruction, I took solace from a two year old. Yes, her.It was a simple moment. I was travelling on Dublin bus. There was a young girl, a mass of curly hair, sitting in a buggy. Her mum was playing with her - doing high fives, enjoying her company, and her father smiling on with pride. And then the little girl started to sing. She sang out loud, at the top of her voice, singing ‘Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle’- yes, that was the entirety of her song, but gosh did she sing it with passion, wholeheartedness and joy. Her parents didn’t hush her. Soon her joy filled the bus. I could hear laughter and smiles. A few stops later, as she was leaving the bus, she turned around in her buggy, smiled, and waved goodbye to everyone in a fanfare of pure delight. The journey was transformed, for all of us.That passion, that joy, that delight in utter beingness. Her innocence as shield.That little girl got me thinking. Despite the fear, the bombings, the pain, what would it be like to reclaim our passion and our wholehearted beingness and sing our own song as an act of transformation, for ourselves, for those we travel with, for the journey we are on.To live a life of joy and to share that beauty openly is a radical act. It does not deny the fear, nor the pain, but finds the undercurrent of beauty and rides it until the tide turns.I am not sure when the tide will turn but I sense this: to ride the tide of beauty in our everyday lives means to look into the stranger’s eyes and see the eyes of each other, it means to welcome the other as our own, it means to invite love to be the dominate force. And when we are hurting so much, or fearing so much that we can’t look into the eyes another, can we ride the tide of beauty into our own hearts, find the stranger within ourselves, and grant permission for our fear, our anger, our judgement and our pain to soften, if only for a moment, so we can listen to ourselves. A when we learn to listen to ourselves, we make room to truly listen to another- that too can be a transformative act.Today I needed to listen. I turned off all media and instead stepped into my yoga mat, seeking out the intelligence of silence. In the silence I found fear, pain and confusion. I found judgement but I also found something of the current, carrying echoes of a song; I found something of that two year old.So now, it is back to words, inadequate as they may be. I write these words for myself as much as another. I write these words to let the current take me deeper. I write these words to find my 'wiggle'. I write these words to sing.

The Curious Incident of the 'Almost' Dog and the Stranger.

 There are moments in life which stop you in your tracks. This was one of them.A couple of weeks ago I was driving to Wexford with Finn (my housemate’s dog, or as above). The car was my housemates too.I had decided to buy my own dog. For weeks and weeks I had been looking online for little doggies, searching for the one. And then, there on the website was this little face, all too cute, looking back at me. This was to be the one. She happened to live in Wexford.When I got to Enniscorthy, I called the owner and was on my way.  I was excited, a little nervous, thinking about how my life was about to change with my own dog. It is a big commitment and one I don't take lightly. However, life was about to change in another direction, with a bit of drama in the mix too.About five minutes from the owner’s house the car engine literally blew. There was steam and ruckus and more steam. Thankfully no flames, but I was clearly not going anywhere. It was getting late and would soon be dark. What on earth was I to do? Little Finn’s big eyes were staring back at me.‘I’m no mechanic’, he said, ‘but an avid enthusiast- can I take a look?’ I turned around to see that a stranger had pulled over to help. The news was not good. He suspected the head gasket had blown, and that indeed I wouldn’t be going anyway. But then he looked at me and with the kindest of gestures said, ‘You can trust me. I am not in a hurry. I will not leave you stranded here on the side of the road. We will get this sorted and you will be safe’.In those moments you have got to trust.Within minutes he had figured out a solution- calling friends, arranging support, arranging to borrow a trailer, offering to tow the car, offering a space to leave the car while we arranged to get it back to Dublin.Meanwhile I had also phoned my housemate, who was trying also to find a local mechanic to help- she did, and before I knew it that mechanic had arrived, the car was towed to Enniscorthy, the other man was on his way too, and I was dropped to the train station with little Finn.All this kindness, all the generosity and all this support.On the train I texted the first man to thank him. He had given me his number in case anything else happened and I needed help. His reply, ‘It was my pleasure, I wish more people would do the same so it wouldn’t seem like it was such a gesture’.That first man’s name is Gareth and he happens to run a restaurant in Gorey called The Pig’s Tail. If his food is anything as generous as his kindness or impeccable as his manners, it will be spectacular.As for the dog? Well it turns out I am still looking for the one. I’m going to wait a little while though, as if ever there was a sign to pause, this was one. In the meantime Finn is in her element, lapping up all the love and plotting how she can put a spell on the next engine too!  One thing is for sure however, we are both ever grateful for the kindness of strangers and the momentum of trust.  

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And a little reminder...

Living Seasonally starts tomorrow, Wednesday 4th Nov. More details including registration info is over here… I’ll leave registration open until Thursday. Hope you will consider joining. Clare xx

Living Seasonally: Starting August 24th

 After a couple of weeks away, I am back to Dublin. The pause offered promise and renewal, and served a whopping reminder of how beautiful Ireland is. I hogged the South and West coast- weaving in and out of beaches and headlands, popping over to islands and meeting amazing people along the way (was lining up some interviews for Creative Islanders too, so watch this space).Back in the city, I can feel an autumnal swing in the air as busyness starts to creep in and that 'back to school' feeling lingers for longer. I know that I for one want to move into the months ahead more mindfully, with clarity of vision and action- tapping into what the season offers while being in tune with my own energy. It is for these reasons that the idea of creating seasonal planners came to me. A planner with a difference- one which poses seasonal questions and works with the understanding that energy has ebb and flow, just like the natural rhythm of the year. It also understands the power of creating pause space as we transition between seasons, taking some time to reflect and realign our goals and actions with our intentions and energies.As I was designing the planners, it was my graphic designer, Orlagh O'Brien, who suggested that I also turn it into an online course, noting that it would be great to work on the planners alone but would be wonderful also to have the opportunity to do it was a group of others. She made a good point. The group aspect can help to keep you focused and is an opportunity to learn with and share with others. And so Living Seasonally- the online version, came about. I start my first course on Monday 24th August.Below a little video which I put together to explain the concept of Living Seasonally (thanks to James Kelly for his filming). (It is so rare for me to be on this side of the camera!)I would love for you to join in- 5 days to dive into your dreams, aspirations, intentions and set some goals and action plans for the months ahead.Head on over to the Living Seasonally page to learn more and to register.Clare. Xx

yes I said yes I will yes

Today I took to the polls, for today a big Tá was in order. That was a yes to equality, a yes to diversity and a yes freedom of speech and expression. Mostly it is a yes to love, in whatever guise it comes in. For love is love. Love does not have a gender. Love does not have a moral conscience. Love is the gravitational force that keeps this all together. And when I say 'all', I mean all of us.

Today, thousands of Irish citizens have taken to the booths and a wave of emigrants have come back to the island, #hometovote. It is an emotional day, which thousands more have fought for and even given their lives for. Oscar Wilde has been on my mind today. I vote too to honour him. His legacy set a train in motion. Today it feels like a new threshold will be passed. Whatever happens when the results come in tomorrow, there has been a shift in consciousness. Equality has been redefined.

Cycling through the streets of Dublin over the last few days, meeting Yes canvasser after Yes canvasser, seeing people of all hues and colours wearing Yes stickers has made my heart burst open and a few tears be shed. We literally are reconstituting the world.

“My heart is moved by all I cannot save:

so much has been destroyed

I have to cast my lot with those

who age after age, perversely,

with no extraordinary power,

reconstitute the world.” - Adrienne Rich.

And through the ordinariness of our lives, and through the power generated through our collective power, here we are, reconstituting.

“ yes I said yes I will yes.”

One Wild Life: The Evolution

Hello and welcome.

It is so exciting to be here. For those of you who have been following my missives and musings for a while, you will know that I have been writing and blogging under the website and banner of One Wild Life. It was a great online home for a while, but I had been sensing an evolution brewing. What you see here has emerged from those 7 years of blogging and a lot of amazing experiences and connections. So it is farewell to this view, and a welcoming of the new...

I decided not to carry over my previous blog. It was time for a fresh start, and a chance to let go of the past and allow the future to emerge. Starting with a blank slate has been wonderfully enlivening and I am so excited to get going on this new iteration of my work.

For those who have been following along all these years, I so appreciate your support and I hope we can journey together over the coming years. And for those new here, you are so very welcome. Have a look around and be sure to sign up to my newsletter for updates, happenings and free resources.

Onwards.