Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Shine Bright: Live A Supernova Life
    Shine Bright: Live A Supernova Life
    Shine Bright: Live A Supernova Life
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    Shine Bright: Live A Supernova Life

    By Sheila Cameron

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    We are all stars. We are all dying. How can we shine a whole lot brighter while we are here? In this collection of heartwarming stories, Sheila Cameron shares inspirational examples of how even small steps have the potential to create ripples of light through the universe. Cameron shares personal experiences about what led her to make conscious and often unconventional choices about parenting, diet, finances, the environment and more -- and about the lasting and cumulative effect of those changes.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCatch Our Drift Productions
    Release dateMar 24, 2017
    ISBN9780994095367
    Shine Bright: Live A Supernova Life
    Author

    Sheila Cameron

    Sheila Cameron is a professional editor, writer, speaker and homeschool mum living on the west coast of British Columbia. She is passionate about raising our collective human consciousness.

    Related to Shine Bright

    Related ebooks

    Self-Improvement For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Emotional Abuse

      Mar 1, 2021

      Emotional Abuse
      5 min read

    • Article

      School Of Life

      Nov 23, 2023

      School Of Life
      19 min read

    • Article

      Living Without Labels

      Apr 14, 2022

      Living Without Labels
      4 min read

    • Article

      Finding Me!

      Aug 15, 2023

      Finding Me!
      7 min read

    • Article

      Vex King

      Mar 3, 2021

      Vex King
      2 min read

    • Article

      Solo Performance: Releasing Fear from the Inside Out

      Apr 12, 2022

      Estimated reading time: 7 minutes — In response to the crazy world of change that ours has become, I am thrilled to share that once we begin to invest in self, we begin to blossom and transcend being ruled by fear I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t

      4 min read

    • Article

      SURVIVING & THRIVING

      Oct 10, 2018

      SURVIVING & THRIVING
      3 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Aug 27, 2021

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Millennial Mentor

      Aug 8, 2018

      Words AMY TAYLOR-KABBAZ It’s often said that the job of each generation is to challenge the ways of the previous and the current millennial generation is certainly taking that idea and running with it. As a generation that has been handed a world of

      7 min read

    • Article

      UNLEASH YOUR Creative Spirit

      Apr 14, 2023

      UNLEASH YOUR Creative Spirit
      4 min read

    • Article

      Embrace The Change

      Oct 20, 2021

      Embrace The Change
      10 min read

    • Article

      Woman In The Mirror

      Nov 1, 2017

      Woman In The Mirror
      6 min read

    • Article

      BOOM SHANKAR Sitting Pretty.

      Mar 4, 2021

      BOOM SHANKAR Sitting Pretty.
      11 min read

    • Article

      Making Each Day Matter

      Nov 18, 2016

      Making Each Day Matter
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Shine Bright

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Shine Bright - Sheila Cameron

      Foreword

      How many people have a dear friend that acted on a dream to walk her children in a stroller over 100 kilometres of highway, despite protests and warnings that it was too dangerous? Or a friend who wakes up one day and decides that her neighbourhood needs a playground, and then makes it happen from concept to fruition? That’s my friend, Sheila—always challenging the status quo and finding innovative ways to enrich the world around her.

      In this inspirational collection of stories, Sheila shares pieces of her life journey where she has chosen a less conventional route. It’s in these moments—and many more—when I have been astonished that my soft-spoken friend of over forty years could buck the norm so significantly, and the impact that this has had. I’ve been in awe of her courage and ability to make a difference in such meaningful and beautiful ways. As someone who has spent most of my life jumping societal hurdles in chase of the dream—and blending in—I have watched with admiration Sheila’s authenticity and audacity to be different. She has taught me to challenge beliefs that society has told me are normal. She beats to her own drum and that is something I truly admire.

      This book is full of heartwarming stories with wonderful messages, and it serves as inspiration for a few new steps I will take to amplify my own dynamic supernova. It is a catalyst to challenge thinking of those who follow the status quo, and those who feel the pressure to conform ... but need a push to find the courage to do things differently. Stories about alternative health solutions, diapers and the environment—or the impact of secrets and feeling shame—give the reader pause for reflection about how their own choices could have a more positive and lasting impact.

      As an executive coach and a student and practitioner of leadership, I have learned that the courage to be different and show others a new way—a better way—is the true essence of leadership. Sheila has demonstrated these attributes in all facets of her life more so than most people I know. My life is enriched by my friendship with her.

      Lao Tzu said, The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. No matter where you are on your own life’s journey, there is a gem of a story in these pages for you.

      Sandra McDowell, MA

      Certified Executive Coach

      Founder of eLeadership Academy

      Introduction

      I am a supernova. At least I could be. I believe every one of us has the potential to live a supernova life, but sometimes we lack the confidence or the courage to shine. I have moments—days or weeks even—when I shine brighter, and other times when I feel like I have no sparkle left at all. Either beaten down by the confines of society’s structured systems, or expectations put on me by others, or due to my own lack of will or energy to seek change, I begin to wane. It’s not easy being a supernova. It’s an obligation, an acceptance that I am a dying star. And it comes with a grave question that pokes at me—what kind of effect do I want to have before I burn out?

      For many years I lived an eyes-closed kind of life. I went to work. I ate and slept. I watched a lot of TV. I partied on the weekends. And I barely looked up. But when I did finally look up and took notice of the world around me, I was inspired by how much there was to learn and do.

      With my eyes opened, I started taking action. And when I started taking action, people around me began telling me how inspiring my actions were. They wanted to know more about how I motivated myself to make change or why I was going against the grain. They wanted to hear stories that might help them take a step or leap in a different direction. And if they weren’t ready to jump now, they sensed that my stories might fuel them in the future. They asked why I wasn’t sharing my stories in a greater venue—writing them down and submitting them to magazines or blogging about them, or speaking about them … or writing a book.

      So that’s what I did. I wrote a book to share my stories. This book is filled with stories of worthwhile actions that propelled me to a higher consciousness with benefits to me, my children, and the planet. These stories are shared to inspire new ways of looking at home, family, health, life and the planet—and to take action where appropriate.

      The stories are arranged in sections that parallel the creation of a supernova. A supernova is a brief phenomenon that happens when a star runs out of fuel, its core collapses, the inner movement causes an explosive rebound of light that expands to ten times its original size, and then its remaining particles continue to move through the universe. We all have the potential to live and shine like a supernova. We can take steps. Steps that break us down. Steps that build us up. And steps that give us the strength to shine our light brighter than ever before.

      Tired of trying to cram her sparkly star-shaped self into society’s beige square holes, she chose to embrace her ridiculous awesomeness and shine like the freaking supernova she was meant to be.

      – Erica Kathleen

      No More Fuel

      A supernova is formed when a star is nearing the end of its life and it runs out of fuel. I hope to sustain life-giving fuel in my body for as long as possible. But to create a supernova effect in my life, I had to first cut off some of my negative fuel sources.

      Shunning Shame

      The secrets we keep are silent killers. We may tell ourselves that we’re holding them in to protect ourselves or others, but this tends to have the opposite effect. I have certainly learned this the hard way. The more I held in, the sicker I became. Years of hiding from myself—and hiding myself from others—made me quieter and quieter and smaller and smaller.

      Keeping secrets is excruciating. Releasing them is the best feeling. When we share ourselves and our stories, they lose their power. When we share our shame, it loses its control over us, its ability to make us small. And we get to grow again.

      Confiding in a clinical psychologist helped me immensely, though my route to his office was a long one. I struggled with low-grade chronic depression for about fifteen years beginning in my teens. I had low self-esteem, low confidence, and I preferred to avoid confrontation. My friends and family watched me pass through several unhealthy relationships. What plagued me most were fits of crying that seemed irrational and caused me embarrassment. When I got in a mood, the tears came and would not stop until sleep overtook me.

      I was never incapacitated by my illness. I wasn’t confined to my bed. I nourished myself and was hygienic. I never considered suicide. I indulged in alcohol and experienced occasional blackouts, but horrible hangovers kept me from being a frequent abuser. Marijuana and hallucinogenics played a bit-part, hardly worth the credit.

      When I was twenty, a boyfriend asked me to seek help for my tearfulness. I saw a lovely psychologist a few times and may have made progress, but a snowstorm caused one of us—I can’t remember who—to cancel an appointment that I never bothered to reschedule.

      At twenty-seven, I was mourning the end of another dysfunctional relationship when I found myself in a magical place on the Island of Skye in Scotland. The tour guide called it the fairy hills and said we could make a wish inside a circle of stones. I felt a special connection with the fairies that day, and I wished for true happiness and whatever it may bring my way. Obviously life would never be pure bliss, but I yearned for a contentedness to course through it all, good times and bad. Even as I wished, I knew that happiness had to come from deep within myself—and I felt ready. I welcomed my fate with a big warm hug, but I still had a long way to go.

      A year later, I met my future husband. The fairies were dancing, and

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1