Carry Confetti

FEEL GOOD PRODUCTIVITY 2/3

Are you currently camped out at Procrastination Station? Do you have something you're excited about doing but just don't know how to get started? Have the goals you set become more of an obstacle than a motivation? 

Let's unpack all of that in this episode which is the second in a 3-part series on finding the joy in productivity, based on Ali Abdaal's book Feel Good Productivity. 

Today, I'll tell you about the 3 primary blockers we all face, how to overcome them, and also potentially say something controversial about the very popular SMART goal framework ;) 

I hope this episode is the pep talk you need to get unstuck and get going on that thing you've been meaning to do. 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

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If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

FEEL GOOD PRODUCTIVITY (1/3) 

Do you experience time famine, the feeling like you have too much to do and simply not enough time to do it all? Does this then lead to a constant state of stress and procrastination? Do you wish you had a key to greater productivity in order to regain control of your time? 

Well, my friends, the answer lies within JOY. 

In this episode, I'll unpack some research found within Ali Abdaal's book Feel Good Productivity to let you know how you can energise yourself to feel more positive emotions, which then leads to doing more and doing it well.

We'll talk about the power of play, our unique play personalities, and discover whether success leads to happiness or the other way around.

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on feel good productivity. 

Hope you enjoy it! 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

When you’ve been waiting a longer time than expected to see a dream become a reality, it’s easy to become discouraged, disappointed, and dare I say jaded. It can get harder and harder to see other people see their dreams come true while yours seems dead or dormant. It can affect your heart… which then affects your relationships, your friendships, and your faith. 

Today, let’s unpack the miracle of Abraham and Sarah conceiving a child in their old age. They both laughed, but their laughs were different types of laughs… so they got different responses from God. 

I hope this episode gives you some insight into how two people can walk a journey of waiting differently, how two people can respond differently when receiving the same promise from God, and how God can heal our hearts if we are willing to come before him vulnerably. 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week in New Zealand, this episode is an important conversation around the power of hopeful thinking.

Hope is a clear theme throughout the Bible.

Hope is a clear theme in positive psychology.

Hope is a clear theme in mental wellbeing.

So, how could hope become our anchor this week? What can we learn from scripture and from science to incorporate into our lives to raise our level of optimism, which then raises our overall level of wellbeing?

*Please note: In this conversation, we will talk about suicide / suicidal ideation and how hope acts as a buffer against it. No personal stories or details are shared here, I will simply mention the research and the power of hope in combatting this. 

God bless,

Darcie

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Book referenced for scientific research: 'One More Day' by Niyc Pidgeon 

Podcast referenced for more listening during Mental Health Awareness Week: 'Living Well Podcast' by Elim Christian Centre (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcyp_1PdsFfLK2UZpo6a1u61DPD45QHeR&si=IBNZFIO_X56ARP2B)

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Last week, we finished off our list of 5 behaviours that will make you happier by talking about the powerful biblical practice of taking captive every thought. This week, I wanted to dive deeper into this practice.

How do you take captive every thought? How do you know when a thought is unhealthy and is leading to a mental mess? How do you untangle the emotions and memories and thought patterns that are binding your mind? 

Let’s talk about it. Let’s identify the state of our minds, let’s find out what we might be hoarding, and let’s figure out how to clean up the mental mess that is affecting our daily lives. 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Have you ever wondered how you could shift your mood through a simple, practical action? Have you ever wondered how you could possibly find joy on a hard day? 

In this episode, I'm sharing with you the five behaviours that will make you happier, as identified by a professor of positive psychology.

Spoiler alert: You are fully capable of doing all five of them this week ;) 

And even though the psychology professor didn't intend for this list to be grounded in scripture... there's biblical truth that can be found in each item on her list. So, let's talk about it!

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

This past week was heavy... and many tears have been shed over the violence of murders that have taken place, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk. How is it that some could laugh while others mourned? How has our society become so numb and desensitised to violence? How can our hearts handle it all? 

This episode is not about politics; it's about processing pain — something that we all need to do better at no matter what you believe or who you vote for. Our brains are adapting to violence by tuning it out and shutting down empathy circuits. Our brains are becoming numb through the constant, unfiltered scroll... constantly seeing more but never fully processing. 

So, let's talk about empathy, grief and lament. 

Grief is something we all encounter, but lament is a practice many of us overlook. In this episode, we explore the biblical practice of lament — how Scripture not only gives us permission to bring our pain before God, but invites us to find Him in the midst of it.

Through the Psalms of Lament, we’ll look at how lament shapes us into people of deeper empathy and compassion. Lament isn’t about rushing past sorrow; it’s about naming our grief before God, holding onto hope, and learning to weep with those who weep.

If you’ve ever wondered how mourning could possibly be called “blessed,” this conversation will help you see how lament can transform our hearts, our brains, and our empathy in this hurting world.

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Dr. Becky Kennedy from Good Inside said, "Regulating difficult emotions is a prerequisite for happiness."

We have to learn how to navigate through our negative emotions and our negative experiences in order to discover a newfound joy. Suppressing it all is just distress avoidance, and that's not healthy for any of us in the long run.

I know this episode will speak to so many parents that are helping to coach their kids through meltdowns and hard days... but I have a feeling that this episode is going to speak to any adult... because adults have hard days too. Plus, not everyone learned how to handle the big emotions as a kid, and it's now evident in their adult life.

Drawing on research from Dr. Becky, insights from a course taught by Professor Laurie Santos, and inspiration through other timely conversations, join me as we discover how to sit on the benches in life that can feel really uncomfortable and sometimes lonely.

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Course mentioned in this episode was The Science of Well-Being for Parents by Professor Laurie Santos

Song mentioned in this episode was written by Tawnee Kendall from @music_forlittles

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

Have you ever wished you could play a "Just Say No!" card in the game of life when you were thrown a curveball or faced a setback? Have you ever wanted to play that "Skip" card on certain seasons of pain and delay?

Well, we've all been there. We've all had moments where we don't understand why we're facing certain circumstances or when we will be able to cross over into the Promised Land.

But God is so intentional in the way he walks with us and so intentional about the way that he works through us in those seasons of life. He's got a plan, even if we can't see it yet.

Here's the good news: God is still working miracles today. And I'm believing that your miracle is on its way.

So, let’s build a faith memorial.

Hope you enjoy this episode! 

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti

There are some songs that we absolutely love to hear on repeat at certain times of the year, because it touches our soul and our memories in some way.

Songs can mark milestones in our lives and bring us back to that very moment when we hear it again.

Songs can connect us to other people and actually bring hearts into alignment.

Singing songs on a bad day can sometimes be the only thing to turn the mood around and shift our perspective.

Why is that?

Well, God designed our brains with such intention, and in today’s episode I want to talk about the power of music through the lens of the Songs of Ascent which is a 15-song playlist found in the Book of Psalms.

Let this be a reminder that music can and should  be woven into our rhythm of repetition and our cycles of rest.

Connect with me on Instagram: @carryconfetti 

Sign up to Cup of Confetti, my monthly newsletter: https://carryconfetti.kit.com/b58e8ac914

If you'd like to support the podcast or say thank you for a particular episode, you're welcome to buy me a coffee or purchase a poetry print here: https://buymeacoffee.com/carryconfetti