Sibyl Chavis

“We can take care of everything we need to while we also take advantage of the possibilities that today offers us to learn, improve and live in the most amazing way where we feel really alive, connected, happy and get everything we want out of life.” – Sibyl Chavis

Hello all, I hope we are all well?

First, I’d like to apologise for the delay in between posts. It has been a busy few days with the performance of a stage play, as well as full-time work, and only now am I getting some time to really focus on blogging. I’m not complaining, but I feel I owe all of you an explanation.

Now, onto the interview. Today’s guest is someone I’m very proud and honoured to introduce. You see, there are some people in the blogging universe who I feel ‘need’ to be featured in this interview series. I believe they bring wisdom and clarity wherever they go, and I take up the chance, whenever I can, to have them answer a few questions for myself, and more importantly, for you who read this.

Sibyl Chavis, of The Possibility Of Today, is one such person. She has inspired me from my very first weeks of blogging, and she continues to shine her light brightly in the blogging universe. I hope you enjoy her answers to my questions.

Stu: How did you first come to hear of ‘blogging’?

Sibyl: It is actually a pretty funny story. My husband was really into  blogging. He used to spend all of his free time working and writing on his blog. I used to wonder what on earth he was doing and how could he continually put so much time into something that was really only a hobby. I think I saw him doing it so much that he subliminally influenced me to try it out. One day I finally found the time to sit down and put something together and I have been addicted ever since.

Why did you decide to focus your blogging efforts in the personal development niche?

Actually, I wouldn’t really say that I am really focused on the personal development niche (believe it or not). I really created my blog to just discuss how we could live a little better every single day. I thought it would be interesting to look at the things we encounter during our everyday lives and discuss what works and what doesn’t. A by product of living today better than yesterday may actually support personal development, but becoming a personal development blog wasn’t something I ever really aimed to do.

Could you explain the decision to leave ‘Alternaview’ and start ‘The Possibility of Today’?

When I looked back at all of my writing, I realized that many of the things I was discussing were centered around how to really take advantage of the day that is in front of you in the absolute best way possible. I was working with Corbett Barr at Think Traffic on my blogging strategy and as we were working through things, something just felt right about “The Possibility of Today”.

If you didn’t blog, what would be the one thing you would love to spend your time on?

Oh that’s easy … reading (and relaxing). Does that count as one thing?

Sure, why not! What was the reasoning behind your decision to ‘not complain’ for 40 days?

I realized I needed to change things up a little. I had been going through a period of time when things were just not feeling as right as I knew they should. So, I thought a good first step was to remove some of the negativity and free up my mind to focus on things that were really important to me.

What’s been your biggest accomplishment to date?

Not complaining for 40 days :)

It’s a great accomplishment. What could you do right now to improve your life?

Focus 100% of my attention on the moment that is in front of me.

If you had 20 seconds to say whatever you wanted, and the whole world was listening, what would you say?

Each day we are given a new set of 24 hours and we get to decide how we use those 24 hours … what we do, what we think and what we learn. We can make the best use of that time, make improvements Today and know for sure that those improvements will allow us to live even better tomorrow. That is the real possibility of Today and every Today that follows.

Thank you for your wonderful answers Sibyl.

{ 6 comments }

Why It Must Hurt Before Anything Else Happens

January 17, 2012
Thumbnail image for Why It Must Hurt Before Anything Else Happens

*NOTE: Before I get into today’s guest post, I wanted to direct you towards a guest post of mine that has recently been published over at Ken Wert’s place, Meant To Be Happy. I hope you enjoy!* This is a guest post by Jake O’Callaghan Pain As The Barrier I couldn’t think about it. I just had to do it. For 20 minutes I lifted my leg for 10 seconds, rested 15 seconds, then did it again. Electric shocks went through my knee the entire time. It was painful. I had been through knee surgery just a few weeks before. My knee wouldn’t work, but I was making it work.

43 comments Want more?

Taming The Inner Voice: Part 2

January 13, 2012
Thumbnail image for Taming The Inner Voice: Part 2

The following article is Part 2 of a 2-part series about taming our inner voices. Part 2 is about using awareness and technique to realise that there is another inner voice inside us. My Discovery As detailed in Part 1 of Taming The Inner Voice, it wasn’t until I realised what my inner voice was comprised of that I could take action to limit its power over me. But despite my efforts to quieten the inner voice, I couldn’t create silence in my mind. Instead of the inner director running the show, another voice popped up instead. This voice was kinder and more loving, able to support me through my

22 comments Want more?

An Interview With Ken Wert

January 9, 2012
Thumbnail image for An Interview With Ken Wert

“Whether here or elsewhere, whether “on your own” or with a professional, whether with clergy or a therapist, keep on the path, take the next step, and then the next. One day, one step at a time, you will begin to see life differently, yourself differently, and others differently.” – Ken Wert Today, I am thrilled to present another interview to you! This is the next interview, featuring Ken Wert of Meant To Be Happy. If you wish to read up on previous interviews with Bryan Thompson and Tess Marshall, please click here. Ken has recently been named the ‘Best Personal Development Blogger of 2011′ by the readers of Change

69 comments Want more?

Taming The Inner Voice: Part 1

January 4, 2012
Thumbnail image for Taming The Inner Voice: Part 1

The following article is Part 1 of a 2-part series about taming our inner voices. Part 1 is about discovering where the inner voice has come from. That Voice In Our Heads Our inner voice is what decides how we live our lives. It has also been known as the ‘inner critic’, or the ‘inner judge’. Our inner voices are our own conscience telling us what we should or shouldn’t be doing, and what we can or can’t do. It’s our director in the movie of our lives. Yet there’s a problem – the director is abusive. It often berates its cast and crew, and yells and screams whenever someone

41 comments Want more?

The Last Ever UTD Post of 2011

December 31, 2011
Thumbnail image for The Last Ever UTD Post of 2011

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.” – T.S. Eliot It has been a remarkable 12 months for Unlock The Door. From creating, compiling, and publishing the Value 101 series and it’s corresponding eBook to landing a guest post on ProBlogger, and from deciding to bare all to you to celebrating this website’s 1st birthday, it’s been a very interesting, engaging, and enlightening 2011. As is blogging custom, I present this round-up post of 2011 to you, but I also present this because, to me at least, it feels like the end of a chapter here at Unlock The Door. I

28 comments Want more?

There Is No New Year, There Is Just A New Day

December 27, 2011
Thumbnail image for There Is No New Year, There Is Just A New Day

“Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.” – Bill Vaughan Before I begin, I wanted to say a few grateful words to each and every one of my loyal readers. Thank you. Thank you for sticking by me throughout all of the days, weeks, and months of 2011. Thank you for repeatedly returning to view the latest published article, even if there was a gap of over a week between articles. Thank you for writing comments, sharing my work on social media platforms, and supporting my writing even when I didn’t feel passionate about this whole blogging

42 comments Want more?

The Only Fit That’s Perfect

December 16, 2011
Thumbnail image for The Only Fit That’s Perfect

Throughout our lives, we look at other people and wish we were them. Trying On New Skins We wish we were like someone that we looked up to, someone who we could emulate. If we emulate them, we then believe that we’d gain all of their strengths and live a much better life than we do already. This is what happens when we idolise fictional characters such as superheroes – because these characters exhibit all the classic attributes that we come to identity as ‘desirable’ (such as strength, courage, discipline, creativity, etc), we then wish we were like these characters so that we could possess these attributes. Strength is something

40 comments Want more?