6 Keys to Walking the Creative Path ~ Overcoming the Illusion of Perfection
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.” ~ Mary Lou Cook There are many excuses, or stories, we use to postpone what wants to emerge from us and take shape in the world: my creative offerings need to look / sound a certain way; people need to like them, like me; no one will purchase any; I can’t make a living from it; I don’t have time; I need to study more; my offerings need to create aha moments, invite transformation; they need to change the world! They need to be perfect! Because so many of us have drown our creative instincts in self-judgment, it can take a great deal of self-awareness to recognize our limiting stories; and […]
Living in the Moment with Life’s Little Things
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” ~ Robert Brault There is much talk about being in the moment these days. And yet, how do we live in the moment when we are so busy, when our minds race from one thing to another? And what does it really mean to be in the moment, anyways? For me, it is quite simple. It means savoring every little experience throughout my day as best as possible, resting in my senses—feeling the miracle of warm water caressing my back in the shower; smelling the sweetness of freshly baked muffins in the oven; imbibing the vibrant colors of the lilies and daffodils in the fields, the drifting […]
8 Ways to Tame Your Saboteur ~ Empowering You and Your Dreams
“A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: ‘Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.’ When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, the one I feed the most.’” ~ George Bernard Shaw We all have a Saboteur lurking in the dark corners of our psyche. It is there, ever-present, regularly offering opinions on how we should be and what we should do. It conjures up compelling images that shrivel our fortitude and distract us from what really matters, what we really want. Indeed, the Saboteur has a mandate—to keep us playing small, […]
Remembering to Be Human on the Spiritual Path
“We are not human beings in search of a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings immersed in a human experience.” ~ Wayne Dyer If you have been on the spiritual path for a while, and feel like you are spinning your wheels in life, not clear on your direction, here is a suggestion for you (and I am speaking from experience!). Perhaps you have become TOO spiritual! Yes, indeed! Maybe you have forgotten what it is like just to be a human being, just a dude or dudette, living on planet earth. Maybe for a month try tucking your spiritual growth books away and replacing them with some juicy novels! Adventure, romance…hmmm!! Or turn off your nightly guru talks, and instead tune into a hilarious […]
Intending with an Open Mind ~ Detaching from Form & Opening to Learning
You don’t always get what you want. But you always get what you need. When setting our goals or intentions for the year, we often get caught up in what we want instead of what we really need. Our purpose is to grow, or evolve as souls. This is the Big Agenda in life. Our career, relationships, health and finances are gateways – they are the little agendas (or forms). When we are attached to the form of what we want, we are not open to the larger plan of our life which invariably focuses on our evolutionary needs. Set your intentions, but do not be attached to the form in which they manifest. Instead, be committed to your inner growth – to learning through […]
Claiming Your Creativity ~ 5 Actions & Mindsets for the Creative Path
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe One of the common ways we […]
The Triple Combo ~ 3 Keys to Creating the Life You Want
“Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.” ~Richard Wilkins Creating the life you want is a balance of stepping into life and creating room for life to come to you. And it is a decision to let go who you think you “should” be in order to become who you truly are. Here are 3 Keys to Creating the Life You Want. I call them The Triple Combo! 1. Do Your Inner Work Life is not a process of discovery, but rather creation. When we realize that life is not happening to us, but rather is an expression of us, we begin to take greater responsibility for our lot in life and the […]
Let It Play Itself Out
Work It Out or Let It Play Itself Out? Life is about balance. There is a time to speak and a time to listen. A time to move and a time to rest. And there is a time to work something out in our mind, or let it play itself out. Generally as a society we are better at the former. Recently I could not solve a bookkeeping challenge. I let it go, sat on my bed, meditated and out of nowhere the solution spontaneously arose. Also recently, my web designer said she needed my images to be three times as large. The next day I got a call from a desktop publishing company telling me that they now sell a photo enhancement software. It […]
Letter from the Post Office
A quick story to warm your heart for the day. Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I ‘m happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and […]
Creating Your To-Be List
“Doing nothing is happiness for children and misery for old men.” ~ Victor Hugo. We make To-Do lists, and yet has anyone ever created a To-Be list? We are human beings, not human doings, so why do we forget that being is as important as doing? We add grocery shopping to our To-Do list, as well as creating a list of people to call. We add exercise and administration, cleaning and proposals. But what about You amongst all of that? Where are you, the Being behind the Doing? How are you feeling, how are you being, while you do? Children are great at being! They are emotive, expressive and present. Somewhere along the line, though, we were told that being was not enough. It was wrong […]