Browsed by
Category: Inspiration

Lesson Learned: Creativity Feeds The Soul

Lesson Learned: Creativity Feeds The Soul

I love weaving and embroidery, but have been so focused on work that I haven’t had time for either for a very long time. Also, my loom is in storage because it’s too big for our condo. So I’ve spent my free time hiking and doing other enjoyable things. But it hasn’t been the same or given me the same fulfillment.

Recently, I took a class that included doing a little bit of simple embroidery on some felt. I didn’t finish it in class but worked on it a few days later. Unfortunately, I found out that the embroidery floss supplied by the class was about 6 inches too short to finish the project.

I had to wait for several weeks until we went to a nearby city to get the needed embroidery thread. During that time, the project sat on the table, as a reminder that it needed to be completed. Every time I went by and glanced at it, I got a thrill of joy, excitement and satisfaction. The same feelings I had when I actually worked on it.

I realized that I needed to make the time to do some of the fiber handiwork that feeds my soul. Eventually, I need to find a smaller loom. Until then, I’m designing an embroidery project that will satisfy my need to create.

And I wasn’t the only one in my life to come to this conclusion. A friend of mine loves music and hasn’t been able to play her piano for quite some time. A few days ago, she went to play it, and once again discovered how it makes her heart sing. She’s committed herself to practicing again because it’s so important to her emotional health.

Creativity helps keep a person young and their brains active. It’s when we block our creativity that we begin to shrivel up inside.

What creative pursuit have you abandoned to focus on family, work, or other pastimes? How can you begin to include that activity in your life again? When you do, it will enhance your relationships, reduce stress, and give you more energy because you’re being authentic and attending to your soul’s needs.

Fulfilling A Goal By Working A Plan – Hiking The Grand Canyon Rim Trail

Fulfilling A Goal By Working A Plan – Hiking The Grand Canyon Rim Trail

Jeff and I visited the Grand Canyon again, recently. On this trip, we hiked the last three-mile section of the rim trail that we hadn’t done before. It took us four trips to complete the thirteen miles of trail. This accomplished a goal I set over twenty years ago.

Even though I’d wanted to hike that trail, until a little over a year ago, I hadn’t made any plans or taken any action. You can have a desire or a goal, but unless you decide to do it, nothing will happen. Your inner mind won’t consider that you really want it unless you start taking some steps in that direction.

Whenever we had an opportunity to visit the National Park, we arranged to go. It’s a day trip for us, including about six hours of driving, hours of walking and Jeff taking photographs. Because of that, we set aside two days. One day to spend on the trip and one to recover at home.

I could have just enjoyed the scenery on our first visit and not returned, but I had a goal. So we decided to take advantage of every chance we had to visit the Canyon. Because of this, I was able to achieve my goal in just over a year.

Before each trip, we planned which part of the trail we’d hike next. We also checked the weather, and made sure we carried enough water, snacks, and the right kinds of clothes (jackets and gloves for winter, neck coolers and hats for summer).

A goal is only as good as its plan. Then you have to work the plan. The opportunity for me to fulfill my goal came up unexpectedly. But once it did, I took advantage of it. I planned for it and worked the plan. You can accomplish your desires in the same way.

Having The Wisdom To Know You Can Only Change Yourself

Having The Wisdom To Know You Can Only Change Yourself

In many self-help programs for addictions and anxiety, they recite a prayer to help them focus on what they can change and what they cannot. It’s called the “Serenity Prayer” and is helpful to remember that you can’t always change what’s going on.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference

When you stop resisting what is, you can put your energies and resourcefulness to dealing with it. You can then create something better because you know in what area you can then change.

After my last article, “You Can Only Change Yourself,” a reader sent me this spin on the original Serenity Prayer. I loved it!

God grant me the serenity
To accept the people I cannot change,
The courage to change the one I can,
And the wisdom to know it’s me.

This pretty much sums up my article.

You can change your responses, attitudes and actions towards other people, but you won’t change anyone else. If you set boundaries, you can improve the way they treat you. But it depends on your establishing and sticking to the consequences you decide on if you’re not treated according to your wishes.

Accept the wisdom to know that the only one you can change is you.

“How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks” from wikiHow

“How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks” from wikiHow

How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks
from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Thinking negative? Here are some strategies for how to start thinking positively and accomplish what you want in life.

Steps

  1. Ground Yourself. The most common reason why people think their lives suck is that they aren’t living their own lives. Look deeply into whether you are acting to please others – to please family, friends, and society. Realize that you need to get to know who you are and what your needs are, and make the choices to follow your own path. To know these things, a path of meditation and inner exploration is invaluable.
  2. Look on the inside. What are some qualities you have that you like about yourself? Are you funny? Are you intelligent? Are you sincere? Are you generous? What do you have pride in? Try focusing on the positive things in your life. You may be having a positive influence on others even when you think you’re useless.
  3. Prove those negative thoughts wrong. When you find yourself in a bad mood, you could think of the negative things such as, “I’m dumb and annoying”, “I’m better off dead”, “I’m ugly, I wish I looked different”, etc. Even though it’s not true. Change your mind. Look for your good features, think about the ones that you know love you, look on your greater side. Realize that nobody’s life is easy and that there will always be ups and downs, and moments of low self esteem. Don’t automatically assume that nobody cares. Every person matters to someone. You’re alive for a reason.
  4. Appreciate what you see. Look in the mirror. Find some beautiful things about yourself…. Do you have nice skin? nice nails? beautiful eyes? full lips? Find stuff that appeals to you. When you can’t change something, change your attitude towards it!
  5. It’s all how you look at it. Jealous of the people with ‘amazing’ lives? They chose to be that way! Remember, there are people living in mansions who are miserable and people living on the street who are perfectly happy. It’s all on how you look at it.
  6. Determine how your life could be better. What can you do to make your life better? What do you desire to do? How do you want to feel? Make a few reachable goals and your own strategies. The first step is usually the hardest – getting help or admitting you need it.
  7. Get motivated. What motivates you? What gives you energy to go on everyday? Music? Love? Family? A 1km run? God/Allah? Your attitude? Your pet? Friends? School? Give yourself a boost by focusing on what is important to you personally.
  8. Remember that some things can pass with time. There will be a tomorrow. There will be a next week. There will be a next month and perhaps by then, things will have changed for the better.
  9. Reminisce. Whenever you feel like the future is ‘hopeless’, think about happy memories. It will help make you feel better and remind you that in the future, there will be good things, too. Think about all the good things you’ve experienced, felt, and achieved, and consider how many more good things could be waiting ahead. There will be many great moments in your life – don’t let a few obstacles get in the way.
  10. Don’t stop yourself from feeling the joy. It’s okay to step back once in awhile and just enjoy the moment. Even in tough situations – it’s important to smile and laugh here and there. Don’t restrict yourself from doing things you love because they’re “not important” or because you think you’ll be criticized for doing them. Let yourself enjoy life even if you’re not at the best place you could be. You only live once – make the best of it.
  11. Develop a gratitude journal. It’s pretty simple. At the end of every day, write down five things that have made you happy or appreciative that day — not necessarily big things, even small ones count. For example: nice weather, being praised by my boss for getting an urgent errand done, my playful dog, kids and hubby kissing me goodbye before they went to school/work, a hilarious joke a mate shared, etc.
  12. If you feel persistently sad, unmotivated, anxious, hopeless or fearful, seek professional help. You may be suffering from a mood disorder or nutritional deficit which could be contributing to your situation. Remember there is always somebody there who wants to help you. You are valuable!

Tips

  • To “go for it,” simply get up and do it. There is a small voice inside saying “Get up!”, and you need to do what it says; just dive in! Turn off the computer, turn off the TV, and get going!
  • When you think positively, your whole views change about the world and you tend to look on the better, clearer side. It may sound stupid but being resentful is what really renders positive thinking useless. When you let down your walls (or hold out until they collapse…) really trying to “focus on the positives.”
  • If the above fails for you, take the Buddhist view: Life is difficult. The fallacious thought is that we can change that. In accepting that life indeed is difficult, we begin to make it less painful…not less difficult. Accept that life is full of difficulty and choose the religion, belief system, or substance to ingest to decrease the pain; that is after all what the rest of us do. Life can suck, deal with it.

Warnings

  • Don’t make the mistake of standing still rather than giving it a try.
  • Don’t get lost in self-pity. Remember you have the ability to change your outlook and your situation.
  • Resist the urge to act out moods on those around you. Instead, write, confide in a friend, draw, take a walk, etc. Do something creative or physically active, something you feel comfortable doing and that others don’t have the right to criticize.
  • Consult someone if you start having suicidal thoughts. Don’t keep it inside.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

“Tip: Record an audio of your visualization”

“Tip: Record an audio of your visualization”

by John Assaraf

As you already know (and have posted comments about), making a recording of yourself talking about your new belief, then listening to that audio twice or more a day can be extremely beneficial. This method of reprogramming is effective for all kinds of beliefs, ranging from health to wealth, from business success to charitable contribution, from relationships to spirituality, from productivity to creativity. Your main time investment will be up front in making the recording, which can be as simple (just your recorded voice) or as elaborate (including music, sound effects, and so on), as short (just five minutes) or as long (half an hour) as you like. After your recording is complete, you can listen to it while driving, as you go to sleep, as your “alarm” to wake you up in the morning. Be creative!

Creating a recording can help you reach your goals. To write the script…

1) Imagine what your life will be like as a result of achieving your goal, and
2) Describe it all in the present tense, as if it’s already happening.

A script to be used for the goal of running a half marathon might start like this:

I love how it feels to run because my body is in such great condition. I can feel my heart working, and my breath is strong and even. My quadriceps and calves are tested but don’t burn out. I am a healthy, vibrant person who respects the body as the amazing vessel it is: home to my soul. I am in the zone and running better than I ever have before. I am getting faster and stronger every day…

As you reprogram yourself and listen to your audio, you can also add other visualization techniques have learned. Top athletes visualize religiously, because they know it unlocks potential at a level that analysis and even physical practice don’t reach. By repeatedly visualizing the outcome you want, you create new cells of recognition in your subconscious. This way, your body gets used to that behavior and then expects it. To use your recording to help you visualize, instead of just listening passively to the recording, close your eyes and picture everything happening exactly as you hear yourself describe it. (Not a good idea while running or driving, but you can do this at other times.) It’s as if you’ve created a “movie” you can play over and over in your mind. Try it!

Copyright 2008 John Assaraf
All Rights Reserved

John Assaraf, aka The Street Kid, is a New York Times & Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author, Trainer & Entrepreneur, certified life coach and world-renowned speaker. Thanks to a powerful belief system and positive affirmations, he was one of the experts featured in the hit film and book, The Secret, and helped launch it as a worldwide phenomenon.

, , , , ,

“Bombard Your Subconscious”

“Bombard Your Subconscious”

by John Assaraf

I once heard from someone who I would consider quite an impressive motivational speaker, “if you were a computer programmer and the program you created did not work like you wanted it to, what would you do? You would rewrite it, correct?”

Well, your own “programs” should be and really are no different. Through visualizations and a better understanding of what is the law of attraction, you have already identified the areas you need to change and created a plan to change them. Now all you need to do is rewrite that program. How? By bombarding your subconscious.

You already know how to implant new beliefs and so you should be integrating at least one new belief right now. What method of “reprogramming” are you currently using?

Do you write your new beliefs down on paper? Do you look at a collage and/or vision boards? Do you listen to a tape? Have you added visualization to your routine, seeing yourself living the life of your dreams? No matter which method you choose, you are bombarding your subconscious with that new belief, and it will have no choice but to give in and accept it as part of its reality.

What’s my personal visualization process?

I used to have a little recorder and I would tape myself saying my new belief and play it over and over. Then I would write out my new belief and read it over and over. And then finally I visualize that I am already there.

Basically, I am going to my computer hardware (my subconscious) and I’m taking out the old disk (belief) and putting in the new disk (belief), and so it replaces the old one. I just keep seeing this over and over again. I visualize that all the programs in my head are disks.

And soon I get to the point where that image is in my head all the time, now it has become a habit. And this is perfect because your subconscious rests as much as your heart or your blood… which is never!

The methods I use change, like visualizations or vision boards, tapes or pen and paper, etc., because I am constantly changing. If I feel a method is not working for me any more, I change it. There are plenty of methods to choose from!

Like a motivational speaker should be able to see when his audience is no longer engaged, so too must you be able to see when your own sub conscious is no longer engaged. When you see that happen, it’s time to change methods.

Copyright 2008 John Assaraf
All Rights Reserved

John Assaraf, aka The Street Kid, is a New York Times & Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author, Trainer & Entrepreneur, certified life coach and world-renowned speaker. Thanks to a powerful belief system and positive affirmations, he was one of the experts featured in the hit film and book, The Secret, and helped launch it as a worldwide phenomenon.

, , , , ,

Step Away From The Problem

Step Away From The Problem

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Sometimes, it’s good to take some time away from your work.  I’ve had a very busy month, and haven’t been getting as much done as I’d planned. My schedule would change, shifting priorities down the list as more immediate projects and events shoved into the time allotted. A couple of items that I expected to take a few minutes ended up taking hours.

Last week, I had a day that I spent running from errands to appointments. There was no time to work on any projects, but I was able to listen to a business audio CD as I drove around. It sparked an idea that opened a door for me and relieved some pressure I was feeling.

When I start getting frustrated or feeling blocked, a friend counsels me to “Shift the energy. Go do something else.” She has a point. If you just keep hitting your head against that brick wall, all you’re going to get is a sore head.

By taking a few steps back, putting your attention on something else, it gives the subconscious some time and space to work through the issue and deliver some brilliant new concept. Well, maybe not brilliant, but certainly new, and one that will probably break through the block or solve the problem.

That’s what happened last week, and also at the Sedona Book Fest. Both times, I’d taken the day to do an activity that supported my goals, but was time away from intense mental effort. I heard an insight that sparked an idea that solved issues I’d been struggling with for months.

Try it next time you’ve been ramming against a wall. Take a deep breath, walk away, forget about it, and do something else for a while. At the very least, when you come back to the task, you’ll be calmer, with more resources to deal with the challenge. And it’s very likely that you’ll discover a solution that you’d never have considered.

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

, , , , , ,

We Have Control Of Today

We Have Control Of Today

by Linda-Ann Stewart

This week, I was reminded that “We don’t have control of our past or our future. But we do have control of today.” The past is over and done with, and we can’t change it. We can change how we perceive it, and learn from it, but the events are over. And the future is yet to be. So right now is all we really have.

The future is created by the ideas, beliefs and attitudes we have today. If we want to see what our future will hold, just look at our current concepts. Planning for the future is one thing, as long as we work the plan one moment at a time.

Unexpected events could throw off the plan. A loved one dying, a company collapsing, war, these are out of our control. However, we have control over how we respond to what happens.

Viktor Frankel, psychiatrist and World War II concentration camp survivor, said, “The last of human freedoms – the ability to chose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances.” We can resist or resent the situation, or we can find a way to learn and grow from it. It’s our choice.

Each moment, we have control over what we think, believe and do. Those moments add up and create the future. As long as we keep our focus on the positive possibilities in the present moment, then the future will take care of itself.

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

, , ,

People Don’t Like Givers

People Don’t Like Givers

In some recent studies, researchers have found the people don’t like to work with others who are selfish. No surprise. But they also don’t like to work with people who are unselfish.

The control group, normal people, judge givers through their own filters and believe the altruistic ones have an ulterior motive. That somehow, the givers are doing so for some gain. Or that they broke the rules of everyone claiming the same reward, even if giving it up benefited the group.

The biggest complaint, however, were the unselfish people made them look bad. Their reputation somehow suffered because of the selflessness.

So it wasn’t so much about the unselfish ones, but was about how it affected the control group. They saw themselves as lacking in generosity, recognized how it made them look, and took it out on the people who were giving. Instead of using it as a model, they rejected the person who could make a true difference.

It’s a lesson that many creative, generous, compassionate people have learned all too well. We have to conform and hide our gifts or people will condemn and spurn us.

So we crater to survive, conform to what the average person does and avoid rocking the boat. Unfortunately, this means we won’t live up to our potential. It just bolsters the attitudes of the average person. We give them our power, and it means that the status quo thrives.

It’s interesting that in a society that teaches unselfishness, that very virtue is reviled. Our society may value it in theory, but in reality, it’s considered a vice. As children, we receive conflicting information about this issue. Is it any wonder that our culture is screwed up?

If we want to change our society, culture, or business, we can’t just cave into the people who are more invested in their egos than they are in progress or prosperity. “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

It takes courage to stand up to them and realize that their discomfort and accusations simply arise out of their own inadequacies. To fulfill our potential, we have to let our light shine and be authentic.

As more and more people have done this, it’s become more accepted and appreciated. The idea of practicing random acts of kindness has swelled in recent years. So, although the average person may shun the generous one, kindness has become popular.

To read about the studies, visit WSU Study Finds People Really Don’t Like Working with Unselfish Colleagues and Too good to live: People hate generosity as much as they hate mean-spiritedness.

And check out Random Acts of Kindness to see how it’s gained in popularity.

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

“Mindfulness: Reduce Distractions To Reduce Stress”

“Mindfulness: Reduce Distractions To Reduce Stress”

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Over and over again, we’re told that we can only focus on one thing at a time. When we think we’re focusing on two ideas at a time, we’re really switching our attention from one to the other and back again. That is a waste of mental energy.

It’s a myth that we can multi-task without some decline in our ability to focus and be effective. Multi-tasking actually slows us down and erodes our ability to concentrate.

A study from the University of Michigan has actually found a reduction of 40 percent in production when we try to do two things at once. It also causes us to make mistakes and creates the problem of being burned out.

A Microsoft study found it can take up to 15 minutes to re-focus after an interruption. This can deplete internal resources and reduce creativity. Distractions take the place of true accomplishment. Just because we look busy doesn’t mean we’re achieving anything.

The solution is to shut out the interruptions, distractions and focus for an extended period of time on the project in front of you. Corporations are beginning to create these distraction-free time zones.

Not only does this free up time, but it reduces stress and allows space for creativity to flow. When we’re not busy dealing with the latest crisis, we can begin to move forward.

Establish one or two times a day to check email, let the phone messages go to voicemail, shut the door to be able to concentrate. These are boundaries we set around our time and workspace to allow us to be more productive and feel more peaceful.

Learning to set boundaries isn’t just important in our personal lives, it’s important in our business lives, as well. It forms a structure that we can count on and help us to be more calm and relaxed.

Inspired by the article E-mail is Making You Stupid from Entrepreneur.com, and gives more ideas of how to reduce your distractions.

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

, ,