Power Pronouncements

Power Pronouncements

So many of us live in a place of hesitancy about our lives. We’re not exactly sure we are who we want to be. We’re not really clear on what we want or where we want to go. We’re not convinced we really deserve what we desire. We might be beaten up by childhood experiences or failed relationship so we are afraid to go boldly into the world. We often do the shuffle and the two step so that we don’t have to really make a stand. That might be risky and terrifying. People might figure out we’re a fraud!

Aha! But let me clue you in….Hesitancy is a curse. Remember: He who hesitates is lost! Being neither here nor there means that you are not fully alive. You’re in a state of limbo that doesn’t allow you to grow. To grow means that you must throw off the fear and the reluctance, and actually take a stand!

Even if you are not yet sure of where you are headed or what you have to do to advance or who you yet want to be, you can begin to grow by declaring what you know to be true and what you want to be true!  These are called POWER PRONOUNCEMENTS! And they are like affirmations on steroids!

It’s time you shed your cloak and come out into the light. Declare yourself!  

POWER PRONOUNCEMENTS BEGIN:

•  I AM (INTUITIVE, BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, HONEST, GOOD LOOKING, COURAGEOUS, FEARLESS…)

 

• I WILL BE (HEALTHY BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, CRUISING FINANCALLY, PASSIONATE ABOUT MY NEW JOB, ON TOP OF THE PILE ON MY DESK NEXT WEEK, LOVING MY LIFE, FINDING ROMANCE…

 

• I KNOW (I AM LOVED BY GOD, I AM LOVED BY MY EMPLOYEES, I AM CAPABLE OF LEARNING THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS SOFTWARE, I AM CLEVER ENOUGH TO LEAD THIS TEAM TO SUCCESS, I CAN DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL HEALING PRACTICE WITH THE SKILLS I ALREADY HAVE…)

 

• I FEEL (POWERFUL, STRONG, SMART, GIFTED, TALENTED, WILLING, ENTHUSED, EXCITED, EMBOLDENED, INSPIRED …)

 

• I AM A (GREAT BUSINESS PERSON, TALENTED SINGER, FANTASTIC OFFICE MANAGER, SUPERIOR WAITER, SPIRITUALLY CONSCIOUS AND CONNECTED PERSON…)

 

 

Getting the idea? Sit down and make a list of the Power Pronouncements that resonate with you and address the areas that you do indeed feel “weak” or “unfulfilled.” These are the areas that need shoring up! Break these declarations down into each of these five categories based on what you aspire to be, do and experience.

Now here’s the thing once you do that.

Step One is to say these into the mirror or yell them out loud in your backyard. Step Two is to declare them boldly and courageously to a friend, a spouse or a partner. Yes, this means you have to abandon your anonymity and really risk embarrassing yourself! But here’s the good part, by stating these things before others and God, you are more than halfway committed to believing them and making them come true! You’re increasing the odds that you can in fact manifest what you have stated! Begin believing that you are what you declare.

Step Three …Now when you’ve practiced and gained your confidence, you are truly ready to reveal your new and powerful self: GO SAY THESE POWER PRONOUNCEMENTS TO A CROWD! 

You can do it…You really are who you declare yourself to be…or you are at last on the way there! 

Watering Seedlings

Today is Earth Day! The time when we honor and rededicate ourselves to caring for our planet. And it is also Spring when farmers and gardeners traditionally plant seeds in our glorious Earth that will grow and ripen in the summer and fall.

 

But planting seeds is a metaphor for renewal–starting anew or creating something that never was before. And once you plant those seeds, you must water the seedlings and shower them with loving care.

 

So this is an excellent time to look at your own life and decide what seeds you will plant for your future and the future of the planet, and how you will water, protect and nurture them.

 

We can each waste our time precious time looking behind at what we did, what was done to us and how we got where we are –continuing to let the past limit us. Or we can stop that indulgent behavior and instead put our energies toward planting positive new seeds that will ripen and enrich our lives in the years to come. So what is it going to be for you? Stunted growth or rampant growth?

 

Here are some of the areas you can start planting and watering seeds:

 

• Committing to educational enhancement—returning to school, signing up for re-training programs, attending seminars, going for an advanced degree, subscribing to online courses…

 

• Committing to professional evolution—evaluate if this is the right career path and if not, begin making plans and taking actions toward something that would bring you greater satisfaction, research new options, look for new opportunities, create your own job and pitch it to a boss or a new company, start your own business, explore improving your resume and interviewing skills… 

 

• Committing to personal growth—buying books or ecourses, getting a coach or mentor, joining a coaching group that meets by phone, securing an accountability buddy, embarking on a self-development program with a spouse or loved one, starting a mastermind group…

 

• Committing to relationship growth—going to counseling with your spouse or significant other, attending family counseling, carving out more time for your relationship, listening more to your partner, taking a course in couples communication, attending an anger management course, developing strategies to keep the romance alive… If single, joining a singles activity group, signing up for an online dating program … 

 

• Committing to spiritual growth—join a spiritual community in your area, begin a personal spiritual practice of meditation and self-reflection, get a spiritual mentor who will help you find your own path, sign up for a yoga program or other physically-based spiritual practice, read books that can help you understand your relationship to the divine…

 

• Committing to become a better parent or better caregiver to your aging parents—practice more patience, learn new coping techniques, find new resources that provide assistance, align with others who have the background and experience to offer suggestions, read magazines and books that open your eyes to new ideas…

 

• Committing to greater self-care and self-love—Getting more exercise, eating better and healthier, pampering yourself, discovering ways to honor and love yourself, working with experts to overcome low-self esteem and self-disregard, practicing affirmations and more conscious self love and acceptance…

 

• Committing to greater health management– Taking care of all the doctor/dentist appointments and annual screenings you love to delay (mammogram, colonoscopy, etc), getting more exercise, eating better and healthier, finding out what you’re deficient in and taking ALL of your vitamins and supplements everyday, keep looking until you find doctors or practitioners you like, explore alternative healthcare and modalities, rest when you are not well instead of working through it… 

 

• Committing to greater fiscal management—Reduce your credit card load, establish and keep to a budget, rectify your check book or get someone to do it for you, prepare your taxes in advance instead of the last minute, get professional help to resolve fiscal problems before they become legal and IRS problems, negotiate payments with your creditors and keep to that payment schedule, say NO when someone wants to go to the mall (i.e. avoid temptation)… 

 

• Committing to create greater balance in your life—Cutting back on your work time, starting a hobby that you’ve always wanted to try, spending more time at a hobby you love, committing time to be of service in the community, spending more time with family, taking at least one vacation a year and some weekends away, carving out time for reading and relaxing, scheduling exercise time in your calendar so it doesn’t slip away…   

 

• Commitment to the planet—Recycling more—not just paper—but plastics, batteries and other results of man’s production; using less energy and water; finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint; choosing Earth-sensitive products; supporting Earth-conscious corporations and causes; reducing paper waste, including contacting direct marketers to stop sending mailers and catalogues; refusing paper and plastic bags at stores; supporting organic growers; growing your own vegetables and fruits…  

 

These are just some of the possible seeds that you can choose to plant and water in your personal garden. Now is a excellent plan to decide where you want to focus your attention so that your efforts will result in beautiful blooms and ripe results over the next year. So on our wonderful Earth Day, plant your seeds, pour a little water and give those seeds a lot of your love!

 

May you reap joy, love, prosperity, health and peace of mind when these seeds mature! 

The Power of Commitment

Most of us are a paralyzed at the fear of making change, of letting go of what we know, of taking a risk. It is the nature of our ego to hang onto to what’s familiar…what we can be sure of. Why let go of a sure thing for something far less sure? And when we reach the precipice that requires us to jump, we fall back, afraid of that unknown future. Noted motivational coach and speaker David Nagle calls this The Terror Barrier.

 

Now you can waffle all you want. And just not decide. It’s OK to assuage yourself with a life lived in fear, complacency or downright misery. Whether it’s only one aspect of your life –relationship, career, addiction, personal development, etc.– or all of it. And you can feel alone and stuck.

 

Or you can MAKE A COMMITMENT and watch the magic happen! 

 

Here’s where the ride gets fun! The Universe Rewards Commitment. Once you make a Commitment, all of the doors will open in your favor–in sequence! You may not know exactly how you’re going to get where you’ve planned to go, but once you make The Commitment, you will be guided to the next step. And then the next. And the next one after that.

 

It’s like that scene in just about every Indiana Jones or jungle adventure you’ve seen in the movies. The hero arrives at the chasm with no means across, and some wizened character says, “Trust—Just take the first step.” And sure enough, a hanging bridge appears just as the hero’s foot steps forward and with each step, more of the bridge appears.

 

That’s the Power of Commitment. I’ll bet that if you look back on your life, you can see this Universal Law in action. When you were passionate about something and you made the Commitment to move forward, all of a sudden the doors started to fly open, people you needed showed up, synchronicities appeared, everything just fell into place.

 

So what Commitment are you avoiding? Is it a big one or a little one? Does it involve habit change, career change, financial investment, home change, relationship change, releasing a co-dependent person from your life, addressing an addiction, or avoiding confronting a health challenge, for example.

 

So here’s a good exercise to start getting you comfortable with the idea of Commitment. Write your Commitment at the top of a page of paper. Then make a list of pros and cons. Make sure to add on the “cons” such things as: “I’m unhappy. I’m afraid. I can live with what I’m making even though it’s poorly paying and I hate my job. I don’t feel well, but if I have the operation, I could be worse.”

 

Then on the pros, write the upside: “I am so happy. I feel free. I have more money. My kids are benefiting because I feel radiant and can give them more of my time. I’m loving life. I have a great new home that I love. I’m living addiction-free. I don’t have to worry any more now that I’ve had the operation.”…. you get the picture.

 

Most of us focus on the risks, but hopefully this exercise reminds you of the extraordinary upside—and how could you miss when the whole Universe is lining up to help you once you Make The Commitment! 

 

So stop waffling! Engage the Power of Commitment to create your dream and free yourself to move forward!

 

Just remember however, that once you reach the next level, you will likely again find yourself at a crossroads. You can fall back to fear, or Commitment and trust again because you know the exhilaration of succeeding through Commitment. Take that first step!

Conscious Creation

The Source of Your Prosperity

 

I’ll bet you think that you’re money comes from the company that pays you a salary or the clients that pay your consulting fees?

 

But you would be wrong about that. Your money and abundance of all kinds comes from The Universe—the unlimited Source of all things. This is a very important fact to remember. Because just as assuredly as The Source can create what you now have, it can create more!

 

It can also create less if you are greedy, sloppy with your money, unhappy about your life in general, mistrustful of the Universe, ungrateful, or filled with fear.

 

So let’s look at this unlimited source of income. How does it create prosperity? It transforms positive intentional energy into the form of currency that we use as exchange in our world today—money! Energy is limitless, so the prospect of more wealth is limitless.

 

Even if you are living on a fixed income today, this doesn’t mean that that is all there is. Using your inspiration and your creativity, you can find other ways to bring in more, stretch what you have, change what you are currently doing and open the door for something else.

 

And then there is the occasional surprise! An unexpected tax return or gift from a friend. A mistake in your favor by the bank. A medical reimbursement check. A leap in your mutual funds. An investment that’s matured. A back child support payment. Someone wants to buy something you created and just hung on your wall. A girlfriend buys you a plane ticket to visit her in another city. Someone hands you a coupon in the store that they cannot use. 

 

So if you would like to optimize your possibilities of attracting more abundance, here are certain keys to keeping the wellspring flowing

 

1. Radiate Love and Gratitude—First and foremost be in a state of love and gratitude. When you are emitting these vibrations, it creates a positive “receptor” for wealth and abundance. Most of all, be grateful for the money you have and any new money that comes to you. However, the more grateful you are for EVERYTHING in your life, the more abundance you experience.  

 

2. Be in the Flow—Money is like water; it is always flowing. You just need to be in the right place and mindset to receive it. So spend every day creating the perfect garden to be watered by this flow. Be at peace. Start your day with a ritual that consciously puts you in the Universe’s flow of positive energy — a beam or cone of golden light shining down upon you and surrounding you. Daily ask for this flow of light and love to shower you with grace. Do actions during the day that honors this flow; stay in integrity and speak with your heart open with compassion spilling forth.

 

3. Stay Open—Be open to being directed to new and other sources of income. Don’t turn something down because it’s different from what you now know comfortably, or it requires time and effort. The Universe may be presenting you with an opportunity. This is not to say you MUST do everything put in front of you, but at least give it careful consideration. New ideas and new opportunities can lead to new wealth.

 

4. Remember That Financial Limitation is a Temporary Condition—If you are moping about, feeling the economic crunch is a downward spiral that will create long term deprivation in your life, cut it out NOW! Because if you feel that way, that’s what you’ll get. If on the other hand, you consistently remember that financial limitation is a TEMPORARY condition and that it can be reversed at any time, you’re already on your road to recovery.

 

5. Be Confident in Your Ability To Manifest—The more confident you are that you are a fast and rapid manifestor, the more you will likely manifest money quickly and easily. Know that you have this ability and this power, and that wealth is headed your way! That confidence and wisdom primes the pump.

 

6. Ask For Guidance; Seek Inspiration—If you don’t have any good ideas about increasing your abundance, then ask for guidance and inspiration. You’ll be surprised at what ideas might come to your mind, or opportunities placed in your path. Take inventory of your skills, passions and unique talents to see how you might make additional money in fun ways that satisfy your heart and soul.

 

7. Create Visualizations–I always think of myself standing under a waterfall, with the Universe pouring down abundance on my head. Money is just flowing everywhere. What visions can you create that place you in a situation to be saturated, blessed or in receipt of money?

 

8. Install a Fountain in Your Home – In the Chinese Feng Shui tradition, flowing water in or around the home is a means to increase the energy (Chi) that attracts wealth. Find and buy an inexpensive floor or table-top fountain that keeps money flowing to you. (And make sure to close all the toilet seats in your house regularly since money will flow down the drain and out of your home if you don’t!)

 

9. Trust the Universe – Once you express your desire for increased money, have faith that the Universe is working on it. (But just do your own housekeeping to make sure you are not doing anything else that can keep that wealth at bay—including being in a state of fear or emitting other negative vibrations.) Go about your business and remember to trust.

 

Remember and Revere the True Source of Your Wealth—When you are pitching an account, or having a conflict with the executives in your company, remember that it is not they who are the source of your income. Always remember and revere the TRUE Source of your money and this will serve you well. It releases your beholden-ness to anyone but the Universe. This allows you to make wise decisions and not decisions based on fear. And it keeps you in a proper state of gratitude and awe at the amazing Source that grants you the means to enjoy your life more fully!

Conscious Creation

Living in a Love-Centered Society

 

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if we lived in a Love-Centered Society? If Love were the most valuable commodity instead of money and possession?

 

This amazing Utopia would mean that we would exalt those who show the most compassion, humility and selflessness—instead of celebrities and the wealthy. Instead of being competitive, we would actually strive to cooperate. Imagine that! Each of us would work for the good of whole, so that abundance could increase for all of us. No more “me first!”

 

In a Love-Centered Society, there would be no one homeless and the aged would be cared for. People would rear their children with such care and thoughtful awareness, that those children would not seek solace in drugs, alcohol and sex. With such love between couples, family abuse would disappear.

 

In a Love-Centered Society, we would actually strive to truly rehabilitate those who have erred against the law. People of all different cultures would share the wealth of their culture with the wider society as a whole. Society would be a polyglot of cultures and mixed race peoples because there would be no barriers to love.

 

In a Love-Centered Society we would recognize the humanity in everyone else. We would realize that we are truly one great energy compartmentalized temporarily in individual human frames. Therefore by giving love to one, we are giving to all.

 

In a Love-Centered Society we would extend that love to all the living beings on the planet and to the Earth itself. We would treat them with kindness, compassion, common sense and respect.

 

In a Love-Centered Society we would love ourselves so that we can fully love others, and we would teach love to all of our offspring and everyone influenced by us. We would set an example of being a loving force in the world.

 

In a Love-Centered Society, we would assume someone’s innocence, accept responsibility for our own actions, encounter others with trust in our hearts, work to alleviate dissension or dis-alignment with others, engage in a relationship with love as the true outcome and not ownership or control.

 

In a Love-Centered Society, we would love our bodies and take care of them, so that our health radiates. We address discord in ourselves and with others quickly so that emotional blocks evaporate and leave a loving and free flow of energy coursing through us.

 

In a Love-Centered Society, each of us would adhere to our conscience, open ourselves to the wisdom and guidance of the Universe, and use love as the guiding principal for all decisions in our lives.   

 

In a Love-Centered Society, success is judged not by how much money you have, but how much you’ve lived a life of love, joy and compassion. And how loved and uplifted others feel around you—how far your love light shines.

 

I don’t know about you, but I’m working on my little part of the world right now, creating my little Love-Centered corner. I’m putting love first as my new life commitment. Care to join me?  How about we then link up our Love-Centered neighborhoods and see what wonders can occur! 

Book Review

Seeking Serenity by Pilar Stella

 

This is a children’s book like no other. It’s a wonderful, fabulous parable, yes, but what other children’s book do you know that has been blessed by seven Noble Peace prize winners! Pilar Stella tells the story of Serenity, a child in search of the meaning of her name. Urged on by learning her name means Peace, she seeks out The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and five other Laureates to discover each of their interpretations, and what that means for the world. With charming illustrations by Maris Cummings, this slim little paperback oozes love and learning for youngsters, and will entice their parents, too. It’s a perfect book to read to very young children many times over. Indeed, Stella has met each of the Nobel Prize winners who gave their blessings to this sweet endeavor and their spirits imbue it.   

 

You can find this book at www.Manifestbooks.com

Conscious Creation

The Compassion Quotient

 

Do you think of yourself as compassionate? How do you react when you see someone on the street begging for money or work? How do you respond when your aging parent complains about never seeing you? What happens in your mind when you see thousands displaced after earthquakes in Third World countries? What is your response when you see a child crying?

 

Do you take a bare notice and rush on with your busy life, or perhaps think, “at least that’s not me?”  Perhaps you have a moment of reflection and a small feeling of care or concern—and then focus on something else.

 

As our lives become so complicated and the emotional demands on us so intense, what has been lost is compassion. Whether that takes the form of a kind word, a wish for better circumstances for the unfortunate, or an act undertaken to comfort or aid someone, we can each do more. Compassion, a vibrational form of love, is in short supply. We are quick to give money, and slow to give of ourselves.

 

So what is your Compassion Quotient and how can you increase it? Keep in mind that the more you give, the more you will get when you need it.

 

• Are you oblivious to other’s pain, loss and longing?….a 0% quotient
• Are you a little bit compassionate? You remember to call on someone’s birthday and you have to be prompted to call your sick relative?…a 10% quotient  
• Do you feel anguish when you see someone fall in the street, and go over to help? Do you comfort someone in obvious emotional pain…a 25% quotient
• Do you reach out to someone you know who is suffering in silence and take them to get help? Do you offer aid and a kind word to a homeless person? Do you comfort someone who has lost his or her home due to financial reversals?…a 50% quotient
• Do you volunteer to help strangers in need in your community? Are you unfailingly kind and willing to listen to the elderly, regardless of how cantankerous they can become? Are you always on call for family members in a crisis—but available when it isn’t a crisis?…a 75% quotient. 
• Do you get on an airplane and head across the country to help with a rescue mission? Do you take in an unwanted child to your home? Do you expend your own love, time and money to help someone who is not related to you?…a 100% quotient.

 

Upping your Compassion Quotient requires being in your heart, not in your head. Here are a few key steps:

 

· Stop and feel. Don’t just let it pass through you. Feel for that person.

· Consciously create a reserve of love, warmth and kindness within yourself and hold a vision for healing for the other person or people.

· Express that feeling you have to the person in need.

· Ask what you can do; help without asking if you know what needs to be done.

· Be available to those who are lonely, who are in need or who are without resources. Sometimes a kind word is as valuable as a gold coin.

· Commit to doing something weekly to help someone you don’t know. Commit random acts of kindness. Pay it forward.

· Volunteer when there is a crisis in your community. Reach out with your heart..Be compassion, don’t just do compassionate acts. Show others how to be compassionate. Some people just don’t know and they learn by observation.  

· Be compassionate to yourself. It will make you more compassionate to others.

· Forgive—a lot! Forgiveness is compassion for you and for the person you are forgiving.

· Be compassionate for the world and for both its sufferers and for those committing the acts that create suffering. Compassion—feeling love and respect for someone and expressing that love and respect– is the only true key to resolving the planet’s problems.

 

May you grow to have a 100% Compassion Quotient!

Shifting from Disappointment

 

This year has been a difficult one for many. With the economy contracting, everyone is touched by disappointment in some way…whether it is the loss of a home, loss of a job, loss of freedom, loss of security, loss of peace of mind, loss of a dream or loss of someone you loved who could not cope.

 

We each go into our lives having such high hopes for love, abundance and joy, and many times we can indeed experience those for long periods of time. But what’s really difficult for most is to reach a certain level of success and then see it slip away. That’s what has been so debilitating for many this past year. And whether it has been because of our own poor choices of mortgaging our future on credits cards and houses that we cannot truly afford, or whether we have done everything right and watched our 401K disappear – it is heart wrenching to deal with the sense of loss.

 

But wallowing in the disappointment only creates a negative energy vortex that continues the downward spiral. Yes, if you must, allow yourself a short period of time to grieve for what was. This is actually a good step in processing the emotions. But do not stay there and do not allow this to fester into anger, resentment, envy or bitterness.

 

You must begin shifting away from disappointment so you can begin co-creating either a recovery to better times or a new vision of what your life can be. Let go of what was. Whatever is ahead will be different—and maybe even better. Accepting that change is inevitable is the first step to creating that shift, rather than resenting change or holding to the past.  

 

Now what positive goal can you focus upon? What vision can you create that will help to readjust your attitude and your vibration? What vibration can you begin emitting that will be a match for where you want to head?

 

Chose a specific emotion or thought to consciously vibrate. Is it love? Is it joy? Is it fun? Is it beauty? Is it gratitude? Is it the enrichment of nature? Is it a closer connection to Source? When you are in disappointment, you want to keep it simple. Give yourself uncomplicated and simple goals. Choose one of these. Get up each day thinking about this. Take breaks during the day to focus on it. Check in at dinner time. Breathe it in. Just breathe. Go to sleep holding these thoughts and dreams.

 

Be on Negative Energy Watch. Wear a rubber band and snap it when you have a negative thought or reflect on your disappointment from the recent past. Laugh at yourself and then get up and get a glass of water. Wash your negative energy down with a long slow drink. See your new positive energy filling up your tank.

 

Spend time with positive people. If you find yourself with other folks who are bemoaning their lives, either encourage a change by suggesting everyone shift their attention to something better, or change the company you keep.

 

Do activities that bring laughter and fun. These don’t have to be costly. Ride bikes, roller skate, go to or rent movies, sing, dance, exercise, play board games, play poker with fun-loving people (for chips, not money!), read uplifting books or romances, call a friend long distance using free weekend minutes, go visit someone you love and haven’t seen in a long time who lives in a nearby town, plot your future conquests of the heart, play with children you adore, take your dog on a hike, watch your kitty with a ball of yarn.  

 

Just remember that belief that you will experience what you choose to envision is a key component for allowing it to happen.  So truly believe that great days are coming!

 

Now, if that disappointment flutters back in, shoo it away with a litany of gratitude. Maybe your portfolio is down and you’re scraping to pay medical bills, but your daughter is about to graduate college, you have the most amazing touch with decorating on a budget, the neighbors are letting you take all the plums off their trees that you could possibly want, your boyfriend has happily re-discovered his talent on the guitar and serenades you…

 

You get the idea. Life is not money. Life is life…find what is good about it and create more of it by appreciating what you do have. See the silver lining and not the grey cloud.   

 

True Artistry/Soul Expression

 

 

Maybe you don’t paint like the great masters or Picasso, but do you have a form of artistic or soul expression?

 

Each human being is an artistic and creative expression of the Universe, of the Divine and unlimited creative force. In order to be fully who we are, we must find a creative outlet. In order to fulfill our role as creative, ever expanding beings on this planet we are compelled to express ourselves in a form unique to our soul. When you are operating in this mode of creative expression, you will feel yourself fully alive, thriving and happy. That is because you are tapping that unlimited force that is coming through you.

 

So it behooves each of us to find one–if not many different –ways for our creativity to express itself outside of the workspace. Creativity within work is also a wonderful form of expression, but it is not the same thing.  You may also not think of some of the things you do as artistic, because they are commonplace activities, but if you do them with flair, you may indeed be expressing your artistic self.

 

Let’s look at ways that you can release your unbounded creative spirit, and while some of these you may already doing, other ideas here may add to your creative portfolio.

 

• Music, song and dance

Learn to play an instrument, self-teach yourself to songs on your iPod, join a band or local orchestra, record music digitally and edit it on your computer, create specialty playlists of other’s works, sing alone or sing with groups, do karaoke, take singing lessons, take ballet lessons, join an ethnic dance troop, take a ballroom dancing course, compete in dance contests, dance for fun at home where nobody sees, create your own dance and put it on YouTube.

 

• Performing

Take up acting or go to acting classes; perform in local theatre; create a one man/woman show; read books aloud to an audience, sing with a choir, band, troop, or other group; do a showcase at a nightclub; try stand-up comedy; perform with a dance group, stage your own dance showcase, invite people to a concert you stage, orchestrate a musical review.

 

• Painting, sketching, sculpting, paper sculpting/origami

Take formal art instruction or just start putting images to canvas or paper. Explore various mediums—oil, pencil, acrylics, charcoal, etc. Paper sculpting and origami provide plenty of creative expression. Explore sculpting in metal, word, stone or other material.

 

• Writing

If you’ve always had an urge to write – to express yourself through the written word — start putting pen to paper. There are more avenues than ever. You can now blog, twitter, create newsletters, write books, plays, short stories, magazine submissions or poetry.

 

• Home decorating

Many people find their self expression in their homes. Looking for or creating the perfect decorative elements in a home or vacation getaway can be very artistically rewarding.

 

• Home crafts

Men and women can both find terrific self-expression though traditional crafts they can do in their leisure time at home. So of these might include: furniture making, antique refinishing, needlecraft, scrapbooking, quilting, woven crafts, folk crafts, greeting cards and more

 

• Fashion design and creation

Fashion is passion for many. Girls especially get charged up about designing perfect outfits from both store bought and self-created clothing, and this love of fashion often carries into adulthood. Some ways to indulge the fashion passion include creative design, sewing, accessory making, hat creation, appliqués, sparkle application, t-shirt decorating, etc.   

 

• Jewelry design and creation

Jewelry design and creation is a wonderful way to show off works of your own making. Consider gemstone cutting, cabochon making, jewelry design, silver or gold smithing, beading and more. 

 

• Photography

Today with digital cameras, photography can be an easy and artistic hobby. Furthermore, digital technology and websites that offer places to show, archive and sell photos to friends and the public are making it easier for a photographic artist to get a feeling of immediate recognition.

 

• Gardening and floral design

Growing a handsome and well tended garden is an art in itself. Cultivating  beautiful flowers for cutting and arranging is highly rewarding, and there are many flower arranging classes available in most communities.

 

• Collecting, model building and displaying

Collecting in itself may be rewarding, but there is great artistry in assembling a great collection, enhancing it and then displaying it. While the number of different types of things people can collect is uncountable, here just a few of the more traditional ones: trains, dolls and dollhouses, toys, model cars,  model aircraft, kites, minerals, coins, stamps, cottages/villages, holiday decorations, and animal collections, carvings and paintings. Don’t let yourself be limited to the traditional. Find what ever intrigues you and collect it! No matter how wacky some people might think it is!

 

• Parenting

While parenting in itself can be very creative, many men and women find their creative expression in activities they do with or create for their children…birthday parties, tree houses, room decor, excursion planning, storytelling, etc.  

 

• Holiday

  decorating and party planning

If you were one of those kids who loved dressing up in elaborate costumes for Halloween, chances are you might get a big charge out of doing a first-rate scary display at your house, finding all the right ghouls, goblins and gravestones. Many people love decorating for the holidays, whether that’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, Fourth of July or a birthday party. Pick a theme and have fun! 

 

• Pottery, ceramics and glassmaking

Molding a piece of art with your hands and your talents is a great form of expression. Consider pottery, ceramics or even glass making or blowing, mosaic design, tile making or tile painting, etc. 

 

• Automotive

Refurbishing antique automobiles and motorcycles, and painting them in glistening colors, bright brass, shiny chrome or searing flames is an excellent way for men to let out their inner artist. 

 

• Cooking, baking, winemaking, beer brewing and entertaining

People of both gender find great satisfaction in creating great works of art in the kitchen and in the dining table décor. There is considerable artistry in cooking, food presentation, baking, winemaking and beer brewing.

 

• Pet life and pet habitat

So you love your pet? Here’s another great way to be creative…dressing your dog, designing the perfect doghouse, making dog pillows, crafting the perfect cat scratching post, formulating the ideal aquarium, building a fun habitat for a small animal or bird.

 

• Join a Festival planning crew

Very few things are more creative than a fun themed festival…whether it’s a renaissance festival, an ethnic clan gathering, a harvest fair, a country and western music event, a food festival, etc. Find one you resonate with and join the group putting it on. Make your costume, start building the booths, and planning the plays. You will have great creative fun.     

 

• Sports

Some sports are very creative by virtue of what their followers bring to them. For

example, I know few people as creative as balloon pilots who put a great deal of

expressive effort into designing their balloons, naming them, getting the crew

jackets just right, and generating many fun ways to establish their identity in the

ballooning community and at balloon rallies or races. Sailboat enthusiasts and

vintage race cars share many of the same creative instincts.  

 

Allow yourself to Consciously Create the opportunity to creatively express yourself. If you set the intention, you will find a path that will lead you to your ultimate soul expression.  

 

How Old Will You Be When…

How Old Will You Be When….

 

Every year as I go around instructing people in the Art of Conscious Creation, or in my every day personal interactions, I hear people lament that they are getting older and they have not followed their dreams. And the older they get, the more fearful they are that they will never do whatever it is that ignites their passion. Time is slipping away and they haven’t even started toward their heartfelt goal.

 

And when I hear these sad refrains, I tell them a favorite story. Many years ago, I read an item in Dear Abby’s column. A woman in her 60s wrote to Dear Abby saying that she had always wanted to go to Law School and she was torn over whether she should even start at that age—she would be so much younger than the other students, she was nearly old enough to collect social security, etc. “Should I do it, I’ll be 64 when I graduate?” she implored the columnist. Dear Abby’s response was classic. “But of course you should do it. How old would you be in four years IF YOU DIDN’T DO IT?”

 

The answer always made me laugh. We’ll be the same age if we don’t follow our hearts, but we’ll be a lot less fulfilled!

 

So what are you denying yourself because you might be too old, too tired, too different from everyone else, too embarrassed, too ashamed, too foolish, too busy, too fearful or too “poor?”

 

What are you yearning to do that you haven’t?

·         Complete a degree in school?

·         Go back for advanced training in some skill?

·         Start a treasured hobby?

·         Learn a skill passed on from your parent or grandparent?

·         Take cooking classes?

·         Have Lasik surgery so you can get rid of your glasses?

·         Rescue a puppy or kitten and taken it into your home?

·         Start your own business?

·         Begin a marshal arts class?

·         Sign up for an online dating service?

·         Start training for a marathon?

·         Take flying lessons?

·         Have a baby?

·         Write a book? Start a speaking career?

·         Travel around the world, around the country? See the National Parks?

·         Ask out someone that you’ve always admired from afar?

·         Study a foreign language?

·         Do a night of Stand Up Comedy?

·         Sail around the

Caribbean

?

·         Drop everything and try your hand at an acting career?

·         Move out of the house?

·         Become a teacher?

·         Plant a garden and grow your own vegetables?

·         Have a fling with an old flame who is single again?

·         Change career so that you are serving others?

·         Give yourself a week at a health spa, away from the kids?

·         Buy a ticket to the World Series, an NBA Final, the Super Bowl or the Masters?

·         Take up painting, or dance, or yoga, or playing a music instrument?

·         Or any other passion that has eluded you…

 

If you recognize yourself in any of these questions, than you should begin seriously thinking about the value of your time on this planet. Denial is a misuse of your spiritual capital. Go and be what you truly desire to be. You are denying your destiny.

 

Begin using your skills of Conscious Creation to manifest whatever it is you need to move forward with a plan to embrace your desire…Consciously Create the time, the resources, the opportunity, the mentor or the courage to move forth. But mostly focus on the goal – what you want to be doing — and let the Universe fill in the “how.” And take action. Step out, sign up, start moving. After all, how old will you be IF YOU DON’T FOLLOW YOUR HEART!