Do you know your values? I'm talking the core ones that matter most to you. The ones that are a must for you to have an amazing day, do you know them? Knowing your values is important. If you have different values than your friends or spouse that can affect your relationship. But knowing them, even if they're different, can help with understanding each other better. Finding a career that honors your top values brings greater job satisfaction. Your values affect the way you live and the Continue Reading
Celebrate Your Life
What can you celebrate today? Do you really want wait for your next birthday, Christmas or your best friend's wedding to celebrate? What about the progress you've made within the last week? Or let's look back at 2014, what did you learn then? How have you grown? Today is the day to celebrate life. It's the only day we really have. The present. A gift. Why am I talking about celebration today? Because I believe many of us are busy and working so hard on our goals and dreams that we miss Continue Reading
Following the Rules Versus Breaking Them
I'm a rule follower, but as a creative, my desire to follow the rules me gets in trouble. I get stuck when I try too hard to keep every rule. When rules become my measuring stick, I quit before I start because there are too many things to remember. For example, when I learned to write, I needed to know all the rules. No passive voice. Eliminate most adverbs and adjectives. Show, don't tell. No head hopping. Check, check, check. Oh and then with photography, there's the rule of Continue Reading
Is Your Story Powerful Enough To Make A Difference?
Have you ever wondered if your story is powerful enough to impact others? If so, you're not alone. I remember a couple years ago when my teenage daughter told me how all of the speakers at the youth conference she just attended had such amazing stories. She added, "I don't have a story like that. I kind of wish I did." Her expression and tone of voice made it clear that her ordinary story wasn't good enough. Almost like if she had a better story, one of heartache and failure, she would have a Continue Reading
Feeling Overwhelmed?
At some point in our lives, we all realize we have too much on our plates. Somehow, over time, we take on more and more and more and eventually we become overloaded and overwhelmed. We end up with no free hands to grab one more thing. We feel like we're going to go bananas if something doesn't change fast. Meanwhile, we dream of the day when we can wake up with no plans, nothing to do, and no one to see. No commitments. No laundry. No nothing. Just peace and quiet, time to think. We just need Continue Reading
The Invitation You’ve Been Waiting For Is Finally Here
The moment you've always been waiting for is finally here. That once in a lifetime opportunity, the words you've always wanted to hear have arrived. In your email. In your mailbox. At your doorstep. Look. Read it. It's your personal invitation to dream. Have you read it? Dreamers wanted. You are invited. Can you believe it? The time has come for you to experience more joy and satisfaction than you've felt in a long time. Are you ready? Because you're invited to come, dream and create with me Continue Reading
2 Ways to Handle the Fear of Rejection
The first time I met one-on-one with editors at a writer's conference, the fear of rejection hovered over me like a helicopter. I could barely handle the pressure. I felt so inadequate and unsure of how to pitch my ideas. And as with most writers my worst fear happened. I heard the dreaded word no. Rejection. But I also heard positive feedback so I left each appointment with a smile and a little more courage. Experiencing "no" wasn't the end of my dream. Over the years I kept Continue Reading
Creatives Must Have This One Thing
"Just do something." Classic advice for the creative who is stuck in procrastination. Or we hear, "take a class" or "find a critique group", but is it that easy? Is the answer to our creative slump as simple as get to work? Personally I think something crucial is missing in this practical advice. So before you sign up for another class, buy a new gadget or declutter your work space, there's something important for you to consider. Your heart. Your messy, fearful, Continue Reading