The #1 Way to Succeed: Choose to Create!
Create! When given a choice - and we always are - opt for creating. I love that we have free choice in this world AND choosing out of the realm of creating, to me, is the only place to choose from. Imagine a world where everyone is saying, in essence, "I can't wait to see what I will create next." That is the world I want to create and inspire others to live in with me. In a collective sense, that is the world I know is possible to be in and I deeply feel that we are moving full…
Moments: The Notes in Your Heart’s Song
Like notes in a song, moments lead us into the chorus of our life...the chorus of a song is the part that we all sing along to. The part we all remember! So, each moment is strung together to create a larger time period in our life and these larger time periods become our life... but the moments are the notes that create the song and the song is our life. It is the beautiful moments that create a beautiful life. A life so beautiful others sing along with it and are inspired to find the song of their heart!…
6 Ideas to Create Change
Take care of yourself. Continue to persevere: do not allow doubt to creep across your goals. Always make sure to take some time every day to rest. That time should be just for you to keep stress away. If you don't take really good care of yourself, you may not succeed as highly as you could have. Continue looking at the night sky and wonder about all the many new things yet to be discovered. The answer is clear. There is nothing more certain in my mind than we are all members of the family of Man. We all exist…
How To Be A Spark Of Inspiration For Others
Creating and inventing something are a reflection of who you are - a spark of inspiration in action for others. It helps you change the world for the better and keep a positive focus on the future. It is your creativity that makes you great - and it is the foundation that drives your innovator spirit and expands your vision. Recognize that when you are told "you are a blessing in my life", it is not only a reward but it validates your expertise and dedication to color the lives of others. Understand that innovation can play a significant role…
Your Creative Compass
I am convinced that our hearts are made to heal. Instead of carrying around habitual suffering, our hearts can be cleaned of the hurt that we have lived through. Not only does this free us up to be more full of life, but the whole process can be enjoyable when we use artistic expression as our means of healing. My musical journey has been a simple practice that changes old pain into compassion and bliss. For me, songwriting has been a discipline that I call cardio spelunking. It is a deep dark adventure to retrieve bright treasure, and it would…
Trust, Leap, Surrender
Perhaps the most important principles I've learned through the years are the ones that inextricably link life and creativity, the ones that keep me open to the infinite, that help me surrender to the unknowable, that push me beyond the bounds of what I can imagine. I've also learned to be open to the synchronistic and the miraculous, to the numinous and the unseen. I've learned that not everything plays out as I expect. I've learned to trust my intuition above all else...even when that intuition doesn't appear to make sense. If I were a tarot card, I'd be The…
Let Music Illuminate Your Life
Music is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity - it transcends all of the arts, delivers crystal clarity, touches every chakra and can make you scream for joy or cry a thousand emotions away in one passage. Better yet, the universal power of music can be applied to the way we communicate, work, play and most importantly, the way in which we really listen to one another. Furthermore, the core elements of music can literally create alignment and harmony in our everyday lives! Why should we expect anything less from the world's undisputed international language? From the moment we…
Merry Christmas!
On this beautiful Christmas Eve, I'd like to share a small gift with you. This is my very favorite Christmas carol, Silent Night. This version was recorded by my daughter, Carly, a few years ago on her holiday CD. I'm happy to share it with you, in the hopes that it brings the spirit of Christmas into your home this Christmas Eve. Turn down the lights, light a candle, turn up your speakers, close your eyes and just listen. Soak it in. I hope it touches your heart as you have touched mine. Our Christmas wish for you.... May you…
How to Open Possibility Through Creativity
When I was 25 I entertained on a cruise ship. People would embark stressed, but gradually begin to relax, laugh, be quiet, be rowdy, and revive romance. Wow! Two weeks later, as they disembarked, I’d hear them say “Well, that was fun, but we have to get back to the real world.” - as if being happy, engaged, and heartfelt was reserved for an “unreal” world! To really understand this, I needed to know more so, at 45, I went to university. What an amazing experience. Three Masters degrees later, my new knowledge began to blend with my life experience…
Creating the Masterpiece of What Might Be
For the last few months I haven’t blogged much, as I’ve been physically working at our new home in Glacier National Park. We’ve been working to complete the construction of our dream - a gorgeous home in the mountains. I take great pride in what we’re creating here... sometime a bit too much. I’m writing today to share a learning experience I had this week, from behavior that I’m not proud of. Our current project is the creation of original concrete/painted/epoxy countertops for our kitchen. I learned a lesson this week from a super sweet 11 year-old girl, named Lexi.…
When was the last time you called or emailed just because…?
When was the last time you just called or emailed to tell someone, Thank You, I Love You, I Appreciate You, just because, and for one other reason? In today's day and age of the world of technology and internet, we often forget and take for granted the people around us, who support us. I write a lot about Paying it Forward and The Ripple Effect. Think about this. Imagine if every boss, friend, mother, father, said Thank You, anytime you did something that supported them or helped them in any way. Imagine what a society we would have, if we all…
Using Our Innate Power
"I like the dreams of the future, better than the history of the past." - Thomas Jefferson "To hold fast to history is to be swept aside." - John F. Kennedy I’m not psychic, but I’m pretty sure that 100 years from now (hopefully sooner), future generations are going to look back at our belief in separation and limits and wonder, “What were they thinking? How could they be so misinformed?” They’ll scratch their heads at our refusal to use our innate power, our natural energy in much the same way we look back at the Roman Circuses. “Are you kidding…
Ever Wonder Where Your Favorite Artist Got His or Her Inspiration?
By Cara Aley. When you make a living as an artist, there are inevitably people, places, and things that inspire you to create your works of art. It’s always so interesting to learn where our favorite artists draw their inspiration from, so we’re profiling several. James Taylor. Long-time singer/songwriter James Taylor cites some interesting early guitar and vocal style influences - he went to a boarding school where he was exposed to the Church of England hymnal music night and day. He also cites folk and Celtic music as influences, in addition to Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music. Taylor also draws…
Using Music To Serve Others
I learned at an early age that everyone has a gift from God and it's important to use that gift for good. You have to give back. For me, the gift of music is something that I was born with. My mom says I sang before I talked, even humming as a tiny infant! At first music was something that I did because it made me feel good, but I began to realize that I made others feel better with my music and that makes it important to share. My grandpa died when I was younger and my mom was…
Deepening Love
By B. Lynn Goodwin. Why can't I get organized, I ask myself. Why do I keep spinning my wheels as I journal? I remembered the words of Temescal Writers leader Joan Marie Wood, who said, "If you keep writing about the same thing over and over, it means you have more to say." Could I be having issues again about whether or not my stories are mine to share? As a general rule, if it’s my story I have a right to share it, knowing it’s my emotional memory and no one else’s. Besides, that’s a concern to address down…