"Believe you can and you're halfway there."  Theodore Roosevelt

We all know that believing in ourselves is key to trying something new.  But saying it is one thing and doing it is another.  I have learned that when I am going to try something new and I am unsure of myself it helps to begin by visualizing myself doing whatever it is and being successful.  I don't do this just once but over and over again.  This week I am giving a teleconference on self-care.  I am used to talking in front of a large group and really enjoy it.  I love talking to people on a conference call so why should this be different? The difference is that I am using a system that is new and I am unsure of it.   I am always hesitant when I am trying something new.  It is just who I am.  I like to do things well and hate to make mistakes.  Again, just who I am.  These characteristics could hold me back from trying new things.  But I also want to learn and grow so I am determined to do just that.  And positive visualization is a tool that has never let me down.  As I prepare for my call on Tuesday, I know exactly what I am going to say and the activities that we are going to do.  I know how to work the conference call dashboard and I am ready.  As I picture our call, I envision things working out perfectly but also recognize that if something does not work I have a backup plan.  I can hear the other voices laughing and  from the comments the participants are making,  I realize that the call is making a difference in how they think about the importance of their own self-care.  

I love the above quote. It all starts with believing we can do something.  Knowing how we can do it, even if it is a challenge, is also key to accomplishing our goals and reaching our dreams.  Then taking the first step and the next and the next will make those dreams come true.  What are you dreaming of this week? Close your eyes and visualize it. You will be one step closer to making your dream come true!  What can be more exciting than that?

                    When you share your dreams and your talent with others, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!

Ginny Lennox, ED.S is a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach who works with women all over the world to help them find the tools and strategies to make their dreams come true.  If you would like to learn more about working with Ginny, you can contact her at [email protected].

Lately, for whatever reason, it has been words not quotes that inspire me each week.  Yesterday when talking with my daughter-in-law about possibly not making a soccer game and feeling really bad if that happened, she assured me that the boys would be fine because they were very resilient.  We made the game and even enjoyed a great lunch but it was comforting to know that they would understand if we didn't make it.

Being resilient is something we have all had to be since my husband's diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension. We all face challenges in life and ours just happens to be this at this point in time.  It has helped to be able to accept our "new normal"
and to be able to adjust what our expectations are for the day as the day moves forward.  Learning to look for the twists and turns before they occur, being really organized, and recognizing what is working really helps.  This is not something I always did as I experienced life but I realize now it would have helped make some of life's other challenges less difficult as well.

So resilience is my word or inspiration for the week. This week I am going to look for the times throughout the day that we meet challenge with resilience and acknowledge those experiences. Knowing what is making us stronger only helps us to continue to be stronger. I was in a class this week and Diane, a coach and participant said, "With intention comes energy."  My intention is to meet each challenge this week with resilience and a smile.  I believe I can do it!

Have you ever thought about how resilience plays a part in your life?  It may be helpful to take a few minutes this week to think about how you have been resilient and what a difference it made in how you reacted to a situation or problem.  It doesn't have to be something big.  Just a problem that you faced with I can do this attitude.  

      When you share your dreams and your talent with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!
                                                                                                                               Ginny

There are times in life that things seem a little blurry like the painting above.  I have an idea about what I want to do but I am just not sure how to get there or if it is the right thing to do.  So I have learned to wait, to take my time, and listen to not only what I know but what I feel.

For me there is nothing better than having a clear picture of what I am going to do next especially if it is something that I feel strongly about.  Taking my time, gathering the facts, and most importantly listening to my feelings and my heart has become a way of life for me.  

What about you?  Are you someone who jumps in with both feet ready to take on the world and the challenge?  Or are you someone who moves a little more slowing thinking first and then moving forward?  There is no right or wrong answer. We are all different and what works for you may not work for someone else.  The important thing is to know yourself well and to make decisions based on the method that feels right to you and only you!  

               When you share your dreams and your talent with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!
                                                                                                                                                                         Ginny

 Kaizen-Muse Coaching strategies have helped me so much not only in living a more creative life but in finding answers to everyday questions.  If you have a project you want to begin or finish, if you are not sure what to do next, or if you are a perfectionist, the strategies that I share may be just what you are looking for.  If you are interested in learning more, I'd love to talk. Let's set up a time to meet over the phone or on Skype.  [email protected]

"The Power to Choose" was a phrase I read this morning and I immediately felt a surge of energy.  It is amazing how much these words energized me today.  There are times when I am not sure what I want to do next with my life but when I realize that I have the power to choose, I am filled with a sense of excitement.  People are often told that they can't have it all.    Or little children are given the choice of two things but told, "It's your choice.  You can't have both."  In these situations the making a choice doesn't seem so big or exciting. You are limited by what you choose.  But when you reframe how you think or speak about about choice it becomes powerful.  Reframing is looking at a word or concept in a different way. It can turn a concept that is holding you back into something that is energizing and exciting.  We all have the power to choose how we feel about something. We have the power to choose to worry or to live each day with joy.  We have the power to be there for people who need us or to turn away.  We have the power to choose whether we laugh or we cry. We have the power to enjoy each day for what it brings or to always be looking for more. It's our choice. 

 I love it when a phrase jumps out at me when I am reading.  That's what happened this morning.  I was reading an article and all of a sudden "the power to choose" jumped out at me in the middle of the sentence. I don't know what came before or what came after.  It was just those four words that stood out to me.  I usually start the week with a an inspiring quote.  But this week my inspiration comes from four words, "The Power to Choose"   It will be fun to see where my choices lead me.

                When you share your dreams and your talent with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin
                                                                                                                                                               Ginny.

As a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach I often work with writers who are stuck. It happens to all of us and I definitely know how it feels.  If this is something you are experiencing and would like to talk about it, please contact me.  I would love to share the many strategies that I have learned as a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach to help you overcome whatever is standing in your way of moving forward with your project.  [email protected]

"Growing into your future with health and grace and beauty doesn’t have to take all your time. It rather requires a dedication to caring for yourself as if you were rare and precious, which you are, and regarding all life around you as equally so, which it is. "  Victoria Moran

I had big plans for this morning.  I was going to drive for an hour, take a new yoga class, and drive an hour home.  I didn't feel a lot of excitement for my plan but since my word for the rest of the year is "Stretch" I thought this would be a good idea. When I woke up this morning I had plenty of time to follow through with my plan but it didn't feel right.  So I asked myself this simple question.  "What do I really want?"  And the answer came quickly.  A home yoga practice. I've thought about this many times but always tell myself that I do so much better when I take a class.  But then I realized that maybe my own self-talk was keeping me from doing what I really want to do and that is yoga in my studio every morning right after I get up.  But what about my word "Stretch" ?  Am I already giving it up after just two weeks?  But again looking at things through different eyes the answer is no I'm not giving up my word.  I am literally stretching which I can do at home or in a yoga studio.  But I am also dedicating each part of my morning to something that I love in a place that I love. That's stretching just in a different way. 

Knowing yourself and what you want and need is key to self-care.  Simple questions often lead to profound answers.  "What do I want today?" can open many doors that we don't even know are closed.  I hope that you will join me this week as I begin my day with a simple question that hopefully will help me stretch in ways that I haven't even known existed.

             When you share your dreams and your talent with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!

I am really enjoying preparing for my class Exploring Self-Care.  As I continue to do so each Wednesday on my blog, I will be discussing how self care can be enhanced by using Kaizen-Muse creativity principles and strategies. Asking yourself simple questions is a strategy that is very powerful.  Sometimes the answer comes right away.  Sometimes you have to listen for awhile but it will appear. I hope that you have a wonderful week filled with lots and lots of special moments fueled by simple questions and exquisite self-care.  Ginny

                    "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."
                                                                                                                                   Marcel Proust

I definitely experienced the above quote on Friday.  While waiting for my husband while he was in an appointment I decided to take a short walk. I had driven down this same street many many times and have walked it a few times as well but always with a purpose.  Friday I decided to take my time and really enjoy the stroll and the view.  The first thing that caught my attention was a small white house with a really cute porch.  On the porch someone had set up a beautiful bright blue vignette.  The flowers were arranged in a pretty vase and the tea pot and cups were waiting for guests.  It looked like the perfect place to relax and visit with friends.  Next, I saw a woman sitting with her paints.  She was painting one of the new condos that were recently built above a row of stores.  She was busy painting oblivious to the cars and people that were whizzing past her. Next I came upon three more painters and finally another group who were painting an old red building.  I decided they must be part of a class.  I walked past buildings and homes that were there from the 1800s.  I learned that the antique store on the corner used to be a livery stable and that the new trendy restaurant was at one time a cotton mill. It was a short walk and it didn't take much time but I discovered something new about places I had driven by many times before.  I wonder what else I can learn this week if I open my eyes just a little wider and take my time to see what is right before me.  

Bernard Baruch said, "Take the obvious, add a cupful of brains, a generous pinch of imagination, a bucketful of courage and daring, stir well, and bring it to a boil."  I think this sounds like a wonderful recipe for an interesting week. I think I will try it and see what happens.  I invite you to join me.

                   When you share your dreams and your talent with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!

               "Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. 
                                                    Tiptoe if you must, but take the step."

I love when I see the same message several times in different places over the course of a day or week.  That is what happened both times with the quote above.  It never had a name attached to it so I can't give credit to whoever wrote it but I liked it the first time I saw it and even more the second. I am such a big proponent of taking small steps.  It is amazing how they can lead to such wonderful accomplishments.  Whenever a task seems too big or overwhelming I break it into tiny little pieces or chunks, and before I know it what seemed impossible to do is finished with very little stress.  

I am getting back into using my watercolors.  This summer I bought a small Windsor&Newton Travel kit and it is perfect. It is so easy to take with me wherever I go and the cleanup is almost nonexistent. Now I need to begin to play with mixing colors and break away from my very much loved blue and green combination.  I've tried before but I always come back to the colors that make me feel peaceful and relaxed. 

Is there something you want to begin this weekend?  Remember the quote above and tiptoe if you must, but take the step. Then let us know where it takes you.  I bet it will be someplace wonderful!

                When you share your talent and your dreams, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!


As a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach one of the strategies I always share is the power of small steps.  Just recently I listened to a good friend as she was interviewed on the radio about her first published novel.  We used to meet weekly in our local library as she shared what she had written one small step at a time.  Now she is a published author being interviewed about her book. The power of small steps should never be taken lightly. If you would like to learn more about Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching, please contact me at [email protected].  I would love to talk.





                     "My friend...care for your psyche...know thyself, for once we know ourselves, 
                                        we may learn how to care for ourselves."  Socrates

"What do you mean they don't care for themselves?  Why wouldn't they?"   "They take time for themselves?  How do they do it?"  Over the course of time I have found that people often find themselves in either one or the other camp.  They can't imagine not taking time for themselves or they can't imagine what it would be like to take time for themselves.  Which one are you?  Or are you like me?  Is it something you often think about and sometimes do?  I am getting ready to teach a course to a group of women who spend quite a bit of time taking care of others. I hope that this course will help them not only to help others but will also remind them how important self-care is in their own lives. 

As I continue to research this important topic, it seems that everyone starts with eating healthy foods and exercising more. I agree that these two things can definitely be the foundation to a healthy life.  But there are other areas that are important as well.  Knowing yourself, as you are now, is definitely key to knowing how to take care of yourself.  This summer self-care meant an entirely different thing to me than it means to me at this exact moment.  My husband's illness became the focus of our world so while self-care was very very important it was often done in small amounts of time.  As things are getting back to normal, I now can spend larger amounts of time on doing what I need to do for me.  So for me flexibility is key.  Knowing what I need, when I need it, and how I can incorporate self-care into my life often changes as the world around me changes. But the importance for self-care always stays the same.

We are all caregivers. It is important that we not only care for others but care for ourselves.  The road to self-care begins with self-awareness.  This week take a moment or two each day to think about what you need. And then spend a little more time figuring out how you can get it.  Is it more time for yourself or more time with others?  Do you need to cook a meal that not only tastes good but is healthy?  Do you need to sleep in or get up early?  Do you need to stretch more or be a little easier on yourself?  As I learn more about this important topic, I hope to share  questions and concepts that will make a difference in my life as well as yours.  The road to self-care can be bumpy and I know it has many starts and stops but it is a road worth discovering and traveling. I would love to know how you plan to take care of yourself today.

                          When you share your gifts and talent with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!
                                                                                                                                                   Ginny


Working with women of all ages to find ways to take care of themselves is only one of the things that I love to do as a creativity/positivity coach.  If working with a coach is something that you have often thought about but have not taken the steps to do, this might be the time.  Just send me an email and we can set up a time to talk!  I would love to meet you.  [email protected]