Lately I have not been inspired to paint or to write.  I support others in their pursuit of their creative lives but mine had stalled for just a bit.  But knowing the creative process as I do, I relaxed.  I knew given time the desire to write would return as has the "I can't wait to paint today" feeling.  There are times in all of our creative lives when we need to step back and take a break.  When this happens, I let myself go with the feeling for awhile and see what happens.  I look for inspiration but I don't frantically seek it out. 

Friday morning I got up early and was riding into town when inspiration met me head on.  I was going slowly over a short bridge and had to stop because of the light below.  As I was waiting, I looked up to see the most beautiful Christmas tree atop the tallest building in the distance. The hospital had chosen all blue lights and it shone beautifully in the glow of the morning sunrise.  I was in awe of its beauty and it was at that moment I knew I was ready to create again.  

Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes.  It comes when we are looking for it and when we are not.  It comes from nature, people and things we cannot explain. The important thing is to be aware of it and to be open to it when it comes.  

Look for what inspires you this week.  Then take the steps to bring more of that into your life.  For me it just may be more early morning rides or walks to see what I can see.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with inspirational moments!

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

                                                     Create the life you want to live.
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As a coach I know the importance of the words I say not only to other people but also to myself.  The words we say and the stories we tell about ourselves or to ourselves can make a big difference in the way we introduce ourselves and interact with the world.  The other day I was talking to a fellow coach and I must have said at least four times, "I must be feeling sorry for myself." and each time I said it I felt a little more down.  Suddenly, she said, "You've got to stop saying that." You need to tell yourself something that makes you feel positive and empowered.  And immediately I knew she was right.  And with that awareness came a feeling of lightness as though 100 pounds were lifted off of my shoulders. It's important to listen to your own words. How do they make you feel?  How do they make others feel?  Changing "I have to" to "I get to" shifts the energy from something dreaded to an opportunity.  It's just that simple. 

So as you go through this holiday season listen to the words you are using.  Are you saying positive things that make your day brighter or do your words bring you down?  As always, awareness is the first step in making a change.  Listen!  Feel! And then make a change if a change is what is needed.

                I hope that everyone will have a wonderful week filled with only positive and uplifting words!

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

                                                             Create the life you want to live!
                                                                     [email protected]

                           "Don't let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace"  Dalai Lama


Today the words just didn’t seem to want to come.  With all of the horrible things going on in the world it seemed hard to be positive and yet staying positive is what I believe in and what I hope I help others to do.  I really wanted to write something profound and meaningful and yet the words would not come.

So I decided to turn to my old and faithful friend gratitude.  I have learned that no matter how dark the day,  if I remember all that I have to be grateful for the sun seems to shine just a little brighter.  It’s hard to frown when I remember the fun my grandchildren and their friends have riding their bikes and their scooters through their neighborhood.  It’s hard to stay sad when I look up at the sky and see the beautiful stars twinkling or look at the trees still holding on to their beautiful fall leaves.  I get strength each morning when I look at my flowers which are still fighting against the cold especially the one plant that just keeps on blooming no matter how cold it was the night before. 

I’m grateful for the conversations I have with friends where we agree to disagree but still continue to learn from each other.  I’m grateful that I have my painting and my writing to keep me company and that as I continue to create my life I continue to meet new people who enrich my experiences by sharing their world with me.  I’m grateful that growing up I knew all types of people from different races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds and that I am not scared by someone who looks different than me. 

For many years my Friday blog post was about the things I was grateful for.  Each week I seemed to write about the same things.  And then I had an “Aha” moment.  These were the things that were most important to me and the things that I should be giving the most attention.  And so once again I think that I will share with you each week what I am most grateful for.  It helps me to notice the things that make me happy each day and to acknowledge their importance in my life. 

       I would love to know about your gratitude practice and those things that you are most grateful for this week.
 
       When you share your talent and your dreams with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!   
                                                                                                                        Ginny


                                                           Create the life you want to live.
                                                                 [email protected]