Kirism, Dare You Design Your Own Personal Philosophy?

I ended 2019 and entered 2020 in a new playgroup called Kirism. The invitation to every hero is to design your own destiny by designing your own philosophy.... instead of living by default.

What are you choosing? Destiny by Design or Destiny by Default?

This blog is going to be more a personal tracker, my Creative Change Chronicles... I will chronicle some of my heroic journey to get clarity about my philosophy and how I can live it every single day of my life.

It's going to be a bit chaotic, a lot messy and at the same time, provocative, prolific and passionate... that is the kind of writer I am. It's going to be in the immediacy of my experience, a huge challenge and adventure... so pretty is not going to be of supreme importance!

About Kirism

We started the journey with daily check ins, for 2 weeks, where anything goes as we all started getting familiar with the work. To download all 12 books of volume 1 of KIRISM, click here. These come in PDF and also in audio recordings... yes, all for free.

https://kirism.com/

This is how the founder of Kirism, Eric Maisel, renown Creativity Coach, outlines it:

Welcome to the home of kirism,
a new philosophy of life.

Kirism is based on our updated understanding of human nature and the challenges of living. For a philosophy to make sense to you, it must move out of the shadows cast by the dinosaur philosophies and religions of old and illuminate your current reality. Kirism does that.

A contemporary philosophy of life has to take a lot into account. How meaning works. The difference between life purpose and life purposes. The realities of work. The high bar tasks of self-obligation and self-authorship. The challenges of culture and society. What ethical action looks like. And much more.

Kirism does that intricate work. It is fresh, pertinent and useful. If no philosophy or religion has made enough sense to you, take a look at kirism and see what you think. Kirism is a vital philosophy designed to meet today’s challenges. Come see how much you’ll benefit when you make time for kirism, a philosophy of life that makes sense.


To learn more about kirism, visit our FAQ page or dive right in and begin reading.

The Expat S/hero's Journey

The Expat's Way in 3 Acts and an ongoing, everyday Celebration!

There are two ways to live; you can live as if nothing is a miracle, or you can live as if everything is a miracle. ~Albert Einstein

My ongoing project is writing The Expat's Way. I am currently working on the second edition as well as a sketchnote collection to support the 4 workshops that have grown into and out of the book.

The Heart's Call

At Home Wherever You Are

On Top of the World

Celebration (everyday is a celebration)

7 Reasons Why Connection With Self and Others Is So Important

Some of the basic needs of childhood are love and emotional connection. When we receive these, we learn to feel worthy and lovable. Many of us grow up without these needs being adequately met. This lack of connection can have far-reaching physical and psychological consequences for us. (For extensive research on these consequences, see Why Love Mattersby Sue Gerhardt.)

Not experiencing loving connection as a child can lead to feeling a deep yearning in adulthood. Unfortunately, trying to get this connection from others, rather than learning to connect with ourselves and others, can lead to many personal and relationship problems.

In my work with clients, I focus on helping them, first and foremost, connect with themselves -- with their feelings and their higher self/personal source of spiritual guidance. Here's why:

1. An Inner Black Hole vs. Inner Fulfillment

When we are disconnected from ourselves -- from who we really are and from our feelings -- and when we are not filling ourselves with love through our spiritual connection, we create a black hole within. The black hole we've created through our self-abandonment becomes like a vacuum, trying to pull love from others. This neediness tends to push people away, so we end up feeling even more unloved.

When we want responsibility for our own well-being and we open to learning about loving ourselves, we open the door to connecting with an infinite source of love. Learning to bring this love within and share it with others creates deep inner fulfillment.

2. Failed Relationships vs. Sharing Love

Since we come together at our common level of self-abandonment and our common level of self-love, if we are abandoning ourselves by disconnecting from ourselves and avoiding responsibility for our feelings, we will likely attract someone who is doing the same thing. Each partner hopes that the other will fill the black hole within. While they might seem to do this for each other for a short time, eventually each feels unloved and resentful, leading to relationship failure. We cannot fill up another person. We each need to do this for ourselves, and then share our love with each other. We cannot connect on a deep level of love with each other when we are not connected with ourselves.

In my experience, sharing love with another who is also filled up with love and sharing it, is the most fulfilling and joyful experience in life. Do not confuse getting love with sharing love -- they are light years apart!

3. Depression and Loneliness vs. Happiness and Joy

Depression is a huge problem in our society. While there are many causes for feelings of depression, one of the causes is disconnection from self -- self-abandonment. Just as a child gets depressed when the parent is disconnected and unavailable, so our inner child -- our feeling self -- gets depressed when we are disconnected from our feelings and not taking loving responsibility for them.

Another cause of depressed feelings is social isolation and the resulting loneliness, which is often one of the results of disconnecting from ourselves and then being unable to connect with others.

The film Happy takes us on a trip around the world to the happiest people on the planet. Invariably, these are people who live in communities where they feel connected with each other. They feel safe because they watch out for each other. They are not lonely.

However, many people who have tried to establish connected or intentional communities end up leaving them for the same reason they leave marriages: They don't work unless people are connected with themselves and taking responsibility for their own feelings.

4. Physical Illness vs. Physical Health

Stress is a major cause of illness (see The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton). When we live our lives disconnected from ourselves -- not listening to and taking loving care of our feelings -- and disconnected from our personal source of guidance, love and comfort, we cannot manage stress well. Self-abandonment itself causes much anxiety and stress, which activates the fight-or-flight response and negatively affects ourimmune system.

There is some indication, according to Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers, that people who live in connected communities are far healthier than those who live in a more isolated way. Connection with self and others is vital for good health.

5. Addictions vs. Self-Regulation

When we have not learned how to connect with our feelings and with the love and comfort of our spiritual guidance, we often turn to addictions as a way of managing painful feelings. In order to be able to manage and regulate our feelings in healthy ways, we need to connect with them with a desire to take loving responsibility for them. Turning to addictive behavior is a form of self-abandonment -- a way of avoiding responsibility for our feelings -- and can lead to many negative consequences.

6. Violence vs. Compassion

When we have not learned how to fully feel our painful feelings, compassionately managing them, learning from them and then releasing them, we may lose touch with our humanity. It is the inability to manage pain that can lead to destructive and self-destructive behavior. When we cannot connect with and feel compassion for our own feelings, we may lose our ability to feel compassion for others. When this occurs, we can act out in violently harmful ways.

7. Boredom vs. Passion and Creativity

Our passion and creativity thrive through our connection with our feelings and with our spiritual guidance. When we disconnect from our feelings to protect against pain, we also shut out joy, creativity and passion. Life becomes flat, pointless and boring. Love and joy live in the same place in the heart as loneliness and heartbreak. When we shut down, trying to not feel our loneliness and heartbreak, we also shut down our ability to feel love and joy. This is a very sad way to live.

You don't have to live this way. You can learn to connect within. You can learn to move your focus from outer -- trying to get love and connection from others -- to inner, truly loving yourself and others. You can learn to shift from avoiding feeling your painful feelings to compassionately embracing them with a desire to learn about what they are telling you. You can learn to take loving care of yourself and experience the deep joy of sharing your love with others.

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a relationship expert, best-selling author, and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® self-healing process, recommended by actress Lindsay Wagner and singer Alanis Morissette, and featured on Oprah. To begin learning how to love and connect with yourself so that you can connect with others, take advantage of our free Inner Bonding eCourse, receive Free Help, and take our 12-Week eCourse, "The Intimate Relationship Toolbox" - the first two weeks are free! Discover SelfQuest®, a transformational self-healing/conflict resolution computer program. Phone or Skype sessions with Dr. Margaret Paul.

Connect with Margaret on Facebook: Inner Bonding, and Facebook: SelfQuest.

Reblogged from Huffington Post: Read the original blogpost here 7 Reasons Why Connection With Self and Others Is So Important...

Change is a Miracle Workshop

Begin with the miracle question because change is a miracle.

What if a miracle happened when you were asleep. Now that you are awake, you notice that a miracle has happened...

Read more about the miracle question here...

Visit Cycles of Change Coaching for inspiration and resources on integrated living, click here.

For more on the Change Is A Miracle Workshop, click here...

Burden to Blessing

Have you recently experienced a crisis, an obstacle or felt unjustly challenged in some way? What did you tell yourself about what was happening? Did you feel angry, frustrated, wronged and/or helpless? Did your self-talk reflect sentiments such as: ”How can this happen to me?” or “I am sick and tired” and/or “I just can’t do this anymore”?

Did it seem like it was the end of the world? I remember when my son was two years old and if he dropped something, he would get frustrated and upset with himself. To comfort him, I would often say: “It’s not the end of the world darling”. Then one day, I dropped something and must have over-reacted or been visibly upset. Imagine this sweet angel of a two year old putting his little arm around me and patting me saying: “Mommy, it’s not the end of the world mommy”. That was a wake up call to me. Since then, I have become better and better at putting things into perspective and not sweating the small stuff.

We all have times in our lives where outer circumstances take on the form of crisis, which we may even perceive as threats. We can allow such circumstances to dominate and rule our lives. Resisting what we are faced with can increase our sense of helplessness and lower our sense of well-being until we take the decision to recognize a burden as being a blessing. Such a turnaround begins with a change in perspective. This intention to turn a burden into a blessing is what can and does heal us.

We can train ourselves to see in the obstacle an opportunity – the opportunity is present and you can turn the worst of crisis into the greatest of blessings. Resisting crisis instead of nipping them in the bud means it can drag on for years on end. This is because what we focus on expands and grows, and focusing on how bothered one is, how put out one is, that one is being victimized and helpless, will exacerbate, prolong and grow the burden.

It’s not the outer circumstances that necessarily create the experience of crises. You do not feel gratitude and thankfulness when you are feeling opposed and contradicted, burdened and antagonized. However, you can feel gratitude, thankfulness and a sense of being supported even in the face of contrary circumstances. This capacity to see beyond the obvious and to respond beyond the learned reaction comes from your connection to your inner wisdom – something I often refer to as ones “Heart Call”.

By turning your attention to your inner guidance puts you in touch with your inner compass. This pure wisdom is accessible, available and instantaneous. This inner knowing guides you to your truth, the knowing that a burden can be a blessing. A willingness and openness to look within, where your true power rests helps you regain your balance and feelings of prosperity. There are a countless number of true stories written that hold testimony to the fact that misfortune holds the seeds of fortune, purpose and a meaningful life.

Obstacles and opportunities, burdens and blessings, misfortune and fortune are two sides of the same coin. Burdens are ultimately blessings – the flip side of the coin really. Financial loss, broken relations and more can be seen as slamming doors, however a redirection of your attention, based on your heart’s wisdom will guide you and support you into experiences where windows are open and you can go through them to something better, where loss becomes gain and therefore a blessing in disguise.

Life is a paradox, and so is everything really. With practice and new experience, your reactions make way for responsiveness. You know that you can change your thoughts, you can change the meaning you give to circumstances and events and looking over your life, you will find evidence of when you were able to make the most of a bad situation. Burdens can be seen as blessings and your thoughts are not in contradiction with your true nature. You can change your perceptions over time or you can begin with a new assumption, not the assumption that the burden is the end of the world but rather that the burden has a blessing and when you look for it, you can find it. So, you can begin with thanks, beginning with thanking for your inner wisdom, that you can connect to it and source it, that you have the power to transcend at least in perception, any circumstance. Taking charge of your reactions, you can choose to respond instead, turning to your thankful practices. When you do this, your life will flow better, more joyfully and freely.

What do you stand to lose by thinking that you can even for a few seconds at a time find things to appreciate – even if circumstances stayed the same. There is more to gain from doing this. When you change the way you see things, the things you look at change. You do have a choice, to resist what is or to act more thankfully. You can run your life, sourcing your inner resources rather than abdicating your power to outer factors. You can get into the habit of asking yourself: “The blessing is here, what do I need to let go of to see it?”

The oak often serves as a useful metaphor when we wish to remind ourselves to be resilient. However you have probably heard that what you resist persists, meaning that when confronted by something unwanted, the act of focusing on it and wanting things to be otherwise, just makes matters worse. You may also remember the fable of the willow tree and the oak tree competing with each other, to determine who was stronger than the wind. The oak tree resisted and broke and the willow tree, just went with it and thrived. The moral of the story is “bend like the willow, don’t resist like the oak.” You bending like the willow is remembering to bend your thoughts around the burdens and reach for the blessing that is present.

Many thanks and much Wisdom,

Be Inspired and Change Something

Be Inspired & Change Something

Have you ever thought about using a coach? Have you ever used one in the past?

Those who have, have found it to be an immensely motivating and validating experience. For 30-90 minutes you are gifted with the focused attention on YOU and on what you want and need! You create the agenda and a coach will help you set the tone.

A coach authentically, and attentively nudges you and helps you shift towards greater congruence between you and your dreams.

• A coach can help you connect to your mission and vision – showing you that you are never starting from scratch.
• A coach helps you cultivate your great ideas, which may be hidden in distraction, just a seed waiting for loving attention to flourish! 
• A coach is a supportive set of "believing" eyes – you know you have a good idea, a coach is a perfect person to bounce things off. Expect genuine feedback and even additional tools to stimilate even more creative ideas and connections.
• A coach can help you process change and challenges in your life – whether you are facing specific challenges or you are ready to find clarity around things in general.
• A coach can help you set goals, carry them to completion and embrace greater freedom.

Resources

1. Change is a Miracle, read more...

2. There are many ways to change a habit. This is an excerpt from a blog I wrote 2 months ago on the many ways of changing something...

Excerpt:

"The Power of Habit

I have promoted the power of practice. While I use the terms habit and practice interchangeably, there are slight differences in nuances, which is simply a matter of personal connection/preference.

What do the words habit and practice mean to you?

What is the strange looking puzzle on this page doing there? I enjoy playing with my ideas, playfulness is an attitude that I find powerful and empowering to bring into my practices, no matter what they are.

When you have an idea, you make it happen by turning it into a practice. What does play have to do with it? Practice is a serious business, yet practice to be sustainable, needs to embody "play". I have taken the 7 pivotal points of the Hero's Journey and represented them here as a puzzle.

Imagine playing with this puzzle. When something works for you, my philosophy is "play it forward"... this is the sustainability and appreciation I love to emphasize."

Excerpted from my blog, to read more and experiment with "new" practices and for more links and resources, click here...

Doorways to Love

Golden Doors, Open Doors

If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.~ William Blake 

The Expat's Way is about coming to your senses. We focus on 10 of them during the 10 week course/path. These too can be seen as the 10 Doorways to Love.

Create your own doorways and walk through them. Which one will you walk through now? possibility? abundance? connection?

Open the door, read more...

Open Up Your Habits to Different

I am here to transcend the everyday, the commonplace, habits that degenerates rather than regenerates...that depreciate rather than appreciate my potential. 

Everyday, I open myself up with courage to break my rules, to take risks, venture into the unknown and to redefine “failure”

I do not need to make bold, gigantic, changes. All that authentic growth asks of me is to change one thing... even a small thing... one thing that makes a difference. No, not the same difference but the difference that makes a difference!

Doing what you’ve always done in the way you’ve always done it, just gives you more of what you’ve always got. Such “non-actions” (actions that don’t make a relevant difference), I call “non-actions”.

I’m not going to start thinking of all the “lame” excuses as to why this task is impossible. Why would anyone want to waste their resources looking for excuses. The  hero’s journey is not one big adventure to find as many excuses as possible to not own your power and to not own your nature and originality. Perhaps it sounds extreme, that one has to disown the “comfort zone” choices (couch potato) to embrace and own our comfortable with uncertainty and magic person. This does not have to be a bad thing unless you want it to be.

A good place to start is always right here, right now. You are in the best position possible to make a difference. So, KISS it better... keep it super simple! Begin by simplifying your goals – with the intention to connect more fully to your strengths and to redefine your assumptions and rules, choose rules and assumptions that set you free.

Let's choose generative & sustainable goals (quality) over quantity this time. Let’s forget about the grandiose and focus on specific, meaningful, game-changing goals.

Start thinking in terms of your own formula for self-mastery. By the way, don’t get hung up on your formula or you will leave  yourself hanging out to fail. Let your formula not be set in stone... it’s a new and fluid set of rules and guidelines. Allow there to be exceptions when the exceptions are growth oriented! Let your formula be free to evolve and take you to places you have never been before. I like to call this an “open” formula for self-mastery.

1. Appreciative Inquiry

Reflect on what you have accomplished. I do this daily... At any point in my day, I take pause e.g. when I need a “time-out” or to recharge my batteries, to focus or center myself (and for many other reasons), not least because it begins with an oft-overlooked activity: meditation. I start by asking two questions: What went well? How can I take the good and make it better? It's a very simple but useful exercise that takes stock of where you've built new skills for success and where there's room for development. This a open-hearted assessment of what I’m capable of puts me in good stead to set and refine my goals as I go along.

2. Goals that Make a Difference

Brainstorm a list of meaningful goals i.e. that will make an impact. Now group these goals into categories or try to find common threads and themes.  Face it, you're much more likely to be successful if you: (1) Write out very specific goals and sub-goals, (2) write out a clear plan of action to achieve them, and (3) have a back-up plan for what you will do in case of challenges, distractions, and the like. Reflect on what matters most to you. Consider your purpose:

• What am  I passionate about?
• Are my goals driven by my passion and potential?
• Are my goals directed towards action and performance?

3. Trim the Fat

Create a change with a "turnaround" list. To make a difference and to experience a difference, you need to notice a difference. The way to do this is to turn things around. To do this means what it means... you will be venturing into the unknown, learning to be comfortable with uncertainty and “letting go” of a lot of assumptions, ideas, beliefs and the like.  Replace depreciating habits with appreciating ones... this is the authentic turnaround. Get a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle. On the left side, list some habits. On the right hand side, write down a more appreciative version/variation. If you are going to turn your life around, you need to begin with turning your mind around.

~~~

Where Are You Now?

If you’re thinking you don’t have the willpower for all of this, you are right! Forget about willpower, you don’t need it. You need to own your own power, the one that lives in your passion, in your heart, in your potential... in what you are doing already that works. Noticing what works is beginning with yes, with a ta-dah. Riding the ta-dah wave will crest at aha! … that is it’s nature. Read my book for free, Passion to Performance where you will find the steps to use the “SMARTEST STAR” model for goal & change management. Finally, prepare for exceptions...to make them and what to do when faced with them.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

I encourage you to explore Self-Love - this asks of you to connect to your Heart's Desire, regardless of your relationship status.

In this Valentine's Day Message, I am offering you creativity tools & practices that will support you to do just that. This process of Appreciative Inquiry will help you discover what you are passionate about. A great act of Self-Love is to allow your attention to shift to what you truly want… Let's jump right in and make the most of this time and space (your Valentine's Day Gift to You) you've just created for yourself.

Embrace Your Passion
• What do I think passion refers to?
• When do I feel most strongly about something?
• When have I been most passionate about something?
• How do I feel when I am using my talents and strengths?
• Where do I get my motivation from?
• Who has impressed me because of their passions?

• What makes time fly? (because time flies when you're having fun)
• What do I wish I had more time for?
• What would I do even if I was not paid for it?

You are happiest when...

Now that you are better connected to what you are passionate about, what next? You want to make plans to embrace your passion on a daily basis. Continue this exciting adventure with a free e-book, Passion to Performance on Scribed. You are also free to join me on Facebook at The Happy Heart Project and share with other Happy Hearts!


Wishing you one more Day (after day after day), living more and more heart-fully, passionately and happily!

Explore Play Appreciate
Aneesah

The Answer Lies In Front of You and Behind...

The Answer Lies in Front of You and Behind You At the Same Time

Usually I know I have a good insight by its paradoxical nature or the humor/humorous perspective it embraces.

In December, I posted the blog "It's Not Too Late to Make 2011 Your Best Year Yet". I put up a link to this on my page on google+.

This morning, as synchronicity would have it, I saw this crazy but* photo a friend had posted of a passer by in the street (fully clothed, but unusual enough to grab... one's attention). I then forgot all about it and moved on... to my google+.

Where I received a notification that someone called name name had posted a comment to this link. It read:

 "How to have a big but*?" 

I wasn't sure what to make of this. It could be genuine, someone thinking I am some kind of expert and good at giving answers. I ignored it for a bit and got on with my business. Then I wondered... let me look at this another time. I looked up name name... it looked a bit unusual... only 3 in circle... not much else happening, a male from Saudi Arabia (my name is Persian so I get a whole lot of weird attention from certain parts of the world... for all kinds of equally weird reasons).

That aside, I thought that perhaps I would just block the person without reporting as it could be a perfectly honest and harmless question... who's to say? So I hit the "block" button.

By nature, I like reaching for the highest perspective on things so my sense of humor came to the rescue... did I say, I also like to have fun? I thought, I could answer this in a way that if the person was genuine and needed advice, the advice would be useful. Also, it makes it more pleasant for visitors to my page if I diffuse the situation... take it to a better place. And if the person was up to no good, well, my reply would be equally ambiguous.

I wanted to write

"THE ANSWER LIES IN FRONT OF YOU"

But*, it would appear, that the comment no longer existed. So I had to leave it at that... until I decided to post this blog... just to remind myself that the answer can lie in front of me and behind me at the same time.

Very much like the message of my blog on It's not too late to Make 2011 Your Best Year Yet". To read this blog entry, click here...

It's Not too Late to Make 2011, Your Best Year Yet!

It's not too late to make 2011 your Best Year Yet. 

It's possible because perception is the key to transformation. Good, better, best... it's all a matter of perception. Change the way you see something, and you change everything.

So how do you change the way you see 2011? Ask this simple question, it is called Appreciative Inquiry.

If 2011 was my BEST YEAR because it was here to teach me everything I needed to know to make 2012 even better, what did I learn?

Now, put pen to paper and write down all that was great about 2011, all that you have learned from 2011 to make it even better (because you learned and grew from it, duh) and your plan to take all this that is good and make it even better for 2012.

Read more...

Congruent Connections through Turnarounds

Yin and yang is a fantastic idea. We use it everywhere. What if it means and can mean more than we think it means?

Creating congruent connections means creating new and increasingly better connections to your authentic self. 

What if asking a difference question is the one thing you can change and it will change everything?

What are the questions you are asking yourself? Why me? Why not me? Where can you ask the opposite, turned around question to reclaim your connection, so reconnect to reclaim your power?

Start asking powerful and empowering questions to receive powerful and empowering answers!

It's a popular strategy in coaching, and it works. Nietzsche said "Even a thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform you". So write down 10 questions you ask yourself daily and turn these around.

Hero's Journey & TAO of Experience

Updating my other blogs, the Hero's Journey and TAO of Experience.

Interesting read on how to use creative perspective, strategies and practices to create your experiences. Isn't this why we are all here, in a search for meaning and the eternal validation of our "creative essence".

Do not assume that all you have experienced is all there is to experience. We usually remember this therefore we have the courage to continue on our journeys. There are times we need to remind ourselves though.

7 Idea Generators

The 7 Idea Generators are competencies and practices to generate ideas, improve memory, increase knowledge, solve problems (find solutions), invent things, improve relationships, find partners, shift to a new perspective, and best of all, to cultivate a sense of humour. Did I mention, it creates HAPPINESS?

Like INNOVERY  or not, on facebook. 7 Great tips to get you what you want!

Connect To Resourcefulness

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY 

 I remember the reggae music, musicians on a tropical island sharing their perspective. It's easy not to worry and to be happy when you are on a beautiful island, with friends, singing and dancing, in the sun, the poster child of health and freedom, making money doing all this, and the list is endless. What are the reasons we give ourselves as to why we have to worry and why now is not the time to be happy even though it is the one thing I want more than anything else?

Tell Me It's Normal

It is normal to feel fear, doubt, worry and even panic. We are learning to focus our attention in more creative and constructive ways. When we are doing this conscciously, we are getting increasingly better at it.

But change happens, externals can be unpredictable and we have our moments where we are just not in the zone. If you consider that we are expanding our potential, and our potential is also expanding, we are regularly faced with challenges. We can learn new ways of perceiving these challenges, so we feel less overwhelm.

 Worry, panic, fear and doubt usually stems from us feeling overwhelmed. We feel overwhelmed when we tell ourselves that the situation is asking more than I am able to give. When we tell ourselves that this is too big, hard, emotional to handle right now. I can't do this. This shouldn't be happening... the list goes on. 


Reactive vs. Responsive

 The reaction is usually to go at it harder and more aggressively or to run away. The flight, fright, freeze reaction again. But what if we can put ourselves in a position to be RESPONSIVE instead. To be creative is to be responsive. How does on choose to be responsive instead of reactive? To use negative emotions as fuel as so many creatives say they do. How does one turn a negative into a positive?

 Resourcefulness & Resiliency 

 The answer lies in RESILIENCY. What if I can keep my head while the world is losing theirs? Resiliency comes from an awareness that "If there is an answer I will find it" thinking. The turning point is cultivating resilient thoughts and choosing to believe in one's ability and capacity to rise to any challenge. I call this a faith in one's inner creativity, in one's Resourcefulness.

We are by nature resourceful. When the going is good, it is important to cultivate a resourceful state, to enhance one's experience and connection to those inner resources of creativity, creative growth and creative resolution.

Even greater benefits come from connecting to this Resourceful State when faced with any challenge. Resiliency & Resourcefulness comes from a belief in one's own capacity to connect to one's creative centre. The belief that it is there and I can mobilise it.

 Creative Practice 

1. Take a sheet of paper and write down the words "worry, fear, panic and doubt". 
2.  Circle these words. 
3. Now draw arrows leading away from these words into open space on the page.
4. Now write down the words, resilience and resourcefulness. 
5. Meditate on how you connect to your resilience & resourcefulness. 
6. Be aware of where you have this as you move more creatively through your day. 
7. Write down three affirmations that describe what you are feeling. e.g.

• I feel more and more connected to my creative capacity. 
• I feel stronger when I am aware of my strengths 
• I feel like I am looking beyond overwhelm, connected to my calm in better ways.

Uniquely You: 20 Things To Love About You

If someone were to say “You are indeed unique.” What does this mean to you? This column is to guide you through the process of making an appreciative inquiry into what makes you special, and create a more conscious awareness of many ways in which you express your uniqueness. Your practices are the many ways that you express your uniqueness. 


The first step is to list 20 qualities that are uniquely you so we can inquire into them. The purpose of this exercise is to connect with what is best and then to make it even better. I am not asking you to come up with 20 things that you or someone else thinks is wrong with you; neither of us feels inspired to create there!


We want to do something different. I am asking you to note 20 things that are great about you and then the ways you express these qualities.  Can you be comfortable enough to make the assumption that these qualities exist? What if you are doing at least 20 things right? Can you live with that thought? If they are there, are you willing to look into them? For example, you might write that you’re creative, generous,genuine, focussed and funny.


Proceed until you reach 20. Here are a few processes that can help you get there.

• Ask somebody 
• Brainstorm, and free associate 
• Focus on an image, plant, animal or fruit and write down the words that come to mind 
• Choose any five words and then substitute these for the qualities that ring true for you. 
• Perhaps the words to a prayer, a song or quotation come to mind. Write these down. 

Stay in the flow, and truly open your mind to this process. I encourage you to truly see the beauty that is you—and uniquely you. By now you are relaxing into this process of appreciating the authentic you and becoming increasingly comfortable. Notice how you are feeling differently already, notice how you are making the difference in your perception and experience. What is changing for you as you progress through this appreciative inquiry?


Now lets review your list. It’s probably a good guess that the majority of items on your list aren’t just physical attributes. You may have already noticed that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You may have also noticed that you have inner qualities that you express in ways that are uniquely you.


We are now in an even better position to expand your list to include what it is about these qualities that makes you different and unique. The answer lays in the way you and only you practice these qualities. Practices are your ways of thinking, expressing, doing things and getting things done.


Now you are ready to continue to the next step which is to register each of these qualities onto an index card.


Once you have completed this, you will plan to create multiple opportunities to affirm and consciously appreciate your unique capacities. Carry these with you and put in places where you can connect to them easily.


You are different and you are similar. These special qualities will help you connect in more meaningful ways to yourself and to others. You will notice how others also hold these qualities in ways that are unique to them, similar yet different at the same time. We do practice what is in our awareness and you will find yourself sharing your experiences with others, projecting an increasingly creative and positive self-image. In other words, you will feel more connected, confident and empowered.


And it keeps getting better. Your growing awareness will not only continue to sustain you, it will also expand into all the areas of your life, personally and professionally. In this way, they form your unique Success Blueprint that will honour and continue to celebrate the authentic you. You will continue to tell an ever-improving story of how you made it, a story of appreciation and worthiness. Your experiences will continue to grow, to empower and to sustain you.

The Happy Heart Connections

I have a new initiative, a non-profit organisation called The Happy Project on Facebook.
I also have a webs account to blog on The Happy Heart, read and participate while the book unfolds.
This is an extract from one of the blogs on this site.

There are three parts of the program. I have studied the process of creativity and innovation extensively. I have taken the different stages and condensed them into three stages, recovery, discovery and prosperity. Prosperity is a mainstream word, that I find comes the closest to represent the third stage of creativity, which embraces insights, and the integration of these insights into one's experience and across all areas of one's life. This learning is free of context and therefore can be applied universally, very much like one would use a metaphor and apply it to different contexts.


The term I prefer using to represent the third stage of prosperity is "innovery". It is a term I have coined and embodies the true essence of this stage of moving beyond all that already exists.


If I was to elaborate on the characteristics of recovery, I would liken it to falling out of the sky in the middle of the desert. You are stunned and disorientated... Who Am I?  In Recovery, one is so entangled in one's story and overwhelmed that one no longer has a sense of the unlimited self. Flight, fright and freeze are active modus operandi. Recovery is initiated when one realizes that one is confused and that there is more. It is an awakening that "oh, I am stressed, I forgot my heart, my courage, and so on". One then takes the initiative to restore some balance.


Inadvertently or consciously, one realizes  this is not who I am, I am more, I can reach for that now. Discovery is discovering that "you never left Kansas". Your personal power, happiness, strength, courage is inside you and you can reconnect. Your capacity for happy never separated from you, instead you turned your attention away from the things to appreciate.


Innovery is when you receive this insight amongst others and decide to integrate it into your life. You look through believing eyes fully and clearly seeing possibilities are endless. You incorporate new insights into your thinking practices and you seek to create new practices, projects and connections.

How Can You Be Happier?
Here are 3 practices that can make a difference:

1. Express appreciation to someone you want to connect with in a more authentic way
2. Pay attention to your self talk. What words are you using? Take 3 of these words, write them down. Now make them more positive. For the rest of the day, take the opportunity to use your 3 words that make a difference.
3. Write down one belief you have about what makes you happy. Ask yourself 3 questions, any questions, about this belief. 

• What makes you happy? 
• Can I be happy right now? 
• What can I do to reconnect to my happy feelings?

In very simple terms, the stages are:

EXPLORE, PLAY, APPRECIATE

Is Creativity the Number 1 Skill

"Creativity may be the most powerful of all the resources to be rich in. With vast numbers of people entering the workforce, huge improvements in productivity, and continued globalisation, the rewards for innovation and creativity will become even greater."
Given that for much of the western world we have exhausted our supplies of cash and commodities, creativity may be all we have left.
So there we have it.  7 themes that demonstrate that creativity is the number 1 skill for the 21st Century.

Excerpted from Mark Batey's Is Creativity the Number 1 skill for the 21st Century?

Creative Change Coaching on Facebook

You are invited to connect with Creative Change Coaching on facebook. Here you will find up-to-date news and resources to help you create the change you want to experience in your life.

Lots of links and create a change workshops, including free taster sessions!

Creating a LOGO

I am busy working on my logo... think it was time for a change.

I used photoshop, layers, spherize, gradient, text direction and am very satisfied with the results.