I wish you LOVE, LAUGHTER, HEALTH and HAPPINESS now and for all eternity. This is a wonderful time of year to express your love for those who touch your heart and, most importantly, for your self. To the extent that you struggle in life is the extent to which you hold back love of self and others. Know that you are loved. I love you.
This is the time of year when we slow down a bit and reflect upon what worked and where we can learn a lesson or two in the experiences we've had over the past year. I've spent the last couple of days doing just that. What I realized was that I was doing a great job of teaching yet not a great job of sharing who I am with you. The Internet is a wonderful platform to get to know people from all over the world who share interests and with whom we can enrich each other's lives. I'd love to learn more about you so please introduce yourself in the comment box below.
I'll start. Here are a few things about me you may not know.
1. I have a wonderful husband, Al Satterwhite, who is a photographer and cinematographer. You can check him out on Facebook or at his website: http://www.AlSatterwhite.com.
2. We have 2 cats rescued from the Hurricane Katrina debris when they were kittens. They're delightfully odd. Willow 'prays'. I have a video of her doing that on my Facebook page, ID: Valery Satterwhite. Scroll down the page - its at the bottom left hand side of the page. Dakota loves Twizzlers! I had one on my desk one day and she ate half of it. I'm a good Mom, I don't let her eat any more candy.
3. I have a sister, brother-in-law and niece who live about 5 minutes down the road from where I live. We spend time together most weekends. There's always good wine and lots of laughter involved.
4. I have another sister, Father and Step-Mother in Florida as well as another niece and nephew. I'd love to see them more often.
5. A few of my favorite things:
- White chocolate
- Going to The Laugh Factory in Hermosa Beach, CA. They often showcase 10 comics for ten bucks! Going to see Eddie Izzard in January
- Traveling and meeting people from other parts of the world. They know the best places to go and things to do. Many have become lifetime friends.
- A story well told. Yes, I'm a sucker for a good chick flick.
- White chocolate
- Fashion. Favorite designers are Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Holly Harp (Vintage), Temperley, Dinnigan and my Pucci collection.
- Mid-century modern and Art Deco architecture
- Music: Van Morrison is my ultimate favorite artist, although there are lots of other artists I like. Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice.
- Red wine. Can't drink the white stuff. I use white wine when I cook.
- Dance. I love to watch a dancer 'in the zone'. ok, here's a secret: I danced on the Jackie Gleason show when I was really really really young.
- I don't know how old I am. I was too young to know what day it was when I was born.
- Formula One. This is a new interest. It's the only sport Al cares about. I've decided to get into the sport to know what's going on. Go Hamilton!
- White chocolate
- Sunsets and sunrises. We're up before dawn. It's my favorite time to write.
- Being silly, especially with friends.
- An engaging conversation where I learn something new.
- TV: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters, Craig Ferguson, Charlie Rose, Inside the Actors Studio, The Daily Show. Studio 60 was great, really well written, but it got cancelled.
- Sushi
- The fish market at the Hermosa Beach pier.
- The friends I am blessed to have in my life
- Books. I'm an avid reader. Have recommended "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Check out her video at www.Ted.org
- Ted.org - great site, very informative and inspiring.
- Did I mention white chocolate?
There are a lot of things I love to do and enjoy. But that's enough about me for now. I'll share more in future blog posts. I'd love to learn more about you so please tell me about you, your dreams, desires, what inspires you, what challenges you and what makes your heart sing.
Happy Holidays!
Much love,
valery
Valery is a Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Her Inner Wizard process provides tools to tap into the greatest Coach in the world, your Higher Self, authentic voice & power. Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Time For A Chuckle: 21 Ways To Annoy Everyone
21 Ways To Annoy Everyone
1) Pretend to be one of the (Bart) Simpson family. Doesn't matter which.
2) Have an uncontrollable lusting for someone new every five minutes.
3) Pretend to be from different ethnic backgrounds every hour, and when people ask you about it, answer like a hillbilly would.
4) Act like a hillbilly. Period.
5) Improvise Italian operas.
6) Gossip about someone to their face.
7) Answer every question with a question.
8) Repeat yourself constantly.
9) Act like a member of the opposite sex.
10) Repeat yourself constantly.
11) Act like Mr. Flanders from The Simpsons.
12) Repeat yourself constantly.
13) Change what you repeat every now and then.
14) Use homonyms in your e-male that the spell cheque would knot sea as miss steaks.
15) Change what you repeat every now and then.
16) Talk to someone while looking at somebody else.
17) Employ in your casual banter extensive vocabulary that will befuddle thy contemporaries.
18) Change what you repeat every now and then.
19) One word: Caffeine.
20) Another word or two: Caffeine and Sugar.
21) stringwhateveryousayintoonelongwordsoitshardtomakeoutwhatyou'resaying.
If you love silly nonsense like I do, you just had a good chuckle, a guffaw or jello running out of your nose. A daily dose of laughter and joy enriches all aspects of life. It is a great stress reducer and encourages a number of physical benefits including the production of endorphins and disease fighting immune cells. Finding 'the funny' in daily life and the human condition heals and uplifts emotionally and spiritually too. When you laugh, you relax, feel energized and are able to see the lighter side of life.
A good giggle gets your blood flowing and raises your inner vibration. We live in a vibrational Universe. What you experience in life is a mirrored reflection of your vibrational level. It's the vibes, man! Healthy good vibrations create good experiences. Defeating bad vibrations create unwanted or 'less than' experiences. It's a simple as that. When you laugh you elevate your natural vibration, your self. In this way, laughter is like a magic wand that turns negative emotions, stuck energy and static thoughts into powerfully intuitive A-HA moments that propel you forward in your creative endeavors.
When you notice that you are anxious or stressed in any way reach for a moment that will tickle your funny bone. Watch a madcap movie, read a joke book, share some fun with family and friends. You will discover that you feel lighter and have a new and better perspective on any challenges you face.
"You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing." - Michael Pitchard
Valery is a Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Her Inner Wizard process provides tools to tap into the greatest Coach in the world, your Higher Self, authentic voice & power. Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
1) Pretend to be one of the (Bart) Simpson family. Doesn't matter which.
2) Have an uncontrollable lusting for someone new every five minutes.
3) Pretend to be from different ethnic backgrounds every hour, and when people ask you about it, answer like a hillbilly would.
4) Act like a hillbilly. Period.
5) Improvise Italian operas.
6) Gossip about someone to their face.
7) Answer every question with a question.
8) Repeat yourself constantly.
9) Act like a member of the opposite sex.
10) Repeat yourself constantly.
11) Act like Mr. Flanders from The Simpsons.
12) Repeat yourself constantly.
13) Change what you repeat every now and then.
14) Use homonyms in your e-male that the spell cheque would knot sea as miss steaks.
15) Change what you repeat every now and then.
16) Talk to someone while looking at somebody else.
17) Employ in your casual banter extensive vocabulary that will befuddle thy contemporaries.
18) Change what you repeat every now and then.
19) One word: Caffeine.
20) Another word or two: Caffeine and Sugar.
21) stringwhateveryousayintoonelongwordsoitshardtomakeoutwhatyou'resaying.
If you love silly nonsense like I do, you just had a good chuckle, a guffaw or jello running out of your nose. A daily dose of laughter and joy enriches all aspects of life. It is a great stress reducer and encourages a number of physical benefits including the production of endorphins and disease fighting immune cells. Finding 'the funny' in daily life and the human condition heals and uplifts emotionally and spiritually too. When you laugh, you relax, feel energized and are able to see the lighter side of life.
A good giggle gets your blood flowing and raises your inner vibration. We live in a vibrational Universe. What you experience in life is a mirrored reflection of your vibrational level. It's the vibes, man! Healthy good vibrations create good experiences. Defeating bad vibrations create unwanted or 'less than' experiences. It's a simple as that. When you laugh you elevate your natural vibration, your self. In this way, laughter is like a magic wand that turns negative emotions, stuck energy and static thoughts into powerfully intuitive A-HA moments that propel you forward in your creative endeavors.
When you notice that you are anxious or stressed in any way reach for a moment that will tickle your funny bone. Watch a madcap movie, read a joke book, share some fun with family and friends. You will discover that you feel lighter and have a new and better perspective on any challenges you face.
"You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing." - Michael Pitchard
Valery is a Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Her Inner Wizard process provides tools to tap into the greatest Coach in the world, your Higher Self, authentic voice & power. Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
4 Steps to Manage Toxic People
Do you have people in your life who sprinkle misery wherever they go? When you spend time with them, do these people suck the life energy right out of you? Do you they make you wrong, make you feel angry, deflated, belittled, inadequate or unworthy? If so, you have become their victim. As a victim you can only create more experiences of victimization. As chocolate is poison to a dog, these noxious people have the power to reinforce limitations and low self-esteem within you that will hold you back from the successful pursuit of your creative endeavors - if you let them.
There is a distinction between someone who's just having a 'bad hair day' and a virulent person. The former is experiencing a moment of stress or anxiety the latter demonstrates chronic toxic behavior. People who are just trying to cope, albeit misguidedly, on a particularly stressful day don't feel good about lashing out at someone else. Those whom complain all the time or unload their blame or anger upon you and then feel better about themselves as a result are the ones to keep an eye out for and manage. If you don't they will dump their negativity and pessimism upon you, drain you dry of motivation and inspiration to move forward in your life. The human spirit is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies.
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." - Benjamin Franklin
There is a simple test to recognize whether or not you have a toxic person in your life:
Examine the experiences you have had with this person. It doesn't matter much what you were doing together, just reflect upon whether or not your are energized or depleted at the end of the event. Reflect upon more than one instance to discern whether there is an emotional pattern or a single incident. Were you tired or inspired? If you discover that you are left exhausted or weakened by your exposure to this person then you are in the presence of a toxic person. If you feel nourished by the experiences you've had with that person this is someone with whom you want to spend more time.
If you identify a toxic person in your life here are 4 Steps to manage and transform your relationship with that person.
1. Observe that this person is doing the best he or she can given the light they have to see. A toxic person is in the dark or at least missing a few batteries in their flashlight, their self-perspective and world view. You cannot change or control anyone.
2. Distance yourself from this person. Limit your exposure to and the time you spend in their presence. If it is a co-worker or family member and avoidance is unlikely, let whatever poisonous babble they expel go in one ear and out the other. Do not react or take on their anguish. Hold onto your personal power by refusing to engage, stoop down to their emotional level.
3. When they are complaining, finding fault with you, their circumstance, or the world in general ask them what they DO like about the matter at hand. Get them focused on a more positive note; what they like instead of do not like; what they want instead of do not want.
4. Feed your soul. Do something that replenishes and energizes you after your encounter with a toxic person. Center yourself by taking a few cleansing breaths to ground you as you shake off their destructive residue.
You and you alone are responsible for the quality of your life. You have the inner resources to rise above any and all adverse communication. As master of your life experience, you have the tools to deliberately create the outcomes you want to have with the people with whom you are in contact in your personal and professional life.
"You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you must shine light on it." - Shakti Gawain
Valery is an Inner Wizard Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Become the hero of your opportunities instead of the victim of your circumstance. Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
There is a distinction between someone who's just having a 'bad hair day' and a virulent person. The former is experiencing a moment of stress or anxiety the latter demonstrates chronic toxic behavior. People who are just trying to cope, albeit misguidedly, on a particularly stressful day don't feel good about lashing out at someone else. Those whom complain all the time or unload their blame or anger upon you and then feel better about themselves as a result are the ones to keep an eye out for and manage. If you don't they will dump their negativity and pessimism upon you, drain you dry of motivation and inspiration to move forward in your life. The human spirit is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies.
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." - Benjamin Franklin
There is a simple test to recognize whether or not you have a toxic person in your life:
Examine the experiences you have had with this person. It doesn't matter much what you were doing together, just reflect upon whether or not your are energized or depleted at the end of the event. Reflect upon more than one instance to discern whether there is an emotional pattern or a single incident. Were you tired or inspired? If you discover that you are left exhausted or weakened by your exposure to this person then you are in the presence of a toxic person. If you feel nourished by the experiences you've had with that person this is someone with whom you want to spend more time.
If you identify a toxic person in your life here are 4 Steps to manage and transform your relationship with that person.
1. Observe that this person is doing the best he or she can given the light they have to see. A toxic person is in the dark or at least missing a few batteries in their flashlight, their self-perspective and world view. You cannot change or control anyone.
2. Distance yourself from this person. Limit your exposure to and the time you spend in their presence. If it is a co-worker or family member and avoidance is unlikely, let whatever poisonous babble they expel go in one ear and out the other. Do not react or take on their anguish. Hold onto your personal power by refusing to engage, stoop down to their emotional level.
3. When they are complaining, finding fault with you, their circumstance, or the world in general ask them what they DO like about the matter at hand. Get them focused on a more positive note; what they like instead of do not like; what they want instead of do not want.
4. Feed your soul. Do something that replenishes and energizes you after your encounter with a toxic person. Center yourself by taking a few cleansing breaths to ground you as you shake off their destructive residue.
You and you alone are responsible for the quality of your life. You have the inner resources to rise above any and all adverse communication. As master of your life experience, you have the tools to deliberately create the outcomes you want to have with the people with whom you are in contact in your personal and professional life.
"You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you must shine light on it." - Shakti Gawain
Valery is an Inner Wizard Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Become the hero of your opportunities instead of the victim of your circumstance. Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
What Thoughts Wake You Up At Night?
I asked through Facebook and Twitter "What thoughts wake you up at night?" The response was varied; from nonsensical to downright scary.
"Gee, the idea of munching on some (fill in the blank with just about anything vegetarian) sounds great."
"Where is my handbag?"
"Did we lock the security gate?"
"Why are the dogs so quiet?"
And several matched the thought that woke me up the other night:
"I gotta pee."
It's one thing to be awoken by your kids making noise in the next room and quite another when it's you who is sabotaging your own restful night.Thoughts that wake you up in the middle of the night engulfed in worry or fear is a common indicator of stress. The pressures and uncertainties in your daily life visit you through dreams and symbolic thoughts. Sometimes these dreams and thoughts jar you back into consciousness yet the feelings that evoked the rude jolt to healthy sleeping patterns remain.
These feelings are indicators for you to examine to reveal a greater understanding of yourself and what you experience. A dream in which you are worried, scared, or stressed in any way is a reflection of the dis-ease you are experiencing in your waking life.
According to the Dictionary of Dreams, the following symbols may shed some light on what the above thoughts may indicate as deep rooted feelings and fears that are getting in the way of emotional and physical well being:
eating food - This may be an indicator that the dreamer is concerned about a weight problem or eating disorder. It may be a health warning to draw attention to one's eating habits or weight problem. (although the veggie munching response to my query above could have been sent in fun and humor)
search - Search and not find: Instills the need to find something that is lacking within. Can be spiritual or need for self-examination. Search and find: Signal of accomplishment and self-capability.
gate - Closed: An opportunity for you to decide upon. Open: The beginning of an opportunity to leave your current situation.
intruder - Someone or something has interfered with your peace of mind by forcing a situation upon you.
burglar - An intruder, unwelcome person or event, loss of something. Being forcibly deprived by someone's actions.
With regard to the need to pee - when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!
Most dreams contain messages that serve to teach you something about yourself. Recurring dreams and wake-up thoughts are triggered by a life circumstance that keeps repeating itself. They are a message from your Higher Self to pay attention to, examine, and form a new perspective around the hidden meaning behind the dream symbol. Without judgment of any kind, look within yourself and face whatever you find in your exploration of what is the underlying stress.
Chances are you have placed yourself as a victim in your worry. Any area where you give up your personal power, your ability and responsibility to intentionally create your experiences, you will suffer with stress or anxiety. Know that you are a victim to no one and no circumstance unless you allow yourself to be. Whether a horrible thing happened to you or could happen to you is not what is creating stress. What brings on worry, doubt and fear is what you have the event mean for or about you in your life moving forward. You have absolute power over how you choose to experience any event in your life, unless you relinquish it. When you let go of your power you deny your self.
To reclaim your personal power focus upon all that you have done and achieved in your life. I'll bet that anything you set your mind to and were passionate about you have either achieved or are in the process of making it a real experience. Instead of giving up on yourself you were able to overcome obstacles, reach for new perspectives and new ideas when the going got tough. Do the same thing now with whatever wakes you up at night, Reach for a newer and better perspective. Take back your power and responsibility so that you can dream sweet dreams and enjoy restful nights.
Valery is an Inner Wizard Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Clients also learn how to root out self-sabotaging behavior that can land them in the National Enquirer! Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
"Gee, the idea of munching on some (fill in the blank with just about anything vegetarian) sounds great."
"Where is my handbag?"
"Did we lock the security gate?"
"Why are the dogs so quiet?"
And several matched the thought that woke me up the other night:
"I gotta pee."
It's one thing to be awoken by your kids making noise in the next room and quite another when it's you who is sabotaging your own restful night.Thoughts that wake you up in the middle of the night engulfed in worry or fear is a common indicator of stress. The pressures and uncertainties in your daily life visit you through dreams and symbolic thoughts. Sometimes these dreams and thoughts jar you back into consciousness yet the feelings that evoked the rude jolt to healthy sleeping patterns remain.
These feelings are indicators for you to examine to reveal a greater understanding of yourself and what you experience. A dream in which you are worried, scared, or stressed in any way is a reflection of the dis-ease you are experiencing in your waking life.
According to the Dictionary of Dreams, the following symbols may shed some light on what the above thoughts may indicate as deep rooted feelings and fears that are getting in the way of emotional and physical well being:
eating food - This may be an indicator that the dreamer is concerned about a weight problem or eating disorder. It may be a health warning to draw attention to one's eating habits or weight problem. (although the veggie munching response to my query above could have been sent in fun and humor)
search - Search and not find: Instills the need to find something that is lacking within. Can be spiritual or need for self-examination. Search and find: Signal of accomplishment and self-capability.
gate - Closed: An opportunity for you to decide upon. Open: The beginning of an opportunity to leave your current situation.
intruder - Someone or something has interfered with your peace of mind by forcing a situation upon you.
burglar - An intruder, unwelcome person or event, loss of something. Being forcibly deprived by someone's actions.
With regard to the need to pee - when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!
Most dreams contain messages that serve to teach you something about yourself. Recurring dreams and wake-up thoughts are triggered by a life circumstance that keeps repeating itself. They are a message from your Higher Self to pay attention to, examine, and form a new perspective around the hidden meaning behind the dream symbol. Without judgment of any kind, look within yourself and face whatever you find in your exploration of what is the underlying stress.
Chances are you have placed yourself as a victim in your worry. Any area where you give up your personal power, your ability and responsibility to intentionally create your experiences, you will suffer with stress or anxiety. Know that you are a victim to no one and no circumstance unless you allow yourself to be. Whether a horrible thing happened to you or could happen to you is not what is creating stress. What brings on worry, doubt and fear is what you have the event mean for or about you in your life moving forward. You have absolute power over how you choose to experience any event in your life, unless you relinquish it. When you let go of your power you deny your self.
To reclaim your personal power focus upon all that you have done and achieved in your life. I'll bet that anything you set your mind to and were passionate about you have either achieved or are in the process of making it a real experience. Instead of giving up on yourself you were able to overcome obstacles, reach for new perspectives and new ideas when the going got tough. Do the same thing now with whatever wakes you up at night, Reach for a newer and better perspective. Take back your power and responsibility so that you can dream sweet dreams and enjoy restful nights.
Valery is an Inner Wizard Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Clients also learn how to root out self-sabotaging behavior that can land them in the National Enquirer! Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Who Are You? Misguided Blockhead or Masterful Wizard?
Who are you? Some say that a person is a product of his or her choices. Much like the causality dilemma of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" that evokes questions about life and how the Universe in general began, who you are can be rooted in a circular cause and consequence pattern of experience.
Or is it?
The answer is, it depends. It depends upon how you choose. Are you creating your choices or are your choices creating you?
The decisions you make, the actions you take and the results you experience are originated in how you think. The outcomes of your choices shape your thoughts which influence future decisions. If you don't like what's going on in your life you have the power to change how you think to create newer and better outcomes.
Let's say you got fired. You walked into work one morning and was given an unexpected pink slip and was shown the door. At that moment you have a choice, you can blame your "idiot" boss, cuss out your co-workers or clients and make yourself feel better by telling yourself you don't need that stinkin' job anyway. Or you can recognize the moment as a learning opportunity, take a step back and examine why exactly you got fired.
If you choose to blindly attribute your misfortune to the acts of others you are left with no information to prevent the same unwanted experience from again happening. After some time you find another job only to be shown the door again a few months later. And the repeated pattern of experience continues. You become a resentful, bitter, perhaps depressed, person who can't hold down a job and thinks your fate is in the hands of misguided blockheads.
Is this you? No. This is a person who lives life on autopilot, powerless to achieve an inner calling. It not who you came into this world to become. Nevertheless, the revolving door of bad experience after the other has, however, become your life experience as a consequence of the choice you made to blame others for the loss of your job. Your choices are creating who you have become. You have become the misguided blockhead.
What if you made a different choice? What if you examined why you initially got fired? You would discover what, specifically, lead to your termination. You would discover what errors in judgment you might have made, what signals you missed or didn't act on, or what relationships you failed to cultivate. Armed with this new information, lessons learned, and better way of thinking you will make very different choices in your next job.
Is this you? Yes. It is the you in the process of discovering and expressing your full potential. This is who you came into this world to be, tapped into your personal power as the deliberate creator of your life experience. The question remains, which you are you expressing today? If you're not sure, check in with how you feel. If your tired and frustrated your choices are creating you. If you energized and fulfilled, you are creating your choices. Like an masterful Wizard, you are the alchemist turning your passionate dream into a real experience.
"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates
By the way, the answer to which came first the chicken or the egg is, the egg. It has something to do with zygote cells, DNA, and an illicit tryst with a rooster.
Valery is an Inner Wizard Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Clients also learn how to root out self-sabotaging behavior that can land them in the National Enquirer! Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
Or is it?
The answer is, it depends. It depends upon how you choose. Are you creating your choices or are your choices creating you?
The decisions you make, the actions you take and the results you experience are originated in how you think. The outcomes of your choices shape your thoughts which influence future decisions. If you don't like what's going on in your life you have the power to change how you think to create newer and better outcomes.
Let's say you got fired. You walked into work one morning and was given an unexpected pink slip and was shown the door. At that moment you have a choice, you can blame your "idiot" boss, cuss out your co-workers or clients and make yourself feel better by telling yourself you don't need that stinkin' job anyway. Or you can recognize the moment as a learning opportunity, take a step back and examine why exactly you got fired.
If you choose to blindly attribute your misfortune to the acts of others you are left with no information to prevent the same unwanted experience from again happening. After some time you find another job only to be shown the door again a few months later. And the repeated pattern of experience continues. You become a resentful, bitter, perhaps depressed, person who can't hold down a job and thinks your fate is in the hands of misguided blockheads.
Is this you? No. This is a person who lives life on autopilot, powerless to achieve an inner calling. It not who you came into this world to become. Nevertheless, the revolving door of bad experience after the other has, however, become your life experience as a consequence of the choice you made to blame others for the loss of your job. Your choices are creating who you have become. You have become the misguided blockhead.
What if you made a different choice? What if you examined why you initially got fired? You would discover what, specifically, lead to your termination. You would discover what errors in judgment you might have made, what signals you missed or didn't act on, or what relationships you failed to cultivate. Armed with this new information, lessons learned, and better way of thinking you will make very different choices in your next job.
Is this you? Yes. It is the you in the process of discovering and expressing your full potential. This is who you came into this world to be, tapped into your personal power as the deliberate creator of your life experience. The question remains, which you are you expressing today? If you're not sure, check in with how you feel. If your tired and frustrated your choices are creating you. If you energized and fulfilled, you are creating your choices. Like an masterful Wizard, you are the alchemist turning your passionate dream into a real experience.
"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates
By the way, the answer to which came first the chicken or the egg is, the egg. It has something to do with zygote cells, DNA, and an illicit tryst with a rooster.
Valery is an Inner Wizard Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people how to be the hero of their opportunity instead of the victim of circumstance so they can fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Clients also learn how to root out self-sabotaging behavior that can land them in the National Enquirer! Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Free tips!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Stuck in WTF? How to Unstick and Flow
You've worked long and hard at developing and honing your craft. You've put your fears aside and went to audition after audition even for roles you knew you didn't have much of a chance of landing. You've struggled yet managed to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. You even got some recognition as an "artist to watch". And just when you think you're finally in a position to finally get a break - one that will catapult you into the career and lifestyle you've longed for - the industry seems to have lost its love affair with you. With its back seemingly turned against you the powers and media that be in Hollywood is abuzz with the deafening news that:
The economy tanked! Studios have no money! The independent creative just doesn't stand a chance anymore against the big corporation! The networks are only interested in buying reality shows! It's a man's world - a woman can't get to the top in this town. Add whatever other doom and gloom statements and projections you've heard that permeate the air in this town.
WTF? Why is this happening just when you thought you had a glimmer of a chance to really make it?
And you sit there stuck in fear, worry and desperation - oh my! Every door of opportunity that was once open and inviting is now slammed shut. Helping hands that were once offered are now out of reach. Serving fries at Mickey D's is now starting to look pretty good to you.
WTF?
Have you forgotten that you know how to open a door? Have you forgotten that whatever you've already achieved in your career to date has been because you went out there and got it for yourself! You didn't let anything stand in your way then, so why are you buying into the friggin excuses and reasons everyone is serving up for their own failures? The acronym for Friggin' Excuses And Reasons is FEAR! When a person is frozen in a state of fear she will find a way to blame something or someone else on her sorry state of affairs.
"I don't believe in pessimism. If something doesn't come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it's going to rain, it will." - Clint Eastwood
Know this: Any time you allow someone or something outside of yourself to control or dictate your life circumstance you become its victim. If you're stuck in victim-land it's time to take back your power by focusing upon what you can do instead of what you cannot do. Yes, times are tough and there are a lot of people who aren't making it. Fine, whatever, irrelevant. Why spend your time and energy adopting their circumstance for yourself? Instead, look at the people who are successfully going after what they want despite the woeful laments of those around them. What do these people have, what do they do that others who are stuck in the land of WTF don't do?
"When I was producing on my own, I was doing it in order to - in a very patriarchal entertainment industry, let alone planet - very much hell-bent on trying to prove to myself, if nothing else, that I could do it as a woman." - Alanis Morissette
People who continue to speak and act in the direction of their dreams empower themselves to rise above any challenge, any obstacle, that is thrown in their way. Nothing stops them in their passionate pursuit of what will make their heart sing. You will not hear these people complaining and blaming outside forces for their misgivings. They are too busy making their dreams come true.
The next time you find yourself buying into the stuck beliefs of the WTF crowd know that you have pointed yourself away from your dream. Turn yourself around by refusing to participate. Instead of focusing upon the gloom and doom news and gossip of the day, look to the actors who are landing roles, studios funding production, independents crossing the perceived corporate barriers, networks backing scripted dramas, and women in leadership positions. There is plenty of evidence to support your success out there. All you have to do is turn your focus towards that light as you allow your words, choices and actions to flow in alignment with your deepest desire.
"I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts." - Sylvester Stallone
Valery is a Superstar Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people to tap into their inner power & wisdom, get out of their own way & fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Clients also learn how to root out self-sabotaging behavior that can land them in the National Enquirer! Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Get Free "Empower the Wizard Within tips"!
The economy tanked! Studios have no money! The independent creative just doesn't stand a chance anymore against the big corporation! The networks are only interested in buying reality shows! It's a man's world - a woman can't get to the top in this town. Add whatever other doom and gloom statements and projections you've heard that permeate the air in this town.
WTF? Why is this happening just when you thought you had a glimmer of a chance to really make it?
And you sit there stuck in fear, worry and desperation - oh my! Every door of opportunity that was once open and inviting is now slammed shut. Helping hands that were once offered are now out of reach. Serving fries at Mickey D's is now starting to look pretty good to you.
WTF?
Have you forgotten that you know how to open a door? Have you forgotten that whatever you've already achieved in your career to date has been because you went out there and got it for yourself! You didn't let anything stand in your way then, so why are you buying into the friggin excuses and reasons everyone is serving up for their own failures? The acronym for Friggin' Excuses And Reasons is FEAR! When a person is frozen in a state of fear she will find a way to blame something or someone else on her sorry state of affairs.
"I don't believe in pessimism. If something doesn't come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it's going to rain, it will." - Clint Eastwood
Know this: Any time you allow someone or something outside of yourself to control or dictate your life circumstance you become its victim. If you're stuck in victim-land it's time to take back your power by focusing upon what you can do instead of what you cannot do. Yes, times are tough and there are a lot of people who aren't making it. Fine, whatever, irrelevant. Why spend your time and energy adopting their circumstance for yourself? Instead, look at the people who are successfully going after what they want despite the woeful laments of those around them. What do these people have, what do they do that others who are stuck in the land of WTF don't do?
"When I was producing on my own, I was doing it in order to - in a very patriarchal entertainment industry, let alone planet - very much hell-bent on trying to prove to myself, if nothing else, that I could do it as a woman." - Alanis Morissette
People who continue to speak and act in the direction of their dreams empower themselves to rise above any challenge, any obstacle, that is thrown in their way. Nothing stops them in their passionate pursuit of what will make their heart sing. You will not hear these people complaining and blaming outside forces for their misgivings. They are too busy making their dreams come true.
The next time you find yourself buying into the stuck beliefs of the WTF crowd know that you have pointed yourself away from your dream. Turn yourself around by refusing to participate. Instead of focusing upon the gloom and doom news and gossip of the day, look to the actors who are landing roles, studios funding production, independents crossing the perceived corporate barriers, networks backing scripted dramas, and women in leadership positions. There is plenty of evidence to support your success out there. All you have to do is turn your focus towards that light as you allow your words, choices and actions to flow in alignment with your deepest desire.
"I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts." - Sylvester Stallone
Valery is a Superstar Mindset Mentor & Coach who teaches people to tap into their inner power & wisdom, get out of their own way & fully invest themselves in their creative endeavors. Clients also learn how to root out self-sabotaging behavior that can land them in the National Enquirer! Empower the Wizard Within http://www.InnerWizard.com Get Free "Empower the Wizard Within tips"!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Fear And Loathing = Celebrity Self-Sabotage
What is it about celebrity that often results in a pattern of self-sabotage and public humiliation? What drives the crash and burn of those who seemingly have everything going for them? Celebrities have success, fame and the financial resources to live a rich delicious life. Why, then, are so many famous people unhappy, addicted to drugs or on a downward spiral spinning out of control as they destroy everything they desire and worked so hard to achieve?
Some will say that the media that shines so much attention on a rising star then engages in a feeding frenzy to knock the celebrity off the very pedestal they placed her on. It is true that in the days of competitive 24-hour news channels and entertainment tabloid television shows the media is hungry for scintillating celebrity stories that will pull in ratings. However, the media did not take the drugs, pick up the hooker, have a public temper tantrum or end up in jail for one reason or another. The celebrity behaved badly; made bad choices that resulted in unwanted or even humiliating outcomes.
“If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it. If we can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim.” - Richard Bach
The choices you make in life are based on your perception of yourself, your world and what's possible for you in that world. The egoic behavior often exhibited by famous people is often a means to hide inner insecurity. Some celebrities feel like a imposters, feel like they are frauds and it's only a matter of time before the public and their peers find out that they really aren't good, smart or talented enough. Or they don't believe that they deserve all the attention and wealth thrust upon them. What the public sees as arrogance, then, is often masked low self-esteem. Self-loathing guarantees a path of self-destruction. You only have to look as far as the lives of Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Mariah Carey, and Mel Gibson to see examples of stars crumbling their careers and reputations with their bizarre behavior.
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!" - Henry Ford
Simply put, if you think you are a fraud; if you think you are not worthy, you will unconsciously work very hard to bring yourself back down to a level of experience that matches who and what you think you are. You will Find Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) that will justify even the most bizarre incidents of behavior. "What was I thinking?" you will lament. Exactly, what were you thinking? What was the thought that resulted in the action that created the incident of self-sabotage?
Once you examine the thoughts that create your outcomes you will be able to reframe these thoughts to turn them into a structure that supports rather than undermines you. If you think you are a fraud with little or no real talent focus upon your moments of brilliance, when you have creatively expressed your full potential. Those are those enjoyable moments when you are 'in the zone' firing on all cylinders in the throws of doing what you love to do. If you think you do not deserve the abundance of wealth and/or opportunity you have, focus upon all that you have achieved. Just getting up every day and following your dream is an achievement! Learn how to love yourself unconditionally so you can accept the love and adoration shone upon you.
“Don't become a victim of yourself. Forget about the thief waiting in the alley; what about the thief in your mind?” - Jim Rohn
Valery is an Artist Mindset Mentor & Coach who helps creative people get out of their own way so that they can overcome the struggles in the life of an actor, artist and performer. Clients learn how to express their full potential to create more passionately, profoundly, productively & profitably. Empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. http://www.InnerWizard.com Get Free "Empower the Wizard Within tips"!
Some will say that the media that shines so much attention on a rising star then engages in a feeding frenzy to knock the celebrity off the very pedestal they placed her on. It is true that in the days of competitive 24-hour news channels and entertainment tabloid television shows the media is hungry for scintillating celebrity stories that will pull in ratings. However, the media did not take the drugs, pick up the hooker, have a public temper tantrum or end up in jail for one reason or another. The celebrity behaved badly; made bad choices that resulted in unwanted or even humiliating outcomes.
“If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it. If we can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim.” - Richard Bach
The choices you make in life are based on your perception of yourself, your world and what's possible for you in that world. The egoic behavior often exhibited by famous people is often a means to hide inner insecurity. Some celebrities feel like a imposters, feel like they are frauds and it's only a matter of time before the public and their peers find out that they really aren't good, smart or talented enough. Or they don't believe that they deserve all the attention and wealth thrust upon them. What the public sees as arrogance, then, is often masked low self-esteem. Self-loathing guarantees a path of self-destruction. You only have to look as far as the lives of Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Mariah Carey, and Mel Gibson to see examples of stars crumbling their careers and reputations with their bizarre behavior.
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!" - Henry Ford
Simply put, if you think you are a fraud; if you think you are not worthy, you will unconsciously work very hard to bring yourself back down to a level of experience that matches who and what you think you are. You will Find Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) that will justify even the most bizarre incidents of behavior. "What was I thinking?" you will lament. Exactly, what were you thinking? What was the thought that resulted in the action that created the incident of self-sabotage?
Once you examine the thoughts that create your outcomes you will be able to reframe these thoughts to turn them into a structure that supports rather than undermines you. If you think you are a fraud with little or no real talent focus upon your moments of brilliance, when you have creatively expressed your full potential. Those are those enjoyable moments when you are 'in the zone' firing on all cylinders in the throws of doing what you love to do. If you think you do not deserve the abundance of wealth and/or opportunity you have, focus upon all that you have achieved. Just getting up every day and following your dream is an achievement! Learn how to love yourself unconditionally so you can accept the love and adoration shone upon you.
“Don't become a victim of yourself. Forget about the thief waiting in the alley; what about the thief in your mind?” - Jim Rohn
Valery is an Artist Mindset Mentor & Coach who helps creative people get out of their own way so that they can overcome the struggles in the life of an actor, artist and performer. Clients learn how to express their full potential to create more passionately, profoundly, productively & profitably. Empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. http://www.InnerWizard.com Get Free "Empower the Wizard Within tips"!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Blocked Creatively? Here's A Get Out of Jail Free Card
The most damaging restrictions on a creative person's freedom are self-imposed. What may have started out as a new idea, a new methodology, becomes routine, a habit, after awhile. Habits are the comfort zone. Once snuggled into a comfort zone there is a tendency to stay. However, this is not what a creator is here to do. Staying in a comfort zone habitually creating the same kind of thing over and over again does not feed the artist's soul. Comfort zones are safe. Comfort zones bore creative people literally to tears. Stagnation goes flies in the face of an artist's passionate desire to expand and express their full creative potential.
Habits are not limited to craft. The greatest crippler of the creative spirit is habitual thinking. Habitual thinking turns the innovator into the academician; passion into melancholy; fulfillment into despair.
"A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for." - Anon
If an artist isn't personally evolving; stretching, growing, moving beyond comfort zones, then her art isn't evolving. Stagnation suffocates the potential creative expression that is the artist's birthright. Treading water in life, not moving in any direction, is exhausting! Swimming against the stream, holding back your full creative potential, is exhausting. Let go of tired old ways of being, thinking and doing. Rediscover the playful child in you. Approach your art with the wide-eyed wonder and awe of a child at an amusement park where everything is new, exciting, waiting to be experienced. Fear and judgment is left behind. Play is what turns the utilitarian into the discoverer of new interpretation, new invention. Play is the vital heartbeat of the creative spirit.
If you think you might be treading water in life or your artistic endeavors, give yourself permission to play. Play with your craft, indulge your passions, do a silly dance. Shake up your stagnated energy. Fully alive and present, be open and available for whatever comes next. That glorious state of being is the ultimate freedom.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering people to create more passionately, profoundly, productively and profitably. Learn how to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery developed a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Inner Wizard Empowerment tips" too!
Habits are not limited to craft. The greatest crippler of the creative spirit is habitual thinking. Habitual thinking turns the innovator into the academician; passion into melancholy; fulfillment into despair.
"A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for." - Anon
If an artist isn't personally evolving; stretching, growing, moving beyond comfort zones, then her art isn't evolving. Stagnation suffocates the potential creative expression that is the artist's birthright. Treading water in life, not moving in any direction, is exhausting! Swimming against the stream, holding back your full creative potential, is exhausting. Let go of tired old ways of being, thinking and doing. Rediscover the playful child in you. Approach your art with the wide-eyed wonder and awe of a child at an amusement park where everything is new, exciting, waiting to be experienced. Fear and judgment is left behind. Play is what turns the utilitarian into the discoverer of new interpretation, new invention. Play is the vital heartbeat of the creative spirit.
If you think you might be treading water in life or your artistic endeavors, give yourself permission to play. Play with your craft, indulge your passions, do a silly dance. Shake up your stagnated energy. Fully alive and present, be open and available for whatever comes next. That glorious state of being is the ultimate freedom.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering people to create more passionately, profoundly, productively and profitably. Learn how to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery developed a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Inner Wizard Empowerment tips" too!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
How to Resolve Instead of Just Solve Problems
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” - Dr. Seuss
In these hectic, often stressful days, many people measure themselves on their ability, or inability, to solve problems or "put out fires" in their daily life. A successful day is a day when problems are solved. However, the same kinds of problems keep coming up. Perhaps not every day but often enough to notice a pattern if one only stops for a minute to examine the series of problems that they keep solving over and over and over again.
Is it better to solve a problem or resolve a problem? There is a distinction.
The dictionary defines the word solve as to find the solution to a problem or question or understand the meaning of a problem or question. The word resolve means decide, bring to an end; settle conclusively. It's an important distinction.
I was watching the television show Numb3ers one night and one character lamented to the other about how nice it would be if they could stop people from shooting each other. The other character responded that it would be even better if guns and bullets were no longer manufactured. Yes, there are a few holes in that argument but the point is well taken. Often we continue to put band-aids on symptoms, outcomes, rather than clear up the root cause of the problem.
Lousy job? Get a new job, problem solved. Or is it? Many people go from one lousy job to the next. The jobs may be truly lousy or the person isn't pursuing work that excites or inspires his natural calling. Either way, that person is just creating the same, or similar, problem over and over again and applying the same solution each time. To resolve the problem, to stop the pattern of lousy jobs, he would have to get a good job that he enjoys.
We see the same problem patterns in the various relationships some people have. Whether it be with their spouse, family member, friend or romantic relationships, the same problems occur over and over again. Each problem is eventually solved only to have another same or similar type of problem recur later on. The band-aid came off of the root issue and the sore is still festering.
Solving a problem works to a point. It works until the problem shows up again in some form or fashion.
To resolve problems it is essential to mindfully examine the problematic experience to dig down deep to discover the root cause. For personal problems, the best place to start is within. What within me is creating this problem? A bad decision that was based in fear? Making erroneous assumptions? Allowing yourself to be a victim to other people's "shoulds"? Taking the path of least resistance?
Remember, everyone is always doing the best they can. No one gets out of bed in the morning and wonders how they can create problems for themselves that day. As such, is it important to leave judgment out of the equation when examining what role you played in creating the problem. If it is a problem within a company, look within the company. What within the company is creating this problem? An outdated system? Inexperienced employees?
When you discover the root cause of the problem make the corrections. The root cause is then removed, the festering sore is healed, the pattern of similar problems is ended. For good.
Don't just solve your problems; resolve your problems.
"Convert difficulties into opportunities, for difficulties are divine surgeries to make you better." ~Author Unknown
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering people to create more passionately, profoundly, productively and profitably. Learn how to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery developed a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Inner Wizard Empowerment tips" too!
In these hectic, often stressful days, many people measure themselves on their ability, or inability, to solve problems or "put out fires" in their daily life. A successful day is a day when problems are solved. However, the same kinds of problems keep coming up. Perhaps not every day but often enough to notice a pattern if one only stops for a minute to examine the series of problems that they keep solving over and over and over again.
Is it better to solve a problem or resolve a problem? There is a distinction.
The dictionary defines the word solve as to find the solution to a problem or question or understand the meaning of a problem or question. The word resolve means decide, bring to an end; settle conclusively. It's an important distinction.
I was watching the television show Numb3ers one night and one character lamented to the other about how nice it would be if they could stop people from shooting each other. The other character responded that it would be even better if guns and bullets were no longer manufactured. Yes, there are a few holes in that argument but the point is well taken. Often we continue to put band-aids on symptoms, outcomes, rather than clear up the root cause of the problem.
Lousy job? Get a new job, problem solved. Or is it? Many people go from one lousy job to the next. The jobs may be truly lousy or the person isn't pursuing work that excites or inspires his natural calling. Either way, that person is just creating the same, or similar, problem over and over again and applying the same solution each time. To resolve the problem, to stop the pattern of lousy jobs, he would have to get a good job that he enjoys.
We see the same problem patterns in the various relationships some people have. Whether it be with their spouse, family member, friend or romantic relationships, the same problems occur over and over again. Each problem is eventually solved only to have another same or similar type of problem recur later on. The band-aid came off of the root issue and the sore is still festering.
Solving a problem works to a point. It works until the problem shows up again in some form or fashion.
To resolve problems it is essential to mindfully examine the problematic experience to dig down deep to discover the root cause. For personal problems, the best place to start is within. What within me is creating this problem? A bad decision that was based in fear? Making erroneous assumptions? Allowing yourself to be a victim to other people's "shoulds"? Taking the path of least resistance?
Remember, everyone is always doing the best they can. No one gets out of bed in the morning and wonders how they can create problems for themselves that day. As such, is it important to leave judgment out of the equation when examining what role you played in creating the problem. If it is a problem within a company, look within the company. What within the company is creating this problem? An outdated system? Inexperienced employees?
When you discover the root cause of the problem make the corrections. The root cause is then removed, the festering sore is healed, the pattern of similar problems is ended. For good.
Don't just solve your problems; resolve your problems.
"Convert difficulties into opportunities, for difficulties are divine surgeries to make you better." ~Author Unknown
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering people to create more passionately, profoundly, productively and profitably. Learn how to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery developed a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Inner Wizard Empowerment tips" too!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Intention Has Power: 5 Steps to Powerful Intention
“Unless you marry intention to action, you end up with only a brief affair.” - author unknown
Many people fill their days with thoughts of who they want to be, what they want to do and what they want to have. "I want financial freedom. I want a new car. I want to take a vacation this year. I want to learn another language. I want to be in a committed relationship. I want to land the role of my dreams. I want a gallery to show my painting. I want to lose 10 pounds. I want to write the next great American novel." The list of possible wants is endless.
Wanting things and experiences is wonderful. At least there is desire, a goal in mind. However want and desire not backed up by intention and action are just nice dreams. When the dreams remain unfulfilled they soon become the source of frustration, restless agitation or quiet desperation.
There is tremendous power in setting an intention. This power directs your energy to the completion of that intention. By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do.
Before we show you how to set and act upon an intention let's define what an intention is in the first place. Dictionaries define the word intension as:
- A course of action that a person intends to follow; The goal or purpose behind a specific action or set of actions
- Purpose: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
- The focus of the mind, the sense of purpose that leads to action.
Now that we have clarity on what an intention is, let's review the steps in setting and taking action upon that intention to achieve the desired outcome; the fulfillment of the 'want'.
Five Steps to Set An Intention:
1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.
2. Envision how you will feel once you've accomplished that intention.
3. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.
4. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention; a baby step.
5. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step. And then the next...
Celebrate each step you take to accomplish your goal. Enjoy the process. Have fun. It can be a great ride! Before you know it you turned your dreams into reality.
Wizards are alchemists after all; they can turn an inspired idea into a fully actualized creative expression.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery developed a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Many people fill their days with thoughts of who they want to be, what they want to do and what they want to have. "I want financial freedom. I want a new car. I want to take a vacation this year. I want to learn another language. I want to be in a committed relationship. I want to land the role of my dreams. I want a gallery to show my painting. I want to lose 10 pounds. I want to write the next great American novel." The list of possible wants is endless.
Wanting things and experiences is wonderful. At least there is desire, a goal in mind. However want and desire not backed up by intention and action are just nice dreams. When the dreams remain unfulfilled they soon become the source of frustration, restless agitation or quiet desperation.
There is tremendous power in setting an intention. This power directs your energy to the completion of that intention. By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do.
Before we show you how to set and act upon an intention let's define what an intention is in the first place. Dictionaries define the word intension as:
- A course of action that a person intends to follow; The goal or purpose behind a specific action or set of actions
- Purpose: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
- The focus of the mind, the sense of purpose that leads to action.
Now that we have clarity on what an intention is, let's review the steps in setting and taking action upon that intention to achieve the desired outcome; the fulfillment of the 'want'.
Five Steps to Set An Intention:
1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.
2. Envision how you will feel once you've accomplished that intention.
3. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.
4. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention; a baby step.
5. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step. And then the next...
Celebrate each step you take to accomplish your goal. Enjoy the process. Have fun. It can be a great ride! Before you know it you turned your dreams into reality.
Wizards are alchemists after all; they can turn an inspired idea into a fully actualized creative expression.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery developed a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Perfectionist? Meet the High Achiever
"Art knows no limit, and the artists will never achieve perfection." - Bente Borsum
Bente Borsum is a talented actress who performed with the Norwegian National Theatre and was a director of the Norwegian National Drama School. As a mentor and teacher, she works with younger artists who need professional expertise and encouragement. I found this quote, one of many, to be particularly profound because so many talented people hold themselves back from their work, their full creative expression in search of perfection.
There is a distinction to be made between a high achiever and a perfectionist. The former strives for excellence while the later accepts nothing less that the impossible perfection in themselves and their work. High achievers are motivated by their goal. They relish in the challenge and are energized by the quest.
The perfectionists, on the other hand, beat themselves up with criticism and failure in the unattainable goal of perfection. They hold onto their imperfections and wear them as badges of their shortcomings and failures. The perfectionist is often frozen in the fear of presenting anything less than perfect to the world, including themselves.
This is a crime against humanity. When a person holds his or herself back, never finishes a creation because it never reaches perfection, the rest of the world is deprived of that creative expression. We see this not only in the art world, but in the broader perspective of all creations of mankind.
Pressure on children to achieve is rampant, because parents seek much of their status from the performance of their kids. The pressure is delivered in the form of criticism. Children often believe that in order to be loved they must be perfect, an impossible goal to reach. In order to be accepted in their industry, their work must be perfect. The pain of rejection is the pain of being unloved, a fate to be avoided at all costs.
Perfectionists seek the unattainable perfection in themselves. In their failure to achieve perfection they withhold love of self. And hold back their creative expression and take it with them to the grave.
The perfectionist is well served by modeling the motivational energy of the high achiever. A new perspective and a new goal of excellence rather than perfection will revert the downward spiral of self-loathing and the procrastination that comes with it to an renewed zest and passion to create. Inspired innovation is renewed, creative ideas are turned into reality and the mankind and the world benefits in the richness and gifts of the human spirit.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Bente Borsum is a talented actress who performed with the Norwegian National Theatre and was a director of the Norwegian National Drama School. As a mentor and teacher, she works with younger artists who need professional expertise and encouragement. I found this quote, one of many, to be particularly profound because so many talented people hold themselves back from their work, their full creative expression in search of perfection.
There is a distinction to be made between a high achiever and a perfectionist. The former strives for excellence while the later accepts nothing less that the impossible perfection in themselves and their work. High achievers are motivated by their goal. They relish in the challenge and are energized by the quest.
The perfectionists, on the other hand, beat themselves up with criticism and failure in the unattainable goal of perfection. They hold onto their imperfections and wear them as badges of their shortcomings and failures. The perfectionist is often frozen in the fear of presenting anything less than perfect to the world, including themselves.
This is a crime against humanity. When a person holds his or herself back, never finishes a creation because it never reaches perfection, the rest of the world is deprived of that creative expression. We see this not only in the art world, but in the broader perspective of all creations of mankind.
Pressure on children to achieve is rampant, because parents seek much of their status from the performance of their kids. The pressure is delivered in the form of criticism. Children often believe that in order to be loved they must be perfect, an impossible goal to reach. In order to be accepted in their industry, their work must be perfect. The pain of rejection is the pain of being unloved, a fate to be avoided at all costs.
Perfectionists seek the unattainable perfection in themselves. In their failure to achieve perfection they withhold love of self. And hold back their creative expression and take it with them to the grave.
The perfectionist is well served by modeling the motivational energy of the high achiever. A new perspective and a new goal of excellence rather than perfection will revert the downward spiral of self-loathing and the procrastination that comes with it to an renewed zest and passion to create. Inspired innovation is renewed, creative ideas are turned into reality and the mankind and the world benefits in the richness and gifts of the human spirit.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Profound Empowering Influence: Dr. Seuss
"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem & smarter than you think." - Winnie the Pooh
Some of the most profound and enlightening literature is found in the stories we heard and read as children. Philosophers such as Winnie the Pooh, Dennis the Menace and Dr. Suess taught us how to live authentically with confidence. And we often abandoned those lessons; pushing them aside as "stuff for kids". As we grew we abandoned authenticity, lost confidence and often lost our ability to play, create with abandon.
"The best thing you can do is get good at being you." - Dennis the Menace
That's our purpose in life; to express our full potential. Yet many people work hard, even throughout a lifetime, to express someone else's unexpressed potential. The people allow the should-ers, the people who tell them who they should be, what they should do and what they should have, dictate their life. And so they live a life unexpressed, with their story untold, their song unsung.
I suggest we treat ourselves to an afternoon or two, or twenty, devoted to revisiting the stories we read and adored as children. We marveled at these stories, these characters, because they called out for us to acknowledge and embrace who we are at our deepest core. We were inspired to live loudly and create expressively. Winnie the Pooh, Dennis the Menace and Dr. Seuss remind us that we are individuals with unique gifts to bring to the world. Our purpose in life is to....
"Be who you are and say what you feel. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Some of the most profound and enlightening literature is found in the stories we heard and read as children. Philosophers such as Winnie the Pooh, Dennis the Menace and Dr. Suess taught us how to live authentically with confidence. And we often abandoned those lessons; pushing them aside as "stuff for kids". As we grew we abandoned authenticity, lost confidence and often lost our ability to play, create with abandon.
"The best thing you can do is get good at being you." - Dennis the Menace
That's our purpose in life; to express our full potential. Yet many people work hard, even throughout a lifetime, to express someone else's unexpressed potential. The people allow the should-ers, the people who tell them who they should be, what they should do and what they should have, dictate their life. And so they live a life unexpressed, with their story untold, their song unsung.
I suggest we treat ourselves to an afternoon or two, or twenty, devoted to revisiting the stories we read and adored as children. We marveled at these stories, these characters, because they called out for us to acknowledge and embrace who we are at our deepest core. We were inspired to live loudly and create expressively. Winnie the Pooh, Dennis the Menace and Dr. Seuss remind us that we are individuals with unique gifts to bring to the world. Our purpose in life is to....
"Be who you are and say what you feel. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Success Comes with a New Pair of Glasses
"Every man takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world." - Arthur Schopenhauer
Four people on four different street corners witness the same traffic accident. The police arrive and ask each of the four people to describe what happened. And get four different versions of how the event happened.
Which of the four witnesses is right about what happened?
All of them.
And none of them.
The same is true in life.
How we view ourselves, our world, and the events of our lives depends upon our viewpoint, the proverbial lens through which we see. The lens is the system of beliefs, expectations, and presuppositions we hold. You use this lens when you evaluate your circumstances and opportunities.
For example, let's say two people walk into an audition for a leading role. Both are rejected with equal harsh criticism for their character portrayal and delivery.
One actor returns home, depleted, and validates his belief that he'll never make it as an actor. He gives up his dream of a theatrical career and sets about finding a 'real' job.
The other actor returns home and quickly writes down the critical remarks. He studies the remarks and adjusts his performance. He rehearses and rehearses and rehearses the scene applying what he has learned from the botched audition. He then either secures a second audition with a better chance of winning the role or goes on to the next audition better prepared. He knows, with certainty, that he'll make it as an actor and that failed auditions are opportunities to learn and improve his craft.
Where one person sees limitation, the other sees opportunity.
How do you view your experience? Is it time to examine your 'lens'? Is it time for a new pair of glasses?
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Four people on four different street corners witness the same traffic accident. The police arrive and ask each of the four people to describe what happened. And get four different versions of how the event happened.
Which of the four witnesses is right about what happened?
All of them.
And none of them.
The same is true in life.
How we view ourselves, our world, and the events of our lives depends upon our viewpoint, the proverbial lens through which we see. The lens is the system of beliefs, expectations, and presuppositions we hold. You use this lens when you evaluate your circumstances and opportunities.
For example, let's say two people walk into an audition for a leading role. Both are rejected with equal harsh criticism for their character portrayal and delivery.
One actor returns home, depleted, and validates his belief that he'll never make it as an actor. He gives up his dream of a theatrical career and sets about finding a 'real' job.
The other actor returns home and quickly writes down the critical remarks. He studies the remarks and adjusts his performance. He rehearses and rehearses and rehearses the scene applying what he has learned from the botched audition. He then either secures a second audition with a better chance of winning the role or goes on to the next audition better prepared. He knows, with certainty, that he'll make it as an actor and that failed auditions are opportunities to learn and improve his craft.
Where one person sees limitation, the other sees opportunity.
How do you view your experience? Is it time to examine your 'lens'? Is it time for a new pair of glasses?
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Who Am I Kidding? How to Stop Self-Sabotage
"Who am I Kidding?"
"Who am I to do this?"
"What am I thinking?"
"I'm not (fill in the blank) enough."
These are questions creative people in the visual and performing arts ask themselves every day. They are the questions that stop an artist from starting a project. Stop an actor from going out for a major audition. Stop a musician from completing a score.
A creative person doesn't like to be stopped so she Finds Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) to justify the stoppage and make herself feel better, even if only for a moment.
"The secret of success in life is to be ready when your opportunity comes." - Benjamin Disraeli
Yes, when you are finding excuses and reasons to say no to the work, say no to the opportunity, say no to your desires, you are in fear. The fear could be rooted in many misguided beliefs. You could fear failure, not believing that failure is a stepping stone to success. You could fear judgment, not able to separate yourself from the work . You could fear rejection, not centered in the truth of who you are.
Surprisingly what most creative people fear is the fear of Success. Fear of success can be just as paralyzing as fear of failure. Success is scary because it involves change. It is a move beyond the current comfort zone, a move into a vulnerable unknown territory. With success comes more challenges and responsibilities – and that can be threatening.
Even if Success is achieved, many people succumb to their fear of success and self-sabotage. You see examples of this type of self-sabotage nearly daily in the tabloids. Celebrities, politicians, business tycoons caught in the act of doing something that publicly damages their business , reputation and career.
"Who am I Kidding?"
"Who am I to do this?"
"What am I thinking?"
"I'm not (fill in the blank) enough."
And, if successful; "It's only a matter of time before they find out that I'm not really enough."
And that's where the self-sabotaging behavior comes in.
People fear that they may not be able to live up to their achievements. They're afraid of tasting success and then losing it. They're afraid of the humiliation that can come with such a loss. So, they find excuses and reasons not to move forward on the path to success in the first place. If they manage to achieve success, they will create some drama - an event - that will prove to their inner critic that the belief is true, they are not enough.
The Inner Critic loves to be right. It loves to be safe in the current comfort zone. It works hard to prove it's rightness and stay safe. If you are procrastinating or finding excuses and reasons then you are a victim to your own Inner Critic.
The good news is that once you've noticed your self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors you can do something about them. You can make different choices. When you hear that Inner Critic voice reminding you that you are not enough you can just stop thank it for 'sharing', and take a breath. With your next breath, ask yourself the following questions:
Not Enough? According to whom?
Is that true? How can I know this is absolutely true?
Are there any examples of when I have been enough? (Find examples. There are plenty of times in your life when you have been good enough. If you're reading this article you're reading skills are good enough!)
Who would I be, what would I do and what would I have if I was successful? Imagine that lifestyle vividly. In great detail. Feel it. Hold this vision of your life as a successful artist with you as you go about your life and your work.
And, most importantly, put one foot in front of the other and say yes to your work. Say yes to yourself as a creative being.
"Success supposes endeavor." - Jane Austen
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
"Who am I to do this?"
"What am I thinking?"
"I'm not (fill in the blank) enough."
These are questions creative people in the visual and performing arts ask themselves every day. They are the questions that stop an artist from starting a project. Stop an actor from going out for a major audition. Stop a musician from completing a score.
A creative person doesn't like to be stopped so she Finds Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) to justify the stoppage and make herself feel better, even if only for a moment.
"The secret of success in life is to be ready when your opportunity comes." - Benjamin Disraeli
Yes, when you are finding excuses and reasons to say no to the work, say no to the opportunity, say no to your desires, you are in fear. The fear could be rooted in many misguided beliefs. You could fear failure, not believing that failure is a stepping stone to success. You could fear judgment, not able to separate yourself from the work . You could fear rejection, not centered in the truth of who you are.
Surprisingly what most creative people fear is the fear of Success. Fear of success can be just as paralyzing as fear of failure. Success is scary because it involves change. It is a move beyond the current comfort zone, a move into a vulnerable unknown territory. With success comes more challenges and responsibilities – and that can be threatening.
Even if Success is achieved, many people succumb to their fear of success and self-sabotage. You see examples of this type of self-sabotage nearly daily in the tabloids. Celebrities, politicians, business tycoons caught in the act of doing something that publicly damages their business , reputation and career.
"Who am I Kidding?"
"Who am I to do this?"
"What am I thinking?"
"I'm not (fill in the blank) enough."
And, if successful; "It's only a matter of time before they find out that I'm not really enough."
And that's where the self-sabotaging behavior comes in.
People fear that they may not be able to live up to their achievements. They're afraid of tasting success and then losing it. They're afraid of the humiliation that can come with such a loss. So, they find excuses and reasons not to move forward on the path to success in the first place. If they manage to achieve success, they will create some drama - an event - that will prove to their inner critic that the belief is true, they are not enough.
The Inner Critic loves to be right. It loves to be safe in the current comfort zone. It works hard to prove it's rightness and stay safe. If you are procrastinating or finding excuses and reasons then you are a victim to your own Inner Critic.
The good news is that once you've noticed your self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors you can do something about them. You can make different choices. When you hear that Inner Critic voice reminding you that you are not enough you can just stop thank it for 'sharing', and take a breath. With your next breath, ask yourself the following questions:
Not Enough? According to whom?
Is that true? How can I know this is absolutely true?
Are there any examples of when I have been enough? (Find examples. There are plenty of times in your life when you have been good enough. If you're reading this article you're reading skills are good enough!)
Who would I be, what would I do and what would I have if I was successful? Imagine that lifestyle vividly. In great detail. Feel it. Hold this vision of your life as a successful artist with you as you go about your life and your work.
And, most importantly, put one foot in front of the other and say yes to your work. Say yes to yourself as a creative being.
"Success supposes endeavor." - Jane Austen
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people in the visual & performing arts to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably. Empower yourself to trust your intuition, acknowledge your truth, and disarm your fear and self-doubt. Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Integrity Ignites Effortless Creative Flow
"This above all; to thine own self be true." - William Shakespeare
What is integrity?
What does it mean to be in integrity?
If you look up the word "integrity" in the dictionary you will learn that it comes from the Latin word, "integer" which means "whole". Integrity is an unreduced or unbroken completeness, wholeness, totality, incorruptibility. It is an unimpaired condition and the quality or state of being complete and undivided. Integrity is found in a state of being who you are and, allowing others the same right.
When you are "in integrity" you are in alignment with who you are at your deepest core; your truth. In any area of your life where you struggle your thoughts and actions are out of integrity, you are not behaving in alignment with who you are.
"The voice within is what I'm married to. All marriage is a metaphor for that marriage. My lover is the place inside me where an honest yes and no come from. That's my true partner. It's always there. And to tell you yes when my integrity says no is to divorce that partner." - Byron Katie
To live in alignment, in integrity with who you are you:
- Speak what you know to be true even if it may cause conflict.
- Ask for what you need and want from others.
- Behave according to your personal values.
- Make decisions based on what is true for you, not the beliefs of others.
"Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do." - Don Galer
When you are in integrity with who you are, life flows seemingly effortlessly. When you are acting in ways that are not in alignment with your truth you don't feel good. You may be frustrated or upset. You may think less of yourself and beat yourself up over the choices you have made.
"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?" - Albert Camus
Notice what you say to yourself and others. Be mindful whether or not those statements are in or out of alignment with who you are. Think and act in integrity with who you are and observe how your life transforms from one of struggle to creative flow.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people to succeed in their craft and business. She teaches people in the visual and performing arts how to tap into and trust their intuition, acknowledge their truth, and disarm their fear and self-doubt. No longer willing to continue as a starved creative spirit who lived conditioned inauthentic life Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
What is integrity?
What does it mean to be in integrity?
If you look up the word "integrity" in the dictionary you will learn that it comes from the Latin word, "integer" which means "whole". Integrity is an unreduced or unbroken completeness, wholeness, totality, incorruptibility. It is an unimpaired condition and the quality or state of being complete and undivided. Integrity is found in a state of being who you are and, allowing others the same right.
When you are "in integrity" you are in alignment with who you are at your deepest core; your truth. In any area of your life where you struggle your thoughts and actions are out of integrity, you are not behaving in alignment with who you are.
"The voice within is what I'm married to. All marriage is a metaphor for that marriage. My lover is the place inside me where an honest yes and no come from. That's my true partner. It's always there. And to tell you yes when my integrity says no is to divorce that partner." - Byron Katie
To live in alignment, in integrity with who you are you:
- Speak what you know to be true even if it may cause conflict.
- Ask for what you need and want from others.
- Behave according to your personal values.
- Make decisions based on what is true for you, not the beliefs of others.
"Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do." - Don Galer
When you are in integrity with who you are, life flows seemingly effortlessly. When you are acting in ways that are not in alignment with your truth you don't feel good. You may be frustrated or upset. You may think less of yourself and beat yourself up over the choices you have made.
"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?" - Albert Camus
Notice what you say to yourself and others. Be mindful whether or not those statements are in or out of alignment with who you are. Think and act in integrity with who you are and observe how your life transforms from one of struggle to creative flow.
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people to succeed in their craft and business. She teaches people in the visual and performing arts how to tap into and trust their intuition, acknowledge their truth, and disarm their fear and self-doubt. No longer willing to continue as a starved creative spirit who lived conditioned inauthentic life Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Blocked Creatively? You Might Just Be Swimming Upstream
Where you are in your creative expression mirrors where you are in your life flow. If you are blocked creatively it is an indication that there is a disruption in your energy flow. Something isn't working. And the harder you try to push on forward the more blocked you become. You become exhausted, literally drained, depleted, unmotivated. The couch beckons, the television calls, every distraction imaginable is suddenly luring you away from your work. Doing anything else feels better than fighting the block.
Why is that?
Life, and art, is about flow. Effortless flow. Passionate flow. Creative flow. If you're struggling in any area of your art or your life you are swimming against the stream of life instead of with it. You're emotions, thoughts and actions are out of alignment with who you are. Therefore, you are frustrated in your lack of ability to fully express yourself in your art, your relationships, your business matters. You are the block. You are getting in the way of your creative expression. Essentially you are in a state of self-sabotage when you are blocked, when you swim upstream.
There's a difference between being blocked and a pause. A pause is for the purpose of reflecting, getting a different perspective, replenishing yourself is purposeful. You feel good when you pause momentarily because you know that this action will result in the forward progression of your achievement. The pause is a part of your natural flow.
A block, on the other hand, doesn't feel good. And it may be permanent if you don't deliberately turn yourself around to flow with the stream.
Now, no one does anything without getting something out of it. What are you getting out of being blocked? Here's a hint: Have your Found Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) to do other things instead of your work? Yes, when you are making excuses you are in fear. You may be focused upon your misguided belief system that you're not good, talented, creative, smart, skilled, worthy, ad nauseam, enough to successfully complete the project, task, goal at hand. You may fear failure. You may find yourself blaming others for your inability to create or succeed. This is a victim mentality that is a huge block to creative expression.
What does staying blocked allow you to do? It allows you to stay right where you are in your current comfort zone. You may not like you're current comfort zone but it's what you know, so it's comfortable, and safe. You may not like thinking that you're not whatever enough or thinking that others control your success but it's what you've always thought. To change is frightening. Who would you be without those thoughts, those blocks?
As I mentioned earlier, if you are blocked, you are out of alignment with who you are. If you are out of alignment with who you are you are blocked, struggling, swimming upstream. "Well, then" you might be saying, "If I am out of alignment with who I am, who am I?" And that, is the question you must ask yourself.
To find the answer to that question you must ask yourself the following question:
"If there were no expectations; money was not an issue; my current abilities (or lack thereof) were not an issue, and I knew I could not fail: Who would I be, what would I do and what would I have?"
Spend some time with this question. I suggest writing down your answers in a journal. There is something about putting your truth onto paper that gives it power; brings it into reality. Take your time. Breathe. Dig deep. Pull out your truth from your core.
And when you are finished read your answer to yourself and visualize yourself as already being, doing and having that. This is who you are! What you desire most is a reflection of who you are. Hold this vision. Write an "I am" statement around it. Keep this statement nearby where you can refer to it in the moments you are blocked. If a thought, emotion or action is out of alignment with that statement, turn the thought, emotion or action around. How else could this be perceived? What could I do differently? Go with the flow instead of against it.
"The creative act is not hanging on, but yielding to a new creative movement. Awe is what moves us forward." - Joseph Campbell
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people to succeed in their craft and business. She teaches people in the visual and performing arts how to tap into and trust their intuition, acknowledge their truth, and disarm their fear and self-doubt. No longer willing to continue as a starved creative spirit who lived conditioned inauthentic life Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Why is that?
Life, and art, is about flow. Effortless flow. Passionate flow. Creative flow. If you're struggling in any area of your art or your life you are swimming against the stream of life instead of with it. You're emotions, thoughts and actions are out of alignment with who you are. Therefore, you are frustrated in your lack of ability to fully express yourself in your art, your relationships, your business matters. You are the block. You are getting in the way of your creative expression. Essentially you are in a state of self-sabotage when you are blocked, when you swim upstream.
There's a difference between being blocked and a pause. A pause is for the purpose of reflecting, getting a different perspective, replenishing yourself is purposeful. You feel good when you pause momentarily because you know that this action will result in the forward progression of your achievement. The pause is a part of your natural flow.
A block, on the other hand, doesn't feel good. And it may be permanent if you don't deliberately turn yourself around to flow with the stream.
Now, no one does anything without getting something out of it. What are you getting out of being blocked? Here's a hint: Have your Found Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) to do other things instead of your work? Yes, when you are making excuses you are in fear. You may be focused upon your misguided belief system that you're not good, talented, creative, smart, skilled, worthy, ad nauseam, enough to successfully complete the project, task, goal at hand. You may fear failure. You may find yourself blaming others for your inability to create or succeed. This is a victim mentality that is a huge block to creative expression.
What does staying blocked allow you to do? It allows you to stay right where you are in your current comfort zone. You may not like you're current comfort zone but it's what you know, so it's comfortable, and safe. You may not like thinking that you're not whatever enough or thinking that others control your success but it's what you've always thought. To change is frightening. Who would you be without those thoughts, those blocks?
As I mentioned earlier, if you are blocked, you are out of alignment with who you are. If you are out of alignment with who you are you are blocked, struggling, swimming upstream. "Well, then" you might be saying, "If I am out of alignment with who I am, who am I?" And that, is the question you must ask yourself.
To find the answer to that question you must ask yourself the following question:
"If there were no expectations; money was not an issue; my current abilities (or lack thereof) were not an issue, and I knew I could not fail: Who would I be, what would I do and what would I have?"
Spend some time with this question. I suggest writing down your answers in a journal. There is something about putting your truth onto paper that gives it power; brings it into reality. Take your time. Breathe. Dig deep. Pull out your truth from your core.
And when you are finished read your answer to yourself and visualize yourself as already being, doing and having that. This is who you are! What you desire most is a reflection of who you are. Hold this vision. Write an "I am" statement around it. Keep this statement nearby where you can refer to it in the moments you are blocked. If a thought, emotion or action is out of alignment with that statement, turn the thought, emotion or action around. How else could this be perceived? What could I do differently? Go with the flow instead of against it.
"The creative act is not hanging on, but yielding to a new creative movement. Awe is what moves us forward." - Joseph Campbell
Valery Satterwhite is an Artist Mentor who specializes in empowering creative people to succeed in their craft and business. She teaches people in the visual and performing arts how to tap into and trust their intuition, acknowledge their truth, and disarm their fear and self-doubt. No longer willing to continue as a starved creative spirit who lived conditioned inauthentic life Valery spent years developing and implementing a proven unique "Inner Wizard" methodology to empower other creative people to express their full potential. Join now to create more profoundly, more prolifically, and more profitably at http://www.InnerWizard.com. Get Free "Artist Resource/Marketing Directory" too!
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Inner Critic Kidnaps The Artist Soul
"Re-examine all you have been told. Dismiss what insults your Soul." - Walt Whitman
For many artists, challenges are very personal. And one of the biggest challenges is the Critic in the room, the Inner Critic. This gnarly Inner Critic is the voice of your self-doubt and fear. It is the emotional ties that bind you, hold you back, keep you stuck, limit you in what you think is possible for you as an artist. This Inner Critic will critique and beat you up more than any audience or perceived expert ever will. If allowed, this Inner Critic will suck the life force right out of you.
"Being true to yourself is what feeds creativity, not self-doubt and criticism." - Diane Arenberg
Why? Because it is a very frightened little creature. It acts nasty as a defense mechanism. What it really wants to do is crawl under a bankie with a sippy cup where it's safe; where no one will bother him.
There are many 'not safe' zones for the Inner Critic. Here are a three:
1. Starting big project that you have never done before. (What if I fail?)
2. Having a bigger presence in the public eye than it has now. (It's only a matter of time before they find out I'm not really that good.)
3. Rejection. (If they reject my art, then they reject me, and I will cease to be relevant - or even exist.)
Fear that you're not being, or won't be, acknowledged as an artist will hold you back. Fear that you're not good enough compared with other artists will choke your expression. This fear may lead to anger, bitterness and even depression. Since you're art is an expression of you, this fearful held-back state of beingness will be reflected in your art. There is a vast difference between deliberately illustrating and expressing pain, desperation, and other negative emotions and holding yourself back in your artistic expression as a result of pain, desperation and other negative emotions.
Here are some acronyms for the word FEAR (F.E.A.R.):
Finding Excuses And Reasons
- Are you procrastinating?
False Evidence Appearing Real
- Are you blaming other people or circumstances for being stuck your lack of success?
False Emotions Appearing Real
- Are you beating up on yourself for not being 'good' enough? Here's a clue: If you're feeling 'down' then there's a good chance you're beating up on yourself.
And my personal favorite (drum roll please)
F@#k Everything And Run
- Are you thinking about quitting, giving up on your pursuits as an artist?
You can deny your dreams but the outcome will be quiet desperation. The desperation becomes the safe comfort zone. You're Inner Critic will fight hard to keep you where it feels safe. You may not like the desperate comfort zone that you find yourself in but it's what you know. Safe. No surprises.
"To see far is one thing. Going there is another." - Brancusi
If you find that your in a state of FEAR there is a little trick you can apply to help you crawl out of that dark hole. You can ask yourself the following two questions:
1. What am I getting out of staying in this state? You don't do anything unless you get something out of it. What is staying right where you are in your artistic process allowing you to do?
2. Who would I be; what would I do; what would I have without this fear? Use your imagination to visualize that life. Run with it! Breathe it in.
The only thing standing between you and want you want to create for your art and your life experience is you. It's time to get out of your own way. Or, head down to Wal-Mart and get yourself a nice bankie and sippy cup. Get several. You'll be snuggled in, warm and comfy, for a long time.
"Remember, with every doubt comes a hitch in the natural flow of being." - Ian Factor
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. She teaches artists of all kinds how to get out of their own way, eliminate personal and professional roadblocks, so they can fully express their artistic vision and succeed in the business of art. Empower the Wizard Within, tame the Inner Critic, unleash and Inspire the Muse. Get Free Artist Resource Directory today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
For many artists, challenges are very personal. And one of the biggest challenges is the Critic in the room, the Inner Critic. This gnarly Inner Critic is the voice of your self-doubt and fear. It is the emotional ties that bind you, hold you back, keep you stuck, limit you in what you think is possible for you as an artist. This Inner Critic will critique and beat you up more than any audience or perceived expert ever will. If allowed, this Inner Critic will suck the life force right out of you.
"Being true to yourself is what feeds creativity, not self-doubt and criticism." - Diane Arenberg
Why? Because it is a very frightened little creature. It acts nasty as a defense mechanism. What it really wants to do is crawl under a bankie with a sippy cup where it's safe; where no one will bother him.
There are many 'not safe' zones for the Inner Critic. Here are a three:
1. Starting big project that you have never done before. (What if I fail?)
2. Having a bigger presence in the public eye than it has now. (It's only a matter of time before they find out I'm not really that good.)
3. Rejection. (If they reject my art, then they reject me, and I will cease to be relevant - or even exist.)
Fear that you're not being, or won't be, acknowledged as an artist will hold you back. Fear that you're not good enough compared with other artists will choke your expression. This fear may lead to anger, bitterness and even depression. Since you're art is an expression of you, this fearful held-back state of beingness will be reflected in your art. There is a vast difference between deliberately illustrating and expressing pain, desperation, and other negative emotions and holding yourself back in your artistic expression as a result of pain, desperation and other negative emotions.
Here are some acronyms for the word FEAR (F.E.A.R.):
Finding Excuses And Reasons
- Are you procrastinating?
False Evidence Appearing Real
- Are you blaming other people or circumstances for being stuck your lack of success?
False Emotions Appearing Real
- Are you beating up on yourself for not being 'good' enough? Here's a clue: If you're feeling 'down' then there's a good chance you're beating up on yourself.
And my personal favorite (drum roll please)
F@#k Everything And Run
- Are you thinking about quitting, giving up on your pursuits as an artist?
You can deny your dreams but the outcome will be quiet desperation. The desperation becomes the safe comfort zone. You're Inner Critic will fight hard to keep you where it feels safe. You may not like the desperate comfort zone that you find yourself in but it's what you know. Safe. No surprises.
"To see far is one thing. Going there is another." - Brancusi
If you find that your in a state of FEAR there is a little trick you can apply to help you crawl out of that dark hole. You can ask yourself the following two questions:
1. What am I getting out of staying in this state? You don't do anything unless you get something out of it. What is staying right where you are in your artistic process allowing you to do?
2. Who would I be; what would I do; what would I have without this fear? Use your imagination to visualize that life. Run with it! Breathe it in.
The only thing standing between you and want you want to create for your art and your life experience is you. It's time to get out of your own way. Or, head down to Wal-Mart and get yourself a nice bankie and sippy cup. Get several. You'll be snuggled in, warm and comfy, for a long time.
"Remember, with every doubt comes a hitch in the natural flow of being." - Ian Factor
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. She teaches artists of all kinds how to get out of their own way, eliminate personal and professional roadblocks, so they can fully express their artistic vision and succeed in the business of art. Empower the Wizard Within, tame the Inner Critic, unleash and Inspire the Muse. Get Free Artist Resource Directory today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Are You Creatively Blocked or Are You Resisting - How to Know the Difference
Artists of every kind; painters, photographers, sculptors and actors will tell me that they are blocked. When we examine their specific challenge we discover that often they are not blocked, the are really resisting moving forward. There is a vast difference between the two. If you're struggling with your creative expression and vocation here's a way to determine whether your are blocked or unconsciously resisting as an artist.
First of all, let's take a look at what the definition of 'block' is. A block, in this context, is an obstruction; something that hinders or prevents the progress of accomplishment. Resistance, on the other hand, is the action of opposing something; a refusal to comply. We also say that something is resistant when it serves as a protective coating.
If you are blocked creatively, you may have doubts about your work, your ability to be successful, your talent. If you are resisting, you have little energy or desire to be creative and take any creative action as an artist or in the business of art. Creative blocks will come and go. Resistance can become chronic.
If you want to know whether your challenge is a block or a resistance look within. Pay attention to your self-talk, that seemingly endless chatter that is with you throughout your waking hours. If this self-talk is telling you that you're not talented or good enough to continue further then this is a block. You are in doubt, perhaps, of your ability to create what you want to express in this particular work. You're stuck, not knowing what next action to take to progressively move forward. You masterfully create distractions to take you away from your art, practice, rehearsal, audition, important meeting. And you've been doing this resisting stuff for a long time. Clearly identify the thoughts that created this blockage, this boulder. Remind yourself that this inner voice of doubt, this Inner Critic, is just a little scared of moving ahead. You're starting to stretch beyond where you've gone before and this little Inner Critic is scared so it is holding you back through inaction, indecision. Choose to take one small step in that direction, and then another, and you'll discover that you're flowing creatively again.
However, if you haven't doodled a noodle, picked up a brush, sung a song, gone to an audition or tinkled the ivories in weeks and weeks and weeks, then you're in a state of resistance. This resistance needs to be closely examined too if you wish to move beyond it. Instead of being in doubt about what's possible you are frozen in fear. What if I fail? If I continue to be an artist as my vocation will I end up living in a box by the side of the road? What if no one likes what I create? What if my work (me) is criticized publicly? Why even bother, when I'll only be rejected again. Will I die, lose my soul, give up on who I am? Deep down inside, you believe that it will be the end of the world if you continue on your path as an artist. In this state you are resisting who you are. You are resisting your own creative expression. And I'm sure you're depleted of energy, exhausted, heavy hearted. Powerless to move forward.
Yes, you are powerless because you have given up your power. If you ask yourself what within you is creating this resistance you may discover that you are shoulding all over yourself. You tell yourself constantly with that self-talk that you should do this, you should do that and yet you don't. I'm sure you have Found Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) why you can't continue on in your chosen path as an artist that is your birthright. But the truth is, you've become a victim of your fear. You've become a victim of the circumstances, events, and experiences in your life instead of the powerful creator that you are. You may even be feeling an urge to eF Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.); quit being an artist, an actor, a musician, a writer, a singer. You may have decided to 'get a real job'. Truth is, you quit on yourself and that feels terrible. And you are beating yourself up over it. And that feels even worse. This is no blocking boulder, this state is a massive wall of resistance. You are so afraid that you've literally thrown a protective blanket on your burning desires.
Again, it's time to examine your thoughts. This time, you're looking for deeper fundamental beliefs about what's possible for you to achieve as an artist. Perhaps you are reminding yourself that "you'll never earn a living as an artist" or 'artists are not business people and therefore doomed to fail".
Are the thoughts true? According to whom? How can you know, absolutely, that they are true? Can you find any evidence to the contrary? Who would you be, what would you do and what would you have if you didn't have these thoughts? For example if you're Inner Critic is telling you that you'll never earn a living as an artist, own that thought. Bring it up from your unconscious self-chatter into your consciousness. Shine light on it. Examine it. Is this true? According to whom? How can this person or these people know that this is true? Is it absolutely true that you'll never earn a living as an artist? Is any artist earning a living? Find more and more evidence that artists do, indeed, earn a living. If they can, so can you. How would you show up in your day as an artist if you didn't have that thought? What would you do? What would you create? What would success look like to you? Now be that! Hold the feeling you have as you envision yourself as a successful artist within you. Show up in your life, and as you approach your art, in that feeling state. You'll be amazed at the new inspiration, new opportunities that suddenly appear, seemingly out of nowhere for you.
So, You have a choice to make. If you are blocked, you can move beyond it. If you are resisting, you can quit. Get a real job. Tell yourself that you really don't want to be an artist and stop whining about it OR you can dissolve your fear. Which do you choose?
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. She teaches artists of all kinds how to get out of their own way, eliminate personal and professional roadblocks, so they can fully express their artistic vision and succeed in the business of art. Empower the Wizard Within, tame the Inner Critic, unleash and Inspire the Muse. Get Free Artist Resource Directory today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
First of all, let's take a look at what the definition of 'block' is. A block, in this context, is an obstruction; something that hinders or prevents the progress of accomplishment. Resistance, on the other hand, is the action of opposing something; a refusal to comply. We also say that something is resistant when it serves as a protective coating.
If you are blocked creatively, you may have doubts about your work, your ability to be successful, your talent. If you are resisting, you have little energy or desire to be creative and take any creative action as an artist or in the business of art. Creative blocks will come and go. Resistance can become chronic.
If you want to know whether your challenge is a block or a resistance look within. Pay attention to your self-talk, that seemingly endless chatter that is with you throughout your waking hours. If this self-talk is telling you that you're not talented or good enough to continue further then this is a block. You are in doubt, perhaps, of your ability to create what you want to express in this particular work. You're stuck, not knowing what next action to take to progressively move forward. You masterfully create distractions to take you away from your art, practice, rehearsal, audition, important meeting. And you've been doing this resisting stuff for a long time. Clearly identify the thoughts that created this blockage, this boulder. Remind yourself that this inner voice of doubt, this Inner Critic, is just a little scared of moving ahead. You're starting to stretch beyond where you've gone before and this little Inner Critic is scared so it is holding you back through inaction, indecision. Choose to take one small step in that direction, and then another, and you'll discover that you're flowing creatively again.
However, if you haven't doodled a noodle, picked up a brush, sung a song, gone to an audition or tinkled the ivories in weeks and weeks and weeks, then you're in a state of resistance. This resistance needs to be closely examined too if you wish to move beyond it. Instead of being in doubt about what's possible you are frozen in fear. What if I fail? If I continue to be an artist as my vocation will I end up living in a box by the side of the road? What if no one likes what I create? What if my work (me) is criticized publicly? Why even bother, when I'll only be rejected again. Will I die, lose my soul, give up on who I am? Deep down inside, you believe that it will be the end of the world if you continue on your path as an artist. In this state you are resisting who you are. You are resisting your own creative expression. And I'm sure you're depleted of energy, exhausted, heavy hearted. Powerless to move forward.
Yes, you are powerless because you have given up your power. If you ask yourself what within you is creating this resistance you may discover that you are shoulding all over yourself. You tell yourself constantly with that self-talk that you should do this, you should do that and yet you don't. I'm sure you have Found Excuses And Reasons (F.E.A.R.) why you can't continue on in your chosen path as an artist that is your birthright. But the truth is, you've become a victim of your fear. You've become a victim of the circumstances, events, and experiences in your life instead of the powerful creator that you are. You may even be feeling an urge to eF Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.); quit being an artist, an actor, a musician, a writer, a singer. You may have decided to 'get a real job'. Truth is, you quit on yourself and that feels terrible. And you are beating yourself up over it. And that feels even worse. This is no blocking boulder, this state is a massive wall of resistance. You are so afraid that you've literally thrown a protective blanket on your burning desires.
Again, it's time to examine your thoughts. This time, you're looking for deeper fundamental beliefs about what's possible for you to achieve as an artist. Perhaps you are reminding yourself that "you'll never earn a living as an artist" or 'artists are not business people and therefore doomed to fail".
Are the thoughts true? According to whom? How can you know, absolutely, that they are true? Can you find any evidence to the contrary? Who would you be, what would you do and what would you have if you didn't have these thoughts? For example if you're Inner Critic is telling you that you'll never earn a living as an artist, own that thought. Bring it up from your unconscious self-chatter into your consciousness. Shine light on it. Examine it. Is this true? According to whom? How can this person or these people know that this is true? Is it absolutely true that you'll never earn a living as an artist? Is any artist earning a living? Find more and more evidence that artists do, indeed, earn a living. If they can, so can you. How would you show up in your day as an artist if you didn't have that thought? What would you do? What would you create? What would success look like to you? Now be that! Hold the feeling you have as you envision yourself as a successful artist within you. Show up in your life, and as you approach your art, in that feeling state. You'll be amazed at the new inspiration, new opportunities that suddenly appear, seemingly out of nowhere for you.
So, You have a choice to make. If you are blocked, you can move beyond it. If you are resisting, you can quit. Get a real job. Tell yourself that you really don't want to be an artist and stop whining about it OR you can dissolve your fear. Which do you choose?
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. She teaches artists of all kinds how to get out of their own way, eliminate personal and professional roadblocks, so they can fully express their artistic vision and succeed in the business of art. Empower the Wizard Within, tame the Inner Critic, unleash and Inspire the Muse. Get Free Artist Resource Directory today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Creative Empowerment: 6 Steps to Shape Your Life
You create your life as an artist uses color. There is no experience that you cannot change. In this miraculous life you are given the gift of a creative being. And with this gift that is your birthright you create your reality according to your beliefs. It is your creative energy that makes your worldly experience. The only limitations to what you can create are within the beliefs you hold.
You create your life through the inner power of your being. This creative power is, and always has been, within you. Affirm this magical power of beingness and use your creative abilities with understanding abandon. Honor your self as you move through your life and create your experiences.
Trust in the destiny and the state of grace in the person that you are. Even if you feel lost at times or have difficulties trust and believe in your powerful ability to create lemonade out of your lemons. Trust your inner self. You can't go through life not liking, rejecting or even fearing who you are and expect to grow spiritually and creatively. A life filled with rich color, beauty, energy and fulfillment begins with a very simple and important step. That first step determines which road you travel, what you create, for your life experience. Will you create your most delicious imaginings or will you create struggle and disappointment? If you want experience what you long for, what calls to you as a creative being, then that first step must be one of affirming who you are as an individual, your truth, personal boundaries and passions.
You make your own reality. You choose the colors, the textures and the artistic style that is the canvas of your life. You are constantly dipping your brush into your palate, the colors of which are based on what you believe about yourself, the world, and other people. How you arrange those colors on this metaphorical canvas are also based on these same beliefs. If you don't like the image you are creating, you must change you colors and arrangement. Using the same color arrangements over and over again that create what you don't like over and over again will never produce the creative expression you are reaching for.
Your beliefs follow you and shape your experience. Period. If you believe that you don't have the talent to create anything new and innovative, you won't. If you believe that you have to have money to make money, you'll never make any money if you don't have any right now. If you believe critics who tell you that you just don't have what it takes to make it then you'll never make it. Belief systems, the egoic programming that runs you (or what I lovingly call the Inner Critic) loves to be right. So, it is constantly on the look out for experiences that prove the belief that is holding you back. And where it can't find evidence, it will create the experience in the form of self-sabotage.
If you think that you might be running some of this buggy programming and have affirmed that this Inner Critic holds the power to create your life experience instead of you it is time to debug and disarm the thoughts and beliefs that aren't working for you. Here's a little formula that will help you change the colors of your life experience.
1. Be mindful.
Notice the thoughts and beliefs you hold. Notice that self-talk chatter. Pay special attention to thoughts that limit you in any way.
2. According to Whom?
When you identify a statement that undermines what you want to experience ask, "According to Whom?" Who, specifically, made this statement? "They" is not an answer. If you accept the source, whatever the source may be, as the definitive authority without question then you have turned over your power to that individual or thing. In any area of your life where you have let go of your personal power you will find struggle and dissatisfaction. Period.
3. Is it True? How do I know it's true?
Ask yourself if the belief is true. Do you know, with certainty, that this belief is true? Absolutely?
4. Look for evidence that supports the opposite of this belief.
For example, if you believe that you have to have money to make money look for evidence of people who started out with nothing and amassed fortunes. If you believe that you'll never make it at whatever you aspire to do, look at all the people who have made it. If they can, so can you. The difference between someone who has made it and someone who hasn't is the knowingness and firm belief that they would make it. It's really as simple as that.
5. Create a new belief based on this new evidence.
Based on the new evidence that you have found that proves that the old belief you held isn't absolute and isn't really true. Reframe the belief into one that supports you. For example, lots of artists have become famous, successful and rich. I no longer believe that as an artist, I'll never make any money.
6. Who would you be, what would you have, what would you do without this belief?
Imagine what your life would be like without this belief. How would it be different? How will you feel? What would you be doing? What will you have in your life that you do not have now? You can be, do and have all that you imagine by letting go of the beliefs that are holding you back from that experience.
You can use this formula to examine any area of your life that is not working for you. Explore the beliefs that are creating the experiences that you do not wish to have. Create new beliefs.
What colors will you paint on your canvas of life?
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. She teaches creative people how to tap into their intuition and truth, disarm their self-doubt and fear so that they can empower the wizard within, inspire the muse, and fully express their creative potential. Get free mini-booklet "Discover Your Inner Wizard" and inspirational creative empowerment tips at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
You create your life through the inner power of your being. This creative power is, and always has been, within you. Affirm this magical power of beingness and use your creative abilities with understanding abandon. Honor your self as you move through your life and create your experiences.
Trust in the destiny and the state of grace in the person that you are. Even if you feel lost at times or have difficulties trust and believe in your powerful ability to create lemonade out of your lemons. Trust your inner self. You can't go through life not liking, rejecting or even fearing who you are and expect to grow spiritually and creatively. A life filled with rich color, beauty, energy and fulfillment begins with a very simple and important step. That first step determines which road you travel, what you create, for your life experience. Will you create your most delicious imaginings or will you create struggle and disappointment? If you want experience what you long for, what calls to you as a creative being, then that first step must be one of affirming who you are as an individual, your truth, personal boundaries and passions.
You make your own reality. You choose the colors, the textures and the artistic style that is the canvas of your life. You are constantly dipping your brush into your palate, the colors of which are based on what you believe about yourself, the world, and other people. How you arrange those colors on this metaphorical canvas are also based on these same beliefs. If you don't like the image you are creating, you must change you colors and arrangement. Using the same color arrangements over and over again that create what you don't like over and over again will never produce the creative expression you are reaching for.
Your beliefs follow you and shape your experience. Period. If you believe that you don't have the talent to create anything new and innovative, you won't. If you believe that you have to have money to make money, you'll never make any money if you don't have any right now. If you believe critics who tell you that you just don't have what it takes to make it then you'll never make it. Belief systems, the egoic programming that runs you (or what I lovingly call the Inner Critic) loves to be right. So, it is constantly on the look out for experiences that prove the belief that is holding you back. And where it can't find evidence, it will create the experience in the form of self-sabotage.
If you think that you might be running some of this buggy programming and have affirmed that this Inner Critic holds the power to create your life experience instead of you it is time to debug and disarm the thoughts and beliefs that aren't working for you. Here's a little formula that will help you change the colors of your life experience.
1. Be mindful.
Notice the thoughts and beliefs you hold. Notice that self-talk chatter. Pay special attention to thoughts that limit you in any way.
2. According to Whom?
When you identify a statement that undermines what you want to experience ask, "According to Whom?" Who, specifically, made this statement? "They" is not an answer. If you accept the source, whatever the source may be, as the definitive authority without question then you have turned over your power to that individual or thing. In any area of your life where you have let go of your personal power you will find struggle and dissatisfaction. Period.
3. Is it True? How do I know it's true?
Ask yourself if the belief is true. Do you know, with certainty, that this belief is true? Absolutely?
4. Look for evidence that supports the opposite of this belief.
For example, if you believe that you have to have money to make money look for evidence of people who started out with nothing and amassed fortunes. If you believe that you'll never make it at whatever you aspire to do, look at all the people who have made it. If they can, so can you. The difference between someone who has made it and someone who hasn't is the knowingness and firm belief that they would make it. It's really as simple as that.
5. Create a new belief based on this new evidence.
Based on the new evidence that you have found that proves that the old belief you held isn't absolute and isn't really true. Reframe the belief into one that supports you. For example, lots of artists have become famous, successful and rich. I no longer believe that as an artist, I'll never make any money.
6. Who would you be, what would you have, what would you do without this belief?
Imagine what your life would be like without this belief. How would it be different? How will you feel? What would you be doing? What will you have in your life that you do not have now? You can be, do and have all that you imagine by letting go of the beliefs that are holding you back from that experience.
You can use this formula to examine any area of your life that is not working for you. Explore the beliefs that are creating the experiences that you do not wish to have. Create new beliefs.
What colors will you paint on your canvas of life?
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. She teaches creative people how to tap into their intuition and truth, disarm their self-doubt and fear so that they can empower the wizard within, inspire the muse, and fully express their creative potential. Get free mini-booklet "Discover Your Inner Wizard" and inspirational creative empowerment tips at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Affirmations: The Most Important One
“Art is essentially the affirmation, the blessing, and the deification of existence” - Friedrich Nietzsche
While traveling the road of life's journey of growth and fulfillment many people recite affirmations such as "I am rich without a hitch" or "I am strong, I am safe and all is well." These affirmations are used to create and develop a positive attitude to life and what's possible for you in that experience. Even those that do not believe in the power of affirmations will say that they "can't hurt" so you might as well say them.
Affirmations can, indeed, hurt and continue to reinforce the very block that it is being used to overcome. For example if the next thought you have after you recite the above affirmation examples are "But there's a glitch" or "Who am I kidding?" then all you are doing in your continued recitation of the affirmation is to reinforce feelings of not being rich and not being strong, safe and well. All you really do in that case is reinforce the negative. And you continue to stay stuck right where you are without any forward positive movement on your journey.
Before you throw your hands up in despair, there is an affirmation that reinforces a 'can do' positive state of self-esteem and being-ness. It's very simple. Easy to remember. The total affirmation is one word. And that word is...
YES!
The word affirmation means saying YES to yourself, your creative expression, and the life you lead. It is accepting your own unique personhood, your own talents. When you affirm you declare solemnly and formally as true. You declare your individuality. You embrace your life, own it, and let it flow through you. You no longer resist it. The greatest strength you could ever have is in your ability to affirm yourself. This affirmation is the acceptance of yourself in your present as the person you are. Within that acceptance you include qualities that you wish you did not have. In that light, affirmation is the loving recognition of your own integrity and value.
Now, this doesn't mean that you like every piece of every experience that you have. Even with these experiences you can affirm your own life force. You can maintain your personal boundaries and refrain from saying yes to events, issues or people that trouble you. Saying yes in this context is not about accepting whatever gets thrown at you. You affirm your uniqueness, say yes to who you are, even at times when you say no. Saying yes to you is about being at cause. Declaring your right to make decisions. Deliberately creating your experiences and owning those experiences without judgment. Without resistance. If an unwanted event is experienced, you affirm yourself in that experience and through examination of that unwanted event reveal how you were at cause in that experience. And make the correction the next time around. When you affirm your life you have the complete understanding that you form your own experiences and emphasize your ability to do so.
That one little affirmation of yes, delivers to you the power to create anything you want to experience or produce in your life.
Say yes. Yes to what you've experienced. Yes to your right to want what you want. Yes to who you are. Yes to the full expression of your creative soul.
"The supreme virtue in art is soul, perhaps it is the only thing which gives it the right to be.” - Willa Sibert Cather
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. The ultimate mission of the International Association for Inner Wizards is to reconnect you with the incredible power that is already within you and to encourage you to recognize it, use it in your creative expression and rely upon this resource that is your birthright. We simply deliver back to you that which is already your own. Learn how to say YES! Get free mini-book "Discover Your Inner Wizard" today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
While traveling the road of life's journey of growth and fulfillment many people recite affirmations such as "I am rich without a hitch" or "I am strong, I am safe and all is well." These affirmations are used to create and develop a positive attitude to life and what's possible for you in that experience. Even those that do not believe in the power of affirmations will say that they "can't hurt" so you might as well say them.
Affirmations can, indeed, hurt and continue to reinforce the very block that it is being used to overcome. For example if the next thought you have after you recite the above affirmation examples are "But there's a glitch" or "Who am I kidding?" then all you are doing in your continued recitation of the affirmation is to reinforce feelings of not being rich and not being strong, safe and well. All you really do in that case is reinforce the negative. And you continue to stay stuck right where you are without any forward positive movement on your journey.
Before you throw your hands up in despair, there is an affirmation that reinforces a 'can do' positive state of self-esteem and being-ness. It's very simple. Easy to remember. The total affirmation is one word. And that word is...
YES!
The word affirmation means saying YES to yourself, your creative expression, and the life you lead. It is accepting your own unique personhood, your own talents. When you affirm you declare solemnly and formally as true. You declare your individuality. You embrace your life, own it, and let it flow through you. You no longer resist it. The greatest strength you could ever have is in your ability to affirm yourself. This affirmation is the acceptance of yourself in your present as the person you are. Within that acceptance you include qualities that you wish you did not have. In that light, affirmation is the loving recognition of your own integrity and value.
Now, this doesn't mean that you like every piece of every experience that you have. Even with these experiences you can affirm your own life force. You can maintain your personal boundaries and refrain from saying yes to events, issues or people that trouble you. Saying yes in this context is not about accepting whatever gets thrown at you. You affirm your uniqueness, say yes to who you are, even at times when you say no. Saying yes to you is about being at cause. Declaring your right to make decisions. Deliberately creating your experiences and owning those experiences without judgment. Without resistance. If an unwanted event is experienced, you affirm yourself in that experience and through examination of that unwanted event reveal how you were at cause in that experience. And make the correction the next time around. When you affirm your life you have the complete understanding that you form your own experiences and emphasize your ability to do so.
That one little affirmation of yes, delivers to you the power to create anything you want to experience or produce in your life.
Say yes. Yes to what you've experienced. Yes to your right to want what you want. Yes to who you are. Yes to the full expression of your creative soul.
"The supreme virtue in art is soul, perhaps it is the only thing which gives it the right to be.” - Willa Sibert Cather
Valery Satterwhite is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. The ultimate mission of the International Association for Inner Wizards is to reconnect you with the incredible power that is already within you and to encourage you to recognize it, use it in your creative expression and rely upon this resource that is your birthright. We simply deliver back to you that which is already your own. Learn how to say YES! Get free mini-book "Discover Your Inner Wizard" today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.
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