Friday's Special Moment of Gratitude - Recognizing A New Best Friend

The most adventurous journey to embark on; is the journey to yourself, the most exciting thing to discover; is who you really are, the most treasured pieces that you can find; are all the pieces of you, the most special portrait you can recognize; is the portrait of your soul.”                                                                                                                                         . JoyBell C.

I was reading a blog post just now about being your own teacher and having all of the answers inside of you.  I do believe that as we get to know ourselves better and better we will find the answers to the questions we have, if we give ourselves permission to be still and to be quiet. 

When I read the words be your own teacher for some reason the phrase "Be you own best friend" popped into my head.  Some days I do think I am my own best friend.  I try to take care of myself and make decisions that are best for me while not hurting anyone else.  It took a long long time to come to this point in life. But important things are worth waiting for and yes I should have listened to my mother who gave me this advice many years ago when I was a teenager. 

 What does being my own best friend mean to me?  It means really listening to what I need. It means living a life that is calm and peaceful. It is saying "yes" to things that are interesting and challenging and "no" to things that don't make sense to me now.  It is accepting that writing and painting are an important part of my life and making sure that I create time to do both each day.  It is remembering that exercise makes me feel not only stronger but gives me energy.  It is not being hard on myself when I reread something that I have written and published and then three days later finding not one but two or three or four mistakes.  I would tell my best friend it didn't matter, now I say those same words to me and really mean them.

 Being my own best friend means being there for me. It means taking care of me the same way I would take care of someone else.  It means having fun, laughing, and taking a deep breath when things get stressful.  It is reminding myself that life is filled with ups and downs and to learn from both. Most of all its recognizing that I'm not perfect and noone expects me to be.  I think I am going to like being my own best friend.  How about you - what does being your own best friend mean to you?

Each Friday I share something that I am grateful for.  This week I am grateful for the quiet moments which give me the time to reflect upon the kind of life I want to continue to create.  Each day is different and offers new opportunities and I am so grateful that I have slowed down enough to notice and appreciate them.

 Remember:  When you share your talents and gifts with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin.
I hope that you will take a minute to visit the artists at Paint Party Friday.  They are such a wonderful supportive group of people who I look forward to visiting each week.

Wednesday's Walk - First Steps

 

 

 

"Take the first step in faith.  You don't have to see the whole staircase.  Just take the first step.

                                                                                                                       Martin Luther King Jr.

Each week I share a Kaizen-Muse coaching tip.  Over and over again I write about the importance of taking small steps but when I read this quote I realized that they are all important but it is often that very first small step that makes the biggest difference. It is the step that begins it all.  It is the first word of a story that turns into a book.  It is the first painting that is the beginning of a series of paintings.  It is the first cookie baked, the first song sung, the first time you put on your ballet slippers, or pick up a guitar that begins a journey that sometimes you cannot even imagine.

Today I am celebrating a friend who's book is being published soon.  She started this book many years ago and wrote and rewrote her wonderful story.  I was lucky enough to share part of the journey with her.  I am sure the first step was hard and I know that all of the many many times she took two steps forward only to take one step back were not always easy.  But I also know that she enjoyed the process and is incredibly excited about each first step she is taking now.  She is kind enough to share what is happening and the excitement in her voice and emails are so much fun to hear. 

Is there something that you have been thinking about doing?  Do you know what the first step might be?  What would happen if you took it?  Can you close your eyes and visualize how it would feel to take that step?  I'd love to hear about what first step you are dreaming of.

On another note this the last week of the Summer of Color challenge.  The colors this week are sepia and sage.  I started my landscape with these two colors and I found them to be very soothing.  I am sure they will find their way on to my canvas again.  I want to thank Kristin for hosting this challenge.  It was fun, it took me out of my comfort zone, and it was another first step.  I look forward to being part of this wonderful group again next summer.  Thank you again, Kristin.

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

Circle of Dreams will begin in September.  It is eight weeks of sharing your dreams, your ideas, and yourself with other women. I would love to have you join us.

Sunday's Reflection - Celebrate Who You Are

How often do you take the time to celebrate you?   Do you ever take the time to celebrate the unique qualities that make you, you?  We are all so wonderfully different and it is that uniqueness that makes each and every one of us so special.  I believe that it is so important to know who you are and what you love.  It's important to recognize and celebrate your own gifts and talents.  It's important to share those gifts we with the world!  None of us are perfect and that is the way it should be.  We are all beginners each and every day, learning something new.  It's that curiosity and the willingness to share what we know that encourages others to also share what they are learning and doing. 

Today I encourage you to celebrate who you are.  Celebrate the gifts that you have been given, the talents that you are enjoying, and the life that you are creating.  Celebrate! 

            "You don't need diamonds to make your light shine brighter and brighter.  It comes from knowing who you are, what you love to do, and sharing your dreams and yourself with the world.  Then it is easy to sparkle.   Ginny

                                         What would you like to celebrate today?

Sunday's Quote and Reflection

                        The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. 
                                                                                                           Eleanor Roosevelt.

I like to start the week with a quote that will inspire me in some way. I might need to create more, worry less, relax a little, or just take a deep breathe and breathe.  Some weeks I let the quote give me a gentle nudge and lead the way; while other times I look for a specific quote that reflects how I feel.  Today the quote above gave me a gentle nudge. 

I hope that you can tell from what I write each week that I love coaching.  It gives me the opportunity to connect with people all over the world.  It gives me the opportunity to learn what other people are thinking, and feeling, and doing, while at the same time I can share some of the things that I have learned over the years.  I have been so fortunate to meet women who have wonderful dreams.  They may just be starting on a new journey, rethinking how they are doing things, or just want an accountability partner to be there to listen.  The one thing they all have in common is a dream which they are beginning to turn into reality.  They believe in their dream and want to see it come true. And come true it can.  It takes a lot of faith, a lot of hard work, and of course time.  We live in a world where we tend to want things instantly, so sometimes giving ourself time to realize our dream is the hardest thing we have to do.

My dream is to reignite Circle of Dreams.  It will begin the first week of September.  My vision is to have four to eight women in the Circle.  We will talk once a week for eight weeks on a free conference call.  We will share our dreams, our visions, and the steps we are taking to make those dreams come true.  Some of the topics we will discuss are the importance of self-care, the Aha-moments we all have, thinking out of the box, the need to step back, or when it is time to say to yourself, "Just do it."  Being creative is non-linear.  You don't go from point A to point Z very often.  But I believe that if you stay true to your vision and believe in yourself and your dreams, dreams can become reality. 

If Circle of Dreams is something you think you might be interested in, contact me at ginny.lennox@comcast.net.  I would love to talk to you and answer any questions you might have! 
Remember:  When you share your dreams with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin!
                                                                                                                                         Ginny

Friday's Special Moment of Gratitude

 "Breathe.  Let go.  And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you have for sure."
                                                                                                                                    Oprah Winfrey

I think the quote above is such a great reminder to enjoy yourself each and every day.  The fourth is almost over.  It has been raining off and on all day but it's been a warm rain and people have still been determined to celebrate.  I can hear the mixture of thunder and fireworks as I type this.  It has been a quiet fourth at our house but it has still been a day to remember.

This week I am very grateful that I was given the  opportunity to write about my gratitude practice for the blog Bliss Habits.  Any time I can share how this practice has enriched my life, I am glad to do so.  As I mentioned before, today was rainy and not very holiday like.  Although I would have loved to be at the lake watching the fireworks, I am grateful for the peaceful quiet day it turned out to be.  We had our picnic inside and still enjoyed our hamburgers without the added delight of ants!  There is always something to be grateful for when you look for it.  In fact, I have learned that as I enjoy the simple moments more and more, there is always something new to be added to the list of things to appreciate each day.

It seems that I am going back to painting my landscapes.  When I sat down to paint I wasn't sure what I was going to paint except I knew that I wanted to use pink and gray for this week's Summer of Color Challenge. I started out with pink and gray but before I knew it a landscape was developing with of course water and so many colors besides pink and gray were quickly added. I think this can still count as my contribution to the challenge. 

If you have a long weekend and would like to visit some wonderful artists, I definitely recommend stopping by Paint Party Friday and Summer of Color.  You will be so glad you did.     

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

Wednesday's Walk - Does Practice Make Perfect?

                           All life is an experiment.  The more experiments you make the better. 
                                                                                                                        Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday's Walk began as a way to share a coaching tip each week.  When I am walking it is time I also spend thinking and daydreaming.  This week I thought a lot about the old saying "Practice makes perfect."  Does it?  Do I want to be perfect?  Could I be perfect even if that was my goal?  Perfectionism can stand in the way of being creative.  Being afraid of doing something new or taking a chance can stand in your way of growing.  So being perfect is not a goal of mine. Doing my best and enjoying what I am doing is my goal.

I do think practice can help me become better at whatever it is I am doing.  I joined the Index Card A Day challenge rather late but I thought it would be fun to create something on a card each day and see what happens.  The great part of working with an index card is that they are small and inexpensive.  I can play and have fun, use different materials and methods and if it works great.  If  it doesn't, that is ok too.  So my tip this week is -  Be aware of any perfectionistic tendencies you may have and don't let them stand in your way of creating and experimenting with new methods and ideas. Find simple ways to break a big project down and take small steps towards your goal.  And remember to celebrate each and every step you take.  Celebrations help you to remember what you have already accomplished as you move forward with your dreams. 

My desk was really messy before I took my picture for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?  I cleaned it  up a little but I left my Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils.  I really love the bright intense colors I get when I use them.  They work well on an index card but they really are beautiful on the right watercolor paper.

   Does practice make perfect?  Not always, but it can always be fun and that is really important! 
 Remember:  When you share your dreams and talents with the world, magic happens.  Let the       magic begin!

Sunday's Quote and Reflection

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
                                                                                                                            Anais Nin

I like to begin the week with a quote that will inspire me to move forward, or to be still, or to look for the magic in each day.  I've read the quote above many times but this morning it was the perfect quote for this week.  I'm working on recreating a workshop I gave several years ago called  Circle of Dreams.  I loved facilitating it at the time but then other projects began to take its place. But, now it is time for Circle of Dreams to blossom. 

The concept is not new but it is powerful.  Circle of Dreams is all about women coming together, sharing their dreams and their goals, and supporting eaching other on their journey.  I will share a creative principal each week that will help us take the next small step in reaching our goal.  As we create there are times when we need to move forward, times when we need to step back and take a break, times when we need to be silly and have fun, and times when we need to shout out to the world, "Here I am - I'm an author, or I'm a painter ,or I'm a Mom who loves to take pictures."  Circle of Dreams will help you to claim who you are or who you are dreaming of becoming.  Being part of a circle is fun, it's creative, and it is 90 minutes a week dedicated just to you. 

This is not what I had to planned to write this morning but part of my creative process is knowing when it is the right time to take a step forward.  When I read the above quote, I knew it was time to share what I was dreaming.  I always end my post with,  When you share your talent and dreams with the world, magic happens.  Let the magic begin.  Today, was my day to share a little of my dreams with you. 

The details will follow soon.  I do know that the circle will be offered both in person and through a teleconference and that it will be very affordable.  I want people who thought it would never be possible to work with a coach to have the opportunity of seeing how powerful the support of other creative women can be. 

On another note I have decided to join the Index Card A Day challenge along with Summer of Color.  One of my goals for this summer is to try new things.  I joined the challenge late but as they say, "better late than never".  My card for the day is below.  My flower is not perfect, because life never is, but it is letting the world know that it is here and ready to blossom.

Do you have a dream that needs to blossom?  Are you ready to take the next step?  Circle of Dreams might be just what you are looking for.