Let It Go

Let It Go

Let It Go

November 15th, 2019  |  Laurie Hawkins

With the launch of Frozen Two, this thought came into my mind. Let it Go and Frozen was my son’s favourite movie at the time. In fact, even at 15, it would be his theme song headed to play competitive hockey and we had to stand in line at Disney to meet Anna and Elsa. It doesn’t fit with his personality so it was always a joy to see him lean into a softer side! He has his calendar marked to see Frozen II with his girlfriend this coming week when it is released. 

Letting go seems to be a very tough thing to actually embark on though. It stretches us outside our comfort zone to truly let go…it requires us to move into the land of unknown and build our “change muscles.” One verse in the song really sticks out for me. 

It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free

Let it go, let it go

Just pause and focus on those words. What comes to mind for you? I think of a few key insights, that apply to both life and business:

  • Remove yourself from the situation so that you can have more clarity
  • Fear owns too much space in our minds
  • When you let go, you have the opportunity to break through to something new
  • We spend so much time in this place of “right and wrong, black and white” and yet…there are very few wrong decisions, just growth
  • Letting go allows you to feel free

 

Something Beautiful Wants to Grow in it’s Place

I read this statement as I was preparing to write this blog and it resonated so deeply. Think of how the weeds in your garden smother out the possibility of beautiful flowers and plants growing in that space. When you remove the weeds, it’s incredible to watch what sprouts. Your life and business are the same. Pull the weeds, trim the dead branches, remove the excess overgrowth…allow something beautiful to grow in its place.

How can you apply this to your business? What is it time to move away from, what customers might be time to let go? What organizations are you involved in that are not supporting your needs any longer? What people are keeping you stuck? What products and services could be looked at differently? Really pause and look at every aspect of your business – look at it like a garden. What gardening plans could you incorporate so that your business can thrive in a powerful way?

She Let Go

The title of this beautiful poem is she let go. This is not for women alone and you can insert yourself into this no matter who you are. Read this poem and reflect on areas that you can let go.

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear.  She let go of the judgments.  She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.  She let go of the committee of indecision within her.  She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go.  She let go of all of the memories that held her back.  She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.  She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

It’s truly that simple! We make it complicated. What if you chose to make it simple and just let go? It’s time for you to step into the ease of all that is possible and let go. Make some plans to build this as a mantra into your life and start to soar! It’s #timetosoar.

 

I am an Imposter! Where did that come from?

I am an Imposter! Where did that come from?

I am an Imposter! Where did that come from?

November 1st, 2019  |  Laurie Hawkins

Have you ever experienced a season of chaos? Where every time you opened an email or answered the phone, there was another challenge facing you. I have faced this season over the past few months. As a business owner, leader, sales person and really, human being…the most important thing for us to manage is our energy. 

I’ve got the tools to support me and yet, when you have to choose how to prioritize your time, how often do you allow those tools to go by the wayside? I fell into that trap and what was interesting was where it landed me.

From out of nowhere, those old sneaky patterns of “you are not enough” started infiltrating my brain. I could hear this voice saying “you are not unique” and “people will not understand”. These are all lies and there is truly no proof to substantiate that voice. It continued to build though. 

We said good-bye to some dear customers, family members and friends in the past few months. In the midst of that loss, on a tank that started to empty, I got lost in the voices. Have you ever found yourself in this place? 

I love the turning of a page onto a new month, a blank canvas of possibilities and an opportunity to reset in so many ways. The leaves are turning beautiful colours and beginning to fall and that encourages us to remove that which doesn’t serve us and step into our brilliant and best selves. Through this process of leaves falling and a blank page, the choice to step into the truth and away from what those voices are trying to fool us with is ours to take. The question really is how? Here are some insights that have come forward through this process that I hope will serve you to step into your light and magnificence. 

Hang out with winners

Misery loves misery as the saying goes. It seems that when we most need to surround ourselves with people that can lift us up, we navigate towards the opposite – people we can
“pity party” with. This will not pull you forward. Go where your best self people are hanging out. Have conversations about what is possible and amazing and brilliant. Plan, dream, brainstorm, collaborate. Winners think differently. Step into the spaces where you can shine your light and have your light relit when it is dim.

 

Get clear about what is real

When you are spinning in the muck, you keep spinning in the muck. I remember being stuck in the middle of a field on a rainy fall day with my brother when I was a child. We could not get out and had to be rescued with our boots being left behind. That is what it truly feels like when you are not operating in the reality. Ask yourself, what is the worst that can happen right now? What is the best that can happen right now? How can I plan for the best and worst? Then you realize, you’ve got this and take your first steps towards action.

 

Results speak truth

When I first started in sales a few decades ago, I started a celebration file. This file was to give me a place to remind myself of the success if I hit a “phase of rejection” in sales. Finding a way to remind yourself of your success, of the difference that you make, of the impact you have had on others will allow you to live in that energy and attract more of that energy. No matter where you are in your business, you have these stories. Keep a file that you can reflect on in times of challenge.

 

Present over perfect

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of busy, chaotic, frantic in this world. I know that I fall victim to allowing this to happen and it is amazing to watch how more chaos comes when you focus on chaos. That moment when you think “I can’t take on one more thing” is the exact moment that one more thing will hit. I have read the book and have the tee-shirt to prove it and yet, there sneaks in perfect again. Breathe, slow down, carve out space and time to process and stop trying so damn hard to have everything so perfect. This space of present is where you can remove the voices and step into what is real. 

 

Claim your power

When you do move into being present, then you can bring your boldest and most powerful self to any challenge. To go to the next level in your success and dreams, it requires you to take the step in your healing (of anything that needs healed). When you carry around a suitcase of crap, it is too heavy to allow for new and powerful to enter. Stepping into the greatest expression of your life and all you have to offer, is truly a choice and one worth making. Make it today! Stop wasting precious time.

 

The courage to be disliked

As we worked through loss, I realized that I have always been the planner, doer, action everything person. That’s awesome except that in the midst of that, I also wanted to make sure that everyone liked me. Is it possible that even when I am my best self, there will be people that don’t get me, don’t want to be around me, don’t resonate with my beliefs – HELL YES. So what? It’s time for all of us to have the courage to be ourselves and not focus so much on being liked. Be you! Be real! Be awesome! The people that are meant to be with you will be there.

 

Judgement detox

How can you live your best life, be an incredible leader, impact others on a deep and meaningful level if you are living in a space of judgement? This world is filled with judgement of self, of others, of everything. Commit to taking a detox. Just stop it! What would happen in your business and life if every time you were spinning in judgement you shifted that to action? Take one action towards the business and life you desire instead of staying stuck in the judgement. 

 

Reflection: As you turn the page on a new month and what is possible, what can you do to step into your most brilliant self, as a leader, business owner, person? What action can you take right now that will allow the leaves that are not healthy to fall and you to replace them with vibrant and powerful energy?

 

Nothing Beautiful Comes Without Suffering

Nothing Beautiful Comes Without Suffering

Nothing Beautiful Comes Without Suffering

October 1st, 2019  |  Laurie Hawkins

I am dedicating this blog to my courageous husband. This month I witnessed him, along with seven of his friends, compete in and complete the Tough Mudder. The Tough Mudder is a 10-mile obstacle course, designed by an English counterterrorism officer. It’s tough, it’s grueling, it’s muddy, it pushes you through fear and unique challenges. You jump deep into ice water, throw yourself waste high into a mud trench and get electrocuted…on purpose. There are numerous other obstacles that you would have to be either a little off-centre or challenged by your friends to choose to take part in.

Challenge Accepted

My husbands’ friend was turning 50 and his desire was to challenge himself, along with a group of his closest friends. Without hesitation, they all accepted the challenge. These men push each other to new heights of experience for sure and none of them would miss the opportunity to conquer this together. 

Then the training began. It was months of hills, calf issues, knees giving out, shoulder challenges, golfer’s elbow and mindset shifts for my husband. He works out every day and part of that is due to some physical ailments that have been a struggle throughout his life. His biggest goal was to not hold his team back.

As the race came to and end, the last obstacle is an intense electrical screen where cords are hanging down and someone is soaking you with a fire hose to amplify the shock effect! When someone asked them all about how painful the shocks were, they all looked at each other and said they didn’t remember! They just remembered how it felt to come across that finish line together, arm in arm. Accepting the challenge of something new that stretches you past your current limits brings a new level of joy that you wouldn’t have experienced before. Without the challenge, you wouldn’t feel the incredible joy.

When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?
This is a question that we keep as a theme in our family. In my 50th year, I created a list of 50 things that I did throughout the year that I had never done before. Now here at Tough Mudder were hundreds of people doing something they had never done before. The energy that was at the starting line was beyond powerful. The excitement for what was to come – the possibilities, the fear, the encouragement.

At the starting line, there was a military man getting the racers ready to rumble. He was so full of positivity that I wanted to get my runners on…wait, no (sorry, got carried away)! Here are a few of the opening thoughts he shared, as they all kneeled together to prepare for GO TIME.

He said “what you do out here today as far as looking out for each other and helping each other out, take that right back home; to your neighbourhood, to your nation, to your world. You are movers and shakers and if you do it you are going to encourage others in this world to come on board. The biggest thing you will take on today is the feeling of fear and that is the most important thing you take on today too. I see people stare at obstacles for 20 minutes with people pausing to encourage them that they can do it. People will be encouraging you all day and the truth is you’ve got this and even if you don’t achieve it you will be stronger from the effort. The next time that feeling of fear comes at you the easier it will be for you to keep moving forward to do what needs to be done. Don’t care about your time. You may not be able to do every obstacle. All I want is your best. You may not be the best out here, you may not be able to do every obstacle, you may not finish…I want your best – your honest best not your settled best. This is everything. No one is better than your best”.

I had tears in my eyes as I watched everyone take their first steps towards something they were doing for the first time. My husband had spoken about doing this for over five years, when our daughter had done it at the age of 18! When you step into a new possibility, a new opportunity, a new potential and see what you are capable of, there you find joy!

Find your Strength
You are the captain of your strength. My husband ended up blowing his calf just past half way through the race. In that moment, his mind started spinning about not letting his team down, not being the weakest link, wondering if he could finish, and sadness. He offered to let the team continue without him or to go ahead and he would take it at his own pace. Without hesitation, the team encouraged him, came up with a plan to manage the remainder of the race and didn’t lose a beat. They all stayed together to the end.

The acceptance and support that his team gave him was remarkable. There were 8 unique people with different personalities but one thing they all share is an intense level of compete. This day wasn’t about time though, it was about the power of friendship and the love and support of a group of people that have being life together for decades.

It was the struggle, the pain, the fear, the realness that pushed them all through to the end together. This is joy.

Once you Take the First Step Towards Your Goals, They Become Easier
I asked my husband to share some of his biggest aha moments from the Tough Mudder experience. He gave me all your typical cliché ones that you could imagine. Then he said that once they got through the first obstacle, they realized that it really was just take one obstacle at a time. How often do we clump everything together and make it so big that taking the first step causes us to freeze? They didn’t think about all 25, they just approached each one as it came to them. Once they finished one, they knew they could do the next one. Each obstacle became easier as they knew they could do it, and every obstacle they completed, got them closer to the finish line – and the cold beer at the end.

Imagine the joy that is possible when you focus on the first step and then the next step and then all of a sudden realize, you have crossed the finish line. What a feeling!

We’ve Got Your Back Man
Find the people that you could go to war with. My Father told me when I was young, if I one person who had my back when I was older, someone that I could call a true friend, then I was truly blessed. My husband had 7 friends and 100’s of comrades on this day that had his back. In a world filled with turmoil, confusion, noise, pain and suffering – there are moments every day of people helping people. When you are suffering in the mud pit, someone is there to guide you out.

Watching how everyone supported each other, both with the groups of people who had come together and complete strangers was so moving. The whole event was really about supporting everyone to finish and overcome the obstacles they were faced with.

My husband shared how powerful it was to share in this experience and know that people had his back. That is joy.

Pause to Celebrate
When you actually push through the electric circuits, pause for the beer (or bubbly) at the finish line. In this busy world, I notice that people are off to the next race before they acknowledge the one that just finished.

We spent the night in celebration with our friends and family. We celebrated our friends 50th, the incredible feat that everyone had just accomplished, the strength to say “hell yes” and go for it, no matter what obstacles were presented. I loved this pause with my husband, to see the pure joy of all he had overcome, all that he had lived through, the deeper connections he had built and the suffering he had survived. It was all of the suffering that made it that much richer.

“If you get a new client, if you get up the nerve to ask someone out, if you get the job, the house or the last cookie, celebrate. We’re so damn busy all the time we rarely take the time out to acknowledge our awesomeness. Meanwhile, what you focus on you create more of, appreciation appreciates, badassery badassifies, Take the time to feel into, be grateful for, and do a cartwheel about all the greatness you’re bringing into the world and you will empower yourself to bring even more.” From YOU are a BADASS Calendar

Reflection: What experience in your life has shown you the most beautiful joy when you walked through the suffering? What were your lessons and how can you continue to lean into these to strengthen your joy?

Life is a Series of Champagne Moments

Life is a Series of Champagne Moments

Life is a Series of Champagne Moments

September 15th, 2019  |  Laurie Hawkins

I am just returning from getting my daughter started on the next chapter in her life journey. She has moved overseas to attend Teachers College in Wales, UK. We had the chance to explore her new city together and to share in creating some of our own amazing memories. Shoes and Shampagne (shouldn’t they be spelt the same?)! Or choes and champagne? Either way, we didn’t find it difficult to connect with these integral parts of the culture there.

I read the quote “life is a series of champagne moments”, while we were visiting. It made me pause to think about the reality of that statement. My daughter, Coco, had said the how funny it was that only a few short years ago, you would have never seen me sipping on a glass of the bubbly. Why is that? As I approached fifty, I found myself in the cliché of focusing on building my business and raising my children. I had lost myself in many ways and really didn’t take the time to focus on self-care or fun! Yes, I said it…I had left fun behind somewhere. This fifty-thing helped me to pause and recognize this and make a decision to change the trajectory of where I was going. It was time to build fun back in. I was also struggling with some strange health issues and so I was being very conscious of what went in my body. I had become “exclusive” and focused more on what I couldn’t have than building a positive relationship with what I could have. Enter an article on champagne and I decided that it would be my new drink of choice (sparkling wine, prosecco…anything with bubbles).

Link the desire to have more fun with choosing bubbly as my new drink and I chose to pause once a month, by a body of water, with a glass of bubbly in hand. It surprised me how much fun we came to have with this simple new event. We started creating moments around when and where we would have our newest experience. It really showed me the importance of being more present, slowing down and being on purpose with fun. What does any of this have to do with business you might ask…another example of how when your soul is full, you are more effective in your business. I consider fun a necessary element in building a successful business. As I continued to reflect on life being a series of champagne moments, I came up with a list of amazing connections to these moments:

Let Things Happen by Happy Accident

Effervescence. It makes Coca-Cola tap dance on your tongue and champagne look regal in a flute. But at least in champagne’s case, the bubbles were a total accident brought about in the late 1400s when temperatures across Europe dropped so low that both the Thames River and canals of Venice froze. 

The monks of the Abbey of Hautvillers in Champagne, where high-altitude made it possible to grow top quality grapes, were already hard at work creating reds and whites. The cold temporarily halted fermentation, the process by which wine is made. When spring arrived with warmer temperatures, the budding spirits began to ferment again. This produced an excess of carbon dioxide inside wine bottles, giving the liquid inside a fizzy quality.

In 1668, the Catholic Church called upon a monk by the name of Dom Pérignon to finally control the situation. The rebellious wine was so fizzy that bottles kept exploding in the cellar, and Dom Pérignon was tasked with staving off a second round of fermentation.

In time, however, tastes changed, starting with the Royal Court at Versailles. By the end of the 17th century, Dom Pérignon was asked to reverse everything he was doing and focus on making champagne even bubblier.

How bubbly? A glass of champagne pops hundreds of bubbles a second, and with an important function: They release the aroma of the grapes before we even take a sip. They do also look incredible in a champagne flute. It’s fascinating to know that if not for the whims of the Royal Court, we’d be celebrating New Year’s with flat Coke potentially.

What a happy accident. What can you allow to happen by accident that will bring you more joy? These are champagne moments.

Nurture Your Curiosity

In this busy world of doing and information, there is little time for wonder and curiosity. When you visit a new city, read a new book, explore a new culture; you are put in a position of natural curiosity. What was it like back in the 1400’s when the Romans were in these baths that I am looking at right now? What do the people living here do in their spare time? How… you get the idea. When we step into wonder and curiosity, it’s sparks our happy neurons. These are champagne moments.

Engage in New & Loved Activities

Doing something new brings a natural rush. My favourite experience on this trip was a water taxi that took you from the city centre to the bay. Simple but it was a different view of the city and of course, on the water for me is always amazing. 

It’s easier to do new things when you are travelling but I also pause to realize there are so many things in my own backyard that I haven’t even explored. Another thought is doing something you “used to love to do”. I was telling my daughter that we were entering a new phase of our lives with the kids getting older. She asked me what I loved to do before kids, and could I engage in one of those activities again. What an incredible thought…tennis courts here we come. What is something new or old that you could build into your life? These are champagne moments.

 

Expand Your Learning

I love to read and learn new things and I have come to realize it is part of my DNA that doesn’t exist for everyone. I was reminded on this trip that even though I focus on learning, I am very consistent in my approach to it. Auto pilot is a much easier state to live in. I read the same magazines, am attracted to the same kind of business books on specific topics. So, I decided to research why bubbles make people happy…champagne bubbles, blowing bubbles, bath bubbles. It was quite fascinating really. Just that “out of the norm” research shifted something for me. How can you shift to expand your learning? These are champagne moments.

Connect with New People

Opening a bottle of champagne relieves pressure, on the bottle and the person enjoying it ?. Those bubbles that mark life’s celebrations are mood-altering. Nobody can resist the bubbles charms. Food tastes better when we’re happy, and bubbles make us happy. 

What I have found interesting is the social connection of bubbly. You can’t open a bottle of it without wanting to share it with the people around you – or them wanting you to share it. Bubbles truly build connection. As we wandered through Wales, we found new moments of connection with others as we experienced unique bubbles along the way. These are champagne moments. 

 

Reflection: How can you build more champagne moments into your life? What difference can you envision when you learn to celebrate these moments? How much more fun is possible? What results will you achieve?

Creativity is a Game Changer in Sales

Creativity is a Game Changer in Sales

Creativity is a Game Changer in Sales

September 1st, 2019  |  Laurie Hawkins

Creativity is not typically part of the conversation when discussing sales…and yet, it is a distinct differentiator. The most effective sales conversations happen when you leverage creativity.

 

Far too many sales professionals leverage boiler plate “pitches and demos” instead of taking the opportunity to personalize their approach. One size does not fit all when it comes to connecting with prospects and customers. 

 

86% of consumers say that customization and feeling that a solution was crafted specifically for them plays a major role in their decision making. Customers appreciate sales professionals who are creative problem solvers and take the time to understand their unique needs, challenges and desired outcomes.

 

Creativity breeds partnership. It builds a space of win-win and collaboration. It also builds a desire to surprise and delight others. “WOW” moments for customers are bred from creative thought processes and exploring what else is possible. The surprise associated with creating “wow” moments is one of the most effective sales connection opportunities.

 

“Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.”

 

Continually stretching yourself by trying new strategies will set you apart from all the noise in the market today. When you maintain a childlike curiosity and continue to build a creative approach into your business, you will generate a never-ending stream of referrals that ensures your success. Here are a few ways to unlock your creative potential for success.

 

Break Routines

Break out of complacency. Challenge yourself to recognize when you are in auto-pilot and stimulate your creativity in those times. Even driving a different way than normal will spark your brain into action. Think new thoughts, try new things, read new books, meet with and share in conversation with new people. Make this part of your routine.

 

Measure Ideas

Challenge yourself to brainstorm a certain amount of new ideas and inspirations every week. Constantly ask yourself questions that will spark your creativity. Then take action on the ones that fire you up.

 

Become Aware

There is a profound link between stress and lack of creativity. When your mind is burdened with tension and anxiety, it’s next to impossible to stay curious and creative. Build in tools to alleviate stress so that you can flow with ideas.

 

Build Space

Carve out “nothing” time every day. This will work magic in your capacity to generate new ideas and inspire your productivity. Even ten minutes in the middle of the day can have a dramatic impact on your ability to think differently.

 

Master Mind

This will allow you to unleash your creativity and boost your effectiveness. Find a group of people that you can brainstorm new ideas with. Ensure they are people that stretch you out of your “norm” and ignite your power of creativity. This will energize you in new and exciting ways.

 

Feel on Purpose

The greatest need we have is to contribute and make a difference through the work we do. When you connect with your unique gifts that allow you to fulfill this desire, you feel a richness of creative power. Fuel this power.

 

Reflection: What will you do to build creativity into your life and business moving forward?

Spark Your Creativity: Dare to Think Differently

Spark Your Creativity: Dare to Think Differently

Spark Your Creativity:
Dare to Think Differently

August 15th, 2019  |  Laurie Hawkins

Creativity is something that we all have an innate human need for. When we open up our minds to creativity, we are able to find solutions easier, maintain stronger relationships, be more collaborative, find greater excitement in work, think of innovative ideas, inspire others, build balance and so much more.

Some people are wonderful at expressing their creativity by inventing new products, creating stunning pieces of art, or composing music. This has become the definition of creative when there is truly creativity all around us – it’s everywhere, for everyone. 

Creativity begins when you are able to silence your inner critic and have the courage to express your ideas, in various different formats. It is not the result that counts, which is counter-intuitive to a results-focused society as well. 

The moment you create, with your hands or your head, you start to release endorphins and you feel present…happy. Unleash your creativity. Here are a few ways that you can step into a more creative and fulfilling life.

 

Embrace Failure

Think about the things that are born out of failure. Being a perfectionist is stifling. So many people experience shame over this experience when the reality is that the failure leads you closer to the success you desire. Our world is far too focused on performance and success today instead of learning. 

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve; the fear of failure.” Paulo Coelho

 

Leap Forward

Many times, the challenge with beginning something new is not that we don’t have any ideas, it is that our heads are filled with so much that we don’t know where to begin. It has become a habit to focus on the “bing” of the email or instant messages…all day long. People focus on distractions and interruptions all day long, instead of taking the first step towards something that will have a powerful impact. Take the first tiny action towards what you desire. Little steps over time lead to giant leaps.

“It’s a sad thing in life to wait until you are ready. The reality is that there is never a truly perfect time to start. No one is every fully ready. There is no such thing really. There’s only now. Start now.”

 

Sleep Well

We can be successful only when we take care of ourselves. The most important aspect of caring for yourself is to get sleep on a regular basis. This doesn’t align with the workaholic mindset that has been built in North America. When you sleep more, you become more competent. You gain clarity and longer term, create increased effectiveness. 

Sleep is the key to happiness and creativity. Gift yourself sleep and watch your creativity heighten.

 

Allow Boredom

There was a time, not so long ago, when you had moments of space and time to watch people in line or stay lost in thoughts. With the development of smartphones, this space has been eliminated. Every moment of the day seems to be filled. 

When was the last time you took a pause to notice the sounds around you? To notice the smells around you? To notice what you could see around you? We keep ourselves busy all the time and leave little time for doing nothing. Doing nothing is vital to recharge. This is when your imagination comes to life…and you can notice it.

 

Explore Uncomfortable

When we focus too much on keeping things the way they are, our minds tend to slip into auto-pilot. We stop seeing what is around us. It is comfortable and easy but sharing in new experiences creates a new vibrancy and awareness. It sparks all of our senses into gear.

Habits provide clarity. Our safe and familiar comfort zones are built around personal habits that make life easier for us. Studies have shown that the start of something is the most difficult part because it is a huge step into the unknown. Exploring new things is good for your brain; it keeps you sharp and you continue to develop yourself. 

Capture Youth

Beginner’s mind is a term Buddhists use to describe a particular state of mental openness. As a beginner you have no expectations. You are not restricted by your perspectives, biases, experiences, judgements etc. You are like a child full of wonder and you see the world through a prism of possibilities.

You become open to the world and people around you. You gain access to parts of your brain that you haven’t been using. Suddenly, new ideas can surface. A fresh look, like when you were a child and everything was new, will make you more creative.

 

Be Alone

“Decorate one’s inner house so richly that one is content there, glad to welcome anyone who wants to come and stay, but happy all the same in the hours when one is inevitably alone.” Edith Wharton

When we embrace our alone time, the most beautiful thoughts can emerge. With social media and the “always on” communication in today’s world, many days it is difficult to carve out true alone time. Many people have become uncomfortable with being alone. The soul craves connection and yet, there comes a time where you need to walk alone to hear your soul. It frees space in your brain to experience new thoughts and insights.

 

Go Offline

There is so much valuable information online. The frequency to which we turn to our smartphones in mindless moments is a problem. We keep looking, swiping, tapping, checking…we spin in nothing and lose hours of valuable time. Our brain doesn’t help us as it likes to intuitively move through this process. It’s the instant gratification of the ping and flash that keep us coming back for more.

There are so many ways to “go off the grid” for periods of time…for space!  What if you put your phone where you couldn’t see it? You can’t produce anything of value if you are unable to concentrate. What if you hung out with people who made you forget about your phone? Offline is the new luxury.

 

Magnify Mindfulness

There is a direct correlation between meditation, mindfulness and creativity. Practicing mindfulness helps to develop the ability to look, feel, see, sense all that is around you. Meditation allows you to dive deep, which allows your creativity to blossom. You become still, your awareness is heightened, your thoughts become clear, you are fully present to all that is possible. 

Mindfulness teaches us to be in the here and now. Our thoughts wander easily to the past and the future. Mindfulness is like a filter on your mind. A calm mind is a creative mind. Our greatest experiences are our quiet moments.

 

Build Team

You’ve started practicing mindfulness. You’ve boosted your energy levels. You’ve gained confidence in your abilities and have started creating. Now you desire to surround yourself with a community of people who can appreciate your art, share your ideas, let inspiration flow with. You want a creative partner(s).

Find a creative connection where your ideas and energy can expand together. Collaboration amplifies creativity.

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Creativity sparks an enormous energy. There is an unexplainable fuel that ignites when something new is created, a new idea is born, a unique perspective is discovered. It’s like an interruption of the norm and it inspires people into action. 

We crave the opportunity to roam free, to explore, to seek solutions. We delight in working with our hands and creating something beautiful. This creative spark can be illusive in our over-busy world. It seems difficult to give ourselves permission to spend time in play and creativity. 

 

When you step back and recognize the powerful outcomes derived from investing time in the creative process, this belief system makes no real sense. Creativity gives you the power to shape your life, build balance, unleash the amazing. 

 

Reflection: What one thing will you choose to action when you reflect on all of these possibilities?