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Last Sunday, I had an experience in a movie theater that left me stunned, speechless and in tears.
If you’ve been to a movie theater lately, and if you get there early enough, you’ve probably had to sit and stare at an endless reel of bad ads for TV shows, cell phone services, personal injury attorneys and soft drinks. These are the “commercials” they show before the Previews.
I don’t know who had the bright idea of showing an endless stream of commercials to a captive audience of expectant moviegoers waiting for the movie to begin, but, objectively speaking, it’s a pretty smart idea. After all, the audience has nothing to do but sit there waiting and munching popcorn.
But do the ads have to be so…. bad?
Honest to Pete, the reel of commercials they show here at the local theater are so bad that my partner Mark and I are certain, dead certain, that they were scraped off the floor of some D-level advertising firm. They just… stink! Poorly written, poorly made, insulting and really, really annoying.
This is why my experience last Sunday, in that same theater, was so extraordinary, shocking and damned near miraculous.
Continue reading Take My Breath Away: An Advertising Epiphany
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They [...]
Okay, you didn’t do it today, did you?
That “thing” you love, that calls you, that you always intend to get to, but life gets in the way.
You know it’s important to you. And more than anything, you would love to have endless time and energy to indulge your creativity and attend to your heart’s desire. But all the “shoulds,” “gottas” and “have tos” have you running so fast you’ve almost forgotten where it is you really want to go!
Look, I know how easy (and how painful) it is to let go of what feeds your soul in order to take care of the “emergency du jour.” Like you, I’ve had plenty of days where I pushed aside my creative calling in order to attend to my day- to-day responsibilities.
This past week, in particular, I was so caught up with the demands of my business and traveling that I neglected to attend to that which I truly love, that which feeds the best part of me: my connection to the Creative, to Love, to That From Which All Good Things Flow. And I paid for it. Big time. (You may call the Creative your Muse, or divine inspiration, or Creative Spirit, or God. I call that Source of Love, Joy, and Yummy-ness, the Creative.)
Whether you’re a heart-driven coach creating a new program, a writer writing your next book, a songwriter producing a new album or a painter bringing a new painting to life, you can’t afford to put all your energy, attention and time into the tactics and tasks of your business. You need time, energy and space to feed and express your creativity, to engage your creative Spirit and refill your creative well.
Yes, I know how challenging this can be when you’re trying to make a living and stay on top of all your responsibilities and build your business. You can’t help but feel that something has to give. And more often than not, that Something is your creative life.
But is that what you really want? Is letting go of your connection to the Creative serving you?
No. In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say this: the most essential component to achieving real success and prosperity in your business rests in your commitment to honor and attend to your creative connection. If you sacrifice your creative life in order to “get things done,” you’ve cheated yourself, your fans, your business and one of the greatest Loves of your life.
So, what’s a busy creative entrepreneur to do?
Continue reading Why Your Creative Spirit Is Essential to Your Business Success
 Are You Afraid To Do the Work You Love? There’s a great little restaurant in the funky one-street town of Graton, CA, called Underwood Restaurant . They serve small plates of delectable creations and a long list of high-priced, Sonoma County wines by the glass. Cozy, a little noisy, but very friendly and fun.
More than seven years ago, I sat in a corner booth at the Underwood with my thoughtful, funny, Buddhist friend Judith. We were discussing the strange and convoluted relationship we each have with our creative passions… my passion being singing and music, hers being writing short stories. We confessed that while these creative pursuits felt essential to who we are and deeply important in our lives, we always seem to find a way to avoid doing them.
I remember saying something to Judith like, “It’s so odd to feel as if nothing is more important to me than singing yet, at the same time, when it comes time for me to go into the studio and practice, all I feel is a big, whiny ‘I don’t wanna!’” And while we laughed about it at the time, we were also a little sad. Because we knew that “I don’t wanna” keeps us from moving into what we love the most.
Now, so many years later, I know how to quickly disregard the “I don’t wanna!” and eagerly jump into those activities that fuel my creativity, my happiness and the growth of my business and my art. But I know that many creative artists and entrepreneurs continue to feel the same way as Judith and I once did. You struggle, at times, to do the work that is calling to you, that creative activity that comes from your heart and expresses your soul, that project that could take your business to the next level, that practice that always fuels your enthusiasm for life.
Continue reading Are You Afraid To Do the Work You Love?
Does this ever happen to you?
You have “something” you need to do.
A project, a job, a blog post, a painting, a song. But you haven’t started it yet. You’re thinking about it, but you haven’t done anything about it. It’s just a nagging thought poking at your consciousness, saying, “You know, you really should get off your keister and get this thang going!”
But the idea of starting feels so big, daunting, and demanding that you’d much rather spend some more time on Facebook or do your laundry. So, you put it off. You find other things to do that appear to be a lot more urgent… like changing the batteries in your TV remote or fixing that broken string on your guitar.
What IS this energy that keeps us from starting?
Whether it’s starting creative project, a job or that hour we set aside to practice or write or make those phone calls?
It’s called Resistance. And every creative genius has come up against it in one way or another. Sometimes, Resistance takes the form of excuses, like: not enough time, have to get groceries, I’m too tired now, etc. At other times, it takes the form of doubts, like: this won’t be any good, I’m not up to this, what’s the point?
Steven Pressfield knows all about Resistance. In his book, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles he describes Resistance in all its shapes and sizes so that we, too, might recognize it when it shows up. Pressfield sees Resistance as “evil,” a destructive, life-threatening enemy that must be fought at all costs.
While I deeply respect and appreciate Pressfield’s intention in writing this book, (and it is a “must read” for any creative artist or entrepreneur) I take issue with the premise that we must go to war against Resistance. Instead, I believe we are better served by identifying it, listening to its (false) argument, and then, diffusing it’s power. Because, in the end, Resistance is our own creation, not something created by some outside evil force. Therefore, we can choose to ignore it and create something that serves us, rather than holds us back.
Here’s a process by which you can diffuse your own Resistance and get that creative project started.
Continue reading Soothe the Resistance and Get Your Creative Motor Running
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