Blog
A Life Without Regret: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to be happy with the way you’ve lived. I often share how heartbroken I was by my mother’s dying words: “I never got my turn.” It made me realize that I could with the best intentions live the way I think I should live and come to the end regretting my choices. It was a wakeup call of earth-shattering proportions.I guess that's why I now work with people who have a vision they know they must complete to fully express themselves with their lives, and so to die without regret. They are creatives, social entrepreneurs and corporate...
read moreThe Gift of a Dying Mother: Reflections on Taking Your Turn
Twenty-seven years ago, as my mother lay dying in her bed, she looked up at me, drew a deep breath and exhaled these words: “I never got my turn.” I was stunned, horrified and heartbroken that a woman of her education, experience and impact would come to the end of her life with that feeling on her heart. As her only child, about to be orphaned, I felt compelled to understand.What did she mean?I was confused and left to draw my own conclusions. How should I interpret her dying words? Along with letting me care for her at the end, this...
read moreFrom Idea to Reality: The Role of a Creative Community in the Creative Process
If you have an idea you're passionate about, but it still feels out of reach, it might be because your community isn't doing its job.Albert Einstein once observed, “Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” But in these terms, only the creator matters while groups and mainstream society are seen to stifle creativity.However, research has shown that being part of a creative community is hugely beneficial for creative people, not only in creating work but also ensuring its...
read moreUnlocking the Secrets of Inspiration: A Guide for the Everyday Person
Inspiration is a powerful force that can drive us to achieve great things. But for many of us, finding inspiration can feel like a mystery that seems to elude us. In a world filled with distractions and competing priorities, it can be hard to tap into that inner spark that propels us forward.A research article published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience provides some insight into the science of inspiration. The article suggests that inspiration is linked to increased activity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain. The DMN is a...
read moreWhat Defines You? A Time to Choose.
At our house, one of our favorite holiday films is Love Actually. We watch it every year. It starts and ends at the Arrivals lounge of Heathrow Terminal 5. The opening scene sparkles with smiles, tears of joy and welcoming embraces as the Narrator soothes our souls as he interprets the scene:"Whenever I get gloomy... with the state of the world, l think about the Arrivals gate… at Heathrow airport. General opinion makes that we live in a world of hatred and greed... but I don't see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's...
read moreA Call to Meaning: How Gratitude Guides Your Life
A Call to MeaningIt’s November. So here in the USA, before we’re called to the Thanksgiving table, we’re called think about what we’re grateful for. We are called to acknowledge the meaning in our lives.Gratitude is an expression of love, an appreciation of what you value, a confession of your connection to what you have. In my experience, what I’m most grateful for is evidence of what matters to me. So this year, before we sit down to that well-laden table, let's stop awhile to reflect and give thanks.What is the meaning of life?When...
read moreYour Sacred Sovereignty: Claiming Your Personal Power
What would it take for you to fully step into your power? What would it change?For the past couple of months, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to be sovereign, especially as a woman, to stand in my power in my relationships, my work and my life. This concept of ‘sovereignty’ has been front of mind for me for a couple of reasons: A Queen’s Passing, of which you are no doubt awareA Queens’ Council, which I’d like to share with you nowPlease read on to reflect on your own sacred sovereignty and why you simply must claim your...
read moreCreative Bravery: Four Antidotes to the Fear of Self-Expression
What is your first memory of creative energy?I remember so clearly that night in our family room in Houston. I was about three… and I could feel it. I was dancing around, laughing and waving my arms in the air. But something was different.Suddenly I could feel that the other people in that room were uncomfortable with me, wanted me to stop. What did I conclude? “I’m just too big. I’d better reel in my energy. And quick!” It was a turning point in my life. But it took me another few decades to realize it.Maybe you have a memory like this...
read moreCreative Freedom and How to Defend It.
Vive la (R)evolution!July is the month we celebrate Freedom, both here in the USA and in my other home country France. Yesterday was Bastille Day, the day in 1789 when an angry crowd of Parisians stormed the Bastille. Only seven prisoners were released that day, but Quatorze Juillet initiated the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy in France.Freedom celebrations throughout the world are expressed with picnics and parades, fireworks and family. And it would be lovely to let it stop there, but for the wars being fought all around the...
read moreYour Creative Freedom and How to Defend It
Vive la (R)evolution!July is the month we celebrate Freedom, both here in the USA and in my other home country France. Yesterday was Bastille Day, the day in 1789 when an angry crowd of Parisians stormed the Bastille. Only seven prisoners were released that day, but Quatorze Juillet initiated the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy in France.Freedom celebrations throughout the world are expressed with picnics and parades, fireworks and family. And it would be lovely to let it stop there, but for the wars being fought all around the...
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