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               LIVING MY WAY NEWSLETTER June 2009
 
Welcome, especially to the new subscribers this month!  

Happy June to everyone!  This is really one of my favorite months-
it's my birthday month; I still get that , "school's out" feeling
of freedom; the evenings are pleasantly cool and longer; you can
catch lightening bugs in a jar; and best of all, I can wear
sandals.  (I REALLY hate wearing shoes.)
   
Once again I am leaving Philadelphia for the summer to share nine
weeks with my  father at the Chautauqua Institution in Western NY. 
This was such a special treat for both of us last year that we
decided we had to do it again.  He is 93 and as long as he is able,
I'll be there with him.   Learn more about this marvelous learning
opportunity and vacation destination at   www.ciweb.org 
  

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The President Picks up Poop! 

I have been very busy lately getting my six -
week workshops scheduled for the fall.  Suddenly the little
calendar at the bottom of my screen was saying June 5th and I
realized I hadn't started on this article that is generally
published today.   Nor did I have a clue what I would write about
this time. 

The phone rang and I saw that it was a good friend and fellow
solo-preneur. Lisa is an esthetician who provides her clients with
heavenly 90- minute facials that include aromatherapy, soothing
music, hand and neck massages, warm towels, and an escape from the
world.   (If you live around Wayne, PA, email me and I'll connect
you with her.)
   
 We always chat about what we are doing and the state of our
businesses, and I mentioned that I was on deadline to write my
newsletter.  When I said I needed inspiration for an article,  she
told me about how inspired she was by the Bryan Williams show about
the Obama family and their lives in the White House that was aired
this week.
   
The President introduced some of his staff and explained that he
knew too well that many of them work very long days in order to
allow him some personal time with his family in the evenings.  He
frequently sits down to eat dinner with Michelle and the girls - an
event that is important for all of them.
  
Then he added that his time with Bo, the first dog, is around 9:30
at night when he takes her out for a walk. He described the thrill
of being out in the yard where he can see the White House all lit
up and everything that represents for him. But then he becomes just
another dog walker as he picks up the poop! 
  
The lessons to be drawn here are endless (and some are pretty
funny), but here's my take.   How we choose to spend our time
should be reflecting our values and the things that have priority
in our lives. 
 
 The First Family has said from day one that their top priority is
to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible, and to keep their
feet firmly planted on the ground amidst all the hype and media
attention.  It doesn't get much more normal than walking the dog
and picking up the poop! 
  
How is your use of time and energy expressing your values and
priorities?   A good exercise is to keep a diary of how you spend
every 15 minute segment of your day for about a week.  It might be
very enlightening.....

 I know you can find 30 minutes a day to:
-	exercise, 
-	volunteer somewhere, 
-	spend more time with a family member, 
-	research a business idea,
-	touch base with long-lost friends.   

If the President of the United States can make time to walk the
dog, you can certainly make time to change or improve just one
small part of your life.    

******************************************************************
Do you have a creative itch? 
 
I know I do.  Down in my "hobby room" there are storage boxes full
of fabrics for future art quilts, sets of pastels, oil crayons, and
markers of every hue and tint, pads of sketch and water color paper
in every size, and books galore on weaving, sewing, knitting,
painting, drawing, and how-to's for creative businesses. 
 
There's a table loom that's never been warped, skeins of yarn still
in their wrappers,  forms for pillows of all shapes in their
plastic bags and a cabinet of little drawers full of buttons,
feathers, beads, lace and bangles that are going to find their way
to some fun wearable projects one day. 
   
Every time I see a gallery of fabric art I get really itchy!   I've
designed a piece on paper and have bought the materials but I've
never started it. 
 
 Why?  Because it is an unknown process - I can picture the
finished product but I'm unsure how to start.   And because I don't
think of myself as a fabric artist.  And because the demands of
daily life make a lot more noise.   And because even though it
itches, I haven't made it a priority. 
  
But mostly it's because I think I have to put everything else aside
and devote myself to learning this art all at one time - like for
the next six months or so.
   
I'm pretty sure most of you can relate.  Maybe you have a musical
instrument tucked away somewhere, or a box of notes, poems or story
plot lines you've started hiding under the bed. 
  
Enter my friend Ken Robert.  Ken is a really creative guy - one of
those whose imagination runs in overdrive -.  He's spent several
years trying to figure out how he can use his creative energy
productively and he has started a new website to share his musings
and the lessons he's learning.   Here's an excerpt from his post
"How to be Mildly Creative" :

"I also thought that creativity, especially creative writing, was
something otherworldly and mystical. Over and over I read about the
importance of creating a sacred space, whatever that is. Light
candles, burn incense, drink some herbal tea, listen to Gregorian
chant . . .

But all this advice left me feeling frazzled and largely beneath
the task. Sure, I could generate dozens of ideas, but I couldn't
bring myself to work on a single one. I was too keyed up and the
whole process seemed too holy."

He goes on to suggest ways to start and a mindset to adopt that
will allow your creativity to emerge slowly and surely - MILDLY as
he calls it.  He is allowing his readers to watch him literally
learn to draw, play the guitar and write prose and poetry.  

If you have itched to dabble at anything, Ken will be an inspiration to
take that first little step in a Mildly Creative way.  Listen in on
his conversation if you've always wanted to try_____________. (Fill
in the blank)  www.MildlyCreative.com      

   

******************************************************************

A little Inspiration 

"Comparing your business potential or art to those who have already
established themselves is cruel and pointless.  Nobody starts out
as a gold medalist.  Nobody begins at the Grammys. "  
      ( This Time I Dance! By Tama J. Kieves   p. 156)
  
"A tree that can fill the span of a man's arms grows from a
downey tip; 
   a terrace nine stories high arises from clods of earth; 
   a journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath one's feet."     
           Lao Tzu



        My e-mail box is always open if you just need to chat..
                        lifeworkdesigner at me dot com