PERCEPTION STUDIOS it's what you think

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***You Creating You***
Helping you get your creative thing, whatever it might be, 
out into the world

~~~~~	
A note from Shannon: 
Over the past year I've been exploring how I can embrace a niche 
in my coaching practice.  While it may seem like a good thing to 
have a market as big as oh, say, "I can help anyone who wants to make 
positive changes in their life," it really isn't unless you have 
the marketing budget of Coca Cola.  I don't, so niche hunting I went.
 
Early in 2008 I honed in on working with people who felt pulled 
between their business and family lives.  There is something 
really valuable to this, and I think there's a real need for it, 
but it wasn't quite right for me.
 
Recently I put it together. What really gets me excited is helping 
people do something they love, whether they need to discover it, 
nurture it, or develop it into a business.  It all really fires 
me up.  It uses so much more of my experience and 
skills.  And how great to have more people spending time feeling 
good about doing something they love.  Good for all of us.
 
This is my first public announcement of this shift and it feels a 
teeny bit scary and a whole lot right.  Probably should have my 
website rewritten already, but I don't and I want to start 
sharing this with people now!

So, if you happen to stop by my website remember there are going 
to be some changes to the content in the next couple of weeks. My 
blog ( http://www.shannonwilkinson.com/blog )on the other hand, 
will remain my quirky little place to share.  And, if you know 
someone who'd love to discover, nurture or develop their special 
thing, please forward this newsletter.

~~~~~FEATURE ARTICLE~~~~~

CHECKING IN WITH YOURSELF

I have a client who wants to feel more comfortable getting her 
creative thing out in the world. (One of the inspirations for my 
new focus.)  We had a good session on Wednesday. At the very end, 
I took her through a little process to check in with herself, see 
what her heart wants. We went through it, and at the end she said, 
"that's the kind of thing I'd love to see on your website! You 
talk about it, but I didn't really get it, until now."
 
==SHE ASKED, YOU RECEIVE!==
 
When you find yourself feeling a little unsure or icky, or like 
you want to do something but aren't sure what, rather than pushing 
through, pause. Take a moment (right now works too) and put your 
hand on your heart. Inhale, almost as if you could breathe into 
your hand. Exhale. And again. One more time.
 
Now, if you haven't already, turn your attention to your heart. 
Ask yourself, "How can I best care for myself in this moment?" 
Then simply observe. Notice the very first thing that pops up.
 
   *For my client, it was "red."
 
It could be a pictures, a word or phrase, a sensation, a color. 
It may be very clear, it may not make sense to you right away. If 
it isn't clear, sit with it for a few moments. And notice what you 
notice.
 
   *When she sat with "red" for a moment, she pictured riding in 
    her red truck, singing and enjoying herself.
 
Then give it to yourself the best you're able in that moment, even 
if you're simply imagining it.
 
   *She thought about her icky situation, but with that feeling, 
    and it didn't feel so icky. In fact, it seemed just fine.
 
 ==RINSE. REPEAT.==
 
This is great to do in the moment, as you're going through your 
day. If you aren't sure how that will work for you, you can 
practice. Seriously. Here's how: Think about a situation recently 
when you felt lost or unsure. And go through the process.
 
Or for even more fun, think about a situation that might come up 
in the future, where you could get an unsure or icky feeling. And 
go through the process.
 
There are only a couple of rules to follow as you're playing with 
this:
 
1. Be nice to yourself.
2. Observations only (no judgments). If you aren't sure about 
this one, refer to #1.
 
There is no right or wrong, no good or bad. Simply you, learning 
to care for yourself in each moment.
 
There's actually some science behind this process. If you're 
interested in knowing more, check out The HeartMath Solution. 
(This links to the book on Powells, the best independent bookstore 
in the world, rather than the Heartmath website because it is more 
informative!)
 
==I'd love it if you'd try this and come by the blog and let me know 
how it went, or share your favorite way to check in with yourself.==

About Shannon
I know first-hand how important it is to spend some regular time 
doing that thing you love.  And just how much fun it can be when 
you turn it into a business!

I've been coaching professionally since 2003 and have helped 100's 
of people figure out how to enjoy their lives more too.

If you're interested in knowing more about my background, 
read my full bio:
http://www.shannonwilkinson.com/about/about-shannon

check out my training and credentials:
http://www.shannonwilkinson.com/Training/training

or visit my blog:
http://www.shannonwilkinson.com/blog/

~~~~~

Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from 
this, please forward it to them!

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Until next time!

(c) Shannon Wilkinson 2008