No, I’m not talking about The Rock, but that certainly is a good place to start isn’t it? He unquestionably has excellent posture!

One of the easiest ways to tell how a person feels about themselves is to examine their walk. Is it slow, quick, tired, painful, energetic, purposeful? People with confidence generally walk quickly; they have places to go, people to see and important work to do! Just walking 25% faster than you do now will make you look and feel more important and improve your confidence! Which of course will build your Creative Courage! Yep, just that one change could have that big of an impact.

Similarly the way a person carries themselves tells a story. People with slumped shoulders and lethargic movements display a lack of self-confidence. They aren’t enthusiastic about what they are doing and they don’t generally consider themselves important- it shows in the manner in which they present themselves. This is not how we want to be seen, or perceived is it?

By practicing good posture, you will automatically look and feel more confident! So stand up straight, keep your head level, and make eye contact. By doing this you will make a positive impression on others and instantly feel more alert and empowered.

“I’m really critical of my posture, it makes a big difference. And I try to suck my belly in. Everyone should do that whether you’re on a red carpet or not. Even if you’re just going out to dinner with your boyfriend you should try and suck it in.”  ~Katy Perry

The truth is, you are far more attractive when you have good posture as well.  My daughter and a few of her friends were in her room one afternoon talking about how they need to lose some weight and how their bellies stuck out… I asked my daughter to stand sideways in front of the full length mirror, and made sure everyone was looking, then I said to my daughter “now stand up straight”…the whole room was in total awe at how it instantly changed the way she appeared! She immediately looked 5lbs. lighter, and her belly no longer ‘stuck out’.  She even felt as if her hair looked longer because she was holding her head in the correct position. I showed all of the girls proper posture, they decided they did not need to lose weight, and they immediately felt more confident.  It’s an amazing transformation for such a small action.

We often will self correct our postures throughout the day, unfortunately once the mind begins to wander, we revert to our lazy, incorrect, unhealthy posture.  Having good posture does in fact take some conscious thought and effort. Everything worth anything generally does. So let’s get to it!

What exactly is good posture? There is a fitness site that has some good information on these topics: What is Good Posture and Head Posture and Your Body. On the site they state:

Correct posture results in the derriere being tucked in, the chest/breasts more prominent, shoulders and head back, and more gradual lumbar thoracic and cervical spinal curves. Your tummy will tighten and you will stand taller.

Now if you only read that last sentence and try to correct yourself, you may be quite uncomfortable…it’s important to be more curious and delve deeper into it so that you are doing it properly, because stressed or over-correction, is poor posture as well.

I have found that learning the yoga “Mountain Pose” or Tadasana, helps me to get into the proper position. The Yoga Basics website is a wonderful resource for any level of practice, and a good place to start. If you practice the Mountain Pose, eventually you will be able to plant your feet and quickly settle into proper posture without the arm movements. I might suggest that practicing yoga regularly will make quite and improvement on your posture in general.

Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCIO) explains, “Whether we are standing, sitting or lying down gravity exerts a force on our joints, ligaments and muscles. Good posture entails distributing the force of gravity through our body so no one structure is overstressed.”  Making sure no one part is overstressed is what makes posture so important.

CORRECT posture distributes your weight evenly on both hips, avoids slouching forward or overextending your chin. It will align your ears, shoulders, hips and ankles to form a straight line, and your general movements will become easier and less stressful on your muscles and joints. Correct postures will not only spare you from health problems, such as back and shoulder pain, but it will improve your breathing, increase your alertness, develop concentration and self-confidence as well as make you look taller, slimmer….how does that NOT help you build Confidence & Creative Courage?!

“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.”  ~ Daliai Lama

As Artists and Creatives, building courage is essential; working on our posture will improve our general courage and self-confidence, which in turn amplifies our creative courage!  Maintaining correct posture is a mandatory requirement for an effective confident personality. Until and unless you stand tall, sit straight, and bend with grace, your confidence will not be reflected from your personality.  Let’s look at the reasons that correct posture is important and what exactly makes good posture.

Contrary to popular belief, good posture does NOT mean keeping your spine totally straight. Many people used to hold to this belief, including myself, until I began practicing yoga…I was amazed at how simple it actually is to correct and maintain good posture and what a big difference it made.  So, if you are attempting to maintain proper posture, and it seems like a great effort, you are probably doing it wrong!  Good posture maintains the two natural curves in your back at a comfortable stance. When you are in the right position, it should feel almost effortless…I say almost, because it will take a bit of effort until you and your muscles become comfortable with the habit.

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face.”  ~Helen Keller

What Correct Posture do for YOU??

1. Improve your Creativity:  Poor breathing problems can actually develop from bad posture. Good posture naturally enables you to breathe properly. The correct posture will open airways, and makes room for your lungs to function at their best, and healthy lung function will have a positive impact on all aspects of the body’s functions. When you are breathing properly, you increase your brain activity. Our brains require about 20% of our oxygen intake to do its job properly, thus more air, more oxygen, more oxygen more brain food, more brain food leads to more thoughts and creative ideas! Hello….just breathing better will cultivate and develop our creativity!!
2. Improve your Health:  Good posture is actually a wonderful subtle exercise for your abs and your back; holding the proper stance makes you use and strengthen your core muscles with very little effort. Poor posture may result in several complications over time: increased risk of slipped disc, back pain, pressure in your chest, and poor circulation. Proper posture reduces abnormal wear and tear on joint surfaces that lead to arthritis, it reduces stress on ligaments that connect spinal joints, which can cause spinal disk problems and constricted blood vessels and nerves, which can cause chronic pain in muscles and joints.  Correct posture will help you use your muscles more efficiently, because your bones and joints will be in proper alignment, as a result you will feel more energetic, because your body will require less energy to move.
3. Improve your Image:   Correct posture will improve your image, your appearance and the way you feel about yourself. People with good postures simply look smarter and more attractive! True story.  Proper posture will send out a better first impression. A person with good posture naturally exudes an aura of assertiveness and appeal. When people hold themselves in correct posture, they send signals to their brain that makes them feel happier and more confident. The power and appearance of your posture is quite potent.

So…to get acquire more Creative Thoughts, Creative Courage and Self Confidence, how do we improve our posture? How do we know if our posture is indeed correct or incorrect? Well, we could first do a Posture Assessment, which I found on another site, but I believe we are each of us aware of whether or not we are practicing proper postures…

A quick note to the gals out there with large…gals. One thing that will actually help you with your posture is to make certain your “girls” are correctly corralled and supported.  The wrong size bra can be detrimental not only to the health of your breasts, but also to your entire body, and the larger the breast the more important it is to be correctly supported.  There is a wonderful woman who has been dubbed the Boob Whisperer who states she can measure better than anyone else; but most higher end stores also have someone that can fit your properly. Once you have the proper size and type of support, not only will correct posture be easier to maintain, the correct bra will instantly make you look slimmer and more confident!  Break Out Bras is a fantastic website for information and to help you make sure you are fitted properly!

Here are a few ways in which we can ALL move towards the correct posture position, some we can begin to put into practice immediately, and others which you may or may not want to invest in…but there is not a bad idea among them!

1. Identify your Key Motivation for having good posture. Why do you want to have good posture? To improve your creativity, your breathing, other’s perception of you, avoid health issues, build your confidence, or all of the above?  I say go with “All of the Above” because correct posture will give you all of that. The point is to keep the motivation clear in your mind so that when you are feeling lazy about your posture, you can remind yourself why you are doing it at all, it will help you keep on task.
2. Set a Reminder to Check your Posture. Most of us will have the intention to keep correct posture, but we will generally forget about it five minutes later! I remind in the form of a post it, calendar alarm, when you are doing certain tasks…whatever indicator and frequency works for you, but in the beginning it would be better to have a frequency of every 15 minutes or so.
3. Imagine your Body is Held by A String. It may sound strange, but effective none the less. Imagine your spine and head are held up by a string attached to the ceiling at all times. If you are lying down, imagine the string is held in a direction parallel to the ground. Focus on keeping the ears, spine, hips and heels are aligned with the string. Usually people end up tensing the other parts of the body when keeping correct posture, you need to remind yourself to relax, this string imagery will help you keep focused on keeping your back straight and loosening your other muscles, this will actually make it easier to keep proper posture.
4. Plant Your Feet, when standing or sitting. Meaning to have both feet planted flat on the floor, with weight evenly distributed. Do not rest your weight on a particular foot, don’t cross your legs, or even your ankles if you can manage it. This helps to keep your upper body straight an in proper posture.
5. Plant Your Butt when sitting. Place your bum at the innermost edge of the chair you are sitting on, although seemingly benign action, it helps set the right base for your posture.  If you set your butt in the middle or edge end of the chair, this causes you to lean or slouch forward and hunch since there is no support behind that back to press against.
6. Eliminate Bad Posture Habits Including but not limited to watching tv or reading while lying down, working under dim light (which results in slouching believe it or not), sleeping on your belly, and crossing your legs while sitting.
7. Avoid Carrying Heavy Items Just the act of carrying heavy items is bad for our back and shoulders, attempting to carry heavy loads over long periods of time gradually leads to hunched shoulders and backs. This is especially prevalent in students with backpacks or professionals that might carry laptops and work materials to and fro from work. If it is not possible to reduce the load you carry around, consider a roller bag. Remember your posture, health, and creativity is at stake here!
8. Exercise Your Posture  There are several exercises to improve your posture, and in general all types of pilates, yoga, and any exercise that strengthens your back will be beneficial. You must make sure you are doing the exercises correctly though or you may in fact hurt your back instead. You could purchase/borrow a DVD, join a class, or practice at home from written instructions…however you choose to do it, just do it!
9. Go to a Professional  You might wish to have a chiropractor or physical therapist to give you a professional assessment if you have extremely poor posture or a history of back injuries. You might also like to get a professional shoulder and back massage. A massage loosens up your muscles and joints which may allow you to more easily improve your posture, especially if it is quite poor.
10. Challenge Your Chair  You may need to invest in a good quality chair, or even a “chair alternative” like a ball or other ergonomic choice. A good chair will run up to your shoulders to support them when you lean back. You may wish to simply purchase a chair cushion to improve the chair you already have. If you choose this route, use one that does not attach to the chair, as each time you move forward it will become displaced and remind you to realign your posture.
11. Battle Your Bed  Invest in a goldilocks bed, a mattress that is not too firm and not too soft. Soft may make you feel nice and comfy at first, but it’s not good for your posture and neither is one that is too hard. Even if you aren’t able to invest in a new mattress, you might start with a better pillow.  The contour pillows support your head and are probably the best for sleeping, although the horseshoe travel pillow used in your bed may also give you an improvement.

I have found three extra difficult times in which to make certain I have proper posture: driving the car, watching television and while walking in heels, I have discovered a few solutions…but more on that later…

Hence forth this week’s challenge! BE “The Rock”, and Walk Tall!  Sit Tall! Stand Tall!  Work the steps, change your habits, be more aware, improve your body. Stand correctly, improve your posture, improve your breathing, and oxygenate your brain.  Look more attractive, construct your confidence, crank your creativity and build your creative courage!!  You can do it, I know you can!!

JeaneMargherite Meria Murray McMahon Schintgen
(that’s my name, don’t wear it out!)

• www.shimmerlings.com
• www.linkedin.com/in/shimmerlings
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Here I sit, exhausted, after working our challenge for the last few days. Exhausted but energized, and ready to go!  We have all read so many articles, stories and blogs about the early bird getting the worm, and people being most productive early in the day, and how getting up straight away will make your day go faster and more productively. Truth be told, the entire purpose of this blog when I began, was in fact to talk about how the early bird gets the worm, and to tout the benefits getting up at the butt crack of dawn to find time to be creative….well, in working those steps I can report this:

1. I am not so much of a morning person, and waking up early has never really been my thing.
2. Most of my life I have HAD to get up early to get to school, get to work, or to care for children.
3. I now relish the fact that I do NOT have to get up early, but often I’m worse off for sleeping in.

Part of me firmly believes that waking earlier does not necessarily have a direct effect on our creative productivity.  Some folks are early risers, some are late. Some folks get to bed early, some are night owls. I believe that the key is to find the time that works for you and learn to use it the best way you know how!

“The early bird gets the worm.”  ~Camden

My better half is up before 5:00 a.m., to find time to work out prior to work. I admire his fortitude, he rarely misses a day, and I’m often felt compelled to join him in this morning function.  When I was getting out of bed and jumping in the shower – to get the FIRST one of the day, before he, and each of my three children use the very last drop of even lukewarm water…I did find that I got a great deal more accomplished during the course of my day. It wasn’t just because I got up early though…as I originally thought.

My day, like most other folks, is generally dictated by certain tasks that need to be accomplished, and is broken down into blocks of time. My morning time was completely undisturbed, unhurried, and all my own…which is why I was able to be more productive initially, then when my “regular” day began I was already prepped and ready to go.  As well, if we wake up one hour early each of the 365 days of the year, that would be an additional 365 waking hours, which equals 15 full days of being fully awake per year…of COURSE we could get more done! But is rising early the only option?

Of the challenges artists share about being creative, finding the time to do so is over all the largest issue. How do we take time for our own creativity when we have so many other demands made upon us such as outside jobs, family, schedules, errands, chores, responsibilities? How do we sit down with tools, paint, paper & pen or cameras when there are lunches to be made, dishes to be done, bills to be paid? Especially, because truth be told, I must admit that I am a bit of an all or nothing kind of person, which of course works into my art as well… I feel as if I am not able to finish a whole project at once, then I do not want to begin it, until I can find an adequate block of time. Which of course, rarely happens if I am not diligent.

Here are a few facts that we ALL know, but must often be reminded of:

• There will always be other things to be done, important other things. If you wait until everything has settled and all the other to-dos are finished, you will be waiting for a very long time…maybe forever.
• That 24 hours per day is more than enough time to meet the demands on your daily life, you simply need to work out the details.
• The Universe WANTS you to be creative or you would not possess the gifts that it has given you, and the Universe also expects you do the work…the world is waiting for your works!
• You have more control over how you spend your precious time and energy than you truly would like to admit to yourself. Sounds harsh, but deep down, you know it’s true!
• You possess the intelligence and desire to reclaim your creativity and your lost time, so that you can have a more creative life. Often change is the only way to make that transformation, because doing the same thing again, is clearly not working.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  ~Einstein

If we begin with the full belief in those facts…and they are facts, then we can move on to the next piece of work and on to our challenge!!

Let’s begin with a very core belief, a belief that is the foundation of almost all traditions of wisdom. This core belief is that we are all hungry for fulfillment; and there is nothing you can buy, own, or rent that will fill up that hunger for a sense of wonder and fulfillment. Nothing.

Now what are my options, I think to myself….I can either try to get it out myself or call for help.  Being that I was in the middle of nowhere and it would take time to find help anyway, I chose to try myself!  Now I’ve been stuck before, and I’ve ‘rocked’ my car out of holes, small ditches and such…but that clearly wasn’t going to work in this situation.  I had to think outside the box, be creative.  The ditch was too steep to back the car up, and it was at a precarious angle, so if it began to slide further, it may very well roll over.  So I stood for a moment in the cold and wondered what else might work. My mind went blank.

Now I was in fact figuratively stuck. I could think of nothing that might not make the situation worse.  A tad bit defeated, I decided to simply get back in the car and calm my mind for a moment….I began to doodle, clear my mind and to look around… and while I was opening my eyes and my mind…it suddenly it hit me!  Drive forward! No, it didn’t really seem to make sense, but it looked like just what needed to happen!  Drive forward and a bit further down the road (still in the ditch), and with some luck I could ease my car up onto a nearby driveway on the yard side of the drainage pipe!  Seemed to go completely against all common sense….but I did it anyway! And guess what – it worked!! I spent the rest of the day basking in the glory of my creative genius – I even inadvertently developed an evil genius laugh before the day was through!!

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” ~Walt Disney

Creative Genius is courageous in action and in thought. A Creative Genius is always ready to attempt new things, break the rules, and boundaries that limit the average mind! It is due to this courage and creative thinking that often the impossible becomes more than possible within the perspective of the Creative Genius reality!

When we truly think creatively, we tend to be open to opportunities and possibilities that we might normally filter out of our personal experience. Our Creative Evil Genius allows us to think outside the box, around the box, on top of the box, through the box in a free flowing and imaginative manner!

The Creative Evil Genius has a unique set of qualities, of beliefs, methods of speaking to themselves, listening to the voices in the heads, asking the right questions and taking strategic actions that rest naturally within the recesses of their minds.  All Creatives are Creative Evil Geniuses, just waiting to be explored!  By consistently and persistently instilling these unique traits into our psyche, we will be able to supercharge our minds and unlock our full capacity for creative work and thought!

“We think too small. Like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.”
~Mao Tse-Tung

If you truly want to find the Creative Evil Genius inside of you, you must believe….clap three times if you believe!! Then remember how strong your BELIEF is in the three following things:

Belief in Yourself … The Creative Evil Genius has full belief in themselves, and their abilities.  They may not be totally confident in those beliefs, but we do have full belief in our SELF.  This belief supports every aspect of our personality, helping us to approach our problems with excitement and passion instead of fear.

Belief in a Higher Power… The Creative Evil Genius is fully aware that their gift works through them, it comes from Higher Power and it is given to use to bring to the world, and if we don’t bring it, that gift will move to the next creative genius. We often feel like frauds because we innately sense that our creative genius isn’t ours to own, it is given to us with a glad hand. We know that this Higher Power (whatever you believe that to be) helps to spark the creative forces in our bodies and our minds so that our Creative Evil Genius can do the work we were given.

Belief in Learning… from Both Success and Failure! A Creative Evil Genius does not actually distinguish between success and failure; they only acknowledge what is to be learned from each. We learn from the feedback of personal experience, from the outside environment, and from our inner knowing. Each piece of feedback works to transform our creative genius approach when confronting similar circumstances in the future!

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  ~Thomas Edison

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan

“Don’t take anyone else’s definition of success as your own.”  ~Jacqueline Briskin 

Now that we know how to recognize the Creative Evil Genius inside of us….how do we go about luring them out?!!  Muuuhhhahahahaha, I thought you would never ask!! : )  At the risk of an overuse of a cliché that runs the gamut of the business and educational as well as the creative world…. we must THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX!!!

“The key to success is to risk thinking unconventional thoughts. Convention is the enemy of progress. If you go down just one corridor of thought you never get to see what’s in the rooms leading off it. “ ~Trevor Baylis

Pink Cadillac, Hot Rod Lincoln, Little Red Corvette, 455 Rocket….there are so many songs about cars, and they bring up wonderful memories of days gone by, cars we had when we were younger….and sometimes they inspire us to dream about what we might have someday…. What type of car elicits a sigh at the mere sight of it? Does the rumble of a powerful engine make your heart race? Is there a feeling of luxury that you enjoy when you are in a certain car? Do you know what your dream car is?

If you could have any car miraculously appear in your driveway tomorrow…what car might that be? A brand new model, or perhaps a vintage car from yester year, a larger family car, a muscle car, a monster truck or a mini sports car? Really think about it for a moment….take your time…..I’ll be right here when you get back…….

If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG. ~ Bill Gates

What do you believe is the reason that your dream car is not sitting in your driveway right now?  Generally the answers to that question are:  I can’t afford the type of car I want, It’s not practical, it uses too much gas, they don’t make the model any longer or a multitude of other bargaining, reasoning or negative speak that we do with our inner selves when we are uncertain about something, or don’t believe we deserve something….This week we are going to talk briefly about intention, possibilities, dreaming,  desire….and then we are going to have a stimulating and  truly exhilarating challenge!

“Intention rules the earth.” ~ Oprah

What Oprah says is true, intentions do rule the earth! The problem arises when we aren’t quite sure of what we actually want.  This question… “what do you want?” is universally known to throw even the most enlightened of people…and there are several things we may unknowingly be doing that limits us and keeps us from figuring out that critical question!

What the heck DO you want? Until you can answer that question for yourself, it cannot possibly become yours. When we use intention to draw things to us, but limit our thinking, the power that would be going to our intention is being misdirected, distracted, and flying by without hitting their mark. So we must learn to use our intentions correctly and powerfully. When we do that, we can attain anything!

I subscribe to a regular newsletter from Christine Kane, she is a wonderful life coach with an inspiring personality!  In one of her latest articles she says that many of us have believed our limiting thoughts for so long that often we don’t even realize that we can actually ask for what we truly want, and that we have the power to attract whatever that may be. What we do instead is think in wonky ways that might actually sabotage an otherwise powerful intention.

She had a list of wonderful insights on what those limiting thoughts are…I’ve included just a few here:

1. We say “So that…”
   Example:  “I intend to lose some weight and get into shape SO THAT I can be energetic and happy in my daily life.”
   Using “so that” says to your inner self “I can’t have THIS if I don’t have THAT” which is very restricting.  We must be brave enough to ask “What do I ultimately want?” If you want two things simply divide them with an AND or WHILE.  “I intend to lose weight while being happy and energetic in my daily life.”  Often it is simply a matter of wording to change your entire mindset.
2. The “ing” overdose
   Example: “I intend that I am becoming more clear about my career path while my health is getting better and I am attracting a loving romantic partner.”
   Since the universe always says “yes”, its saying yes…you are becoming clear, and you are attracting a loving partner…any moment, I swear.  Don’t push your goals into the unknowing future, stick with present tense when setting your intention!
3. Scattered and Splattered
   Example: “I intend to get clear about the next steps I am taking in my life with health, lifestyle, relationships and career. Oh, and I want to lose some weight, make more money, and move somewhere else, and start my novel.”
   When your intention is scattered and splattered you will never really experience completion or success in anything. You need to be more clear, focus on one single intention, often the others will begin to manifest effortlessly. Be willing to be boring and unimpressive, just start with one thing.

Please read the entire article on Christine Kane’s site.   Christine Kane is the Mentor to People Who are Changing the World. She helps women and men Uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly Uplevel You eZine goes out to over 20,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription athttp://christinekane.com.

“Intentions compressed into words enfold magical power.” ~Deepak Chopra

This week, we are going to imagine what type of car we would really like to have – we are going to create an intention for the manifestation of that car…..  and then we are going to go take it for a TEST DRIVE!!  Yup, that’s right!!  This week’s challenge is to test drive your dream car!

Did your heart just leap or did your eyes glaze over? I know it sounds a little intimidating, and when faced with something like that people either think “Oh! Fun!” or “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen” and there are a half a dozen reasons following that statement to back it up.  Remember, we are working on our Creative Courage here, and we must do what we think we cannot…that is how we build our courage.

We must begin with our intention…can you picture your dream car in your mind yet? Can you hear the engine, feel the seats, see yourself in the rear view mirror? What color is it? Picture it sitting in your driveway, parked in your garage, and picture yourself behind the wheel. Imagine you are driving down the road in your car. Feel the joy in your heart that you finally own your dream car. Just sit with that feeling, and the picture in your mind…you are setting your intention.

Next we must find our car; it may be easy or difficult depending on your dreams…so do what needs to be done to find her. When you do find her…give her a name to build on your intention.

Third we will go take the test drive!

To assist with preparing for an actual test drive for those who might be a tad bit intimidated, I’ve located a couple of sites that have a good deal of information.  Now to be fair, they are all about when you are actually going to buy a car, and that is not what we are necessarily looking to do, but the principles are the same!

So first, if you like,aa check out the sites:

• http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/How-to-Test-Drive-a-Car-Like-a-Pro/
• http://www.carquotes.com/buying_tips/how_to_test_drive/
• http://www.investorguide.com/igu-article-523-cars-tips-for-test-driving-a-car.html

Once you feel familiar with the manner in which it should be done, and you have set the intention in your mind, and located your baby then go for it!!!  The thrill of driving the car of your dreams will definitely outweigh the bit of fear that you may be feeling about actually doing it!!

“As soon as you truly commit to making something happen, the ‘how’ will reveal itself.” ~Anthony Robbins

If you would like additional work at being Creative-and who doesn’t…simply put on a persona when you go to the test drive.  Give your real name (because they will take your driver’s license) but make up a back story about yourself if that helps.  It’s like wearing armour, when you put on a costume, or a uniform, you can create a different persona… so go ahead and do that if it helps you to get to and through the test drive!

Our goal here is to feel the thrill of the drive and the accomplishment of doing something that you would not otherwise even attempt! This is how we build our bravery, which in turns amplifies our Creative Courage!!

“Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the Universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request and everything your heart desires must come to you.”  ~Shakti Gawain

I test drove one of my favorite cars, it was a little unnerving to walk into the dealership, but I was very open with the sales associate, I said that I did not intend to purchase a car on that day, stating I simply wanted a test drive.  I was met with kindness and cooperation. I felt the wheel in my hands, the speed of the engine, the thrill of the ride, and I walked away a happy and stronger person!  One day I hope that the Universe finds it fit to make my dreams a reality!

Now you…GO DRIVE!!!

JeaneMargherite Meria Murray McMahon Schintgen (yep, that’s my name, don’t wear it out!)

• www.shimmerlings.com
• www.linkedin.com/in/shimmerlings
• www.facebook.com/shimmerlings
• www.twitter.com/shimmerlings

First a quick note.. we have quite a long post this week, try as I might, I could not condense it any further. I considered breaking it into two weeks, but in writing it I realized that the two components are intricately intertwined and that they must be presented together, to be practiced together….so I did break it into two parts for reading sake, but felt in critical to post it in its entirety….

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” ~ Mark Twain

This week we are going to “…be what one is…” this week we are going to experience compliments. Giving and Receiving – with Grace. Because when we allow ourselves to be open to compliments we become more courageous. It is actually quite true…it takes a great deal of courage to believe in compliments!

Would it not be wonderful if with a few words, a couple simple compliments, we might live lighter in our hearts, and we might give that gift to others as well?  I believe once we are comfortable complimenting others, that we will at once complement others to boot!

“If people did not compliment one another there would be little society.” ~ Luc de Clapiers

To begin our journey we will need to examine both accepting compliments from others, whether we believe them to be sincere or not, as well as the proper parameters to gifting a compliment…so ours will always be sincere!  So..what exactly is a compliment anyway? Let’s explore the actual definition shall we…

com·pli·ment

noun [kom-pluh-muhnt]

Not that long ago I discovered a photo album of a friend on Facebook…he had been collecting eyes of all things! I was mesmerized, intrigued and simply amazed at all the wonderful and astonishing things that had been accomplished in these photographs of our  “windows to the soul”…which is an English Proverb for those of you still curious from last week!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE EYE COLLECTION! - CLICK ON AN IMAGE AND BROWSE THE ALBUM

While perusing this  incredible collection of fantastical things….it got me thinking about how often we truly look directly into the eyes…of ourselves and of others. I discovered that when people are speaking, often I am watching their mouths, not their eyes. This became a habit from many years working in establishments where the noise was so loud it was often impossible to hear what someone said, so I became a bit of a lip reader.  This was great talent for then, but the habit hung on, and it is no longer necessary as well as a habit I’d wanted to break. I realized that I often look at people’s mouths to hear what they are saying, but in fact it is their eyes that tell the story.

“What we learn only through the ears makes less impression upon our minds than what is presented to the trustworthy eye.” ~ Horace

This may sound strange and in perfect contradiction to what I’ve just said, but…. in practice though, it really bothers me when I am talking to someone who is wearing sunglasses and I cannot see their eyes… although I watch the mouth out of habit, I do also (I have found) look to the eyes as well; and when I cannot see a person’s eyes I am a tad bit uncomfortable.  To compound the problem, I also discovered that when I do look to someone’s eyes, and they are making direct eye contact with me, often I quickly look away, or if I force myself to keep eye contact, my eyes begin to water and I feel a bit oogly…it’s a strange dilemma don’t you think? Does anyone else experience these emotions or is it simply my own lunacy…I wondered to myself not so long ago… and in remembering this I have determined our Week Three Creative Courage Challenge.

“The eye is easily frightened.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week then our challenge will be to look into the eyes.  First and most importantly I want us to look into our own eyes. When we wake every morning this week, and we wander lethargic and weary into the washroom, before we wash our faces, or brush our teeth, let’s take a moment…let’s get a good look at ourselves.  Not with that critical voice, about freckles or wrinkles or hair where it should or shouldn’t be…but let’s get a good look into our very own eyes.  Don’t just look and say, ‘oh yeah, those are my eyes, look they’re brown-big surprise’…look into your eyes as you would look at someone you care deeply for.  Because we forget that we must care deeply for ourselves. WE forget that we DO care deeply for ourselves.  So each morning when we rise, like a mantra, let’s look into our own eyes and remember this love.

Yes, it is entirely possible that this will make you feel silly, or you may feel that you don’t have time because five other people share the bathroom with you or that one of those people will barge in and wonder what the heck is wrong with you because you are staring into the mirror. But it must be done.  We are here to build our courage, and we will not be intimidated by the stupid mirror now will we?!

If you cannot do it first thing in the morning, then try the rearview mirror in the car, in your child’s toy mirror, at work, in the studio, or at lunch…but we must do it.  Do it as early as you can and do it each and every day this week.

Try not to think about how anyone else would view this moment-this moment is for you….just concentrate on looking yourself in the eyes and attempting to convey how much you care about who you are and the great gift that you are in this world.  That is a wonderful way to begin the day, don’t you think?!! We can completely change the way we feel about ourselves by simply looking into our own nonjudgmental eyes each morning, each day. You will be building courage you didn’t even know you were missing.

“The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!!  While doing my own internal research for this week’s post, I also discovered that often we avoid other people’s eyes whether or not they are familiar to us.  The clerk at the checkout, the postal worker at the counter, the waiter or waitress at lunch, the barista making our coffee, the customers that come into our stores, the people we lunch with, even co-workers, our friends and sometimes our family.

We are often so busy looking about, attempting to find something, figuring out our next move, or what we will say next that we are simply too lazy to make the effort to look into someone’s eyes. What we don’t always understand is that it could take just that one moment of time to make another person feel worthy while we build our own courage and self-esteem.

When you are out in public, on the street, buying groceries, ordering coffee, at work, meeting with your mother’s group, lunching with your coworkers….look into other people’s eyes!

When the clerk hands you your change, look them in the eye when you say ‘thank you’.  If you unexpectedly bump into someone or need to squeeze through, when you say ‘excuse me’…look them in the eyes! When someone asks you a question, look that person in the eyes when you answer.

This is a much more difficult task than you might think…but it will make a HUGE difference in the manner in which you view your environment, your surroundings and believe it or not, it will empower you!  You will see and discover things you may have been missing, you will feel as if you have an innate kindness that you may not have thought you possessed, you will grow your courage and become a better person through simple eye contact!

“Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world
through the eyes of a child.” ~Ron Wild

While you dare yourself this week to look not only into your own beautiful eyes, but into others as well…note how it makes you feel…does your heart jump, do you feel stronger, are you more self-assured that you are aware of your surroundings, do you feel like you looked at someone you’ve known for a while but just saw them truly for the first time?  As well, note how others act, are they taken by surprise, do they look back at you, is there a momentary connection, do they look grateful? Young or old, strange or familiar, happy or sad, see the eyes…and let the eyes see you.

It will be through this “new” experience of looking in the eyes of everyone, including yourself, that will help you gain courage, continue to pique your curiosity, and help you to see things in a whole new way.  This action will also give others a new way to see you…even those you will never see again.

“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through
each other’s eyes for an instant?” ~Henry David Thoreau

Good luck this week, and have fun looking into as many eyes as you can…and don’t forget your own….here’s to building our courage!

JeaneMargherite Meria Murray McMahon Schintgen  (yep, that’s my name, don’t wear it out!)

• www.shimmerlings.com
• www.linkedin.com/in/shimmerlings
• www.facebook.com/shimmerlings
• www.twitter.com/shimmerlings

THIS is exactly where our curiosity can open up our minds, and get ideas going…we discover things that we often don’t think twice about until we actually delve into it!  Lorena Angulo is a wonderful artist to begin discovering!

Let’s draw from her action, let’s discover something we were Curious about, and learn everything we can about it…we still have a few more days before we are on to the next challenge….so let’s take it to the next level!  I’m not saying we need to create an exhibit to display our findings…just that we should delve a bit deeper now that we’ve been working with our curiosity for several days!  Let me know what you find out!!

JeaneMargherite Meria Schintgen (yep, that’s my name, don’t wear it out!)

• www.shimmerlings.com
• www.linkedin.com/in/shimmerlings
• www.facebook.com/shimmerlings
• www.twitter.com/shimmerlings

As we are working to build courage, we must inevitably work to dealing with fear as well.  Because, when we are stuck in a place of fear, we are closed up and unable to see the true possibilities that lead us to our courage and thus our creativity. For Creatives and Artists this is tantamount to emotional suicide!  Our fear and curiosity are at constant odds with each other.  When fear wins the battle, we do not act, we react, and we immediately lose.  So the challenge really is to move away from fear, by choosing and creating opportunities to build our curiosity so that it is stronger than our fear.  Simply put, having more curiosity will in fact build your courage!

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.” - John Kenneth Galbraith

So…let’s get curious…..what’s your best friend’s middle name? Where did your brother in law grow up? Who was Snow White’s stepmother? How do you recover a chair seat? At a movie theater, which armrest is yours?  Why doesn’t McDonald’s sell hot dogs? When does is stop being ‘partly cloudy’ and start being ‘partly sunny’? If bread is square, why is lunch meat round? Why is Greenland covered in ice and Iceland covered in greenery? Why are men and women’s shoes different sizes? How many seconds are in a day? Why do we have daylight savings time? Why do you hear the sound of the ocean when you put a shell up to your ear? Why does a peppermint candy placed in a soda bottle make it overflow?  These may seem on face value as nonsensical or questions that don’t matter…even a waste of time perhaps. But do you know the answers to any of them? Are you even curious as to the answers? Is there a place these answers can be found? Do you know how to find the answers?  Enter…Curiosity! It’s fun and interesting!  You have the opportunity learn, enjoy and grow in your life, your art and your heart!

Now…for the Fear:  We humans create situations in our own minds. We fear things we have only “thought” of and have not acted on.  This fortunately is a learned behavior, and it can be unlearned.  Think for a moment of how a baby learns to live and move in its environment…it is all through insatiable curiosity. Can I reach that? Can I put that in my mouth? I wonder what will happen if…?  They are not afraid because they do not know what will happen.  But as babies and children grow they learn and are taught by others around them, they learn to be less curious, they learn to guess at what may happen and not to take so many risks; as those risks may result in pain, rejection or failure. As we grow our curiosity dies, fear wins and we lose.

“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely” ~Rodin

Most often, it is only in our mind that the fear actually resides. It is in the thoughts we have created ourselves concerning the situation we believe we are afraid of.  We need to change our programing, change our learned behavior. Instead of saying “I can’t afford that” KNOW that you CAN in fact afford anything you want…you would just have to work out the details.  Changing “I can’t afford that” – which is defeating, deflating and self-abusive and not true – to “I could buy that if I really wanted to” – which is empowering, exciting and hopeful well, and true.  If you REALLY wanted to, you could buy it, you would just need to work out the how (save the money, borrow the money, wait for your next paycheck, etc) but you COULD buy it if you really wanted to.  Just changing the mindset, changing the thought process makes all the difference in the world.  You go from feeling poor and unprivileged because you “can’t” afford it, to feeling powerful, energized and happier. Thinking “I could afford it”  puts your brain in positive gear, instead of negative, and gives your heart an opportunity to hope and open up to the possibilities.  It’s the same thing with our fear…examples:

Fearful thought: I’m afraid I’m never going to make my website work effectively
Curious thought: I wonder how much more I’ll sell if I get my site to work effectively?

Fearful thought: I’m not an actual writer, I’m afraid no one will read my blog.
Curious thought: I’m curious how many people will work along with me on my blog.

Fearful thought: I’m never going to be able to make the budget work this month!
Curious thought: What can I do to make the budget work the best way possible?

Fearful thought: I’m afraid to ask that person out, I could get rejected.
Curious thought: I wonder what will happen if I ask that person out?

Fearful thought: I’ll never be able to quit smoking; I’ve been doing it for so long.
Curious thought: If I quit smoking I wonder if I could get someone to quit with me?

Fearful thought: This positive thinking doesn’t work, I’m afraid I’m just wasting my time.
Curious thought: If I give this an honest try, I wonder how I could change my life?

Fearful thought: I’m afraid to change my job, but I’m so unhappy.
Curious thought: I’m curious what kind of job I would enjoy?

Using the words “curious” and “wonder”, or simply changing the statement of fear into a question of curiosity can change your perspective immediately…no matter what the circumstances.  These words, this action… it opens up our minds and hearts to creative ways to deal with our fearful thought, and it keeps the levels of energy shifting from fear to excitement.

Most people (think of yourself) when they fear something, they avoid taking action until the fear goes away. Often we will soothe our egos by saying, “I’ll do it when I’m feeling more confident.” Or “I’m just having a bad day, I’ll do it tomorrow.” Or “I just really don’t want to.” – not even acknowledging the fear to deal with it. We put it off and put it off, and often times when we do actually accomplish the task things run more smoothly, our life is a little better, and we always feel a spring of excitement for facing our fear…so why not just do it in the beginning and WIN over fear, quicker, earlier, faster, sooner and enjoy the rewards for longer?

Because the real problem we are faced with is that fear never just goes away…we can tamp it down, we can ignore it, we can act as if it doesn’t exist. But it does. It’s there. It’s a natural part of life.  Most people have it backwards, they believe they will overcome fear and then they are able to accomplish the tasks. But in fact, again, as we discovered in last weeks blog…. first you must do the thing you fear, then you gain the courage.  We must remember that fact as we work through our weekly tasks.  You aren’t going to ‘get the courage up’….you must do the thing and the courage will come! I promise!

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say that it is brave.” ~Seneca

What we need is more curiosity and less fear. I believe the key this week then  might be that we act more our shoe size not our age…we need to keep our sense of wonder, as a child does.  If we approach someone in a social situation and we are not met with a good response, keep your sense of wonder….”That person didn’t seem to want to talk…I wonder if this other person does?”

Think less about what the outcome might be and let your curiosity lead you…because people say that life ebbs and flows, but in fact fear ebbs and curiosity flows.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”  ~Mark Twain

During our courage building we have no room for fear, it create a division in our hearts, minds and worlds…so we are going to shift this week to being curious, asking questions, making requests, and we are not going to complain or worry about the answers. We are going to ask questions to confirm our curiosity, not make statements. When we use our curiosity our perceptions and prejudges go wooshing out the door this week and a whole new world is going to open up to us!  This is not just in our own thinking, not just in our minds. I want you to be curious and use your curiosity! When you don’t see the price for something, don’t be afraid to ask. Inquire about how something is made. Ask for directions. Engage another artist on how they perform their craft, or ask about a specific project. Ask your best friend for a middle name, an older person what year they were born, your neighbor where they grew up. Look up a new project and learn how to accomplish it!

This week we are not going to completely change our mindset, but we are going to open up to our curiosity. Because curiosity is full of anticipation and enthusiasm, it opens you up in a way you may not be aware of! When you are open and feeling enthusiastic and curious your mind shifts to having more fun things to focus on. Your mind knows you are about to learn, discover, explore…whether that is just a bit of information or a whole new skill to accomplish yourself.

Be Curious this week! Ask someone where something came from or was originally found, ask a friend about the town they grew up in, ask a kid what they would like to do this summer. Wander into a store you’ve never visited before and ask the sales clerk a question about a product. Drive down a road you pass all the time and wonder where it leads, answer your curiosity.  If you have a question…ASK.  Ask, wonder, wander, search, delve, question, and then learn!

Post and let us know what you discovered, what you asked and could not answer, tell me where you wandered and what surprises you’ve uncovered, let me know if you know the answers to any of the questions in the beginning…and how you found those answers! By week’s end I hope that  your Fearful Thoughts are turning into Curious Thoughts and that we have lost of fun getting us there!!.

JeaneMargherite Meria Schintgen (yep, that’s my name, don’t wear it out!)

• www.shimmerlings.com
• www.linkedin.com/in/shimmerlings
• www.facebook.com/shimmerlings
• www.twitter.com/shimmerlings

I’ve started the journey of reclaimed and upcycled jewelry pieces several years ago, and have had a great time working in that capacity…creating beauty from what others thought was simply to be discarded. A process I actually began when my jewelry career began, at the age of 10.

My grandmother had passed away, and being the only girl in my family, I inherited a large box of costume jewelry…”Grandma Jewelry” if you will, as to a ten year old, because as beautiful and sparkly as it all was, there wasn’t a single piece in the box I could wear without feeling like a grandma.

After some thought, and much discussion (in my own head and a little out loud to myself) over whether or not my grandmother would be angry with me for what I was planning; I began to disassemble the pieces in the box. I took every single solitary piece apart, and before me lay piles of shimmering treasure I could not have even imagined was encompassed in that box of costume grandma jewelry!

At this point I began ‘designing’ different pieces that I found pretty and more appropriate to accessorize my t-shirts and blouses that I wore with my jeans. I wore my first piece to school the next day, all together proud and embarrassed at the same time. It was no secret that our large family had little money, and I wore hand me downs not just from family but from friends, and I thought that I might very well be teased for my now hand me down jewelry, as I often was for my clothes….I strode in that day with my head held high, come what may!

The reaction at my elementary school was quite the opposite of what I feared! To my surprise I was fawned over, and asked a million questions about where I had found this fabulous jewelry adornment….and thus my next struggle emerged: Should I tell them they were my grandmother’s before they were mine? Should I lie and make up a place I knew no one could ever find? My emotionally teetering landed on “I made them!” at which point most everyone said (as 10 year old do) “ooooooo, will you make me something?!”

I thus sold my “inheritance” from my grandmother to the girls at school for dollars and change until it was all gone. I even sold the pieces I was wearing on that first day. I knew my grandmother would have been proud, because I felt proud – and had made a tidy sum to purchase new “materials” from garage sales and resale stores. I saved a single ring that belonged to my grandmother, and I keep it in my studio to remind me from whence my ability blossomed.

Now…so many years later…(we won’t say exactly how many) I am at it again! Disassembling and reassembling the past and the present. Reworking, recreating and doing the best I can not to discard anything!!

My newest adventure is paper jewelry! There are so many beautiful papers out there, and scraps of paper we think to be past it’s usefulness, when in fact it can be remade into something beautiful! I’ve tested the waters with some hair accessories:
http://store.shimmerlings.com/accessories.html

And many other designs like them….I’m off to my studio now, for the first time in a long time, filled with inspiration and joy! I have so many ideas in my head I can’t wait to start creating!!! Stay tuned!

JeaneMargherite Meria Schintgen (yep, that’s my name, don’t wear it out!)

• www.shimmerlings.com
• www.linkedin.com/in/shimmerlings
• www.facebook.com/shimmerlings
• www.twitter.com/shimmerlings

or direct link, click or paste into browser:  http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/en//id/453

Don’t give up! That may  be a test!!!

JMMS