Two Sites, Twice the Gratitude!

Photo (c) Susan Cleaver

I took this photo years ago, out of my gratitude for the beautiful sunrise. Like many of you, I'm a big fan of gratitude lists and journals.

In the last few months, I found two sites featuring gratitude journals. They're both fun and easy, and I want to make sure all my readers know about them!

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Warchi

The first one is called Happy Rambles (TM), and you can find it at http://happyrambles.com.  You, the writer, can choose to write yours in any form that pleases you.  

The site also encourages you to add photos if you wish.  It reminds you by email when it's time to write again.  It also allows you to save your entries.

I use this site, but I have no other affiliation with it.  I just like it!

Photo (c) iStockphoto/VickyLeon

The second site I'd like to introduce you to is Laura West's "Joyful Business" site.  (Again, I'm just a happy user of her site, with no other affiliation.) 

To get to her gratitude journal, use this link: www.joyfulbusiness.com/online-success-gratitude-journal.  

This one is a little more structured, but you'll still usually have the elbow room to express yourself as you wish.  There are a few playful but provocative questions in the structure.  Laura's journal allows you to print out what you've written when you're done.

I've been following Laura West's work for years before I came upon this journal.  I like the content and style of her site. 

Photo (c) iStockphoto/IrvStock

I hope you'll find these two sites to be helpful and fun!  Please let the rest of the creative4life Community know how they work for you.

Thanks,

Coach Susan

The Great-Life Advocate (TM)

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Results of the "Fall 15" Challenge!

In my last post (11/3/13), I put out a "Fall 15" Challenge with three choices of challenges, each involving the number 15 in some way.  I hope some of you tried one and found it helpful.  We'd all love to hear about your results!

Here are mine!  I chose the second challenge, "Find 15 items in your home to donate to charity within the next 15 days."  I started on November 3, so I had until November 18. 

I'm happy to say that I finished finding and packing up the 15 items by November 6, and they were off our property and donated the next day to Goodwill Industries.

I feel good about making the donations, and I'm glad to have them out of our home and back in circulation again for people to buy for very low prices.  It sure beats sending them to a landfill! 

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Have you ever wondered if your work could be better and easier by knowing a few basic coaching skills that you and I could tailor to your job?

It's true for most any line of work!  

Here are a few examples:

Teachers

Parents

Middle Managers 

Grandparents

Small-business owners with a few employees 

Social workers

Leaders of non-profit organizations

Guidance counselors

Research and Development Teams

Health care workers 

Trainers

Let's talk about it!  Please email me here to set up an informal consultation.  It's complimentary and eye-opening!

~All of Susan's posts are copyright Susan Cleaver.~

~Member of the local TriCounty Community Network at www.tcnetwork.org~

Bring Your Own Bliss (BYOB), Part 3

Last spring, I wrote 2 posts about bliss (BYOB), 3/28/13 and 4/4/13.  More recently, an enthusiastic reader suggested that I expand on the topic, so that's my mission for this post.  

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Igor Demchenkov

Reading through the first 2 posts on bliss, I see that I need to expand on the "doing" step of the "be, do, have" cycle.

"We are the gateway from the numinous world to the practical world."

~Rick Jarow

The tricky part about the "doing" step is learning to discern between an action that seems to be the most logical and obvious and the inspired action.  
  

If we dive into the first action we can think of just to get things moving, this will backfire!

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the source of all true art and all science."  ~Albert Einstein

In the quote above, Einstein praised "the mysterious."  In our "doing," we need to let go and wait for "the mysterious" synchronicity or intuition to tap our shoulders.  There's nothing to strive for, but we do need to be watchful for the "green light," and trust it when it arrives.  That's inspired action!   

"...somehow, perhaps beyond perception, there was a great click, after which suddenly a new friend appeared, an idea was imparted, or a connection established, causing the tides to turn and the floodgates to open."  ~Mike Dooley

  Photo (c) iStockphoto/Brian Jackson

When we come upon the moment for "inspired action," we must move on it right away.  The timing is very important!  We can't let "practical" thoughts deter us; we must go on faith.  When we do, we see the manifestation (the "have" part of the cycle).

"Dreams pass into the reality of action, from this action stems the dream again."  ~Anais Nin

BYOB!

Coach Susan

email

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The "Fall 15" Challenge!

Choose one of these 15-Day Challenges, follow through, and let us all know how it went!


Unplug the TV for 15 days.


Find 15 items in your home to donate to charity within the next 15 days.


Make an apology or accept one within the next 15 days.


P.S.  I'm choosing the second one, finding 15 items to donate.  My countdown starts today, November 3, 2013!

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For Locals

The 2013 Senior Health Expo, Thursday, November 14
9:00 am till 1:30 pm, at the historic Sunnybrook Ballroom
50 Sunnybrook Rd., Pottstown, PA

No admission fee for attendees!

Please stop by my exhibit! I'd like to get to know you better, and I have some great information and worksheets for you.  

Many thanks to our generous sponsors, Mark Painter (State Representative of District #146), the Pottstown Mercury, and the TriCounty Community Network at www.tcnetwork.org. 

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Save the Date for My "Holiday Reiki Rescue" (from the mall madness!)

7:00 to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, December 3, 2013, in Douglassville, PA

Details, consisting of mostly pampering, will be announced in my next post! 

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All posts on creative4life are (c) Susan Cleaver.

Web Surfing for Creative Types

Please check the recent comments on my last two posts, and on the one dated 3/28/13!  I hope you'll jump into the conversation by clicking on "comments".  If you're not yet used to writing online, this is a good way to begin developing your voice.  And there is an option to comment as "Anonymous"!
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A Few Sites to Help You Stay Inspired!

• Crazy Coaching Friday Episode #016 - Do you Communicate Cleanly and Clearly?

  I was fortunate to have a 2nd appearance on Crazy Coaching Friday on a panel of coaches!  As you can see, our topic was one that everyone can benefit from; you don't have to be a coach to enjoy the show and get value from it!

  You will see a panel of very open coaches, sometimes coaching each other.  The show is unique in that we have lots of fun and dig deep into the subject at the same time.  The shows are unscripted, which really makes it fun and interesting!

  
  

  I think you'll enjoy the part where each coach gives an example of a learning opportunity (read: a mistake to learn from) directly from our own practices or daily lives!

  
  

  Crazy Coaching Friday is possible via Google+, and is available live and recorded at www.CoachVille.com, the producer of the show. The recorded version is then available on YouTube, and that's the link that will take you right to Episode #016.  Use the link at the top of this post to get there.
  
  In the spirit of full disclosure...I'm a member of CoachVille and Google+, however, I'm not an employee or affiliate of any of the sites involved.

  
  

  Crazy Coaching Friday...fun, inspiring, educational, unscripted, and unedited!

    

In Episode #016, we discussed written and spoken communication....

Photo (c) iStock/kemalbas

And we discussed translating the meaning of body language!

Photo (c) iStockphoto/PeskyMonkey 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p04TYk4j0zQ

WOW!  I love this recording!  Imagine this...Billy Joel is giving a presentation at Vanderbilt University to an auditorium full of students.  During the Q and A, a freshman, Michael  Pollan, asked if he could come up and accompany Billy for the song, "New York State of Mind."  He waited a few seconds for the answer,  but it probably seemed more like minutes to Michael....   

Photo (c) iStockphoto/PeskyMonkey

Billy Joel said, "O.K."!  Both men were taking a considerable risk.  Michael started playing the introduction on the piano.  At this point, I was already confident that Michael knew his way around that piano!  Then Billy joined in, singing the words.

It was magical!  The words and the piano blended together beautifully!  I was cheering the young man on as he continued to do a masterful job on the piano.  Does it seem a little strange that I'd do that while watching a recording?  Well, it's no worse than sports fans yelling at their TVs during a game! :-)

Photo (c) iStockphoto/PeskyMonkey

I was deeply inspired by Michael's courage to ask, as well as his magnificent skill.  It gave me
goose bumps!

The link is at the top of this part of the post.  I'm not connected in any way to Vanderbilt or the people present.  I just love the recording.

You may want to check it out, especially if you're
looking for inspiration (cheering is optional)!

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**All of Susan's creative4life posts are (c) Susan Cleaver.**

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Photo (c) iStockphoto/marekuliasz

Are you taking on a big project?  I can coach you from start to finish!

Email me to set up a complimentary exploratory session, where we can decide if we'd work well together.

No pressure, no long-term contract, and affordable rates!

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Business Blogging Bliss

This is a class I'm teaching at Boyertown's Continuing Education on Wednesday nights in October, starting on the 9th, from 7 to 8 pm.  Find out more at boyertownasd.org for my local readers.  Registration ends soon...September 24!

A note to my global readers:  

I'm considering offering "Business Blogging Bliss" as a teleclass, also!

If this sounds interesting, please leave a comment, or email me, so I can get a read on the appeal  of this topic as a teleclass.

Thank you!

~Susan~

An Opportunity to Inspire and Be Inspired...and One Timely Update

These "Sugar Cubes" Will Melt Your Heart!

I personally recommend a great website, www.sugarcubefactory.com.  It gives you a chance to inspire others around the world and receive inspiration, too.

I have no affiliation with them other than being one of the writers/receivers.   It's very rewarding to write an uplifting note to someone on the planet whom you don't know. 

I hope that some of the ones I've written will randomly find their way to individuals who need that particular bit of encouragement on that particular day! 

This is something we can all do to promote goodwill around the globe.     

I  hope you'll give it a try.  The more positive vibes we can get out there, the better!

         (c) iStockphoto/Stefanie Timmermann

"Crazy Coaching Friday" Update

A Change from my last post, 7/27/13

There has been a change in the scheduling of the #016 "Crazy Coaching Friday" Show that was slated for tomorrow.  We will have the show next Friday, August 9th. 

We'll be "live" from 1:00 to 3:00 pm Eastern time, so the recording will be available on You Tube and www.coachville.com after that.  Somehow, our host manages to make the atmosphere of the show humorous and provocative at the same time!

In the meantime, if you haven't watched Episode #013 yet, I hope you will. All episodes are unscripted, and we had great fun making that one! 

   

(c) iStockphoto/Joe Potato Photo

     

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**All of Susan's posts on creative4life are (c) Susan Cleaver.**

**Member of the TriCounty Community Network, at www.tcnetwork.org**

"Yikes! I See My Opportunity. Now What?"

In my post from May 26, 2013, I discussed how to prepare for an opportunity,even when you don't know what it is yet...or where it is...or when it's coming.  That's a pretty tall order, but it's worth your investment of time.

So, this post is the answer the next question: "I found it!  Now what do I do? First, I congratulate you on your preparations and your ability to observe! 

"Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards."  ~~William Arthur Ward

Well, Mr. Ward was right; there are no beepers and billboards.  We just have to believe it's there somewhere, in some form. In the post from 5/26/13, I gave you suggestions for growing your roots in preparation for your success when it's time to spread your wings!

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/schuddel 

Turn your awareness level up to "high," because opportunities are waiting quietly in lots of different places.  The best one for you could be surrounded by other opportunities....

          Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/hidesy 

Or you may find your opportunity lurking under a problem....

Photo (c) iStockphotos.com/nobiggie       

Your opportunity may be in broad terms, and you'll need to narrow it down....

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/zimmytws

Or maybe it'll show up in a dream....

              Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/frentusha 

You may be confused; "O.K., now how do I know the opportunity I'm going with is the real deal?"  

There are two keys that need to be present together, and together they usually indicate that you have chosen well.  They are:

excitement and fear.

                                                                             

   Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/AlexKalina      

To say that's a bit unnerving is an understatement, I know.  But I think Anais Nin was right when she said, "It's less painful to bloom than to try to stay in a bud." 

Now, if I may mix in one more metaphor, I will quote the songwriters, Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers:

"Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...."

I hope you will, too....

Susan

The Great-Life Advocate (TM)

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/marekuliasz 


Would you like to explore coaching with me in a complimentary session?

Being coached is a "real time," personalized experience!

Please email me to set up your tele-session where we can decide if we'd work well together.

No string attached...no pressure.  That's just not the way I do things!

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Curious Minds Want to Know....

We all love finding creative answers to our questions, but if you've been mulling over the same issues for a long time, here's something to try!

Coach Dave Buck, CEO of CoachVille (which is where I turn for professional development), has a simple formula to help you with these.  He says to ask yourself, "What would be a better question?"

If you give it a try, you'll see how it gives you a whole new perspective on the issue when you ask the new question. And I think it's fun!

Please play with this idea, and post a comment about your experience with it.

We can all learn so much from each other as a more interactive community here at creative4life. Thank you, dear readers!

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Here are Two Opportunities to Watch Me in Action on the "Crazy Coaching Friday" Show!

This show, which is produced by CoachVille, via Google+ Hangout, features a panel of coaches.  It's live and unscripted, fun, and provocative!
And you don't have to be a coach to enjoy it and learn from it.

Here's the link for You Tube from the first time I was on the show...Episode #013 on June 7, 2013:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvyo7UNU_s0&feature=c4-feed-u 


On this Friday, August 2, I'll be on the panel again, and you'll be able to find it on the same You Tube channel.

If you'd like to watch it live or recorded later on CoachVille, please see the time and instructions on my previous post from 6/6/13.

Come laugh and learn with us!

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**All of Susan's creative4life posts are (c) Susan Cleaver.**

**Member of the TriCounty Community Network, at www.tcnetwork.org**

Crazy Coaching Friday, Live and Unscripted, Just like Life!

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/CGinspiration

Greetings, Readers!

Have you ever wondered if I'm as quirky in person as I am on this blog?  You can find out tomorrow!  I'll be on a Google+ Hangout with 5 other coaches.

Crazy Coaching Friday

via Google+

Produced by www.CoachVille.com 

1:00 until 2:30 pm  Eastern Time

Friday, June 7, 2013

The show is live and unscripted.

Lots of fun, with a little craziness, 

and too many nuggets of wisdom to count!

The show is complimentary, and you don't have to be a CoachVille member to watch live or recorded on www.CoachVille.com (Just click the blue/green button to the far right on the home page.)

When you arrive around 1:00, you'll see a video box from last week's show.  The new show will start there, usually within a few minutes.  Refresh your screen every few minutes until the show begins.

The recording will also be on You Tube.  

If you're watching live, you can make comments right there on the same page at www.Coachville.com, and they will be weaved into the show!  (Via Face Book or CoachVille.)

You don't need to be a coach to benefit from the show. 

Join us; it's fun!  

You can email questions or comments to me anytime after the show.  Let me know if you're writing just to me, or if you want me to pass something along to www.CoachVille.com.  

Another option is to leave a comment below, here on creative4life.

Thanks!

Susan

Opportunity: Suit up and Show up...at Your Best

"Dig the well before you are thirsty."

~~Chinese proverb~~

My post called "When Opportunity Knocks..." (April 2008), has been one of my most popular posts.  I'd like to expand that idea in this post with tips on what to do while you're waiting for an opportunity to turn up. 

In the next post, I'll talk about what to do after the opportunity has arrived. 

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Marek Uliasz

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

~~Martin Luther King, Jr.~~ 

So, let's take a look at what we can do to prepare for an opportunity, even when we don't know what it looks like or when it'll show up!  First, we have to accept the facts that we don't know what or when or how..  We need to go with the flow; if we're too precise, we'll interfere with the process. 

On the other hand, we don't want to run after every shiny object.  We each need to ask ourselves this question:

Am I looking for an opportunity in areas that support 

my over-arching goals?

If you're still fuzzy about this, try author Mike Dooley's idea:

"If you don't know what it is you want to do,

keep doing what you're doing, but do it better."

Some of you may pull away from Dooley's idea. you may think, "Why would I do that?  This is the situation I want to get out of!"

Yes, I understand.  But the Universe is looking for someone worthy of the opportunity and appreciative of what he or she already has. 

Also it keeps you out and about where opportunities abound!  I've never heard of anyone jumping up and shouting, "There it is!  Now I know what my opportunity is!"  while watching a television commercial about a new brand of disposable baby diapers. 

Take this waiting time to keep your skills up to date, so you can easily leverage them at a moment's notice.  Continue with your life-long learning in areas that interest you...a new craft, a new sport, or a new language, or another favorite.

Here's a great real-life example of how this works: Many years ago, before Apple, Steve Jobs took a calligraphy class just because he found it to be fascinating.  Years later, he used that experience to make Apple the first company to offer a selection of various fonts on a home computer!  

Remember to keep your soft skills active, also...people skills, intuition, and a great sense of humor, just to mention a few.

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Janne Ahvo

Gather up all the patience you can muster.  Waiting for your opportunity may take longer than you expect.  We don't have the ability to see the opportunity as it's developing, so we must trust the flow of life. 

How you interact with others is another important area to shape up in while you're waiting for the opportunity that has your name on it.  Let others around you know that you're going to be upgrading many aspects of your life in preparation for an opportunity to make an even larger change.  

You may want to consider doing some volunteer work in one or two areas of interest to you.  While you're helping others, you're also meeting new people, and maintaining great people skills.

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Brian Jackson

Networking has similar advantages.  Let your fellow networkers know what your interests are, so they can spread the word for you, and you can be on the look-out for ways you can help them.

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Jacob Wackerhausen

Readers, please weigh in on this one!  If you have suggestions, questions, or experiences, we'd all love to hear them.  If you don't like to write on-line, you can email me privately here.  I'll use your address only to respond to your comments.  I do not share my readers' email addresses.

Remember, next time I'll be writing about what happens after your opportunity shows up.  Your comments to this post will help me direct the next one more specifically to what you want to know!

Thanks,

Susan

The Great-Life Advocate (TM)

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~~Odds and Ends~~

Photo (c) iStockphoto/Denise Kappa

Would you like to set up a complimentary exploratory interview with me?

Being coached is a "real time," customized experience!

Please email me to set up a tele-session where we can decide if we'd work well together in a coaching partnership!

No strings attached...no pressure.  That's just not my style!

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Which of these three words is most provocative to you?

Courage         Creativity        Gratitude

You're welcome to share why in the comments section; just click below!

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*** All of Susan's creative4life posts are (c) Susan Cleaver. ***

*** Member of the TriCounty Community Network, at www.tcnetwork.org *** 

Bring Your Own Bliss (BYOB), Part Two

(Note: A sincere thanks to those of you who have already read Part One of BYOB!  For those who haven't seen it yet, it's right next door, at the post dated March 28, 2013.)

 Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Steven Robertson

"Keep knocking, and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who's there." ~~Rumi

In Part One of BYOB (3/28/13), I talked about the "be, do, have" cycle of manifestation.  We looked at one distortion that blocks results, and that's the bulldozer method: "do, do, do, have, be."  Exhausting!  There's no room for bliss and gratitude in that model!

Let's look at another ineffective twist: "have, do, be."  The user of this model also forgets to bring her own bliss.  She thinks it'll be there at the end...if only....  "If only I had what I want, then I could do what I want, and I'd be blissful and full of gratitude." 

Well, if she left her bliss and gratitude at the bottom of her sock drawer, how could she expect it to be anywhere in this model?  BYOB!

The truth is, bliss and gratitude fuel us throughout the cycle of manifesting!  We need to find those first, and put them in our spiritual backpacks!  If we don't take bliss and gratitude, we won't need backpacks, because we won't be going anywhere!

That's why the only way the model will work is "be, do, have."  So, to align with the Law of Attraction, we must be blissful and grateful for what we have already.

Then, we need to do the inspired actions that come to us from the Universe in  forms such as intuition and synchronicity.  Only then can we have the manifestation we're looking for!  

BYOB!

 Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Rebecca Grabill

With bliss and gratitude for you,

Susan

The Great-Life Advocate (TM)

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~~Odds and Ends~~

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Denise Kappa

How I Can Help...

One of the trickiest parts of the "be, do, have" manifestation cycle is learning to watch, feel, and listen for the messages of "inspired action."  And what do we do while we're waiting these messages?

As your coach, I can help you navigate this terrain, using your own day-to-day life as our experimental playground!  Being coached is a "real time,"  customized experience!  

Just email me here to set up a complimentary session so we can see if we're a good match for a coaching partnership...or to ask any questions you may have about tele-coaching with me!   

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Personal Note

Next week, I'm starting as a student in a nine-week comedy improv class.  I've never done this before, but I think it's going to be fun!  Does anyone out there have experience in this area who would be willing to leave a few tips for me in the comments section?

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Getting Your Ego and Intuition to "Play Nice"

The blog post above is on my top ten list according to my Blogger stats!  If you missed it, please check it out.  It's in the archives and dated 1/15/09.  Thanks!

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***All of Susan's posts are (c) Susan Cleaver.***

***Member of the TriCounty Community Network, at www.tcnetwork.org***