Monday, May 10, 2010

Week 9 - Ridding Myself of the Past

As part of my creative journey, I realized that sometimes you have to rid yourself of the past so you can move forward. Saturday and today (Sunday was Mother's Day) I took everything out of my sewing studio. My 11' x 11' studio has now taken over my hallway, foyer and kitchen. How did so much stuff fit into that room?!? Now the real challenge begins. What goes back in? What do I keep and where do I keep it? What do I donate? Sell? Throw away? Where does everything go once I put it back in? Do I relocate furniture? What do I really want and need in that space? This is my challenge for the week. It is a bit scary to face all of this but I need to focus on the future.

What is your challenge this week? Are you afraid? Think of the possibilities as you sort through these pieces of  your life.

Monday, May 3, 2010

A New Chapter

This has been an exciting few weeks - some wonderful, some disappointing - but all point to better things. It is certain that I will lean on my creativity as I move forward.

On the downside, the economy has hit my part time job at Alkahest Artists & Attractions where I have worked for almost 2 years. I will miss my job - and the paycheck -however it was a positive experience and I know it has given me new skills to carry into the future.

On the upside, I went to Lake Barkley, KY for the weekend of April 16 -17 where I had the opportunity to compete on the District 63 level for Toastmasters International. The five of us who were competing had all won on our club, area and division levels so the competition was very challenging. After drawing lots, I was the last speaker so I had plenty of time to hear the competition before I had to give my speech. After the votes were counted, I had won second place! A tremendous honor! I was thrilled to see that my hard work had paid off! The winner was Stephen Cornwell who had won last year and had gone on to compete on the international level last year. Many of my fellow Toastmasters congratulated me and offered wonderful encouragement to continue on my journey as a speaker. A very exciting weekend that truly drew on my creativity.

With the loss of my job, I am now faced with the challenge of seeking new employment and opportunities. I will continue to network and call on my creative skills to move on to the next chapter in my life. This is an opportunity for me to focus on opportunities that I didn't have time for previously and I have already started on that journey.

How are you doing on your creative journey? Are you writing down your creative experiences and goals? I am continuing my journal on my creative experiences and find it brings me great encouragement. I have decided to post my goals where they are more visable to help me keep my mind focused on where I am going. This visualization is very powerful and supports your efforts especially when things don't go exactly as planned.

This week let's both focus on the creativity within us to further our professional and business lives. Please leave your comments so we can share and uplift each other.