In Your Success Zone Blog

Venturing into the Dark Forest - and Back Again

About 4 months ago, I embarked on "discovering my brand" so that I could serve more Creative Entrepreneurs with my services and products. I began working with a brilliant small business and branding consultant named Whitney Greer. Little did I know what a creative and confronting process this would be!

To me "discovering my brand" is another phrase for going into the "Dark Forest of the Unknown". There are reasons that I haven't gone there before.

Thank goodness Whitney HAS been into the Dark Forest with others before and knows how to get me back home at the end of each conversation. She gives me exercises to do each week and helps me see beyond my blind spots into clarity.

She recently described her process as helping people realize what they do well and talk about it clearly so that it communicates effectively to others. What a gift it is to be seen and valued!

Now that we are fairly deep into the branding process and my "core messages" are becoming clearer, I am stepping up to owning them. I have faced challenges of 

• the fear of being seen and known for my true self,
• clinging to limiting definitions of myself from the past, and  
• judging myself for past disappointments.

As I face these challenges through working with Whitney and on my own to reprogram my limiting beliefs, I find that I

• know more about myself and my work,
• feel more confident about sharing my work with others, and
• am developing some good ideas about how to go about doing that sharing. 

My branding journey perfectly describes the process of being a Creative Entrepreneur - setting off on a journey into an unexplored land; facing challenges with creative instincts; experiencing confusion and doubting success, but perservering anyway; and finally seeing the end goal within reach! 

Here's to each of you who uses your creativity every day in your work and life. I salute your courage, strength, and stamina. Journey on, Creative Entrepreneur!

What Do You Value? [FR*EE TELECLASS]

You are invited to explore what you value - about yourself and your work - in this month's Fr*ee Teleclass on Thursday, April 9th at 12 noon EDT. In this 35 minute interactive class held on a teleconference call, you'll learn

• where you may be misjudging yourself
• how you can acknowledge your value 
• how honoring your gifts makes them more valuable to yourself and others

If you are interested in learning how using the wrong measuring stick sabotages your success in business and in life, REGISTER HERE!

If you find yourself caught up in measuring yourself and your work against impossible standards and always coming up short, you may want to read my article entitled, "What Do You Value?" HERE

  

Architects Take Flying Leap of Creativity

 

The principals of DillerScofidio+Renfro, an innovative and "in the news" architecture firm in New York talked recently to Charlie Rose about their creative process. 

They have completed the Instititute for Contemporary Art on Boston Harbor, a redesign of Alice Tully Hall and the Julliard School at Lincoln Center in New York, and a portion of the new Flyway Park on the Hudson River, also in NYC.

When talking about the Blur Building (pictured above) which the firm designed and built in Switzerland in 2002, principals Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio admitted that they wanted to build a cloud. They didn't know how to do that but did their research and eventually built a building "without a skin" (no walls) and 35,000 water jets that disburse fine water spray to create an "inhabitable cloud" on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland. They also designed a "Braincoat" to help visitors navigate the cloud of fog.

Scofidio explained that they come up with the idea of the space and impact they want to create and then figure out how to execute it. Diller says that it's like jumping off a cliff without a parachute.

Obviously, they are doing something right because not only have they won the first MacArthur (Genius) Award for Architecture, they are becoming well known in international design circles as creative thinkers who use space and building materials to make a statement, create a mood, and invite people into conversation.

In this interview these audacious creatives have described the creative process perfectly - having a vision, taking a leap, figuring out "how" by fits and starts, and landing on your feet in a brand new place. Brava!

Dream Confirms Card Reading

I recently had the privilege of doing a Voyager Tarot card reading for "Sue" (not her real name). 

Sue is nearing retirement but is still pushing hard in her small business. She has the added responsibility of having her 80-something year old mother live with her for months at a time. Her mother is active and can still drive, but Sue spends a lot of her free time making sure her mother is entertained and engaged.

Sue's mother was living with Sue's sister while we did the reading, so Sue was noticing how much more freedom and time she had. 

Her reading revealed that Sue needs to begin to add creative activities into her life as she prepares for retirement in a few years. She will have more time then to enjoy her creativity, but needs to begin the process now. 

We talked about activities that Sue's mother could do on her own and how Sue could make some time for herself and her creativity even when her mother lives with her. (These concerns apply to mothers with children as well as boomers with aging parents.)

A few days after her reading, I saw Sue and she told me her dream:

She is at an art opening talking to an attractive, artistic-looking man. They are having a wonderful conversation.

A man in a suit walks up to her and sternly interrupts her conversation with the artistic man.

Then her mother calls to her from a restaurant across the street and beckons for Sue to join her at her table for two.

Sue woke up at this point. When she told me her dream, she was so surprised that her SubConscious Mind would confirm the message of the cards (taking more time for creativity) in such a specific way. Her business (man in suit) and her mother (at the table for two) call to her, and she must make the decision about where to spend her time and energy.

This was a delightful way for Sue to see that her SubConscious/Dreaming Mind agrees with the message of the cards. The cards and the dream have given her another gentle nudge to look after herself and her creativity.

What is your Creative Mind nudging you to do?

What Would YOU Do If You Weren't Afraid?

My dear and talented friend, Whitney Greer, is on to something. She has started asking herself, 

"What would I do if I weren't afraid?"

Kinda rocked me back on my heels - it's such a great question! My brain is scrambling to answer it.

Whitney is currently answering that question with "I'd make a video about my new book and post it on YouTube."

What about you? What would YOU do if you weren't afraid? 

[No, you can't sell your kids and spouse. You probably wouldn't want to stay in Fiji if you could run away there right now. Settle down and think about it.]

I'll be sharing my answer here soon. And I know I'll be seeing Whitney's video on YouTube some day soon. I'll share that too!

Am I a Loser If ... ?

I had a conversation yesterday with an accomplished and brilliant business woman whom I'll call "Mary". She is changing direction from consulting with major corporations to a more entrepreneurial venture of working with individual professionals.

This move is by choice as Mary matures and her interests evolve. She is listening more closely to her passions than to the "have to's" of her younger professional life.

Mary called to discuss a decision about spending money on her new logo and corporate brand. The amount she was talking about is reasonable for professional graphic design. In her past incarnation, the designer's fee would have been a fraction of her anticipated income from corporate clients.

But now her income is not yet certain and her startup resources are finite.In this context the designer's fee represents a big commitment. She said, "In the past, I would have just spent the money. But now I want to make sure this is the best decision for me and my new business. I just don't want to look like a loser." 

What I heard was, "Will I be a loser if I don't spend this money this way?"

In a word, "NO!" 

I responded to Mary that finding another way to get a quality business identity would definitely be in her best interest at this point in her new business. We discussed her options, and she thought of some other options to pursue. 

Our conversation reminded me how easy it is for a Creative Entrepreneur to doubt herself - to take her measure and come up wanting. I find this is a common theme for all the Creative Entrepreneurs I work with, including myself! What's the antidote?

Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Back off the comparisons - with others and with "how it used to be"
2. Remind yourself that you are creative and will find a way to solve the problem in front of you 
3. Realize that business is a progression of challenges - unless you've got them, you aren't in business! 

If you are a Creative, you aren't a loser. You just haven't created the resolution to your present challenge - YET! Get to Creating!

Creativity on the Edge

 

I read Seth Godin's books and blogs. He's a fresh thinker and business guru for our new world (connected, constantly changing, and clamoring for community). 

Today Seth wrote a post that speaks to being creative in every situation. He encourages us to 

• find your edge in the situation
• expand it - a little or a lot  

This strategy works equally well for "Creatives" and "non-Creatives" as Seth explains. You  may find yourself more creative and willing to stretch in some areas of your business and life than others. For instance, you may be eager for new clients and customers and more reticent about changing your products and services 

The key is to find the edge and work it.

I'm noticing the pace of change accelerating. Reading Seth's post confirms that my best approach is to be WILLING TO EXPAND MY EDGES to keep surfing with the rate of change. I think that's the challenge and opportunity of our times.

Where are your edges? Are you willing to stretch them?

You can read Seth's entire post HERE.

Happy Year of the Ox

Today is the Lunar New Year, which the Chinese celebrate as their new year and most important holiday.

Today we begin the Year of the Ox, one of the 12 animals chosen by the Buddha to represent aspects of human nature and the cycle of time. In China it is the beginning of Year 4707. More information is HERE.

The Ox brings us the opportunity to prosper through hard work. Ox people are calm, dependable, and patient. They appreciate order and using proper methods in order to succeed.

In the Year of the Ox, you will achieve success through hard work. 

• What are you working on? 

• How will slow and steady win the day in your world?

• How can you appreciate small daily efforts this year?

Happy New Year and may the Ox be with you!

Guiding Questions

 

I spent Inauguration Day in front of the television, watching history unfold in Washington, DC and working on my 2009 collage and Mind Maps for my intentions for the year. Our first snow of the winter blanketed the ground and trees, creating a perfect cocoon for some dreaming and scheming. 

I have 3 "umbrella" intentions for 2009. They are big - expansive even.

My intentions for 2009 are

1. I am powerful and prosperous
2. I create and contribute with love 
3. I love my life fully 

I don't know how these possibilities will present themselves. I don't know how I will have to grow to meet them. 

I do know that by year end, I will have many opportunities to grow, expand, and develop my capacity in each of the areas that are important to me.

To get more concrete about my actions for the year ahead, I did a Mind Map for each intention on my list. I now have a visual representation of what I can do to expand into my 2009 intentions.

At the end of each Mind Map, I wrote a Guiding Question that I can ask myself to "true" myself up to my goals and intentions for the year. 

I find these questions very helpful and want to share them with you so that you can think of your own Guiding Questions for the year. You are Creative after all, so creating your year is very much in your realm of possibilities!

My Guiding Questions for 2009:

1. Does this thought, belief or action contribute to Power and Prosperity (for myself and others)?
2. Is this action create and contribute love? 
3. Does this thought, belief or action expand my possibilities? 

What questions are guiding you as you create your 2009? 

Shine in 2009 Audio Available

Did you miss our January fr*ee teleclass on "How Will You Shine in '09" yesterday?

No, worries! You can listen to it HERE and download the accompanying worksheet HERE.

The class is 30 minutes long and is a good way to get clear about what you want to create this year and to get going on making it happen.

It's the latest installment in our Create Your Success Studio series. Join us for our February fr*ee teleclass on February 12th at 12 noon ET (US). Our topic is

Stop Stopping Yourself & Reach Higher!

You can register at no cost HERE. Hope you'll join me!