I always wanted to write but had limited myself to business writing or snappy newsletter blurbs for our decorative painting business. At work I was the go-to person for office memos, procedure manuals, spelling, usage and grammar.​

But to write for the sake of writing? Without a definite purpose to write toward? That felt too big and open. To move into storytelling? A short story? A novel? That was a bit like stepping off a cliff.

Then serendipity and synchronicity conspired to find me a writer’s group at the exact time my inner critic was napping. I signed up. Without thinking twice. Big GULP!

The circle of writers became my safety net.

I marveled at how the other women in the writers’ group could come up with amazing, cohesive pieces of writing in only 20-25 minutes, writing that flowed and moved the listener. Their words danced off the page in a very non-linear path. Free, rhythmic, colorful, musical. I felt intimidated but I was committed. I had made the “appointment” and was there to write.

Eventually something clicked with me. I became one of those women.

This does not mean that every word that flowed from my pen was exquisite. Not by a long shot!

What it means is that I had found a safe space to explore my voice, to write poorly and to write beautifully – sometimes in the same piece. I learned to recognize what worked and to let go what didn’t. I allowed fresh writing to flow without a critic and to hear what resonated with my listener/reader.

By writing I became a writer. In a circle of writers I got to grow as a writer.

In time I certified as an Amherst Writers and Artists workshop leader and began to lead my own workshops in ways that cultivated the creativity of the writers who joined me. I got to apply my own facilitation style. I got to deeply listen to the tentative voice and find the beauty. I got to see polish applied and the craft shine through. I got to create and hold safe space for writers to explore their craft.

That is what I will be doing here at The Purple Ink Café - creating and holding virtual space for writers to sit at their own writing tables and get to their writing; to write poorly or beautifully or anywhere in between. Space where new writers can think “here’s a place I can start.” Space for an experienced writer to be accountable to her practice and draw on the energy of the other writers.

Experience it for yourself! Join me in a Writers’ Circle at The Purple Ink Café. For more information and to register for the current circle click here.

Because by writing you become a writer. In a circle of writers you get to grow as a writer.

We’ve emptied my mother’s bookshelves twice in the past year. The first time was to pack up the books that would go with her as she moved to a smaller space. Even with dimming eyesight her books were essential. The rest were being donated, given away; a very few, tossed. Some made their way to my already groaning bookcases.

The second time was to put into storage those that made the first cut as she struggles to recover from a stroke. We know there will be one more time but that can wait.
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This was not just a case of sorting and boxing. At least not for me. Going through my mother’s books was like reading a journal of her life. What was scattered throughout the pages was just as, if not more, interesting than what was on the pages. It was like an archeological dig.

They were artifacts.

It was much more than prettily decorated bookmarks with a ribbon and an inspiring quote. There were envelopes with blurred postmarks and barely remembered return addresses, the original letter long gone. Postcards from relatives also long gone marked spots that had held interest. There were newspaper clippings with store ads on the other side - a lesson in economics. There were random strips of paper, mimeographed meeting notes, church bulletins, holy cards, holiday gift tags and the cards that peeped out of the arrangements that had been delivered from the local florist. I kept the small tatted cross, probably from Aunt Annie.

All of these things and more were sprinkled among books on art, psychology, philosophy and religion. There was Wayne Dyer’s first book, Your Erroneous Zones.  “It changed my life”, she told me. There were more books on self-improvement, diet, health. Old books that had been read to tatters and were wrapped in contact paper that I remember from my childhood, the pages discolored, the spines seriously impaired. Our irony soaked favorites were the myriad books on de-cluttering. There was the random novel, but only a few. Reading was a serious pastime; learning and personal growth serious pursuits. Our mother’s is a life lived with interest

Her cook books were my favorites. Since I was very young I claimed the oldest one as mine. The one that was falling apart even then and is now covered in faux wood contact paper. That would be my inheritance. It wasn’t for the content, although it was fascinating to see how a household was run in the 40’s, how to deal with wartime shortages and what constituted a serving back then. It was for the view into a busy, inquiring mind during busy, challenging times as she ​raised six children while watching her pennies.  It was seeing articles throughout the years on ways to lose weight (when she was feeling heavy). It was the changing views on how to stay healthy and fit. It was cupcakes and setting a pretty table. I didn’t know there could be that many ways to make a cheesecake as clippings moved from low-fat to diabetic friendly. Her wish list of things to try exceeded the hours in a lifetime. Tucked into the bulging book were Woman’s Day articles, decade’s old, and yellowed clippings from the home section of now defunct newspapers. There are receipts and menus and shopping lists and memories of many meals over many years.

On the last blank page of the cookbook there is a crumb cake recipe.  It’s in her handwriting, as familiar to me as the feel of my fingers on this keyboard. Such a personal artifact, the script distinct in its sweep and swirl, her penmanship beautiful and unchanging over the years. Until now. When her right hand no longer accepts commands from her brain.
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All these artifacts, like flies in amber, illuminate a story from another place and time. They give us a glimpse so we might know our mother a little better. What will we leave as artifacts? What story will it tell?
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Clarity.

Yes, please. I’d like just a bit of that.

I mean, is there anyone out there who prefers the fog of indecision? Or worse, the cloudiness of not even knowing what the question is? We all want clarity.

The yearning for clarity requires awareness and it’s that awareness that places you in the gap that is your Creative Play Zone.

In a recent blog post I wrote about your Creative Play Zone, that space between what you want and what you have; where you are vs where you want to be, between knowing and not knowing. A foggy spot, that gap.

How does your gap feel for you? Is it like the feeling of hunger and not knowing what will satisfy it? That persistent aching thought saying things are not as you’d like?  Not knowing where or how to start? Nobody wants to stay there in the foggy breath of not knowing. You want the veil to part and the other side become visible. You want clarity.

The way out is to step right in. 
                                   
Even if things are unclear, just start.

Even if you don’t know the whole picture, just start.

Even if you don’t know what the end result should be, just start.

Start, as Carl Jung suggests, by looking within and waking up.

It’s in the starting that clarity arrives.
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What might “start” look like?

• You can ask a small Kaizen-like question. Ask it in an open, curious way. “What would make this job search fun?” “What would I do if I could do anything?” "Who might know a way to ______?” "How can I get started on this project?" After asking yourself the question, you go about your business. Ask it over the course of a few days. Attach the asking to a ritual so you remember to ask. Start to notice the ideas, news stories, emails, people that start showing up. Approach the answers that emerge with curiosity and a sense of possibility. That’s a good start.

If you’re ever going to get clarity about what you want and what is best for you, you need to wakefully and intentionally start. You need to look within and trust that you have the answers. If the answers bring up a little fear or resistance you’re probably on the right track. (Read this blog for a discussion about resistance.)

P.S. As your coach I can be quite helpful in lifting your fog. Schedule a free 45 minute Discovery session to chat about how working together can make a difference.

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This past December, at the end of the month and the end of the year, I left my part-time job. I wanted to put my energy and focus on my own business. One part of my plan was to get out to walk and then go to the library to write. I was going to do this at least once a week. Sounded heavenly.

Well, life had other plans. Now, several months have passed.  Things are settling into a new normal. Oh, yeah. I was going to get out and walk and go to the library to write. As appealing as the plan was in the planning stage something was causing resistance here in the execution stage.

I can probably guess at some things that prompted that nasty gremlin to show up.  (Enjoying a walk isn’t work… Creativity is for leisure time…Stay safe at your desk and feel like you’re “working”…) Whatever the reason, there he was. Aha! It’s you! I had remembered and he had appeared. So I put writing on my iPhone calendar. I procrastinated. (Resistance, yes?) Then I did some writing at home. Last week I made it to the library. I was going to walk but I dilly dallied enough so I only had time for the library.

Yesterday I remembered again. It was sunny and breezy, a little chilly. Despite a little dawdling I got out and walked. I was determined to go even if it was for just fifteen minutes. Bliss! I explored a new trail. The bluest sky beckoned and admired itself in the pond. The wind teased ripples onto the water’s surface. The woodland floor was soft with old leaves. Someone had placed small logs alongside a big fat fallen tree trunk to help me scramble over it. Birds busied themselves amid leaves not quite the green of summer. I was ecstatic. Could this really be part of a workday? Could someone please give me a new word for a productive activity that moves an idea or purpose forward?

I'd worked on a free-writing exercise earlier in the morning from #KriswithaK’s 30 day writing challenge. The exercise was to compare the two ideas of freedom and resistance.  Although I originally packed a different small question to take on my walk, thoughts of resistance and freedom chattered alongside me.                                    

That old chestnut had come up in a recent conversation so it too came along.
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Could surrendering to resistance bring freedom? Just getting out there. Even if not as early as planned. Even if not for as long. Even if I was sure other things on my desk were more urgent. Just doing it imperfectly.

That became my small question as I tramped through the woods.
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What’s behind resistance? I think it can be distilled down to fear. Fear in all its guises. Fear of being seen as less than perfect. Fear of not being accepted. Fear of looking foolish. Fear of a misplaced comma or a missed opportunity for a semi-colon. Whatever your fear du jour is.

I would not think less of you, dear reader, for any of this. I would appreciate your small imperfections because otherwise you would be quite bland. I would accept you with my whole heart. What you might feel is foolish I would see as wise. And, seriously, I can get into the rhythm of your writing in spite of a missing comma or semi-colon.

So why don’t I turn that understanding around and direct it at myself? Why do I give resistance air time? And where is the freedom? The freedom to listen to my heart? Part of my plan when I left my part-time job was to link arms with other journeying souls and help them surrender to what is – not what isn’t or should or shouldn’t be. To listen to what is calling them in their next phase of life and surrender to the freedom of listening. I recognized that I needed to do the same for me.

We all come up against the gremlin of resistance. He’s right across the room now, perched on the arm of the futon. Yesterday he was striking a languid pose against the door frame. Sulky, pouty, sexy. Anything for attention. He tried to come along on my walk yesterday but I got him to stay in the car. I asked him what it was he really wanted. I just want to keep you safe, he said. Well, that’s a load of crap I responded. Your idea of safe hasn’t worked very well for the past fifty years. Later he was playing hide and seek among the aisles of books here in the library. Aye yi yi!

A few thoughts on dealing with resistance:

• Accept that it’s normal. Resistance will always be lurking. Everyone has their own version. I tell mine that he’s not that special. Get over yourself. I suppose he’s just part of what we packed in our bags when we traveled into this mortal realm.
• Recognize the way resistance operates and strategize with him on how to co-exist. I’ll give you 10 minutes of cleaning out the fridge if you give me 30 minutes of writing. Adjust the time to suit you. You may have to start at 2 minutes of writing or whatever you’re resisting. Do whatever it takes. Hey, two minutes is better than none. If that’s what you agree to and you get it done you’ll feel good about yourself. The odds will also be in your favor that you’ll end up going a bit longer.
• Be aware that sometimes resistance carries an important message. When I go non-stop for hours, constantly engaged with people or on the computer I hit a wall. That’s when the resistance activities feel very soothing. I go down the rabbit hole of email and internet. I play solitaire. I stay at my desk and get more and more tired and annoyed with these “goofing off” activities. I now have a list hanging off the lampshade for these times. Take a walk; plan a meal, pull a weed. Something that switches up mind and body. I see this resistance for what it is – a need for a break – and figure out what type of break serves me best. So, if you need a nap, lay down. If it’s a walk, step out. Even if it’s a stroll outside of a work cubicle to the rest room with a few detours along the way – do it. Funny thing is that you often come back long before resistance.
• Stop resisting resistance. That is an eternal battle that sucks the life out of us. We spend our time arguing with it, trying to ignore it or worse, not recognizing it. How would it feel to let go of the fight? Practice very small steps that won't get his attention. Let him come along for the ride but only in the passenger seat.

When I left my job at the end of last year it turned out that life had a different plan for me. I am slowly coming into my new – for now - normal. For months I had forgotten that I planned to walk more and go to the library to write. When I remembered, I resisted. Now, my iPhone reminds me and even if I procrastinate at bit I’m still going. First it was just writing at home. Last week I made it to the library. This week I wrote, I walked, I wrote some more. I like it; it feels good. All because I can do my work this way and because I’ve recognized that there’s freedom in surrendering to and befriending that old rascal, resistance.              

I am rising out of sleep, not quite awake. It’s 4 AM. Half in/half out of a dream. Seemingly disparate photos slipping away. They get fainter and fainter. Just the sentence “Find the thread and follow it in” remains.
 
I grasp for the images but they will not be caught. They go. The who, what, where and why go with them. Just the one line remains.

Find the thread and follow it in.

I often wake to words that stay with me. I start writing in my head. Sometimes I reach for something to write on but more often I don’t want to disturb the flow that runs so easily in the quiet dark. In the relaxed body state where I’m melted into the bedding, where my body hasn’t awakened but my mind is gearing up. Many of my blog posts start there.

Where do things start for you? What quickens your imagination and shifts your thoughts to possibilities? Opportunities? A project in the studio or around the house, a job or life change?

What do you do with the idea once it arrives? Dismiss it or explore it?  How would it feel to grab that thread and see where it takes you? Recognizing where it starts and allowing your process to take over can be the difference between a dream realized and a dream deferred.

Once the idea is allowed to live, what is your process to get started?
 
Do you feed it with small questions? Do you talk it over with a supportive friend or coach? Do you allow yourself to daydream? (Yes, daydreaming is a productive activity!) Do you make a list? Do you sketch it out, mind map it, doodle it? Do you look around at what’s out there to find what you like and, sometimes more importantly, what you don’t like.

Most importantly, do you let it emerge in its time, like a butterfly out of its chrysalis?

For me, with writing, it is often starts in that half asleep state. Rather than dismiss it I let it take its own course. It could be hours or days before anything gets onto the page. That’s okay. I find that the theme will linger for a few days in my waking-up time and show me more. I also find that it will spark other ideas. Those spark more and so on.

This is intentional creativity and it is available to us 24/7. In our dreaming and in our waking. When you're aware of how ideas take hold - when you're able to recognize your thread - you become aware of your creative process. This will take so much of the struggle out. Your awareness will provide a magic carpet that you can ride into anything. Your process is as unique as you. Go with it.

If you'd like to explore how a creativity coach (that would be me!) could help you with your process schedule a free discovery session. I'm a very good thread detective.

A tinny voice over the PA system invited everyone in the office to assemble over at so-and-so’s desk to celebrate her birthday.

Have you been to an office birthday party?  Papers pushed aside at the end of a credenza to make room for the cake; a pile of plastic forks, paper plates and some scraggly napkins.  Somebody remembers candles and the rare smoker finds his/her lighter to make it a real birthday cake.  People make their way at varying speeds, some still talking on wireless headsets; some with pen and papers in hand doing double duty as they come for cake and a visit to operations with problems or paperwork to submit.

That afternoon people stood around, as usual, looking at each other until someone took the lead and started singing “Happy Birthday to you …”  Again, you know how that goes.  A few reedy, quiet voices, a few lip syncs, a few moderate singing voices.  They usually struggle through to the end.

But this time was a little different.  Paulette was a trainer visiting the office for a few weeks to help with the recent merger.  She joined the little crowd assembled to sing.  And sing she did!  A voice that soared up to the acoustic ceiling tiles, wrapped around surprised faces and made the earnest singers go dim.  Everyone was amazed.

As we walked away with our little plates I commented on her singing and asked if she sang professionally.  Did she sing at church?  Moonlight in a band?  Take or give lessons?
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“No, no, no.”  She laughed. (Even her laugh was big and melodic.) “That’s for when I retire.”
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​Dream deferred.

Consider the opportunities missed. No, not the big break. Rather, that moment in which a voice is deeply heard; that place where a voice inspires; that time when a voice shows the way and finds the way. All the little mile markers where the course of a journey may have shifted. Not big shifts; just small pebbles rippling out to places never considered.

The time is always right to move toward a dream with a small question and a small step. It’s always the best time for just a toe into the water of possibilities. Because when you start, things begin to happen. As Newton expounds in his Law of Motion: “A body in motion stays in motion”.
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Deferred dreams are a slow death. Let’s live. Even if – especially if – it’s in small steps

Contact me  or schedule a free 45 minute discovery call and we’ll begin to make possibilities and dreams real. We’ll do it in small, easy steps with small, percolating questions. Time will fly anyway. Let’s get started now!

In a recent blog post I wrote about the #creativeplayzone. This is the space between where you are and the vast horizon where the BIG goal resides. The BIG dream. The next BIG thing. Here’s a little more about exploring this gap and determining if it’s really as big as it feels.

A gap, by its very nature, is a void. It’s a place of seemingly nothing. Think about what might happen if you just kept going and never looked right in front of you? You could lose yourself in the gap and land on your butt. Did your mother not tell you to watch where you’re going?

What if, instead of looking blindly beyond the gap, you took a good look at where you are? Awareness. It’s always the place to start. What if you could pull a cloak of awareness around you right now? Let it be a cloak of shimmering colors that catches the light and reflects all things amazing. Go ahead. Try it on. It’s a perfect fit for you. Do you have a mirror handy? How smashing you look!

​Now, take a magical trip to the other side of the gap and let the swirling, sparkling cloak settle around you. What are you feeling in the place of the BIG goal? The BIG dream? The next BIG thing? What are you seeing? Sensing? Take it in. Let it settle into the folds of the magic wrap.

When you’re ready return to the here and now.

Take some of the sensations and views and feelings out of your cloak and look at them from the perspective of today. Where are some of those things already happening? What in the present puts you into that state of mind?

Did the gap just get smaller; the horizon closer?

In Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coaching we call this essences. It’s the intangible payoff of what you want to experience. Discovering essences of your dream in the here and now energizes you, shows you where you’re getting it right.  Finding those gems in the present doesn’t mean you need to stop. Rather, it gives you the incentive to keep going and evokes feelings of gratitude.

​Conversely, you may be on the far side of the gap, looking back. That exact goal wasn’t achieved but, oh, look at what you’ve done instead. In her book, Write it Down, Make it Happen, author Henriette Anne Klauser talks about the outcome of the outcome, the benefit of the benefit. She asks if it’s possible you’ve already achieved the goal (or the essence of it) but not in the exact way you expected. Sometimes you are so set in that distant goal or dream that you can’t see that you’re closer than you think or, in some cases, already there. You know, that forest for the trees thing. Pulling that cloak of awareness out of your virtual closet can be extremely illuminating.

“What is it you want from a job?” I recently asked a coaching client. She had told me she was going to get a no-brainer job. Just putting one thing on top of another. No pressure, no thinking.

I laughed because I have often said I could just go stack tomatoes at the supermarket. Why? Well, I love the produce section with all their colors and textures and wholeness. And I love to make order out of chaos. Maybe that’s the essence of why I write. To bring color and imagery to the page; to put emotion and movement into words; to gather random and muddled thoughts and set them neatly onto the page.

But, back to my client. When I asked her what she wanted to experience in that no-brainer job – or in any job – the essence she was seeking was to feel connection, to be helping people, talking to clients, having room to think and breathe, being respected for her knowledge. For her the creative play zone becomes a place to explore ways, places, careers or businesses in which she can use her knowledge, life experience and work skills to experience those essences. And, working with me, she gets to do it in a way that is fun and easy, thoughtful and low pressure.

By the way, in addition to narrowing the gap, your cloak of awareness may also shift your direction. That’s okay. Remember, it’s often the emotional payoff you’re wishing for as much as, or maybe even instead of, the hard and fast goal you had set.

What we ache for comes from a deep place. It’s beyond the thing, or the job, or the place or the mate. It’s attached to the essential you. So often it feels far away.

The other side of the gap can also be a tantalizing place. So much of what you think you want is there. It gives you something dream about or look forward to. Sometimes the wishing feels better than the getting. That way there are no disappointments. The big IT can always be just the way you like it.

There’s no end to the horizon and there’s no end to the next thing, big or small. And that’s good. If we weren’t dreaming and wishing and striving, well, what’s a life for? But don’t forget to don your wonderful cloak of awareness and enjoy your creative play zone where the gap is smaller and a lot is already happening.

What do you ache for? Is there a goal that seems just out of reach? Are you longing for a deeply satisfying career or a meaningful and purpose filled retirement? Do you yearn to follow your bliss, climb out of ruts, or leave the status quo behind? Or maybe you’d just love to bring the joie back into the vivre.  If it becomes a struggle it can be exhausting!

A gap can emerge between what you want and what you have; where you want to be vs where you are. That space can often feel like an abyss. You feel like you’re standing on the edge and looking out into nothing and that you are all alone.

That gap is your creative play zone.
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When I was a little girl we had a swing set in our backyard. It was a simple set. Two swings, a small glider and a monkey bar on each end. The four poles that held it all together were anchored in small cement feet on which my father had carved his and my mother’s initials:  pk+ rk.

I loved to swing. I can feel the pumping action even as I type this. And, as I pumped that swing, I would sing. When I taught my granddaughter to swing we sung. It’s a requirement. The louder you sung the higher you swung! Or maybe it’s the other way around. No matter.

Our backyard was a safe place to be.  Fenced, and accessible only through a small walkway on the side of the house, it was its own world. We could sing, swing standing up, hang upside down on the monkey bar and be on our own with no supervision.

Back then the yard was big. It got smaller as we grew. No, it wasn’t perspective. As we got bigger the house got bigger. An addition took up yard space; pools grew from kiddie pools to big ovals with a deck. Eventually, the swing set got crowded out and fun went from boisterous singing to cool lounging in a bikini.

Where does creative play go?
A time filled with the moment. The only rules were those you made up on the spot, in a safe place without judgment or comparison, a place to feel exuberance throughout your whole body. No gaps; just fluid movement from one brilliant idea to the next.

​​6 Ways to Slip into Your Creative Play Zone and make your way to the things you ache for

1.  Ask yourself if the gap is really as big as it feels. What is the essence of what you want? Draw on the mindfulness of children at play and check your personal sandbox. Are any elements of your dream already there? Awareness is always the place to start. With this awareness you’ll feel more pleasure and appreciation and moving forward will become easier. Think about using those essences as a bridge.

2.  Is the other side a little foggy? Often we feel a yearning for something but can’t put a finger on it. Like the feeling of hunger with no idea what will satisfy it. What are some ways to gain clarity? One way is to not strain for it. Play a more Kaizen-like game of twenty questions by asking yourself one small question at a time. Don’t push for an answer; let your inspiration emerge. It will if you don’t bully it. Be a kind friend to yourself.

3.  Be selective in your playmates. This is your playground and you get to make the rules. Consider holding at arm’s length those who will tell you what to do and how to do it. Hang a “keep out” sign for the ones who pass immediate judgment on a fresh, new idea. Be especially wary of the naysayers (as well as the well-meaning) who tell you it’s already been done or you’re too old or it’s too hard. NOT!

4.  Let your dreams evolve the same way childhood games did. As one client told me, “I know something’s ahead. I just don’t know what it is… yet.” (Hire a coach!) Adopting a let’s see attitude instead of having a concrete end game will open up possibilities not even considered. Goals are great but let them be fluid. It really is about the journey, hackneyed as that may sound. (Remind me to tell you about a long-ago car ride in search of the Delaware Water Gap.)

​5.  Consider that there can be a world of riches in the gap. It could be like going into your grandmother’s attic and finding a whole new dimension. Or a scavenger hunt where the objects to be discovered pop up on their own and give a hint of where to go next. It’s a sense of adventure that can bring the gap to life. Sometimes you need to fall into the gap rather than bridge it. Yes, it might be part of the journey.
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​6.  Are you really alone? Look around you. Who else is there? How might you band together. It’s hard to do it alone. It stinks to feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t have it all figured out (Hint: we never do) As adults we can look back and see how just about every teenager feels the same insecurity and fear and yet each one still feels that her zit is the only one visible. Trust me, there are many folks out there who are feeling just the way you do! And, with the internet that number becomes bigger and bigger each day. Find a group whose interests pique yours. Join a master mind. Pick your head up and go out into the world and explore others’ playgrounds. Find new friends, a new tribe.I did that years ago when I first left my corporate job. I never knew these wonderful folks were out there! They made all the difference for me as I found my way across my gap. They provided dots for me to connect. They still do.

It really is all about creative play.

Actually, there’s lots more than this but let’s start here. Let’s pull back the curtain and take any mystery away. Oh, and don’t get hung up on the “creativity” part. It doesn’t mean you need to be working on something in the arts. It means you will tap into your creativity – yes, you are a creative soul – and use creative thinking and creative tools to get where you want to go. The creativity part is not as much about your goal in coaching as it is about how you will get there.

And we will do all this in a rich space that is confidential, safe and accepting.

​So, where do we start?

I ask you what brings you to coaching. In general, people hire a coach to help them reach a goal. That goal can be any number of things. It could be figuring out who you’ll be in the second half of life; wanting more joy in life; wanting to find “you 2.0”; looking to get back some of who you used to be and yes, it could be that there’s a book inside you screaming to get out or you’re not getting to your ______ (you fill in the blank).
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I ask you what gets in the way. Often, it’s those old gremlins of procrastination, fear, self-sabotage, feeling overwhelmed or not enough time. Sometimes it may just be that you need the catalyst of coaching: the accountability, the appointment, the saying it out loud to someone else. Getting your dreams out of your head and into the world can be a gigantic jumpstart!

My ears are scrunched. I listen very hard to hear what you’re saying and what might be between the lines. I tell you what I’m hearing and let you tell me more. I want you to feel heard and witnessed because sometimes a coaching session is the only place this will happen for you!  Listening might prompt some more questions and I will continue to listen. I don’t tell you what to do. The best solutions come from you. These solutions will be the most resonant and make the most sense for you. When that’s the case they become much more do-able. I’m the one holding the light so you can see them.

The small steps of Kaizen let us build sustainable momentum while engaging the thinking part of the brain. "]This works so much better than expecting big leaps that engage the fight or flight response and get us nowhere. We don’t stop at a small step; the small step gives us a success moment that makes us feel like continuing. Which we do. One small step at a time.

A small step could look like asking yourself a small question over the next few days and seeing what comes to mind. It could be five minutes of doing something you’ve been wanting to do. If, after five minutes, you want to continue, great! If not, you’ve kept your commitment, done what you said you would do and that’s success. Having said all that, a really important part of #Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coaching is that if you don’t get to your small step I still want you to show up next time. The step may not have been small enough. It may not have been the best step. Come back and we’ll explore it and tweak it. Or you may have made a creative detour which is normal and very okay. Or you may have done many other things for which you need to give yourself credit. We’ll do that, too.

I will continue to listen intently and ask you more questions. You will sense the next best step for you. And, step by step, you’ll move toward your goal with joy and wonder and ease.

How might this make a difference for you? Schedule a 45 minute free discovery call here and find out!

When I first started my coaching business 7 years ago I was gung-ho. Although a self-proclaimed networking avoider, I started calling people and making connections. I even went to a Chamber of Commerce meeting. I didn’t join but I did make a connection that continues and I did get some work out of it.

I met people who were so much more aligned to who I was. I no longer felt like a square peg in a round hole as I did in my full-time corporate job. Eyes didn’t glaze over when I talked about what was dear to my heart. People didn’t squirm and pass sidelong looks at each other. And, really, I’m not that weird!

I had found my tribe. But it was lonely. And the longer I went the more I knew how much I didn’t know! I was full of ideas but couldn’t figure out how to bring them to life.

Looking for support, I started joining groups. There were informal get-togethers, Toastmasters, writing groups, discussion groups. Then someone invited me to join a #master mind group. I had no idea what it was but I jumped in.

I learned about Napoleon Hill and his studies and his view of the “power of the master mind.” He said “no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind.” Great! I was in.

That master mind group fell apart. Another group became more of a social group which was wonderful but didn’t help me move forward. I tried to put another one together but the commitment was missing.

I still believed in the concept of a master mind and was convinced it was a great answer to the solitude of entrepreneurship. There had to be a better way to put them together. I believed they would work better with a facilitator. I knew what I needed but couldn’t find it.
Then I found fellow Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coach, Mary McDowall, who had the same idea. We knew what we needed and knew we were not alone. So we created it.
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The KMI Master Mind was born!
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(And it doesn’t have to be just about business.) Free from comparisons. Free from competition. Free to be who you are and operate in the way that works best for you. Freedom that clears the way to sustainable momentum with some ease and joyful anticipation.

Mary and I have seen the results. We use the techniques in our collaboration. We see the progress of the members of the Master Minds we run. We see the impact of the facilitator training program. It works. People thrive in a KMI Master Mind. We’re thrilled!

You can read more about it here on our website.

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