CREATIVE SUCCESS NEWSLETTER, NUMBER 23 - April 30, 2002

CREATIVE SUCCESS NEWSLETTER
Gail McMeekin, LICSW
Career/Creativity Coach and Author
Mailto:gail@creativesuccess.com
http://www.CreativeSuccess.com
NUMBER 23-April 30, 2002

The Positive Choices Series: O IS FOR OWNING

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SPECIAL OFFER

I just discovered that there has been a problem for several months with
my Amazon review form for The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women and
numerous people have unsuccessfully tried to post 5 star reviews. My web
designer, Lisa Bernstein, has alerted Amazon and they are correcting the
problem, but she recommended that we request lots of reviews from
readers to help to resolve the situation. And therefore, I am issuing
this special offer. If you are one of the first 25 people to write a
great review of either The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women or The
Power of Positive Choices, we will send you a FREE copy of my highly
acclaimed 90-minute workshop on audiotape. Once your review is posted,
we will mail you this tape complete with a mini-workbook Positive
Choices: From Stress to Serenity --- a $20.00 value including shipping
and handling! This tape features a workshop, stress awareness exercises,
and three visualizations to wonderful original music. It will teach you
the art of making positive life choices and reducing the stress in your
life by zeroing in on your personal stressors. For details and
testimonials about this workshop on tape, check out my webstore at
http://www.creativesuccess.com. Once your Amazon review is posted, send
an email to my virtual assistant, Liz Murphy, at
mailto:Liz@CreativeSuccess.com and Liz will send you your free tape.
Thank you in advance for your support.

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Order your own copy of The Power of Positive Choices and follow along in the
journey with us. You can order an AUTOGRAPHED copy any time at
http://www.creativesuccess.com/store/store.html
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POSITIVE CHOICES STEP ELEVEN: O IS FOR OWNING

This lesson is about the ownership of your life. It is about waking up
and taking responsibility for your life experience and making a
commitment to what you truly want. I work with lots of marvelous clients
who struggle to feel content with their lives as they are still holding
onto someone else's dream. We do a terrible job in this country of
helping young people, as well as people of all ages, to discover and
value their uniqueness and engage in a sound process of career and life
decision-making that supports making positive choices.

Recently, I met with a bright, young woman (whom I'll call Mary). Mary
thought she wanted to be a doctor, as everyone told her for years she
was good in science and math. Mary excelled in all the pre-med courses
in college and reveled in the praise and admiration of such a
challenging career from her family. Then one day, she saw the blood, in
a whole different way than ever before. She went to an autopsy and
passed out. The next day, Mary assisted on a surgical team and gagged
all the way through it. She panicked, of course.

To make a complicated story short, this dream of being a doctor was
really her mother, Gina's dream, not Mary's. Gina's family could not
afford to send Gina to medical school so Gina became a lab technician.
Actually, Mary remembered always hated visiting her Mom at the lab.
While Mary is talented in the sciences, she is not passionate about
health care and healing people. The truth is that what Mary really wants
to do is design cars. She just got caught up in her mother's unfulfilled
life dream. As a child, Mary drew cars, dated guys who worked at auto
mechanic shops, and read Car and Driver magazine.

Now Mary needs to learn engineering and the car business. Although, I
cautioned her, she needs to make sure that it's the design end of the
business that she most enjoys. So often, we have an idea about a
lifestyle or a job that is not based on truth. I always tell my clients
not to spend a huge sum of money on graduate school until they have
actually worked in that field and know intimately the pros and cons.
Mary is now working for a Jaguar dealership, although her mother is
crushed. Owning your own life takes courage.

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CHALLENGE

1) Do you feel like you own your individual life? If not, why?
2) Are you procrastinating on a personal dream, whether it's to live in
South America, perform at a comedy club, or walk across the Continental
Divide? Is the dream still valid or just a fantasy? If it's valid, take
one step forward with it.
3) Make time to experiment with your dreams and make decisions about
them. Your creativity is at stake.

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GAIL'S UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND MEDIA APPEARANCES

May 23, 2002
12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women workshop at 7 PM
Boston Learning Society, Needham, MA
CALL 781-453-9800 to register
This class will be a catalyst for a Boston based 12 Secrets Group
beginning this fall.

May 26, 2002
Conscious Talk Radio at 8 PM West Coast time (11 PM EST) with Brenda
Michaels and Rob Spears
Brenda and Rob are delighted to announce that their show on CNN
Newschannel 1150 in Seattle is finally streaming on the Internet. The
show airs Sunday evenings from 8-10 PM Pacific time and can be accessed
live on their website http://www.conscioustalk.net live. I'd love to
have you join me that night.

August 1, 2002
The Power of Positive Choices workshop at 7 PM
Boston Learning Society, Needham, MA
CALL 781-453-9800 to register

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NEW AND RECOMMENDED
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My friend Mimi Doe's new book Busy But Balanced (St. Martin's, 2001) is
most certainly a positive choice in your quest to live a satisfying and
sane lifestyle. Mimi's advice as always is practical and her commitment
to healthy, spiritual families fills every page. I happily endorsed her
book and love that it was organized by seasons: "In Busy But Balanced,
Mimi Doe has ingeniously compiled a delectable buffet of creative and
simple ways for parents and children to relate to each other more
authentically and experience a profound increase in quality family time.
Step by step, this guidebook helps parents achieve day to day peace and
fulfillment in their family life, capitalizing on love, support for
their individuality, and fun. This book is the perfect answer to the
prayers of stressed-out, overwhelmed Moms and Dads." Check out Mimi's
website at http://www.spiritualparenting.com.

Cathleen Rountree, one of the women interviewed in The 12 Secrets of
Highly Creative Women, has a wonderful new book out from my publisher
Conari Press called The Writer's Mentor: A Guide to Putting Passion on
Paper. It is a beautiful and engaging book and I just loved it. My
endorsement reads as follows: "In The Writer's Mentor, highly creative
woman Cathleen Rountree takes you by the hand and leads you into the
soul of a writer and nurtures your every step. This book is an intimate
journey into the spiritual and psychological world of writing, complete
with valuable tips of the craft as well. A must for every writer's
bookshelf." Her website is www.catherinerountree.com.

After a long wait, Caroll Michels has released her Fifth Edition of How
to Survive and Prosper as an Artist complete with updates for on-line
marketing and exhibition. If you are blocking your creative impulses
because you're afraid of becoming a "starving artist", read this book.
Also check out her new website at www.artisthelpnetwork.com which was
just featured in the May issue of Artist's Magazine for additional
information and resources. Caroll just wrote to tell me that she will be
interviewed on the PBS Show RIGHT ON THE MONEY during a half-hour
segment called "Making a Living as an Artist" which will begin airing on
your local stations on April 27. For information go to:
www.rightonthemoney.org/resources/stations_list.htm.

My personal editor and marketing expert, Marcia Yudkin, of Boston, is
now publishing special report e-books in addition to real books and has
two new ones: 132 Ways to Make You or Your Business Newsworthy and No
More Writer's Block! Become a Prolific Writer. You can order these
information packed resources at http://www.yudkin.com/reports.htm. As
usual, Marcia's content is excellent.

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12 SECRETS GROUPS

Boston: New group forming with Gail McMeekin in the fall. See
information above for May 23rd workshop. If you cannot attend the
workshop, email Gail at mailto:gail@creativesuccess.com about your
interest.

Psychologist, speaker, and life and dream coach, Dr. Linda Sandel from
West Virginia, runs on-going creativity groups that feature The 12
Secrets of Highly Creative Women and other creativity resources as well
as Linda's own perspective. Groups are held at The Manor Retreat and
Conference Center at http://www.Themanorretreatandconference.org or
304-422-4277. Her new program is called Finding You! Keys to Unlocking
Your Highest Creative Potential. Linda is also the originator of Dream
Share which is an E-Teaching and Support program for Personal Dream
Work. Linda is quite gifted in this area. Her new website is at
http://www.wisdomsources.com

IF YOU ARE RUNNING A 12 SECRETS GROUP OR A POSITIVE CHOICES GROUP, LET
US KNOW!

HAPPY SPRING!

Creatively yours,
Gail McMeekin
Creative Success: Career and Creativity Coaching and Writing

Author of The Power of Positive Choices: Adding and Subtracting Your Way
to a Great Life and The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable
Mentor and an audiotape workshop Positive Choices: From Stress to
Serenity -all items are for sale in our secure Creative Success Webstore
at http://www.CreativeSuccess.com

Please forward this newsletter in its entirety to other like-minded
friends and colleagues who might enjoy it. Thank you.