CREATIVE SUCCESS NEWSLETTER NUMBER 28 - December 15, 2002

CREATIVE SUCCESS NEWSLETTER
Gail McMeekin, LICSW
Career/Creativity Coach and Author
Mailto:gail@creativesuccess.com
http://www.CreativeSuccess.com
NUMBER 28 - December 15, 2002

!!SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR CREATIVE SOULS SERIES!!

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WELCOME

Welcome to our new series called Success Strategies for Creative Souls.
Each month we will engage with the dynamics of 10 Creative Success
strategies to help you to both vision and achieve your creative goals
and live a fulfilling life nurtured by positive life choices that
reflect your true essence! To encourage you to remember how vital your
creative ideas are, I strongly recommend Matthew Fox's new book
Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet (Tarcher, 2002). As Fox
says: "Creativity and imagination are not frosting on a cake. They are
integral to our sustainability. They are survival mechanisms. They are
the essence of who we are. They constitute our deepest empowerment."(P.
31)

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SUCCESS STRATEGY #1: DEFINING HEARTFELT PERSONAL SUCCESS
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We begin at the starting gate, but we need to know what event we are
signing up for. We must select the right path for our journey. In my
over 25 years of experience helping people to heal and create a life
they want, I have been struck repeatedly with how essential it is for
each of us to do the necessary soul searching to design and live by our
own definition of success. In this celebrity/media crazed culture we
live in, it is easy to get confused about quality of life and selecting
a success that has meaning for you. Defining heartfelt success is a very
personal and unique endeavor. I have worked with hundreds of clients who
have been tortured by the agony and confusion of living according to
someone else's values, misconceptions, scripts, or formulas. Just
because your mother thought you were overly dramatic doesn't mean you
are or that it's even a liability. While the media or your family may
worship fame, money, entrepreneurship, or corporate ladder-climbing,
none of these guarantee happiness for you unless you freely choose them.
We all deserve prosperity. The starving artist syndrome serves no one.
Yet, fulfillment in life means knowing what we want while appreciating
what we already have. And having the self-worth to think independently
and create a life that's original and right for you.

Webster defines success simply as "a favorable or satisfactory outcome
or result." I like to add the adjectives "heartfelt" and "personal" so
that you can visualize results that express your true self. Whether you
are 24 or 84, it's time to stop the lies. For example, I have a client
now who keeps brainstorming with me about ideas for this elaborate
consulting business. But, if you look at her overall life goals, she
really only wants to work 30 hours a week. So that eliminates a myriad
of her ideas, at least at this stage. The best time management strategy
in the world is to let go of fantasies and work within your own
boundaries. Successful people focus on the outcomes that resonate for
them and revel in the joy of that heartfelt, personal set of goals. This
month, take an hour to reflect and identify your own definition of
success that expresses your self-knowledge, your loves and dislikes,
your energy level, your recipe for balance, your values and life
mission, and your chosen lifestyle. This process gives you a guiding
light of clarity to rely on daily, as you transform your life, one
success strategy at a time.

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CHALLENGE
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1) Write down and/or make a visual representation of personal and
heartfelt success for you. Include your thoughts on career, money,
health, friends and family, romance, personal growth, fun and
recreation, organization and home, and of course your creativity! If you
are stuck on this exercise, please refer to either of my books or my
audiotape visualizations or my website articles for an abundance of
stimulating exercises to facilitate a vision for you ­see
http://www.creativesuccess.com. Even if you have done a similar
exploration before, do it again. Our world has changed significantly,
and it's time to update your vision.

2) Meditate on this process and see if you can discover a symbol of
success that will serve as a metaphor for you. One of my clients sees
success as a wild kangaroo running free in Australia, while another sees
success as a cushy lounge chair. Once you find your symbol, figure out a
way that you can interact with it daily and watch how much clearer and
focused you are!

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CREATIVE ACTS AND RESOURCES
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SHEILA'S SHAWLS

As you know, Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila were killed in a
tragic plane crash on 10/25/2002. Janet Hagberg, from The 12 Secrets of
Highly Creative Women, knew the Wellstones intimately and has created
Sheila's Shawls to honor Sheila Wellstone for her tremendous work in
reducing domestic violence in this country. Janet is the founder of the
extraordinary non-profit organization for the prevention of domestic
abuse called Silent Witness. She asks that you remember Sheila by
knitting a healing shawl for a mother or sister of a woman who was
murdered by domestic violence. The purpose of knitting a healing shawl
is to weave good thoughts, healing, hope and love into the piece so it
will comfort and warm the recipient. A simple pattern and materials
list, etc. can be found at their website
http://www.silentwitness.net/sub/Shelias_shawls2.htm.

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A SENSE OF PLACE
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As many of you know, I am a lover of Cape Cod. Gillian Drake, whom you
have met in this newsletter before, is the publisher of a wonderful new
book A Sense of Place: An Anthology of Cape Women Writers (Shank Painter
Publishing, Cape Cod, MA), which is a collection of poetry, fiction,
memoir, essays, and art by 50 women writers and 22 artists from the
Cape. This book evolved out of Cape Women magazine's annual Fiction and
Poetry contest. Gillian herself took the charming cover photo. The book
is available in Cape Cod bookstores or by sending $16.95 to Gillian
Drake, Box 720, North Eastham, MA 02651. This book has inspired me to
dust off my short story of Brittany, my fictional version of a seeker of
creative wisdom., and enter next year's contest.

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WELLNESS
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Are you struggling to take better care of yourself? Do you have a health
issue that demands attention? David Spero, R.N. has written an
outstanding book The Art of Getting Well: A Five-Step Plan for
Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness, with insightful
chapters like "Slow Down or Crash"and "Your Body­Love It or Leave It".
It is by far one of the best books I have ever read on learning to take
care of yourself as David has immense compassion for the reader. Check
out his website at www.art-of-getting-well.com.

Best wishes for a holiday season with peaceful moments and lots of
wonderful memories! Remember, you are in charge of your holiday
experience!

Creatively yours,
Gail McMeekin