CREATIVE SUCCESS NEWSLETTER NUMBER 38 - November 17, 2003

CREATIVE SUC^ESS NEWSLETTER
Gail McMeekin, LICSW
Career/Creativity Coach and Author
Mailto:gail@creativesuccess.com
http://www.CreativeSuccess.com
NUMBER 38 - November 17, 2003

SUC^ESS STRATEGIES FOR CREATIVE SOULS SERIES

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WELCOME SUBSCRIBERS
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This free newsletter goes to subscribers only and is sent out the
middle of each month. If you have missed any issues, you can have
them sent to you by following the instructions at my website
http://www.creativesuccess.com/info/news.html at the bottom of the
page. We just discovered that several Spam filters are blocking
the word "success" so if you have not been receiving this
newsletter regularly, check your filter.

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CONTEST
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We are renaming and revamping my entire website
www.creativesuccess.com and will be featuring more content and
special programs with sections for artists and writers,
entrepreneurs, career changers, managers and executives, and a
range of in-depth features on stress reduction, creative
inspiration, communication and negotiation skills, and a range of
other must-know topics. We very much want your input. Tell us what
your biggest needs and struggles are and what resources, training,
and coaching you need to master your life and your next creative
steps. For the five very best ideas that we use on our new site,
we will send you a free copy our highly acclaimed audiotape
workshop, Positive Choices: From Stress to Serenity, which
features a 90 minute stress reduction and life planning workshop
complete with a mini-workbook and original music and
visualizations. For more info on this tape, check out
http://www.creativesuccess/store.
To participate in this contest, simply email Gail at
mailto:Gail@Creativesuccess.com and enter 'Contest' in the subject
line. We thank you in advance for your partcipation! Winners will
be notified in January.

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MANAGING THE FEAR GREMLIN
NEW TELECLASS SERIES: INTRODUCTORY OFFER
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Dates: December 2 and 16 at 8 PM EST

Fear is one of the top saboteurs for your success. The fear
gremlin squashes our dreams and clips our wings. When fear wins
out, our self-esteem and sense of control over our lives simply
vanish and we suffer big time. As we approach 2004, do you want
fear to undermine your fulfillment once again or do you want to
stand up and fight back? In this two week teleclass program, you
will learn how to choose the best risks for your next steps, so
you can take action and make your visions happen. You will learn a
set of powerful strategies to put you back in control of your
creativity and your life. It's time for you to keep your promises
to yourself and release the grip that the fear gremlin has on your
intentions and your personal power. This class will give you the
know-how and the tools to create a turnaround in your creative
process and empower your personal and professional goals.

Introductory Price is $39.00 for the series and we accept MC,
Visa, Discover, and American Express. Classes are limited to 50
people, so sign up today. To register, contact Liz Murphy at
mailto:Liz@creativesuccess.com with 'Fear Teleclass' in the
Subject line. Make 2004 the year that you leap ahead with your
creative goals.

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STRATEGY FOR CREATIVE SOULS #13: A Special Kind of Thanks
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In this season of Thanksgiving, we focus on the tradition of
gratitude. It is a time to note and acknowledge the harvests of
the past year and give thanks for our family and friends, both
living and passed on, and the richness of life. A table filled
with luscious food is a metaphor for nourishment and abundance.
Gratitude is also the backbone ritual of prosperity consciousness.
In order to wish and ask for "more", we must first give thanks for
all that we already possess - materially and spiritually. Even if
you already practice gratitude on a regular basis with spiritual
practices, such as writing down 3 things you are grateful for each
day, I am proposing a special Thanksgiving practice.

I continue to be struck by the gremlin of "lack of belief in self"
that eclipses the careers of so many talented creative men and
women. Unfortunately, insecurity about our natural gifts and
talents flourish in a culture that worships celebrities (gifted or
not) and material wealth (derived with integrity or not) and we
forget the value of doing work that expresses our creative
impulses, reflects our strengths and passions, and is done with
commitment and a value system based on contribution and service.
So, in this season of Thanksgiving, I urge you to do the
following:

1) Give personal thanks to all the meaningful people in your life
and remind them of their special talents. Tell your accountant how
much you appreciate his/her thoroughness and quick response to
your questions. Recognize your local bookstore owner for his/her
suggestions and knowledge of great writing that truly makes a
difference in your literary adventures. Become an agent of
acknowledgment to others in this season of thanks. Send people
cards, emails, or speak to them and let them know they have made a
difference in your life and specifically why and how.

I received a wonderful celebration card a few weeks ago from a
cherished former client thanking me for my support in her success.
Her card arrived on a day when my desk was filled with piles of
paperwork (not my favorite activity) and a list of problems to
resolve, and her kind words reconnected me in that instant with
the many blessings of the work I have done for the past two
decades and why I was born to do exactly what I am doing in the
world.

2) Now it's time for self-focus. Make a list or a collage of your
special gifts and talents. Think of all of the compliments and
encouragements about your abilities that you have received in your
life. Tune into your inner knowing about your own strengths.
Acknowledge what you already do well or are working on.

I was talking with a poet this week who lamented that she wasn't a
"great poet" yet. I reminded her that she was a "good poet" now
and that if she continues to invest in her craft, she can, one
day, be an even better poet. If she denies her talent and what she
has achieved so far and quits, we all lose, especially her, as
writing poetry brings her joyfulness and profound wisdom.
Perfectionism, unrealistic standards, and the vile criticisms of
our saboteurs have no place in this gratitude exercise. Send them
away. This month, give thanks for the creative impulses and
results you have brought forth up to now. Can you improve your
mastery? Of course? Do you have weaknesses to overcome? I expect
so. Do you have more to learn? There is always something new and
exciting to explore. But for now, be grateful for your innate
interests, current skill level, and fascination with your art or
business. Let what's already on your personal feasting table
nourish and support you as you venture forward.

3) Make a commitment to mentor or support another creative soul
this month in whatever way feels most natural. It could be writing
a check for an arts organization or charity that resonates for
you, or playing with a child and encouraging their creative
expression without judgement, or sharing your own creative work
with others in a new way.

We'd love to hear from you about your choices and your process,
and will share your comments in our next newsletter. Email Gail at
mailto:Gail@CreativeSuccess.com with Thanksgiving in the Subject
line.

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CREATIVE ACTS AND RESOURCES
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This month, I'd like to recommend three inspiring books that will
support an innovative relationship with work.

Minerva

12 Secrets woman, Barrie Dolnick, owner of Executive Mystic, has
written a fun and enlightened book called Minerva Rules Your
Future: Goddess-Given Advice for Smart Moves at Work (Harmony,
2003). In this book, Barrie has you releasing toxic career
nostalgia and leveraging the wisdom from your sun and moon signs
to forge a new path. As Barrie successfully made her own career
transition, she knows what it takes to find the right formula.
Barrie also wrote a second book last year which was published by
another 12 Secrets woman, Sarah Ban Breathnach, and is titled
Instructions for Your Discontent: How Bad Times Can Make Life
Better (Simple Abundance Press, 2003) which teaches you to embrace
your discontent as a powerful doorway.
(http://www.barriedolnick.com)

The Truth

My colleague, Cliff Hakim from Boston, has just revised and re-
released his book with the most wonderful title: We are All Self-
Employed: How to Take Control of your Career (Berrett-
Kohler,2003). As Cliff writes in his endorsement to me, "Who's the
boss?" Cliff reminds us that the myth that if we do a great job
for an employer we are secure, is gone forever. In this new era of
work, we need to manage our own careers, whether we have our own
business or not, and drop the illusion that someone else is in
charge. (http://www.rethinkingwork.com)

The Power of Art

Susan Ressler of Taos has written an exciting book: Women Artists
of the American West (McFarland and Company, 2003) which presents
the work of more than 150 women artists who live or once lived
west of the Mississippi River. The text is illustrated with almost
300 color reproductions. In this limited edition, Ressler kept
asking herself the question of "What is unique to women's art?"
This work is an effort to reconnect us with women's wisdom during
a chaotic time in history. There are limited editions available at
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com or 800-253-2187.

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IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS WITH GAIL
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February 2004
"Creative Catalysts Workshop" in Boston -- Join us for a 4 hour
workshop filled with art, writing, and group coaching which will
catalyze your creative process/project. Location and dates to be
announced.

April 2, 2004
"Recreate Your Life with Positive Choices" Workshop--New England
Reiki Conference and Expo, Holiday Inn, Boxborough, MA at 7 PM
Special program with fellow Red Wheel/Weiser author Christopher
Penczak
http://www.cgnaturalhealth.com

June 2, 2004 Women's Success Network -- details to follow

Creatively yours,

Gail McMeekin