Part of the fun of the Halloween season can be trying on a new identity. It is a wonderful opportunity for self-expression, as you have a chance to dress up and pretend to be someone or something else. My niece wants to be a black cat as it is both fun and a little scary and my neighbor's son has carefully chosen Mickey Mouse. I'm going to be a real artist with a smock as I am loving that part of myself these days.

Don't be lazy and just be the same character you were last year or simply try to save money and use the costume you already have-- and may have worn 10 times already. Start fresh and think about what sub-personality or growth edge wants to emerge and play. This holiday can be a marvelous opportunity to experiment with your creative options and communicate how you are changing and evolving as a human being.

One friend is trying to let go of being a workaholic and so she is going to her Halloween party as a little girl with her favorite toys in a basket. Another friend is dumping her corporate job and will be wearing jeans and a vest with her new company logo etched on them. A client of mine is longing for new friends so she is passing out friendship rings at her party where she invited men and women she would like to connect with on a deeper level.

Halloween is meant to be fun but has the hidden benefit of allowing us to experiment with transformation. So before you run into iparty and select a costume from the rack, ask yourself these questions:

1) If I were fearless, who/what would I like to be? What is the essence of that person/trait/creature?

2) What aspect of my creative self am I longing to connect with or try out? How can I display that?

3) What type of person, etc. would be the total opposite of who I am now? Would I enjoy pretending to be that for just one night?

I once got to try out being "incompetent" at a coaching training. It was a radical shift in my behavior as well as a real relief to let other people be capable and in charge, for a change. The experience was very illuminating for me.

Be daring and innovative and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Dressing-up based on meaningful insights and informed choices can be quite amazing!

Enjoy! And let us know what you learn!

Deep River
Always in a rush? It's our over-drive culture that is the problem, not you, according to Massachusetts psychotherapist, Abby Seixas, author of the new on target book Finding The Deep River Within: A Woman's Guide to Recovering Balance and Meaning in her Everyday Life(Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2006). In this powerful and hopeful book, Abby shares great wisdom for slowing down, and dealing with the issues of too much to do and not enough time. I really loved her genuineness and highly recommend the book. I first learned about Abby and her work from a woman in one of my Creative Success Circles who now gets up early in the AM for quiet time, journals daily and feels much more centered in her life and her creative expression.

Surrender
A Conari Press gem I recently received from my mother is Kathy Cordova's Let Go, Let Miracles Happen which reminds you about the art of spiritual surrender. We can't control all the people and all of the events in our lives and we exhaust ourselves when we try. Kathy shares her own story as well as those of other of people who have traded struggle for peace of mind. As Kathy says, " Instead of working so hard to find or create magic in our lives, we can relax, go with the flow, work together in harmony with a greater power than ourselves, and experience more joy and purpose than we ever imagined."