How are you holding up? What is lifting your heart, putting a bounce in your step these days? How are you holding up is the question that is absolutely lifting my heart at the moment. That’s because as I walk around my neighbourhood people are asking each other this question. We are stopping to talk…
Update August 2020. As we start to come out of the pandemic lock down, summer in the Northern hemisphere is here. There is gradual re-opening, but the stress continues. My observation is we are all exhausted, from the prolonged stress and the uncertainty. To add to this, events in the US and Canada have brought…
What if I could visualize where I’m going in my business and operate as if I’m already there? How would that transform my business? Just as an artist thinks of a design in her mind, does a few sketches and sees the completed piece as if it has already happened, could I learn to do…
Have you ever found yourself inspired by an idea and wondering how to implement it? Lately I’ve been curious about the phrase “love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally”, and how I could express these qualities in my art, my business and my relationships. The phrase that inspired my latest round of curiosity is from author, feminist and…
I’ve been thinking and journaling lately about showing up for myself and what that entails. Then I saw this quote from Brene Brown “Courage is showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Showing up with my whole heart and enthusiasm to whatever is going on in my life – my work, my relationships, my home,…
Some blogs and business coaches invite you to hit the ground running in January, to ramp up your proposals and sales calls. This has been my practice in the past. This year, I’ve decided to ease into 2020, to work at inviting some light and ease into these darker days. I’ve set ambitious quarterly and…
I love moments of synchronicity! Like when I discover I’m on a similar wavelength to a person I admire. The other day I was writing in my journal options for a word to inspire me for 2020. I chose the word OPEN. It turns out, so did my mentor and friend Mary Jane Copps, The…
Full confession here – I struggle with the holidays. I was writing in my journal today, which is where I go when I have things I need to work out. These things can be business or personal, or both. My journal serves the whole me. I was writing – What if I could enjoy December…
Do you have tools you regularly use when life gets busy? Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed and find yourself spinning your wheels instead of accomplishing what needs to get done. Here are 4 strategies I teach and that I find personally helpful at these times. Taking time to breathe. When I get too busy I…
How do you make room in your life for new things to happen? Recently we invited our son and his wife to move in with us. They are saving to buy a home and were living in a mould-infested rental property. This adjustment has resulted in a huge making room event in our home. Having…
Do you work alone? As a writer and artist I spend most of my days creating in my home studio (otherwise known as my dining room, my sunroom and on nice days on my deck). Some days I facilitate or attend a seminar or lunch and learn, but for the most part it’s my pets…
I have a friend who is fascinated with lichen. She is an artist and is exploring lichen in her work. I love the beach. I love to walk on the beach. I love the feel of sand in my toes and the sound of the waves as I walk. What I love most about the…
How do you deal with disappointment? Just the other day I got the news – that a proposal I had submitted was not accepted. It was a potential piece of work that made my heart sing when I heard about it. I knew it was a long shot, but found myself deeply disappointed not to…
It’s amazing what a simple change of scenery can do. My last blog post was about finding unexpected beauty all around us. In this post I share my observations from a journey I took recently by train, and how it changed my perspective. We traveled from Truro to Montreal and back on an economy seat…
Unexpected beauty can arrive in many forms. All we need to do is to take the time to notice and feel the joy of it. Unexpected beauty can come in the form of the perfect shade of violet in a flower, or a snapdragon growing from a crack in the foundation of your home, or…