by Cherie Ray | Apr 21, 2021 | Conversations, Inspiration
Are you trying to ‘problem solve’ your way to relaxation? Does it look like you have problems that must be worked on and solved before you can move on with enjoying your life? Does working to solve problems take up all your time? Do you find yourself way too familiar with feelings of overwhelm and feeling overworked? At the end of the day, are you long on expending energy and short on enjoying? This is what life feels like when you look at the world through the colored lens of problem solving.
Well, the culprit could be a simple misunderstanding. Innocently, you can fall asleep to your mind making all these rules around how to live, what it means to be a decent person (partner, mom, dad, boss, employee, etc.) and how to be OK in the world. Good news, as easily as you fell asleep to this invisible policy maker, you can wake up to it.
Life is not one long problem-solving assignment. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. What can you do? Do a gut check and see if you are over oriented to problem solving and take these points to heart:
- You won’t find your happiness or relaxation on the other side of solved problems. It doesn’t live there.
- Problem solving will take all your time and all of your joy.
- Training your mind to solve problems creates a habit and trains your mind to look for problems to be solved. It never stops.
I hope this takes some struggle off your plate. If you know of someone who is struggling in their life or business and they don’t know where to turn to gain insight and relief? Please send them my way. Struggle in life is optional.
I always love hearing your comments and reflections. Drop me a line and let’s connect.
Sending smiles,
Cherie
Teaching people how to eliminate struggle from their lives and businesses.
Let’s have a free exploratory conversation, cherie@cherieray.com.
by Cherie Ray | Jan 27, 2021 | Conversations, Inspiration
What’s new with you? I hope you’re doing well and exploring new inspirations that are coming to you in the richness of possibility that seems to come with the beginning of a new year. Possibility and potential are ever present, but the attention of the world seems to highlight this as we greet January.
What I’m seeing new in the balance of this pandemic is INVITATION. So much has been taken off the table that was innocently leaned on to feel OK, to distract, or bring comfort. With all that’s been edited in your life, there’s a fresh invitation on the table to locate your peace and joy. Not within your circumstances, by having the right partner, job, living arrangement, location, but where it has always been and will always be. Beneath all of that in the depth of your being. Isn’t that intriguing? You can tie your well-being, peace, and joy to your circumstances, but you don’t have to. Isn’t that a rich invitation?
I would love to hear from you on this topic. Kindly RSVP by January 31st. LOL!
Have you or someone you know, “Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” for their work, their current life, or their relationships? I would love to connect with them. Big changes on the outside aren’t necessary to experience the joy you seek.
Sending smiles,
Cherie
by Cherie Ray | Dec 16, 2020 | Conversations, Events, Inspiration
I hope you’re feeling strong and vibrant. Are you planning your holidays, celebrating the Festival of Lights, or readying to launch a fresh new year?
I hope you’ll take a break this Friday, December 18th at noon CST, 10am PST, 1pm EST to join in the conversation, Drawing a Line in the Sand, When will finding fault in yourself no longer be an option? It will be a rich conversation that could add to the gifts you give yourself this holiday season or what you want to include in your New Year reset. Please register in advance to attend.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMudO2tqzsuHNcFRA7APDfI0bGRtggTgB-t
It’s been a full year with more highs, lows, and changes then previously experienced. I hope you’ll include yourself on your gift-giving list by gifting yourself large doses of love, acceptance, and compassion.
I look forward to seeing you on the call this Friday!
by Cherie Ray | Oct 23, 2020 | Coaching, Conversations, Inspiration
What are you hungering for? Community, connection, creativity, fresh aliveness? Well all of that can be done safely and virtually. During this time of Covid we’ve discovered that a fun, welcoming community is created when people come together to explore. It’s been wonderful to get together with you for webinars and for workshops. I appreciate all the comments you’ve shared on how virtual participation has supported you through these quarantine times. Thank YOU for participating in making community where community can happen these days!
I want to share this fresh conversation I had with Michele Cassou.
A Candid Conversation with Michele Cassou on Point Zero Intuitive Painting and her life of exploring creativity.
Michele Cassou has authored 10+ books on creativity, as well as numerous audio and video recordings. She has explored the operating principles of creativity for over 50 years as well as being the first art workshop offered at Esalen over 45 years ago. Her work continues to grow and evolve, which is the nature of creativity.
LINK to PODCAST here:
Podcast: Connected Living with Cherie Ray
Truths and Understandings for the Business of Life
This conversation is available on my podcast. Please share this link with anyone you know that is interested in creativity or living life more creatively.
I love hearing from you. Let’s connect for a conversation!
by Cherie Ray | Oct 7, 2020 | Conversations, Inspiration
How are you? Here we are in August. I can’t believe September is just days away! I hope you are doing well and the ones you love are too.
Recently I was asked to share a wellness tip in support of the current events we are all experiencing. As I reflected on what seemed most important to suggest, I also noticed that I was drawn to suggest something that is effortless and completely natural. It’s not application based, so no worries there. It’s all too often overlooked and it offers us everything we need when we need it.
What is this magic thing?
PRESENCE
Through out our days our thoughts sweep us up and out of every moment. In a flash we are in our minds working out scenarios that are not currently happening or working on a memory from a past situation. In the meanwhile, we are missing opportunities that life has placed right in front of us. Do you notice how often you find yourself in these thought created moments?
What to do? Well, we will be thinkers as long as we’re alive. We can’t do a thing about that. But what you can do is create a practice of climbing out of your head and into the present moment. How do you do that? Throughout the day/evening/night take a breath into your body and drop the story. Magically, you are now present. The present moment offers you peace, wisdom, your next action, and relaxation. The benefits? Reduced overwhelm, less stress, more reilience and creativity, personally and professionally.
It really is natural to human beings to be present. We feel great when we receive it and we feel great when we offer it.
Rest well, be well until we meet again!
Cherie
by Cherie Ray | Jun 10, 2020 | Conversations, Inspiration, Thought
How are you? I hope you’re doing well and finding fresh new ways to thrive where you are.
I’m very hopeful during these times that change is happening. I often say that evolution takes many strange faces. In the creative process, we call it ‘creative destruction.’ Creative destruction is when something is destroyed or taken away for new to appear. We see it in nature all the time, i.e. forest fires, hurricanes, natural disasters.
As a society, we are being faced with situations that are intolerable, horrific, and unprecedented. This year has been heavy handed with what it has dropped in our laps. A society is a vast collection of individuals. As individuals facing these times, many are experiencing overwhelm or at a loss of what to do with the size of the situations being handed. What can you do instead of sitting in overwhelm?
Enlist your creative process to bring forth ideas, solutions, and actions that you can take to make your world and the world around you more peace-filled and unified. If enough of us upgrade our standard operating procedures in our individual lives, change will be created in our society.
I love the idea of us, as a community, taking action on the inspirations and fresh ideas that come to us to create peace, connection, and unity. Let’s all do our part and take fresh actions to create change.
I’d love to hear what fresh ideas are coming to you. Please reach out and share them with me at Cherie@cherieray.com. I look forward to connecting with you.
Sending smiles,
Cherie
by Cherie Ray | May 27, 2020 | Conversations, Inspiration
I hope you’re doing well!
I’ve loved hearing from you about the invitation extended last week to do something you’ve never done before, right where you are in Covid-Land.
Right after sending you the invitation, I called to check on my mom. To my surprise, my 89-year young mom and my sister were smack-dab in the middle of doing something my mom has wanted to do for a long time, but never had. I loved the cosmic coincidence. She was moving from her inspiration and I was too.
Her long-time desire was to send a letter to Jenna Bush Hager. I had no I idea this was a long-standing desire of hers. She wanted to share with Jenna a remembrance of her grandmother, Barbara Bush.
Now you’re probably wondering what’s the deal with Barbara Bush? Well, Barbara Bush has a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. My mother had a famous chocolate chip recipe that was immensely popular until Barbara’s recipe came on the scene. When she shared Barbara’s recipe, her 60-year-old recipe got dethroned!
As a family, we’ve shared countless hours baking cookies together. It’s a place where we get together and share precious time. Everyone has their role in the process. Too funny!
I encourage you to take a break from Covid-land and do something you’ve never done before. You will find the action of engaging very invigorating. Let trying something new be a game. You truly have nothing to lose!
Sending smiles,
Cherie
by Cherie Ray | Apr 13, 2020 | Conversations, Inspiration
I hope this email finds you relaxed in a time of unprecedented change. It looks like some people are loaded with more responsibilities than ever before and others are sitting with a lighter load. Either way, don’t you find it interesting that the experience you can have is up for grabs and not dictated? I love that! Free will is a powerful companion during times like this.
I also want to thank everyone who’s been gathering together for our Friday lunch get togethers. It’s been great fun to share fresh insights on how to navigate these times. We’ll be meeting again this Friday, April 3rd at noon CDT, 10Pacific and 1pm EDT. Join the FREE webinar easily via Zoom. See the access information below. Please join us and share this invitation with anyone you feel may benefit from a dose of a fun-loving community.
Sending you big smiles,
Cherie
by Cherie Ray | Jan 17, 2020 | Conversations, Inspiration
Following the Inspirations that Come
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Dear cheryl,
Following inspiration is captivating me at the beginning of this new year. It occurs to me that inspiration is an invitation from the Intelligence behind all life to explore beyond the known. Inspiration is something that comes like a spark from within me. For me, inspiration has a very fresh feeling and carries a lilt of lightness. Maybe even a feeling of enthusiasm. What’s it feel like for you? I’d love to know.
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So, with curiosity on board, I’m letting inspiration lead the way. The inspiration said go to the state park, 70 miles from my house, super early and look at the year ahead. As the inspiration started moving, I watched both the spark and the objections that were coming up, almost simultaneously. In my unwritten pledge to follow inspirations, I dismissed all of the very reasonable and credible objections that my mind had to offer.
I had my marching orders. Time to follow. I packed the papers off the top of my desk, my bicycle, my lunch, my favorite pink pen, and some blank journals. I loaded the car and took off before sunrise.
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I arrived at the park so early that it was too cold and damp to be outside so my car became my workspace for exploring what I wanted to play with this year. As I sat in the passenger seat of my car, I was taken aback with the quiet and beauty that I was sitting in. Almost immediately, I found myself asking, why would I resist experiencing this? It was a very rich feeling.
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Loads of ideas poured out covering the dashboard. Before I knew it 4 hours has passed. What awoke me to the time was my stomach growling. I couldn’t understand why because, in my mind, I had just eaten!
Following this inspiration has been a delightful experience. Not for the fruit it bore but for the full, rich feeling that filled me.
Insights from following inspiration;
1. Disregard the mind’s suggested outcome. It’s not possible to know the outcome of what hasn’t happened.
2. Inspiration comes with a feeling of possibility, lightness, enthusiasm.
3. Feasibility is a buzz kill that comes with a very different feeling.
4. When inspirations are followed, you can’t imagine why you would hesitate.
This month I hosted a webinar on letting inspiration lead the way in 2020. I’ve included the link below, if you’d like to watch it. Please share it with someone you feel might benefit from listening.
I encourage you to open your heart and mind to fresh inspiration. It’s life’s natural invitation to expand and explore life.
Here’s to living life feeling inspired!
Cherie
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by Cherie Ray | Dec 31, 2019 | Conversations, Transitions
Here we are at the end of 2019! Can you believe it? I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year! We’re not only starting a new year, we’re beginning a new decade. How exciting is that?
How do you want to live in 2020 and the years that follow? Letting INSPIRATION lead the way has been on the top of my dashboard lately. I’ve noticed that when I follow my natural inspiration the ride of life is expansive and full of aliveness, when I don’t, I feel flat and stuck. It’s helpful for me to understand what gets in the way of me following.
I’m inspired to have a free community webinar on this topic on January 2nd at noon CST. I’d love for you to join me in celebrating the beginning of a new year and exploring INSPIRATION. The information for joining the webinar is below. Please share the webinar information with anyone who might benefit from the conversation.
Thank you for the opportunity to share and grow together.
Wishing you a very happy new year filled with joy, love, and enthusiasm for life!
Cherie
by Cherie Ray | Aug 29, 2019 | Conversations, Inspiration
My soul-sister-artist-friend, Elayne Goodman sent me this creation! I was surprised at the post office with a large package and this treasure was inside. Elayne lives in Columbus, MS and we share the same philosophy on the power of creativity and creative expression. We have both experienced a rich connection to something larger than life by exploring our creative callings.
Elayne has been a driven artist since she was a child. Upon asking her mom for art supplies, her mom told her there was no money for that so Elayne turned to found objects on the land of her rural Mississippi home. She has continued to create and express herself throughout her life. She has a rich connection to her natural inspiration and she lives with great permission to express what wants to be expressed. Needless to say, she continues to inspire me with her passion!
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