Continued Signs of New

by | 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

Truth

by | Apr 13, 2020 | Inspiration

I hope this email finds you well and settling in to the changes that life is offering up right now. It’s a rich opportunity for waking up to the TRUTH that you can love your life at any moment, just the way it is. So much of the current health situation is taking away your routine way of living and doing things. Having your habits disturbed is way to discover that you’re well-being is not dependent on things being a certain way. This might be one of the big gifts of this time. Learning, seeing, and experiencing fresh ways to live, connect, and feel more alive.
We’ve been getting together to lunch in place as a community and connecting. Here’s the video link from our latest conversation. We’ll be meeting again Friday, April 10th. Please join in the conversation (Zoom information is below).
I hope you are thriving where you’re planted. I hope to see you soon.
Smiles,
Cherie

Express Yourself! Why Bother?

by | Feb 24, 2020 | Being Human

Express yourself! Express Yourself? Why bother? What’s the value to your life to express yourself? I’m happy to be the messenger on this topic.
Since your arrival on the scene of life, you’ve been told how to be, how to act, what’s right, what’s wrong, how to be, been told you’re too much, not enough, you name it, and you’ve been subtlety or not so subtlety influenced by all of these ‘add-ons.’ All well meaning but it does tend to influence how we show up in the world as well as question, “Who am I under all of this influence and what’s authentic to me?”
That’s why it’s so valuable to your life to express yourself. When you express yourself, with absolute freedom and permission, you get the opportunity to shed layers upon layers of ‘add-ons’ to see just who is under all those judgements. Under all those concepts of can and can’t, right and wrong, you will discover YOU. Yes, that’s right. YOU and what’s unique to you. Not only does it feel great, you get the opportunity to discover more of who you truly are. This newly discovered peaceful freedom shows up in every area of your life.
I’d love to support you in exploring and discovering! Here’s a few tips to support you in saying YES when you want to express yourself, at work, at play, in your relationships, in your manner of dress, in following your inspirations, etcetera:
1.    Set aside some time to create with no goal in mind. Explore. Be adventurous.
2.    Respond to what occurs to you. Don’t negate the smallest nudge.
3.    Give yourself permission to follow the smallest nudge.
4.    Give up control and learn to let go of any expectations.
5.    Give up meaning and whys. Put your attention on the freedom and potential in life.
6.    100% Freedom is your birthright. Enjoy it!
The energy of creativity is benevolent. It supports you in living authentically and in harmony with yourself.
Now go out there and make your_____________________.
Sending smiles,
Cherie

Support for “Ick” Conversations

by | Nov 11, 2019 | Inspiration

Maybe I’m the only one who has an adversity to conversations I’d rather not find myself in. I could have been in the circus or worked for the magician, Houdini, because I could find an escape route from these uncomfortable situations. Well, like most things in life, I couldn’t avoid them forever so I decided to see if I could grow a tolerance for them. As I launched this inquiry, over the years, I’ve noticed how my participation in these situations has evolved.

 

The old model:

1.    Getting face-to-face or ear-to-ear

2.    Looking at them, trying to be interested

3.    Sitting on my hands so I wouldn’t bolt

4.    Thinking I’m listening

5.    Reacting or trying not to react to what they’re saying

6.    Evaluating the Right or Wrong of what they’re saying

7.    Justifying, explaining, or defending my part of the topic

 

The new model:

1.    Getting face-to-face or ear-to-ear

2.    Showing up as best I can in the moment with as clear a mind as I can muster

3.    Knowing I’m equipped for anything that comes up in this conversation. No need to run.

4.    Putting my attention on the speaker while my mind is whirling a sh—show of commentary.

5.    Staying neutral. This is an active position for me because I see that I can’t hear what they’re trying to say when I’m falling into the story my mind is generating about what’s going down.

6.    Listening for what they’re really trying to convey. Am I getting their point? Am I curious about what they’re saying?

7.    Questioning them to see if I’m understanding what they are trying to communicate.

8.    Still staying neutral. How can we collaborate to address what they are sharing? 

9.    Seeing the value of cultivating goodwill with this person. What can be created NEW from this conversation?

 

When I review how these conversations go down for me now, I can’t believe I could experience such a dramatic difference in conversations I had once avoided. What surprises me, equally, is the connection and goodwill that comes from listening in a new way. I see where old patterns can’t persist when I show up differently. Something NEW has to happen if I show up differently.

 

This is typically where I laugh…

What? It’s ME again! Really?

Yep!

 

Try doing difficult conversations differently. There’s no perfection, just showing up differently supports change, connection, and goodwill. Something, I believe, we all seek.

 

Please let me know if you give this a try, I’d love to hear from you!

 

Sending smiles,

Cherie

 

 

P.S. In these inquiries, I’m fascinated by the limitless Intelligence behind life that brings fresh ideas and solutions to each of us. What it brings, I’m grateful for. The fact that it is always here and in service to me, for living a more peaceful, loving life…amazes me.

Following Quirky Inspiration

by | Oct 31, 2019 | Being Human, Thought

Taos. This is one word that evokes movement inside anyone who has visited or has longed to visit this unique place. It’s a place filled with real-time postcard images that seem to have been enhanced by Photoshop, but they haven’t.
For many years, I’ve had the good fortune to facilitate Intuitive Painting workshops at Mabel Dodge Luhan House (www.mabeldodgeluhan.com) in Taos, New Mexico. This puts me in Taos twice a year for almost two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall. With every visit, I learn more about this unique town and the people who were attracted to it. Two immensely creative people who’ve been attracted to Taos were Mabel Dodge Luhan and Dennis Hopper. Why would this pair be on my mind? Mabel created the retreat center 80 plus years ago and Dennis Hopper owned it at one time. The energy of supporting creatives is imbued in the walls.
I find an individual’s creative process fascinating and I wanted to learn more about Dennis Hopper’s, so I started listening to every interview I could find. One of the most interesting comments I remember him saying was, he felt his most creative once he was clear of his addictions. This rang the Truth Bell for me. Why? Because we are naturally immensely creative. We can be awed by this fact once we align with what’s creating vs what we’re creating or the common thought-theme, ‘I’m not creative.’
When I was in Taos this September, on my way back to Mabel’s from the post office, I got an inspiration to visit Dennis Hopper’s resting place. Since I’m here in Taos to support spontaneity, freedom, and following inspiration, with a clear conscience, I couldn’t say no. But you should have heard the sh..t-show of thoughts that flooded my mind about following this inspiration. OMG! The thoughts ranged from reverence to heresy.
As will happen with inspiration, the next step showed up. I went to YouTube and there it was, a driving video to where I was inspired to go. When I arrived, I circled the location a couple of times because I didn’t want to impose on a person who was having a chat with another resident of the cemetery. When the other visitor left, I drove in. What I found was a homage to Mr. Hopper.
It was evident by the adornments to his resting place that he had been impactful to the lives of many. My ‘shame on you thoughts’ for visiting the grave of someone I’d never met changed. A rich feeling of gratitude replaced the spaces in my mind where shame had lived. There was now an abiding respect for all who have followed their inspirations and colored outside the box. I said a prayer of appreciation for all his earthly contributions and how he continues to inspire from where he lives right now.
I would also like to thank all of the creatives who followed their inspiration to come to the Taos September workshop. From the first gathering in the garden to the very last day, this group was filled with fun, collaboration, bursts of creative insights, and truly wonderful people.
Sending smiles,
Cherie