A Creator-based® Life

Victims need villains. Creators need heroes. A hero could be a leader, mentor, role model, or life coach. My heart skipped a beat to see hero and life coach in the same definition, but really, everyone needs a coach of one kind or another.  We all need someone who gets us and cheers us on. Do you have villains in your life? I do.  The chocolate bar in my kitchen often becomes a villain, as well as the guy in customer service who just doesn’t get what I need.  We all have villains.  We all need heroes.  Joseph Campbell was the Father of all hero studies.  He studied the myths and stories in ancient world literature and created a model called The Hero’s Journey.  It looks like this.  Can you locate yourself in the cycle? Here are a couple tips that will make your journey smoother: Take along a good sleeping bag.  We all need a soft landing space and someone to snuggle.  Be kind to your inner self. Curate your friend group....

  Ya know, it must just be a fall thing.   Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a blog post on creating confidence.   Interestingly, it has come up again.   Maybe it’s because August and September feel very much like a second New Year.   With the beginning of school at age 5, every year, we have prepared and shifted the way we live out our days. We end summer with its long, languishing fun and begin the structure of school. It’s a second New Year. With the changes in this second New Year, some of us also need a second boost of confidence. Remember when you were a kid, getting ready to start a new school year? I always got new shoes and a stern warning to take good care of them because they have to last all year. My Mom reviewed with me how to polish my shoes, waterproof and preserve the leather.   Yeah- that was a long time ago, but a good memory. I often got new school outfits and some new pencils, maybe even a book bag!   It was an exciting time. ...

 Creator-based® Commitment: I can and I will. Heroes get muddy.   Here is one of the muddy moments in my own Hero Story.  Years ago, we committed to support my parents in their winding up years.  When they could no longer live independently, we drove out west, packed them all up, hauled it all to our house, and added it to the menagerie at The Farm.  At that time, I was also homeschooling the last 3 of our 9, working through 6 weddings in as many years (and new babies! Oh, how sweet), negotiating personal health challenges, and, the big one, unemployment.  It was the perfect storm, and the mud was brewing.   When we are committed, we give our all, and nothing can dissuade us from our goal.  I felt that kind of commitment to my family.  We offer everything we have to the cause and, in total commitment, refuse to give up.  We may even work so diligently and be so focused and intense as to run ourselves into the ground, ending up sick and a...

     ‘Be the Hero of your own story with Self-coaching, Creator-based® Style & the story of Beth E.’ Beth E. was tired.   It had been a long day after an even longer week.   Fatigue is the enemy of us all, and Beth E. was no exception.   She was beaten down and not feeling her usual chipper self.   What made everything worse was that her car wasn’t sounding quite right, and she was worried.    It made this troubling rattle and took longer than she felt it should to start.  She was pretty sure it was going to die, and with her frugal budget, she’d be without transportation for good! On the way home from work that day, Beth E. worried about the noise, listening carefully for any further sign of trouble.  What was that vibration? Oh, no, now I’ll have a flat tire! Was that a new whistle I hear? Oh, gosh- what’s going to fall off next?  Her neck was tight, her hands gripped the wheel, and the pit in her stomach made her n...

  Oh my goodness, it's hotter this week than last week! These truly are summer’s “dog days.” How are you doing? I hope some of last week's ideas helped you increase your capacity to create good things in your life. Do you recognize that you are the hero of your life story? Sometimes it's easy to forget and slide into a victim role with all the summer dog days, but don't worry! I have another idea to increase your capacity for creating what you want to feel this summer. Let me get honest with you for just a second first- Those who know me well know that sometimes my husband can drive me nuts. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. It’s not his fault; it’s all me, and I'm getting a little better at being his companion every day. Seriously though, he chose to marry a passionate, somewhat impulsive soul. What sparks irritation for me is that he hasn’t learned to read my mind and do what I think I want before I ask him yet. Irrational, I know- but once again, there it...