Jen and Leah's Blog

The Circle of Empowerment - Faith

2010-11-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

The final segment of the three part Circle of Empowerment podcast series focuses on the last element needed in order to have power in your life, and that element is FAITH!

Faith: A firm belief in something for which there is no proof; having complete trust.

There are certain things in life that we know to be factual or true because we have proof or have witnessed them.

For example, we know that the sun comes up in the morning, and goes down at the end of the day. We know that when it rains in Orlando you can expect a traffic jam on I-4. We know that if we place our hand on a burning stove it is going to hurt!

We know these things because we have experienced them directly or have heard others tell us about the outcome. But, what happens when you don’t have proof? When you haven’t actually experienced the situation before? This is where having faith comes into play.

Remember when we were kids? Even though we had not actually SEEN Santa Claus, we had a tremendous amount of faith that he would pay us a visit once a year!

We have two ways to look at things. We can either chose to believe and have faith that situations will work out the way they should or we can dismiss it all together because we don’t have actual proof…the bottom line is WE DO NOT KNOW what the outcome is going to be. So, why not have a little faith?

It has been said that “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Do you have faith in yourself? Do you have faith in your dreams and goals?

The end outcome may not be one that we would have anticipated, but a larger part of having faith is knowing that things do happen for a reason and that it is all part of the journey of life.

There are no mistakes, there is just life! So, let’s keep the faith!

The Circle of Empowerment - Perseverance!

2010-10-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

This week, we continue our three part series – The Circle of Empowerment. We are going to focus on the second key ingredient to being fully empowered in your life – Perseverance!

Perseverance: Persisting in or remaining constant to a purpose, idea or task in spite of obstacles.

The second tool that you will need to have in order to complete the Circle of Empowerment is Perseverance. Imagine that you have the determination and are truly going for it…But wait, once you are in the game things might not be going your way and you find yourself not winning…this is when you need Perseverance to make it through.

Sometimes it isn’t about WINNING the race, but about finishing the race that counts. And, in order to finish the race you must have the perseverance to go on despite some of the challenges that you will encounter along the way. In life, we will all face challenges and obstacles that will sometimes seem overwhelming, unable to conquer…you are ready to throw in the towel.
This is when you have to Persevere.

It’s not easy to tackle this alone, and that is when having a support system in place can help you get closer to your goal. This support system can be large or small, it can be the comforting voice of your mother telling you how wonderful and special you are, it can be your child who tells you that you are the best parent in the world.

It’s someone who motivates you and gives you the strength to continue in the game. In a sense it’s like having a coach in your corner!

Do you have a coach in your corner? Someone helping you as you go through life’s challenges?
Just as important…are you that person for someone else? Be someone’s coach today and tell them they can do it…and Persevere!

You can do it!

The Circle of Empowerment - Determination

2010-10-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

This week on the Creating Your Masterpiece blog, we wanted to introduce you to our 3 part series – The Circle of Empowerment. The Circle of Empowerment consists of characteristics that you need to have in order to live a life of complete EMPOWERMENT.

Over the next few weeks, we will be focusing on three different characteristics that make up the Circle of Empowerment. This week the focus is on Determination!

Determination: the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose. The quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.

You know the feeling… you get excited about something, revved up, ready to take action, on a mission, nothing is going to stop me now!!! You are probably inspired by an injustice, or failure, or desire to serve others in a unique way. Essentially you’ve decided to adopt an “I Can Do It” attitude and set your sights on something BIG! Fantastic! Let’s Go!!

Wait a minute…we have all felt this way about something in our lives. How many times did we adopt the “I Can Do It” attitude, yet never really fulfilled our goal or mission? It happens all the time, be honest, it has happened to all of us more than once.

To have true Determination it takes…
1. Defining your vision or purpose
2. Obtaining a clear understanding of what success means to you
3. Imploring others to jump on board with your vision
4. Design a Path for success and most importantly…and don’t forget to add Passion!
Look around you – we see real Determination every day. It’s in a child’s voice when they really, really want something. Your dog’s un-ending pulling on the leash when he sees a cat across the street. In a disabled person’s eyes, when they are struggling to be as “normal” as possible, and get that can off the shelf by themselves.

Do you have that kind of Determination? Try it out this week. Don’t stop at just having an “I Can Do It” attitude – really get determined!

Perch, Flap, Fly!

2010-09-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

This summer we had the awesome experience of attending the National Speakers Association Conference. We had the opportunity of hearing many excellent speakers who inspired, motivated and provided positive messages in all shapes and forms. One speaker in particular that inspired us was Karen Cortell Reisman. Now, her name might not be a household word, but you may be familiar with her famous cousin - Albert Einstein.

Interestingly enough, she didn’t talk all about her famous cousin; instead she told the story of her parents and how they went about making decision in their lives. She compared their decision making strategy to that of birds, yes….birds.
Have you ever had a decision to make? A really big one?? Did you feel like you needed to make the decision quickly? Well, DON'T do that. When we need to make big decisions, we need to take time to make them.

Karen actually can be broke down the decision making process into three stages (back to the BIRDS) according to the birds!

The first step is PERCHING. This is what birds do before making any major decision. They just sort of sit there, and THINK....they contemplate every issue of the decision....they weigh the consequences....they PONDER. And, most importantly, they take their time. We typically don't allow ourselves enough time to perch. But, we really should! Allow yourself the time to really think about the decision you have to make, and think it through, weighing out the pros and cons of each possible action. There is no time limit, only YOURS.

Step two is when we FLAP our wings...this happens when we have determined the route we want to take. So, when we *flap our wings* we are really creating our action plans.....figuring out what we need to do to get there. A very important step in the whole process!

The final step we take in the process is taking flight! This is when we set off to begin achieving our dreams. We have thought it through, we have our action plan, and now we are ready to soar!

Please allow yourself to go through all the three steps...don't miss any of them. Each one is very important to the ultimate move you make. You don't have to be the Energizer Bunny with every action you take...............remember to Perch. You must PERCH before you can FLY! Take the time to really get in tune with what it is you want to do. Relax, allow yourself the time, space and freedom that you need to determine your life plan.

The Beauty of Nothingness - Il bel far niente

2010-09-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Il bel far niente. This beautiful Italian phrase means 'the beauty of nothingness'.

If you have seen the popular movie Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts, you know that her character begins to truly understand what the beauty of nothingness means while she is spending time in the beautiful city of Rome. She is told by an Italian friend that we "Americans" don't know how to enjoy il bel far niente because we are always DOING something.

Just like the Energizer Bunny, we keep Going, and Going, and Going. We don't know how to enjoy ourselves when doing absolutely nothing! Americans don't appreciate il bel far niente - the beauty of nothingness. Can you relate to this???

So, how can you learn to embrace il bel far niente? And, why should you? For one thing, nothingness equates to peacefulness, and we could all use more peace in our lives, right? It's just so easy to come up with a reason to not enjoy the beauty of nothingness....there's laundry to be done, groceries to be purchased, dinners to be made. We couldn't possibly HAVE any time to do NOTHING, and to actually enjoy it!

Well, you begin by giving yourself permission to realize that you don't have to schedule every minute of your day with a task from the never ending "to do" list. It's OK to just do nothing..............and (here is the important part) not feel GUILTY about it.
By doing nothing you are actually honoring yourself and you are living your life. You are living in the *present* moment, as opposed to reliving the past or worrying about the future. And, when you really think about it...the present is all we really have.

Here are some of our tips on how you can begin to enjoy il bel far niente:
1. Schedule time in your day timer to just do nothing! Even if it is just 15 minutes per day. Use this time to relax and *turn off* your sense of urgency.
2. Meditate or practice yoga. This will help you really be in touch with your thoughts and feelings, momentarily escape from your immediate stresses and worries.
3. Schedule time for a mini-siesta! Even if that means just closing your eyes for 10 minutes during your lunch break.
4. Pay attention to your breathing patterns. Many of us actually forget to breathe! Take a deep breath in threw your nose, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth.
5. Turn off the radio while you are driving. Use this time to let your mind wander and ponder (but do keep both eyes on the road!)

Il Bel Far Niente - make it part of your daily routine!

Make today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

Never Give Up!

2010-09-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

Do you ever have days when you feel like throwing in the towel and just giving up? Life can be so HARD sometimes. Things always change and never go according to our plan. It can seem tempting to give up on your dreams, and resign yourself to play it safe, stay where you are and not stretch by taking risks.

This week, we share a special story about caterpillars, cocoons, and a butterfly. A Creating Your Masterpiece friend - Tina Valant - sent us this e-mail. Tina is an author, photographer, animal activist and mom to 5 rescued Australian shepherds.

"Every summer I grow parsley and dill for butterflies. Female black swallowtails lay tiny yellow eggs. I gather the eggs o nthe clippings and put them in a vase of water and then into a butterfly enclosure. And within a week, tiny caterpillars emerge.

The caterpillars eat voraciously, and grow quickly. When they are about pinky finger size, they are faced with a decision: take a risk and follow the plan nature has for them, or just continue on the caterpillar path, and typically eat themselves into a coma!

Those that take the leap of faith, begin the process of the metamorphosis. They become very active and crawl quickly looking for the perfect twig to spin a silk thread to anchor their cocoon. It usually takes just 10-14 days to complete the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.

Over a month ago, my last four caterpillars cocooned but had not yet made the transformation to butterfly. Concerned about these caterpillars, I hoped and prayed they were just "late bloomers".

Today, I had a wonderful surprise! Fluttering inside the enclosure was a happy, healthy and strong male black swallowtail.

He was released, rested on my basil plant for a bit, and then flew off. Never, ever give up. Some of us just need a little more time to achieve our potential inside. Miracles do happen!"

The magic of this story is that we, like the caterpillar, have an inborn desire to reach our goals, make our dreams come true and be the best that we can be. Sure, we are going to face obstacles and challenges along the way, but that is when we must have faith to persevere and keep working towards that dream, whatever it may be.

At times, we may not know how or when we are going to reach our goals. That's all right too. Life is all about changing, adapting, and growing. Consider the major metamorphosis the caterpillar endures to become a beautiful butterfly.

Keeping focused on what we want, visualizing our dreams as reality, and being true to our authentic self will always propel us in the right direction. So, don't be afraid of changes in life, have faith in yourself and your dreams so that you too can take flight and live the plan that is intended for your life........After all, miracles do happen.

Make today a Masterpiece!

No Need to Water the Weeds!

2010-08-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

"You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden." ~Astrid Alauda

If you have ever had a yard or garden, you know that weeds have the ability to sometimes
take over! It can be frustrating to walk outside and see these weeds covering the fruits of your labor! Most of us tend to pull the weeds out or spray them with weed killer to try to rid our yards of these unsightly creatures. We certainly don't water them or nourish them to encourage them to grow! We want to get rid of them as soon as possible so that our grass, flowers or vegetables can grow and flourish!

Well, this the concept of *weeds* in the garden can also apply to *weeds* in our
life! We want to share with you some gardening tips that you can incorporate into
your life!

Weeds (like tolerations) are negative things in our life. So, just as you would
deal with the weeds in your yard, you can tend to the weeds in your life the same
way. PULL OUT THE WEEDS! If weeds are left unattended to, they will continue to
grow and kill your grass. Don't water the weeds. In other words, focus on the positive
not on the negative things in your life. Rid yourself of the negative thoughts,
people, and situations (the weeds) in your life!

Another gardening tip that you can incorporate into your life is to rake the dead
leaves up. If you let the dead leaves stay on your grass, the new life will not
be able to flourish! In our lives, this relates to letting go of the past. Get rid
of the heavy weight of the past and look forward to the future. If you carry your
past around with you, you won't be able to move forward and grow.

The final gardening tip is to install an automatic sprinkler system! Grass and plants
need water to grow and blossom. And they need it on a regular basis. You don't just
wait and hope for rain, you install a sprinkler system to insure they get the water
they need. In life - our automatic sprinkler system is the positive energy, people
and reinforcement we surround ourselves with.

Make time in your life (on a regular basis) to receive the positive things in your
life! These are the positive habits and people in our lives. What are you doing
on a regular basis to water YOUR yard?

Tune in this week to our podcast, and hear more tips and suggestions on how to keep
your life blooming! And remember, Don't Water the Weeds!

Make today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

Are you living ON-Purpose?

2010-08-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

Do you live your life ON Purpose? Do you have a plan for your life? Do you know your reason for being? On this week's Creating Your Masterpiece podcast show, Jen and Leah have the opportunity to speak with author, speaker and business advisor Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin is the author of two popular books: The On-Purpose Person and The On-Purpose Business. In his books he shares with people how to discover their true purpose and then live it out! It all starts with discovering your purpose, why YOU actually exists. Kevin refers to this as writing your purpose statement. Once you are clear about your purpose, you can then create the vision, mission and value system to support that purpose.

As Kevin explains, when you are living your life on-purpose you know WHO you are and you are comfortable with yourself. As a result, you will experience authentic prosperity being true to yourself. And, from this position of "realness" you will be in a better position to make a difference for others.

Kevin has a FREE weekly video e-mail that shares tips on how you can get started living your life on-purpose now. You can sign up at http://www.onpurpose.com/

To learn more about Kevin and his work, visit his website at http://www.kevinmccarthy.com/

Make today a MASTERPIECE!

What Attitude are YOU wearing?

2010-07-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

‘You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted.’ Ruth E. Renkl

Do you know people that just always seem happy and upbeat? As if nothing in the world can bring them down? They keep a smile on their face and a positive attitude in their heart. When you are around this type of person, their positive energy tends to *rub off* on you and you feel more upbeat and alive!

Conversely, do you know people that always seem to be grumpy or in a bad mood? You know the type, the negative Nelly that just refuses to see the good in anything or anyone. When you are around this type of person you can almost FEEL them draining your energy!

Well, these two types of people really have a lot more in common with each other than you think! The commonality is that they both have the opportunity to CHOOSE how they want to look at life.

For example, when you are getting ready to start your day you probably look in your closet and CHOOSE which outfit you want to wear based on how you are feeling that day, or what the weather is like outside. Well, the same is true about our attitudes. We really do get to pick how we want to view our lives! We can be positive and upbeat, or we can be negative and unhappy.
In life everyone will face their own challenges, obstacles, and not so happy situations, that is inevitable. You cannot know joy if you don’t experience pain. However, you can choose how you want to deal with it! You can release the anger and sadness and move forward with a positive mindset, or you can hold on to the unhappiness and let it fester inside of you until you can’t see the forest for the trees!

So, next time you are around someone who is positive, upbeat and happy….thank them for making such a wise decision on what attitude they chose to wear!

Make today a Masterpiece! Leah & Jen

Moving Some Cheese

2010-07-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

"If you do not change, you can become extinct" Spencer Johnson

Remember the popular book 'Who Moved my Cheese?' by Spencer Johnson? It is the story of four characters living in a "Maze" who face unexpected change when they discover their "Cheese" has disappeared. Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw, each adapt to change in their "Maze" differently. The story goes on to highlight that we all face change very differently...some may even not face it all and become extinct! Yikes, that's no way to live proactively!

There are a few things in life that you can always count on and one of them is "Change" is a constant in our lives. Change is good when you are able to view it as a step moving forward.

Well, this past week at Creating Your Masterpiece, we've been moving a lot of cheese and handling a lot of change!

For starters, we have expanded our office base into the Tampa Bay market area! This is a great opportunity for us to spread our coaching message into a new market and to build great relationships within the community! But, it also means that we physically MOVED into Tampa Bay.

In addition, Leah moved this past week into a new home in Tampa, and got to experience firsthand all the joy and challenges that come with moving. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the past ten years spent in Orlando as well as look forward to what the next chapter in Tampa will bring.

As I am sure many of you can relate to, the packing and unpacking process in any move is very tedious and time consuming, but it gave Leah an opportunity to look at each item she owned and make the decision of whether or not it would make the move. Some items that didn't make the move were either donated or given away. See, change is good - others are benefiting from Leah's ability to adapt to change.

In our lives as we grow and evolve and move forward in life, there are some things that we don't take with us as we travel to the next level of our lives. These things could be relationships, habits, or even physical items. And that is OK. As we let go of certain items from our past we are able to accept new opportunities and relationships in our future.

It is all about change, and how we chose to adapt to it. We can fear change or we can embrace change! Either way, change will happen to us. We can't control that aspect of our lives.

So, we challenge you to embrace change in your life and realize that it is all part of the journey we are on. If things always stayed the same, we wouldn't have the chance to grow and evolve into who we were meant to be!

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

Learning to Let Go!

2010-05-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

"Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head." - Ann Landers

Do you have a tendancy to hold on to events that have happened inyour past? Do you play the events over and over in your head, berating yourself for what you should have done or not done? Are you harboring anger or resentment towards others that you feel have wronged you in the past? This isn't healthy for you or your life!

Most people tend to do one of three things when they are dealing with an uncomfortable situation, whether past or present:

1. They worry about it! Even though they have no control over the past nor can they predict the future. When we worry about things we are absolutely depleting our greatest resources....our time and our energy! You know the old saying there is no use crying over spilt milk? That is very true. What is done, is done....and the longer you worry about it, the less time and energy you have to move forward with your goals, dreams, and life!

2. They fix the problem. If we are faced with a situation or circumstance that we don't like, we ALWAYS have the option to try to fix the situation. For example, if you have had an arguement with someone that has led to a very tense relationship, you can always step up and apologize, even if you don't feel you were the person at fault. The outcome of *fixing* the problem is much more important than who is (or was) to blame for it.

3. They forget about it! Sometimes there are things that happen in life that we just can't fix. Life presents us with situations like divorce, death, losing a job, not getting the promotion, illness, etc. These can be life changing events and the manner in which we deal with them can carve out the map for how the rest of our life plays out. Do you want to spend years of your life replaying these events over and over in your head or do you want to put it to rest and move on with your life? When we learn to forget about it, we are releasing the anger, fear, resentment, etc and choosing to move forward.

So, think about what category you fall in to. And, if it isn't the category you want for yourself, determine how you want to deal with issues in the future.

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

Will the REAL you please stand up?

2010-04-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

"Well, we all have a face that we hide away forever and we take it out and show ourselves when everyone has gone. Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk and some are leather..there the faces of the stranger and we love to try them on." - Billy Joel, 'The Stranger' album

Basically the question we are asking you in the title is: Who are you when you are around other people? Are you being your true authentic self or are you *wearing a mask* and being someone who you really aren't? Are you sending your representative or your true self out into the world?

All of us have an inate desire for people to like us and to be accepted by others. However, what lengths do you go to in order to insure this result when you are with other people?

For example, when we are in the early stages of dating, we often are on our best behavior, and are very much in the *pleaser* stage. We seem to go along with whatever it is that the other person wants to do. We act happy and joyful and REALLY want that other person to like us. Often times we cover up those things that we consider to be *flaws* in ourselves. In a sense we are putting on an act in order for this other person to like us! We are sending in our representative! However, any one who has been married for a while knows that this *representative* can't stay in the marriage forever! Sooner or later you have to let your guard down and be who you were born to be!

The same can be true when we meet people for the first time. We agree with their ideas, their concepts, their politics, and sometimes even their religion all because we want them to accept us. But is that really fair to our authentic self? Isn't it a shame to not let YOUR true voice be heard?

Or, how about when we go on job interviews! In this case, we are truly sending our best representative out there to land the job for us! It is certainly appropriate to put our best foot forward when we are on an interview, but we also need to be ourselves as well.

When we continually send our *representatives* out into the world for us, at the end of the day we come home exhausted! So, why do we wear these *masks* or *send our representatives* instead of our true self? Well, several reasons! One of the main reasons is fear. We fear that if we don't conform to what others expect us to be that they won't like us, we won't get the job, the boyfriend, the promotion, etc. Another reason is that we want to impress people, and we feel as though if we act a certain way or say a certain something, people will like us and be impressed!

This week, we challenge you to leave the representative at home and go out and be your true, authentic, wonderful self! You are unique and this is your gift to share with others! Let your self shine!
Make Today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

Are you using YOUR Internal Guiding System?

2010-04-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."
-Albert Einstein

Friday, April 9, 2010, late afternoon Winter Springs, Fl. Police Department is notified that an 11 yr old slightly autistic girl is missing in a large, thick, marshy swamp behind a local neighborhood. It's an "all hands on deck" call out for everyone to help find her. Police, fire rescue, FDLE, volunteers, family, friends, church members, strangers and the media are ALL on the case. All the latest in search and rescue tactics, GPS technology and 100's of man hours go into locating the missing girl.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010. 8:30am.
Day Four of the search begins and the girl has still has not been found. At 9:30am a call comes into Winter Springs, FL police department from a father of five, "I found Nadia". It only took this man a few hours to locate Nadia; there were no search teams, just one man, armed with a backpack, prayer and incredible faith and trust in his personal "GPS" system -and the girl is found! Nadia Bloom is found - alive and safe, covered in bug bites and little dehydrated, but she is alive!

How did this man know where to look? He followed his instincts! This remarkable story got us thinking about what type of GPS system you are using in your life. How do you *know* where you are going ? Do you have a direction? An internal guide?

All of us come equipped at birth with our own guiding system; it is often referred to as a "gut feeling" or "intuition". But most people do not tap into this valuable system when they are making decisions in their lives. We have become so conditioned to let our *logical* mind make the decisions for us that we often disregard that internal guiding system. After all, how can you go against logic? We've been programmed to make our decisions like we solve a mathematical equation...if it doesn't add up - or can't be defined in simple black and white, we have a hard time justifying the decision! Is this the right way to make decisions in your life?

Think about all the "miracles" or unbelievable stories you have heard or read about that involved people stepping away from the *logical choice* and following their gut instinct or intuition. Aren't these typically the stories that make the headlines and have the major positive outcomes and impacts? These are the life defining moments.

So, we ask you: are you making YOUR life decisions strictly on logic and ignoring what your gut feelings are telling you?

We aren't suggesting that you ignore ALL logic and make your decisions based on whichever way the wind blows, but we are suggesting that there is great value in your personal GPS system. Use it, tap into it, listen to it, and most importantly....trust it. Sometimes you will need to step outside of the comfort zone of logic and listen to that inner voice of yours to truly see where you are meant to go in life.

Remember, it took just one man who was willing to trust his *inner voice* to save the life of a lost little girl Tuesday morning in Winter Springs, FL...Imagine what can happen if you listen to yours.

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

Spring Cleaning For YOUR Soul

2010-04-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

"Spring or not, it is time for some spring cleaning of your values. Time has past, you have grown, changed, etc., and yet you probably have kept many of the same values, ideas, etc. that you always had. Take some time to think about what really matters to you now, and compare it to what you thought 5 years ago. Chances are you will find some areas you have new opinions on, and yet you may still be acting in ways that do not match these new values."
-- Edward W. Smith, Sixty Seconds To Success

It's almost spring time! And spring represents a time of re-birth, a new beginning, and a chance to get organized and focused. In some ways, it is an opportunity to start anew! For those of you who live up north, spring time also means the weather finally gets warmer and you just naturally feel better when you can get outside and enjoy! Flowers are blooming, the grass is getting green again, and the days last a little longer…it is enough to get ANYONE feeling better!

It is also a tradition for many people that when spring time rolls around it’s time to do a little ‘Spring Cleaning’ in the house. This is when people go through their homes, room by room, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning and examining their items to determine what stays and what gets tossed. This is one of the primary reasons you see so many folks holding garage sales this time of year.

Well, spring is not only an excellent time to clean your *external* house, but it's also a good time to clean your “internal* house as well! Basically, we all have two houses, our external house – which is the physical structure in which we live; and our internal house – which is our mind, body and soul. There is a direct correlation between these two houses! If our external houses feel cluttered and disorganized, then our internal house is probably feeling a little discombobulated as well!

In order to have focus, motivation and joy in your life, you must take the action steps required to create a balance between your two houses! Have you noticed that when your external house is cluttered and disorganized that you tend to feel anxious and overwhelmed?
So, why not use this time to take a good look at yourself and examine all areas of your life. Go through each *room* of your life and determine what is working - what isn’t, what things you want to keep and what things you want to toss. An easy way to get started with this task is to refer back to the Five key Areas of your life (your life palette).

Those five areas include:
Health/Emotion
Physical Environment
Financial
Relationships
Spirituality

So, let’s take charge of our lives and do some ‘spring cleaning’ for both our houses!

Go For the GOLD!

2010-03-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

"An athlete gains so much knowledge by just participating in a sport. Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life.” — Kristi Yamaguchi, world champion figure skater

Did you all have the opportunity to watch the Winter Olympics? What an exciting time! You couldn’t help but be inspired, motivated and PROUD as you watched these young athletes give it their ALL for their team, their sport, and their country!

The quote above by world champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi does an excellent job of summarizing exactly what motivates these athletes to win and HOW they do it. This quote is also an excellent metaphor on how we can live our lives. It provides us with a blueprint on how to win in the gold medal in the game of life. Think about it, each day are you practicing these five principles?

Focus: Do you know what you are striving towards? Have you clearly identified what you truly want in life? It is important that you become crystal clear in this area so that you can focus on what you want. Visualize your Success!

Discipline: It takes a lot of discipline to reach our goals! If you’ve ever been on a diet, you know the importance of discipline. It is really about focusing on the long term results and having the control to pass over the short term gratifications that throw you off track. Simply put, it is skipping desert in favor of going to the gym…practicing self control to reach our goals.

Hard work: Nobody ever said life was going to be easy. It takes hard work and perseverance to attain our goals. The Olympic athletes spend countless hours practicing and perfecting their skills to compete in the Olympics. In life, we also must work very hard to reach our goals. We must not accept being average, we must strive to be the best!

Goal Setting: Once you know what you want in life, the most important thing you can do is set specific goals. You can bet that every Olympian’s goal is to win a GOLD medal for their country. Once that goal is set, the next step is to create the action plan (and strategies) to achieve that goal.

Achieving your Goals: This is the thrill of the victory! The GOLD medal of life! Your pay off for having focus, practicing discipline, working hard and setting specific goals. When all of your hard work pays off and you have reached your goal!

The POWER of WORDS

2010-03-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

'Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.' --Pearl Strachan

Have you ever thought about the power of your own words? Remember the old saying: “Sticks and Stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? While it is true that sticks and stones can break your bones, we believe that words have just as much (if not more) power to hurt you. As the quote above references, words have more power than atom bombs!

Words have the power to cut someone down or to build someone up. They can create lasting scars on our souls and a psyche. Words can influence the way we feel about ourselves and even the actions we take in our lives. The power of our words is just as important as the power of our actions.

Many times we don’t even realize (or we underestimate) the power of our own words! Have you ever seen a parent scold or ridicule a child in public? A husband lash out at his wife? Or a supervisor berate an employee? Not a pretty site. And, just think of how the victim of this *verbal attack* feels!

These types of scenarios have long lasting effects! When we hear something enough times, it becomes our truth or our “story” and we cling to and often times believe. Remember, perception is reality!

On the flip side, how do you feel when you see a parent offering words of encouragement or support to a child? A husband expressing his love and admiration for his spouse? Or a supervisor praising an employee? A positive or kind word or remark can make someone’s day. It can fill them with confidence, pride and happiness! It’s like filling up your car’s gas tank! When you have a full tank of gas, you can go anywhere you choose!

Every day you have a choice on what words to use and how you deliver these words. Not only do we get to select the words that will come out of our mouths, we get to determine the tone and delivery as well. Pretty powerful stuff!

It reminds me of another old saying, that my mother ALWAYS said and we believe more people should abide by: ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.’
Enough said!

Need a little motivation??

2010-02-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

There are times in our lives when we ALL need a little extra push to stay motivated. Here are some of our favorite coaching tips for keeping you motivated an on track!

10 Tips to keep you motivated
1. Garbage in – Garbage Out: Be mindful of what you are reading in the newspaper, watching on tv, or listening to on the radio. The media loves *doom and gloom*, and if we allow ourselves to be sucked in to all the negativity, we can lose our motivation quickly!
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff : When you are stressed out or worried about a certain situation, ask yourself if it will matter to you in 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months, 5 years? Chances are it won’t, so let it go.
3. Learn to live in the Moment : Stop thinking about the past, worrying about the future…and live in the now. "The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be." - Marcel Pagnol
4. Keep an Attitude of Gratitude: What are you grateful for? Start keeping a journal, and each night before you go to bed write down 5 things that you are grateful for on that day. When we learn to recognize and appreciate all the wonderful blessings we have been given in our lives, we can’t help but feel better.
5. Surround Yourself with Positive People: Author Jon Gordon wrote a book called The Energy Bus, and in the book he talks about the importance of having positive, like minded people on your bus (in your life). Take a look at who is on YOUR bus. Are there any energy drainers? If so, it might be time to kick them off your bus!
6. Don’t forget to have fun: We can get so caught up with work, chores, problems and other stresses that we often forget to have fun! Start scheduling some fun in your life! Make an appointment with fun and write it in your daytimer!
7. Look outside for Motivation: There are many sources from which to choose when looking for on-going motivation. There are books, books on tapes, podcasts, daily inspirational quotes and videos to choose from. One of our personal favorite websites to visit for motivation is http://www.simpletruths.com/
8. Have clear goals set, and create an action plan to achieve them: Having clear goals for our future keeps us motivated and gives us purpose. Don’t leave your future up to chance! Working with a life coach or mentor can help you in this area.
9. Practice self care: Remember to take care of yourself! Exercise, eat right, be current on your doctor visits and splurge a little…you’re worth it! Make time for that manicure, pedicure or massage.
10. 24 hour Unplug: This is a tough one, but I challenge my clients to do this on a regular basis….for 24 hours unplug yourself from technology. I promise the world won’t come to an end. Unplug means no cell phone, no internet, no facebook, no tv. Use this time to just BE.

Good luck and stay motivated!

'NO' .....is a complete sentence.

2010-01-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

One of the things we hear most often from our clients is that they don’t have enough time in the day to complete everything they want to do. We usually ask them to tell us what they do in a typical day and then we ask them if they’ve said YES to anything that they really didn’t want to do. You would be amazed at how many times people agree to do things that they don’t want to do!

This week’s blog is going to focus on something that many of us have a hard time doing….saying NO.

Let’s talk about the evolution of the word No and how it relates to us. As children, we never had a problem saying no. In fact, we EXCELLED at it! How many times have you heard this?

Johnny – eat your vegetables please. NO!
Sally – share your toys with Ann. NO!
Katie – go give Aunt Ethel a kiss. NO!

To a child, 'NO' is a complete sentence. There is no need to offer any other explanation. Can you image little Katie saying – No mom, I really don’t want to kiss Aunt Ethel. She smells like a brewery and has whiskers on her face longer than daddy!

However, something happens to us as we get older. We begin to feel obligated to say yes to everything and everyone! This happens for several reasons. First, we don’t want to *hurt anyone’s feelings* or disappoint them. God forbid someone isn’t happy with us!

Second, we feel guilty saying NO. For example, imagine that you’ve had a tough day at work, all you want to do is go home and relax. But, a co-worker asks you to attend a reception with her. What would your response be?

Third, we aren’t used to saying NO, so it feels uncomfortable and therefore, it’s just easier to say YES.

Now, we are not saying that you should all go around saying NO to everything and everyone, but the rule of thumb is this: if you start a sentence by saying – Well, I guess I should…..then you probably shouldn’t…that is a good indicator that you are doing it for the wrong reason.

Here’s what happens when we run around saying YES to everything. We spend a lot of our precious time and energy doing things that don’t we do want to do, and have little left over to do the things we really want to do!

How do become better at saying NO? You set boundaries in your life. Boundaries are the imaginary lines you draw around yourselves that determine what people can and cannot do to us. For example, a boundary for you might be: My children can no longer expect me to be their personal taxi service. My mother-in-law can no longer drop by every Sunday after church (uninvited) and expect me to serve her lunch.

Remember, when we start saying NO to things you don’t want to do, you are actually saying Yes to yourself. You are honoring, loving and respecting yourself enough to take control of our time, your energy and your actions. This week we challenge you to think about the things in your life that you are currently saying Yes to... that you really don’t want to do. And then just say No.

2010 - Kick Resolutions to the curb!

2010-01-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Resolutions don't work...life shifts do!"

Jen Lee and Leah Turner, Creating Your Masterpiece Coaches

Well, here we go again! We are just a few days away from the end of 2009. If you are like many people you might be saying "Good Riddance 2009 - Bring on 2010".

This year has been a difficult one for many:we've all had to do a little re-inventing,

re-evaluating, re-purposing and re-aligning to meet the "reactionary" lifestyle that many of us have lived through this year.

GREAT NEWS! It's a new year, new decade and we are deeming 2010 as the year of Positive Change!

Instead of beginning January with a long list of resolutions (which don't work!) we would encourage you to take the first 30 days of the new year to get READY for the year. Here are a few tips of our coaching tips to get you started.

Visualize your year and decide what you want this year to look like and what do you want to accomplish in all areas of your life. What will success look like to you this year?

Obtain the tools and resources necessary to get you from where you are to where you want to be. Do you need to update your resume? Create a Business plan? Revise your Budget? It is time to Re-evaulate what you are doing with your time and energy! What are you listening to on the radio, reading in the paper, watching on tv? Is it creating a positive force in your life? Also, take a good look at the people you surround yourself with. Is your life filled with motivating people and things or energy drainers?? The choice is yours!

Learn to say NO! Are you saying "yes" to things that you really want to say "no" to? This is one of the most powerful coaching messages we teach to our clients. You have only so many hours in the day...don't waste them on activities that bring you down or that you are doing out of obligation or guilt. Those are big time and energy wasters!

We've made it easy for you to get yourself "READY" for 2010.

Our "30 Day guide to Becoming the Artist of Your Life" CD series was designed to take you on a 30 day journey to success.

Grab a journal and start each day with a motivating quote, followed by a strong coaching message and a dailly challenge.

We guarantee that if you spend the first 30 days with us - you will be on your way to a fabulous 2010!! Visit our website to order your copy now!

At Creating Your Masterpiece we have built our coaching business around supporting, guiding and motivating you to make the most of your personal and business life!

Whether it be one-on-one coaching, workshops, our CD series or motivational speaking...we are committed to you and your success.

Take advantage of our most sought after services and make 2010 the year of Positive Change!

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Leah and Jen

Living in the PRESENT

2009-12-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

"What lies ahead of you and what lies behind you is nothing compared to what lies within you" Mohandas K. Gandhi

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'The Present'." Eleanor Roosevelt

These are two of our favorite quotes. They really speak to the importance of living in the present. It may sound simple, but too many people live their lives in the past or in the future, and they never really get around to living in the present.

Here’s how we like to look at it….

The Past – We ALL have a past. And, we have all done or said things that we wish we could take back or change. However, last we checked that, was not even remotely possible. Yet, we have a tendency to re-play these events over and over in our heads. The ironic thing is, most of the events or situations that took place in our past, happened just once. But by replaying them over and over again, we keep them alive and thriving in our present! Remember the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and Andie McDowell? Bill Murray keeps reliving the same day (Groundhog Day - February 2nd) over and over again until he finally reexamines his life and his priorities, and only then is he able to break free of the past. So, take a look at your life. Are there any Groundhog days in your past that you need to break free of?

The Future – No one can predict the future. We can speculate on what we think may happen, but normally when we do, we tend to forecast the doom and gloom report. The only thing we can control about the future is our attitude. So, if we have a choice to think either positively or negatively about the future (knowing that we really don’t know the outcome), we would encourage you to think positively!

Many times people choose to think negatively because that is a protective defense mechanism and many think it will safely prepare them should the worst happen. For example, we have a friend who is looking for a job. After each interview she goes on, we ask her how she thinks it went. Her response is ALWAYS something to the effect of: ‘Oh, I am sure I won’t get the job. I can just tell that they didn’t like me (or think I was qualified, or WHATEVER excuse you want to insert). This is her way of mentally preparing herself should she not get the job. But, it actually is counter-productive! Not only is she sending out negative vibes to the universe, she is also now depressed over an imagined outcome that she has created for herself. It’s like trying to predict the end of a movie after the introductory credits have played. It is going to affect how you feel for the next 2 hours of your life, and not in a positive way!

The Present – This is really all we have. The here and now! Instead of spending that precious time analyzing and trying to rewrite the past or predicting and fretting about the future, we challenge you to just live in the present. You might be surprised to see how much fun you can have. After all, it is called the Present, so remember that it is a gift and enjoy it!

Practice What YOU Preach

2009-11-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you were a child, did your parents ever say to you: "Do as I say, not as I do"? What type of message did this send to you? This week, we wanted to talk the importance of actually Practicing What You Preach.

As adults it is so very important to lead my example. You must be willing to 'walk the walk' if you're going to 'talk the talk'. People, children specifically, are always watching, and more importantly, learning by your example. There are a lot of people that look up to you! Think about your family, your circle of friends, and your co-workers.

In coaching, we refer to this as living in your INTEGRITY. Your integrity is who you are when no one is looking. It is your personal set of standards that you abide by. In essence, it is your Code of Ethics!

When we raise our standards and live within our integrity, believe it or not your life becomes way less complex and stressful. Decisions become easier to make and life becomes more satisfying. Why? Because you are living by YOUR code, and you are doing what is right and good for you. You have your own definition of right vs. wrong, and you don't compromise.

Another important aspect of living in integrity is that you know when you are wrong, and you are able to accept full responsibility for your actions. No more pointing fingers and placing blame on others. We are all humans, it is OK (and expected) that we occasionally err! When we live our lives in integrity, we accept this fact and actually learn from our mistakes to make us better people.

When we teach our children to live in integrity, we are also giving them powerful tools to guard against peer pressure. They have learned that it is OK to not *go along with the crowd*. Everyone is created with an invisible internal barometer. It will tell us when we are not "in" our integrity.

You know the feeling you get when you are doing something that isn't quite right in your book? That is your barometer telling you - "Hey! This is not in your integrity! Don't do it!"

When we live our lives in integrity, we are allowing ourselves to grow and evolve into the unique and special people we were intended to be. So, go ahead and Practice what you Preach! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Leah and Jen

Magic Eight Ball

2009-11-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity!" Gilda Radner

Ambiguity is the property of being ambiguous, where a word, term, notation, sign, symbol, phrase, sentence, or any other form used for communication, is called ambiguous if it can be interpreted in more than one way.

When you were a child did you have a Magic Eight Ball? It was this black ball and you would ask it a question, shake the ball, turn it over and a response would show up. For example, you might ask it if you were going to be asked to the ninth grade prom, and then you would get a reply like: Seems Certain! Or Highly Probable! It was a fun way to spend an afternoon with your teenage buddies, and always brought much laughter to the room.

As an adult, do you ever wish you had a crystal ball (or a REAL Magic Eight Ball) that would tell you what the future holds for you? The questions you might ask it today are probably a little different that when you were a child. You would probably ask it questions like: Will I get laid off from my job? Will I be able to pay my mortgage next month? Is my marriage going to make it through this rough patch?

We know that today's environment is scary for a lot of folks....there are a lot of things happening that we have no control over! And, for many, we automatically think that life would be easier if we had all the answers.....but, would it really be easier?

The above quote by Gilda Radner is one of our personal favorites. If you will recall, Miss Radner was a very popular comedienne and actress who lost a courageous battle with ovarian cancer when she was just 43 years old. Yet, even as she faced her deadly disease, she kept her spirit alive.

She understood that in life there are no guarantees, there is just life! And life was made for us to embrace, enjoy and without knowing what was around the next turn.

Think about it, there are no guarantees, there is only life. So, what are you going to do with yours?There is no Magic Eight ball to give you all the answers to your questions. That is part of the wonder of life! Never knowing what each day is going to bring.

Learn to embrace and celebrate each day. Do not fear the unknown! Instead, look at each day as a present! You never know what is inside the box until you open it.

Make Today a Masterpiece!

2009-10-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Embracing Change

If nothing ever changed,

there'd be no butterflies.

~Author Unknown

We love this quote! Think about it for a moment….if nothing (or no one) changed, the world would be filled with caterpillars, but not a single butterfly! It’s all about embracing and accepting change in our lives. Actually, change is one of the only things in our lives that is constant!
For many people, however, change is a scary thing! Fear of the unknown can be paralyzing! So paralyzing in fact, that it can stop people dead in their tracks! How many people do you know that would love to make some type of change in their lives (start a new career, leave an empty marriage, go back to school, move to a new state) but they don’t do it because they are scared of change?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks out there living their lives like this. We refer to these folks as caterpillars. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing horrible about being a caterpillar! It’s just that by staying in the caterpillar mode, they never get to experience the beauty or the joy of truly spreading their colorful wings and blossoming into a butterfly!

The world has a place for both the butterfly and the caterpillar; however, it is a sad situation when the caterpillar has an opportunity to grow into the butterfly and chooses not do so because of fear.

One of today’s leading experts on embracing change is Ariane de Bonvoisin. She is an author, speaker, and Chief Change Optimist. She has a book entitled First 30 Days, and she talks about the nine principles of change. And while all nine Principles are empowering, we are particularly fond of her second principle. It simply states:
“People who successfully navigate change know that change always brings something positive into their lives. Every change has a gift associated with it. While it’s natural to find change hard it’s important to remember that there are two sides to every coin and that something positive will always come. This is by far the most important belief to have during the first thirty days of change.”

In essence, we believe what she is saying here really goes back to the quote we used at the beginning of this blog: If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
So, what are you going to do in your life? Are you the caterpillar or the butterfly?

http://www.first30days.com/ariane/principles

It's FALL! Let's celebrate the change of seasons!

2009-09-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

Have you noticed anything different lately? The air outside feels a little cooler, the trees are starting to lose their leaves, and the mercury in the thermometer is not going up quite as high these days! The weather is changing! Not by leaps and bounds, but slight and subtle changes that let us know a new season is approaching.

Yahoo! Fall has finally arrived! To many of us that call Florida home, this is a welcome relief from the hot, humid days of summer.

The changing of the seasons is always a good time to reflect on the changes in our lives. It’s like Mother Nature’s gentle way of reminding us to slow down, take stock in our lives and remember that the only thing constant in life is change.

Like the seasons, our lives are also changing each day, month, and year. As we grown and evolve, we receive wonderful opportunities to change, re-invent, re-evaluate, and re-focus on who we are and what we want out of our lives!

Remember, even simple changes can lead to big results!

This week we challenge you to think about your own life. Are there areas in your life that need to little bit of tweaking? Think about the 5 areas of your life (we call this your Balanced Palette) and ask yourself what you really want from each area! Write it down and set some goals to improve in each of your 5 areas: Relationships, Financial, Physical Environment, Health & Emotion, and Spirituality.

If you need some encouragement and support along the journey, check out our new CD Series: Creating Your Masterpiece: A 30 Day Guide to Becoming the Artist of YOUR Life! This is an awesome cd created specifically for those who are ready to take their life to the next level! To order, visit http://www.CreatingYourMasterpiece.com

ReAlign to the Times

2009-09-21T05:50:00.000-07:00

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending!" Maria Robinson

Many times in our lives BIG changes happen that can cause us to feel a little out of whack or out of sorts! These changes can derail us from following the "life plan" we have set for ourselves. Some of these changes include divorce, loss of a job, an unexpected health crisis, or even our children leaving home.

What can we do to make it safely through these turbulent life changes when, everything seems to be spinning out of control?

It often times can leave us feeing like as though we are trying to maneuver a canoe in a choppy river without a paddle! Frustrating and impossible!

One thing you can do is realign yourself and your life plan. The very definition of realign is to 'align anew or better'. It is time to slow down and get a new perspective on what you are doing and where you are going in life.

Instead of viewing these life changes as setbacks, make the decision to embrace the change and redirect your course! Look at these changes as new beginnings as opposed to dead ends.

You most likely have experienced many changes or "redirections" in your life already; which at the time seemed impossible to overcome or recover.

We challenge you to think about a time in the past, where you life suddenly changed, without warning.

How did it feel when it happened?
Could you see the new path right away?
How about when you were able to get back on course or even change the course - didn't it make you feel empowered?

Many times that is when we learn our most valuable lessons.

Everyone will experience these types of changes in their lives. It's inevitable! But, knowing that you have the ability to redirect your course and set a new path is powerful!

So, make a promise to yourself to Realign to the Times, and enjoy the ride!

Our Deepest Fear......

2009-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

We as humans have a lot of fears. We tend to create many of our "I can't do it" statements because of these fears. Some of the more common fears we have include: the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, the fear of judgment from others, etc.

One of the most surprising fears that people have however; is the fear of success...yes, believe it or not many people actually fear being successful and reaching their goals."What will happen to me if I reach that goal?", "What changes will I have to make in my life?" "Do I deserve to be successful?"

Because of this fear, many of us simply give up on these goals and decide that it is safer to stay where we are.

We'd like for you to take a moment to read a famous quote by one of our favorite Life Coaches, Marianne Williamson
See if it rings a little true for you?

Read it out...go ahead, you have nothing to fear!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

The Cracked Pot

2009-08-27T05:24:00.001-07:00

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt."

We received this story recently and thought we would share with you. Enjoy!

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. 'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.' The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?' 'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'

'For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.' Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of our crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Why are there so many songs about rainbows?

2009-07-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

"Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear."

If you live in Florida, you know that on any typical summer day we are going to get some type of afternoon rain shower. Sometimes the showers are short lived, other times they seem to hover over us...pounding us with rain, lightning and thunder (and they usually strike about 5 pm just as we are getting ready to drive home from work!)

We also know that after these summer showers, we have a pretty good chance of seeing a rainbow in all its colorful glory! There is something magical about rainbows! Remember being told as a kid that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

Rainbows and life have a lot in common. As the quote we selected suggests, life really is like a rainbow. It takes the right combination of sunshine and rain to create a rainbow, and in life we have need a combination of joyful times and challenging times to appreciate the wonder and beauty of our lives.

Have you ever noticed that after you go through a rough patch in life, almost knowingly something wonderful happens to make you appreciate all that we went through to get where you are?

Rainbows are signs that the storms are ceasing, the sky's is brightening, and the magic is about to happen!

So, why are there so many songs about Rainbows? Maybe because Rainbows give us hope for a brighter tomorrow!

The Circle of Empowerment - Determination

2009-07-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Determination: the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose. The quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.

You know the feeling... you get excited about something, revved up, ready to take action, on a mission, nothing is going to stop you now!!! You are probably inspired by an injustice, or failure, or desire to serve others in a unique way. Essentially you've decided to adopt an "I Can Do It" attitude and set your sights on something BIG! Fantastic! Let's Go!! Wait a minute...we have probably all felt this way about something in our lives. How many times did we adopt the "I Can Do It" attitude, yet never really fulfilled our goal or mission?It happens all the time, be honest, it has happened to you more than once.

Here's the secret to making sure that your newfound "I Can Do It" attitude has what it takes to support itself. To have true Determination it takes you...
1. Defining your vision or purpose
2. Obtaining a clear understanding of what success, in this endeavor, means to you

3. Imploring others to jump on board with your vision

Look around you - we see real Determination every day. It's in a child's face when they have set their sites on something they really, really want! Or, it's your dog's un-ending pulling on the leash when he sees a cat across the street. Maybe you've seen in in a disabled person's eyes, as they are struggling to be as "normal" as possible, and get that can off the shelf by themselves.

Do you have that kind of determination and drive? Try it out this week. Don't stop at just having an "I Can Do It" attitude - really get determined! Go FOR It~

Laugh out LOUD!!!

2009-06-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." E.E. Cummings

When was the last time you had a good laugh? Not just a mere chuckle, but a full on "belly shaking, laugh 'til your stomach hurts and tears are coming for your eyes" kind of laugh?

Well, if you can't remember when that was, it has been WAY too long and it is time to start laughing again. Yes, we know that today's news is often filled with doom and gloom, and sometimes it isn't easy to find the humor in anything! It reminds you to not take life (or yourself) too seriously!

Laughter is good for the soul! It helps you celebrate the good times and get through the hard times. It has even been proven scientifically that laughing is actually good for you and reduces stress! Think about how you FEEL when you are laughing. It's like you have been given a happy pill! You can't help but feel happiness and joy when you are laughing. So, let's start laughing more!

Here are some simple suggestions:
1. Call up an old high school buddy and reminisce about all the crazy, fun times you shared
2. Watch a favorite funny sitcom, movie, or America's Funniest Videos
3. Spend some time playing with a young child, kids love to laugh...and it's contagious
4. Look through old photos of yourself, your family and your friends....nothing says laughter like the hairstyles and fashion trends of the 70's and 80's

Laughter is, after all, the best medicine......so, go ahead and LOL!

Summertime FUN - Let's make some!

2009-05-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ahhhh, Summertime and the living is easy! Remember as a child you couldn’t wait for it to be summer! Summer meant freedom! No more school, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks?? It was a time of sleeping in, staying up late, going to camp, lounging by the pool, hanging out with friends, taking vacations with the family. In a word, summer was magical!
But, as adults, summer can often mean more of the same old routine, except that the mercury on the thermometer has risen!
We would like to present you with the Creating Your Masterpiece Summer challenge! It’s easy to get started. First, imagine yourself as a child again! What was the one thing you looked forward to most in the summer? Was it going to camp to learn how to sail or kayak or canoe. Or, perhaps it was going to the movies to watch the latest summer blockbusters and escape the heat of the day.
Now, think of how you can incorporate your favorite summertime activity into your current summer schedule. It could be as easy as leaving work a little early to meet friends for the afternoon matinee or enjoying the sunset at the beach. The important thing is that you make the time to do it!
Just because we are adults doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a little piece of that summer magic that we all looked forward to as children! You are never too old to enjoy a summer day!

Embracing Change!

2009-05-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

"The key to change is to let go of...fear!"
Roseanne Cash

If you could make any change in your life, what would it be? Now ask yourself...what's holding you back from making this change? Author, entrepreneur, and expert on change Ariane de Bonvoisin has identified what she calls the change demons - the six basic emotions that cause us to not make the important changes in our lives.

These demons are: fear, doubt, impatience, blame, shame and guilt. The emotion you are resisting could be ruling your life! She further states that in order to make the big changes in our lives, we need to identify what emotion is holding us back, and allow ourselves to feel the emotion, and then replace it with a positive emotion. For example, replace fear with faith, doubt with surrender, impatience with endurance, blame with responsibility, shame with honor, and guilt with forgiveness.

People are actually better at change than they think they are! We've just been conditioned to think that we are not good at change. However, reflect on your past and think of all the positive changes you have already made in your life! Have you ever changed jobs? Moved to a new city? Gotten married? Had children?

These are major changes that most of us have been through! In order to make positive changes in your life you need to first determine what it is that you need to change, and then replace your fear with faith that you can make the change. Remember, change takes time.

Isn't it time for you to take charge of your life and start making the changes you need to live the life you want? Come on, what are you waiting for??

Will & Faith - Do You Have it??

2009-05-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

“The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it and the faith to believe it's possible" Rich Devos

“Nothing Happens…but first a dream” Carl Sandburg

Two wonderful quotes…let’s take a closer look – these two quotes can change your life.

“Will” and “Faith” are the key words in this Rich Devos quote. “Will” represents a desire one has to make a move – to take action – to gain control over a scenario and affect the outcome of one’s vision. “Faith” is being certain of what we do not see, yet hopeful and courageous enough to still take action.
If you have a dream and can master “Will” and “Faith” you can have anything you want!
We encounter people all the time who share with us their dreams…and sadly say “maybe one day”
“I can’t have what I want right now…have you heard what’s happening in the world?” Yes, we have…and that is why now, more than ever, is your chance to have what you really want – to fulfill your dreams.
Ask yourself are you standing on the sidelines waiting for someone else to write the next chapter in your life? Or do you have the Will and Faith to take ACTION and fulfill your dreams?

Snow in April? Let's make a snowman!

2009-04-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from a week long vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Aside from excellent food, wonderful shopping, relaxing mineral springs soaks, and a good dose of Wild West history, I was also fortunate enough to see SNOW! Yes, that is right! It snowed on Sunday, April 12th - Easter Sunday.

I woke up and was greeted by a beautiful blanket of white powdery snow....something we don't see much of in the Sunshine state! The ironic thing was just two days prior the temperature was a pleasant 71 degrees, and most folks were wearing shorts!

This got me thinking about how truly magnificent life's surprises can be if we embrace them! And, we always have the choice to embrace them. I overheard several people complaining about the late spring snow, about how they were *over* the cold weather and were ready for warmer temperatures, etc etc.

As for me, I was thrilled with the snow. So thrilled in fact, that I ran outside and proceeded to make a snowman!

In life, there are always surprises that will arise. We will not have control over many of these surprises, but what we do have control over is how we respond to them. We have that choice every single day of our lives.

So, next time life gives you a surprise, embrace it! Go ahead and make that snowman!

Four tips to staying Positive!

2009-03-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

It is time to make the paradigm shift from living reactively to living proactively. First we need to realize that we cannot control the outcome of any situtation, we can only control our thoughts, words, and actions. As Zig Ziglar says: You can’t control the national economy, you can only control our personal economy.
It seems nowadays, we are focusing so much of our time on things we can’t control it is overwhelming! So, how do we keep our cool and and stay focused and positive?
Here are 4 tips:
Re-vamp – this really means be proactive. We’ve been in a reactive state for a long time, re-vamp it and get proactive. There is a lot of negativity out there today, and we spend a lot of energy focusing on this and reacting to it. Stop , breathe, re-vamp. You are in control of your life. Worrying about things you have no control over is a waste of time.
Re-focus – You need to get very clear on exactly where you are, and where you want to be. Create an action plan specific to where you want to be. What steps do you need to take to get there? Don’t stick head in sand. What is the worst outcome, deal with it. Feel the fear and do it anyway. What is YOUR action plan for your life?
Re-evaluate what is important to you! Are you doing the things that are important to you? Are you spending time with those people who are important to you? If not, you need to re-evaluate why you aren't and make some changes.
Re-energize – Take care of you. Self-care is no longer a luxury. There are new rules in this game.. Make yourself a priority. Commit to devoting 1 hour per day just for you. Rediscover what brings you happiness and joy!

Creating YOUR Masterpiece for the ABWA

2009-03-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are wearing our fabulous FUSHIA feather clips in our hair! The fabulous women in this picture are the ladies from the Orlando Chapter of the American Business Women (ABWA)! http://orlandoabwa.org/
Jen and I had the wonderful opportunity to conduct our "Become the Artist of Your Life" workshop for them as part of their annual retreat!

The mission of the American Business Women’s Association is to bring together business women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition. But, they also like to have FUN!

And, what a fun, inspiring weekend we had with the ABWA girls at the beautiful Canterbury Retreat in Oviedo. For the ladies, it was 24 hours of relaxing, wining/dining, playing Bunko, laughing, learning and sharing some great new memories with a wonderful and inspiring group of women.

The retreat all centered around the theme of "Becoming the Artist of Your Life". And, these ladies were ready to start creating their masterpiece's and living their lives proactively with purpose, passion and by their design! Jen and I made some great new friends and enjoyed our time with the Ladies of ABWA!
PS - I just love my fushia hair clip too!

Become the Artist of YOUR Life!

2009-03-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Become the Artist of YOUR Life - Create a Masterpiece!
mas'ter-piece' (noun). The most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman.

Are you the Artist or a Painter of your life?

To begin a painting, a painter requires a blank canvas, an assortment of bruches and a vibrant paint palette. An Artist uses these same tools; however, he combines them with passion, purpose and inspiration to create a true masterpiece.

Take a look around your home, a painter probably came in to paint the walls of each room. You called the painter up, and contracted him for the job. He came in, put some paint on the walls, and then went home waiting for the next job to come in. Mission Accomplished! If you were to decide today that you wanted to change the color of your walls, without hesitation you would call a painter (maybe not even the same one!) and he would come in and paint over the walls with a new color of paint. Do you think the original painter would be upset that you decided to paint over his work? Probably not. The painter lives life in a reactive mode. You call, he comes, does the job, and moves on to the next job.

Now, think about the Mona Lisa for a moment. She hangs in the prestigious Louvre museum in Paris. She is surrounded by a thick protective glass casing. Thousands of people stand in awe of her beauty everyday! It took Leonardo da Vinci years to create her! And he did so proactively with passion, purpose, love and inspiration! No one called him up and said: Hey Lenny, I need you to come over a paint a picture of a girl with a croocked smile!

To some critics, her smile does appears to be a bit off centered, but that is what makes her a masterpiece! She is perfect the way she is! If a painter were to call the Louvre today and offer to come in and paint over her smile to correct it, do you think the Louvre would accept the offer?? No way! The Mona Lisa is a masterpiece and was created by an Artist!

Our lives are much the same. We can either accept being a painter in our lives, and spend our time reacting to whatever comes our way. Or we can choose to be an artist and design and create our lives proactively, and create own outstanding personal masterpieces! Everyday we get to make this choice!

Which will you be? The Artist or the Painter?

PODCAST - Extra Extra TECH all about it!

2009-02-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

Do you download PODCAST? Are you on Facebook? Are you LINKED-IN? Do you download info to your IPOD? Are you on Twitter?

If you are like me the whole technology gig is incredible and confounding at the same time! The Podcast thing is sort of a new technology, to me anyway! My mom keeps asking me why she doesn't see my picture on the podcast.....HELLO??? It's a podcast..there are no videos....in my day we called it a cassette! (Oh well, my age is showing:-) PS - My mom is actually very techie and knows more than I do when it comes to this stuff.

Anyway, Creating Your Masterpiece is becoming so high tech, I can't even understand it all! But, proudly, we have been approved by i-Tunes and you can NOW download our weekly podcasts! Jen and I discuss topics relevant to today's times; economic situations, life balance; your health, relationships, finances, physical environment, meeting goals, action plans....you name it...we chat about it! And in a really fun way! Plus, we get cool guests to join us and share their opinions! It is a MUST HEAR!

The picture above is us in the studio! Jen is the techie, I am just a podder (that is lingo for a *talker* I think? Or maybe I just made it up!) But, we think we look pretty savvy and techie!

We would love for you to sign up for our weekly downloads!

Visit CreatingYourMasterpieceShow.com or go straight to APPLE i-Tunes (for the techies out there) and download our weekly show. Also, visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In.

We welcome your comments & questions! Until then - fellow PODDERS/Tweeters/FBookers, et al - keep rocking, tweeting and facebooking - we love it! It beats the heck out of an 8 track!!! (Although I kinda miss the 8 track)

Make everyday a MASTERPIECE. You are worth it!

Trashing Those Tolerations!!

2009-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

This week I have

personally experienced A LOT of tolerations. What is a toleration - you ask? A toleration is anything that zaps or drains your precious energy. The things that “we put up with” can drive us crazy, literally, and the stress that results can decrease our lifespan. Tolerations may seem like mere annoyances, but when you make a list of all the things you actually are tolerating, the impact incurred comes clearly into focus.

The good news is tolerations were made to be trashed, and once they are, you get your power back and regain control of your life. The first step you must take is to identify the tolerations you have in your life.You can do this by mentally going through your day or your home. For me, this week my dog Cocoa and her behaviors have been a MAJOR toleration. Cocoa has single-handidly: pulled out every sentricon termite monitor in the backyard, eaten 2 landscape lights, and nibbled on every sprinkler head we have! UGGHHH....(Here is a clue - you know it's a toleration when you say UGGHHH)

An example for you might be: small repairs that need to be done around the home, a child that doesn't put away toys, or (my personal favorite) looking in your closet and having everything from a size 6 to a size 12, but you still don't have anything to wear!!!

So, how do we trash these tolerations? You make a list of all the things you are tolerating (don't be surpirsed if there are over 100) and TRASH them…just check them off the list! There may be some tolerations you are unable to trash by yourself, and that’s when you HIRE someone to do it for you! For me, today I met with the landscape/yard service/termite company and the tolerations are getting trashed! Plus, it was a lot easier than getting rid of the dog!

Once you are toleration free, you have more time and energy to spend on the things YOU want to do………….like a day at the spa!
So, make a commitment to yourself to get toleration free!

Turnaround Tips

2009-01-29T04:23:00.000-08:00

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it!" Lou Holtz

When the going gets tough, the tough take ACTION! These tough economic times have many people discouraged. We all know someone who has been personally affected by this recession. Whether it's having your home foreclosed on, losing your job, or just watching your savings dwindle, tough times have entered into our lives.

Be Proactive - Not Reactive - Accept the reality of your specific situation and then come up with an action plan to see you through. Don't just stick your head in the sand and hope things get better.

Take Charge - Take Action - Develop a new game plan. We now live in a transitional world instead of a traditional one. The old rules have changed! Think new rules, new roles and new mind sets! Ward and June Cleaver are no longer the "normal family".

Re-Invent & Re-Evaluate - This is a time to look inside yourself and re-invent who you are. Especially if you are looking for a new job. Make a list of your transferable skills and talents and go for it.

You are not alone - get support - Everyone has been touched by this recession. There is no reason to be embarrassed by the fact that you have to make some life changes. Seek support when and where you need it.

Rock on and be strong, Jennifer and Leah

Giving back to our community

2009-01-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I recently had the privilege to give back to our local community by conducting a Creating Your Masterpiece workshop at SafeHouse of Seminole County - below is a press release about that experience. We will be doing our workshop for the ladies of SafeHouse on a regular basis.

Orlando-based life coaches and owners of Creating Your Masterpiece Jennifer Lee and Leah Turner conducted their popular "Become the Artist of Your Life" workshop for nine residents of SafeHouse on January 18, as part of their continuing commitment to the organization.

SafeHouse offers temporary housing for survivors of domestic violence in Seminole County. During their stay, program participants receive individual crisis counseling, support groups, case management, safety planning, emergency clothing and food, referrals to community resources, children’s services including assessment and appropriate referrals, and personal advocacy.
"Domestic violence is an ongoing problem in our society, and something I experienced many years ago," says Lee. "Our goal is to provide these women with the tools and resources that will help them make an easier transition from SafeHouse back to the real world."

"We teach them skills such as extending their boundaries and raising their standards, how to trash the things we tolerate in our daily lives, and living in integrity," adds Turner. "This workshop is a natural fit for us, because we are committed to empowering women and helping them to take a proactive approach or become the artist, of their lives."

Says SafeHouse Executive Director Jeanne Gold, "This is a great workshop that we received one hundred percent positive feedback on the first time we took advantage of it. SafeHouse, and Creating Your Masterpiece, are both committed to empowering women—giving them the tools they need to make decisions on their own. Previous attendees said the workshop gave them a new lease on life and helped them to be more positive about the future."

Coaching to Success

2009-01-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

What is coaching all about? It has become quite the buzz-word of today, but what does it REALLY mean? I thought I would take a few minutes to explain what coaching is and, more importantly, why it works!

Coaching is all about taking Action to meet YOUR goals. It is really a 5 step process....

First, you get to a point in life where you are ready for a change. You realize that you want more out of your life or you feel stuck or like you have no control over your situation and want to change. You have become aware that the old way isn't working for you, and you want more out of your life.

Second - you recognize that you have control over the situation, not someone else. This is what we call deciding to live proactively! You realize you have the power to make the change.

Third - you begin to identify HOW you want to live....what does your life look like when you have made the changes?

Fourth- Now, you develop a plan, we call this Bridging the Gap. This involves coming up with the steps it takes to meet your goals.

Finally -You now take ACTION! You know what you need to do now, you are equipped with the tools and resources to do, and you move forward with your plan.

A coach works with you during this process as a mentor, a sounding board, an advocate, and a person that will hold you accountable as you embark on your journey! Coaching works because you and your coach become a team, focusing on your goals and needs to accomplish more than you would alone. You will take action, think bigger, and get the job done due to the accountability a coach provides. Coaching focuses on the future, helping you find the best way to improve the quality of your work and life by using the skills, character and creativeness that you already possess.

If you are ready to begin making some positive changes in your life - give us a call to learn more about how coaching can work for you!

Lights! Camera! Action - CYM is On the AIR!!

2009-01-06T15:46:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope everyone has gotten off to a wonderful start for 2009!

What a whirlwind week Creating Your Masterpiece has had! They say when it rains it pours, and I say - I believe it! Our message lately has been that New Year's Resolutions just don't work....and Life Shifts Do. We have been spreading the word about Why Resolutions Don't Work a lot this past month, and wouldn't ya know it....Channel 13, Channel 35 and WDBO Radio all wanted to hear about it! In addition, our Oviedo Chicks Video and CreatingYourMasterpieceShow.com podcast also have info on the subject! So, instead of chatting about why Resolutions Don't Work on this blog, I am going to ask you to click here... http://www.creatingyourmasterpiece.com/media.php and you can listen and see for yourself why they don't work!

Happy New Year my Friend! Our motto for the new year is Streamline in 2009! You will be hearing more about that soon!

Time to Clean the Clutter!

2008-12-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed that in the spring time most people decide to do a little Spring Cleaning in their homes? It's because the spring time represents a time of re-birth, a new beginning, and a chance to get organized and focused. For those of you who live up north, spring time also means the weather finally gets warmer and you just naturally feel better when you can get outside and enjoy!

It is a good time to not only clean your house, it's also a good to examine yourself as well. We believe that you need to take the time to do a little Spring Cleaning for Your Self…and not just in the spring time but year round!

Basically, we all have two houses, our external house – which is the physical structure in which we live; and our internal house – which is our mind, body and soul. There is a direct correlation between these two houses! If our external houses feel cluttered and disorganized, then our internal house is probably feeling a little discombobulated as well! In order to have focus, motivation and joy in your life, you need to take the action steps needed to have a balance between your two houses! Have you noticed that when your external house is cluttered and messy you tend to feel anxious and overwhelmed….the state of your home often reflects the state of your life! So, let’s take charge and do some spring cleaning this week for both houses! To learn more about Clearing the Clutter, be sure to listen to our podcast this week at http://www.creatingyourmasterpieceshow.com/

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Creating Your Masterpiece! We wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Be sure to tune in to this week's Podcast shows. We continue with our tips on how to SURVIVE the holidays and Jen and I take a look at WHY resolutions just don't work and share what does work instead. You can download the podcast to your I-tunes file so that you will automatically receive our weekly motivational messages! How cool is that?

Our 2009 calendar is filling up quickly! We are getting many requests to speak to organizations, businesses, associations and other groups. So, if you are a member of an association or group that is looking for a dynamic speaking duo - remember to call us!

Next workshop is January 17th from 1 - 5 pm. If you haven't attended a Creating Your Masterpiece workshop yet, start your year off right by attending this workshop. It is chock full of the essentials you need to start living your life proactively to truly become the artist of your life! Until next time, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Podcast 2 is Up!

2008-12-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! December is a crazy month for most of us! We are shopping, buying presents, decorating, spending time with friends, etc.etc. But, it is very important that we remember to slow down, take some time for ourselves as well, so that we don't drain all of our energy! One way to do this is to Trash unwanted Tolerations. A toleration is anything that can or will zap or drain your precious energy. And, during the busy holiday seasons, the tolerations tend to pile up!

Click on the link below to hear our podcast which focuses on tolerations and how to trash them!

http://www.creatingyourmasterpieceshow.com/

Out of Africa

2008-12-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

JAMBO! (that is hello in Swahili)

I (Leah) have just returned from a trip to Africa! An exciting camera safari through the beautiful plains of Tanzania. What an experience it was! All the wild animals up close and personal, the colorful culture, the exotic scenery...wow...it was truly an experience that I will never forget.

But, I must say, after being gone for 2 weeks, I was very happy to get home, see my family and sleep in my own bed!

A brief recap - We traveled to the The Great Rift Valley, the 8th Wonder of the World. It runs down the continent from Ethiopia to Mozambique, which is home to a majority of the world’s wild animals. We were greeted by lions, hippo, giraffe, elephants, zebras, baboons, etc. I felt like I spent a week in a National Geographic documentary! Our “tents” were large cottages on elevated decks, complete with private bathrooms and massive porches from which you could watch the wild animals grazing at sunrise! In each "tent" there was a whistle is by the bed, in case any wild animals got too close in the night. After dinner, a Maasai warrior escorted us back from the dining room to our tents. It wasn't a long walk, and I thought it odd that we were being escorted, but after hearing a lion roar later that evening....I quit wondering and was ever so thankful for the warrior's assistance!

I wrote daily entries into my journal; describing all the wonderful sites of the trip.

Africa is very different from the U.S. We are such a lucky bunch! Basic things like having running water, getting enough to eat, having transportantion, and getting an education are things we expect and take for granted. In Tanzania these things are considered luxuries, only afforded by the uber-wealthy! I was very humbled by all of this. It was befitting that I would be in Africa to celebrate Thanksgiving, it made me realize I had a lot to be thankful for.

Coaching comes to Africa

Coaching must be an odd term in Tanzania. When our wonderful tour guide Roger asked me what I did for a living, I told him that I was a life coach. He gave me a puzzled look, so I explained further that I worked with people to develop and lead satisfying and fulfilling lives. I further explained that it was all about taking ACTION in our lives to get from where you are now to where you want to be. (I wondered how this was coming across in translation, since he was fluent in Swahili with English being his second language. Is coaching even in the Swahili vocabulary??)

I could see that he still wasn't fully understanding my meaning, so I just said - I help make people HAPPY. With that, he gave me a BIG grin, and nodded his head with full understanding of what I did. I had to grin myself, some words are just easy to translate no matter where you are in the world or what language you speak. Everyone understands the importance of happiness.

In a land where most folks are wondering if they will have clean water to drink, enough porridge for dinner, or a shilling to buy clothing, they still understand happiness. It's universal. That night as we were watching the colorfully dressed Massai men and women dance and sing traditional African songs around the campfire, I saw that happiness in their faces and movements!

So, I ask you to think today about what makes you happy. Is it decorating your house for the holidays? Going to the park with your children? Or just relaxing at home reading a favorite book. Whatever it is that makes you happy, carve out some time in your busy schedule and hectic life to do it! I know for me, I am going to pour myself a second cup of coffee and sit outside by my pool reflecting on my African journey, and being ever so thankful for all the gifts in my life.

Live and On the Air!

2008-11-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

Creating Your Masterpiece is live
and on the airwaves (or podwaves??) in conjunction with the Parents Everywhere radio network.

Starting this week we have our own Creating Your Masterpiece podcast! click on the link to access the show http://www.creatingyourmasterpieceshow.com/

Jen and I just recorded our 6th episode - and I have to tell you, it is a lot of fun! We go to the studio, put the headsets on and record our *gig* (that's radio lingo for our segment, I think:-)

We are bringing coaching to the airwaves! Each week we discuss a different issue, share a tip or interview a special guest that has helpful advice or information for parents!

Parents take care of a lot of people in their lives, and sometimes parents (especially Mom's) don't take time for themselves to really live life the way they were meant to.

As women we tend to take on a lot of different roles, wear many different hats - Mother, Wife, Sister, Co-worker, Daughter, Aunt, etc... but we need to remember to take care of ourselves as well! And to live our lives proactively, with passion and purpose!

There is a reason that before take off the airlines ALWAYS instruct you that in case of an emergency you are to take the oxygen mask and breathe for yourself FIRST before giving it to small children. You know why? We need to take care of ourselves to be the best person/parent that we can be for the family. What is that old saying??? If Mama ain't happy - Ain't nobody happy?

Anyway, the Parents Everywhere network is awesome. I invite you all to check it out! It features an an incredible resource of experts who provide you with the parenting tools you need every week. Subscribe to their Podcasts for free and each show will be automatically downloaded to your computer where you can listen to each episode on your computer, or copy the files to your iPod or MP3 Player. You can also listen directly from our website, where ever you see the embedded player. The shows are free, convenient and only 20 minutes long.

It is so exciting that you can get all this wonderful information with a click of the mouse! All I can say is that the world has come a LONG way since the days of eight track tapes and AM radio!

If you have a question that you would like us to *coach* you through on the podcast, send us an e-mail at info@CreatingYourMasterpiece.com and we may just give you a call to be on the show!

Lights, Camera, Action!

2008-11-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

How exciting! We received a call from Tracy and Tina from Ourhometown Directory asking us to be a part of their monthly evideo magazine (not sure if that's what you really call it - sounds good, right?).

This month it was just me (Jennifer) but every month Creating Your Masterpiece will provide a quick inspirational or motivational tip to keep you living proactively.

Instead of publishing a paper directory - Ourhometown Directory is an online resource guide for consumers - and a cost effective place for businesses, who are looking to branch out into the web for their adevertising. Tracy and her husband were featured a few weeks ago on the Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch - twice!! Check out the blog entry!

Anyway, this month they are adding a new feature - video!

Sharyn Hutchinson with Re-Design Concepts, Ramona Brookins with New Genesis Financial and Robert Goetz with Seminole County Small Business Development Center were also featured. It's not as easy as it looks - I had to have cue cards!!!

Sharyn Hutchinson, who personally redesigned mine and Leah's home, is a natural in front of the camera!

Another Day - Another Chardonnay

2008-10-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we held our Creating Your Masterpiece Workshop 3 - Unveiling Your Masterpiece at a very unique and delightful location - Wine By Design, located in Winter Springs.

(At right you will see us corking our bottles)

Unveiling Your Masterpiece is the third in our three part series - Become the Artist of Your Life. In this workshop, our *artists* learn how to continue to build a strong personal foundation by identifying what their needs are and how to get them met; how to strengthen relationships with family, friends, community; why is it vital to choose a healthy attitude, and the importance of Extreme Self-Care and Building a Reserve.

At the end of our workshop, all participants had the chance to bottle, cork & label their own bottles of wine!

If you have never been to Wine By Design - I highly encourage you to go! It offers you the experience of tasting, fermenting, bottling, corking and labeling your special vintage. They have a selection of wines from all over the world to suit any taste! What a cool experience!

Wine By Design is located at 855 E State Road 434 in Winter Springs. And, many thanks to Wine By Design owner Anne Stumpf for allowing the Creating Your Masterpiece artists to take over her shop!

Welcome to Jen & Leah's BLOG!

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Welcome to our blog! We are so excited to be able to now connect with you in this manner! We hope to us this as a forum to share information and tips and learn more about you and what you think of different things! We welcome your feedback and comments! A lot has been happening at Creating Your Masterpiece!

First, we are proud to announce that Creating Your Masterpiece now has its own PODCAST on the Parents Everywhere Network!
Starting in December our weekly show will feature a different topic that will help parents cope with and manage the challgenges that come with parenthood. We are so excited! We have recorded 3 sessions so far. It really is a lot of fun being in the recording studio with our headsets on! I know now what Howard Stern must feel like!

Second, we have launched our new website!! Many thanks to Wayne at godzyn.com for re-vamping our site and making it easier to navigate and we think the new look is just WAY cool! Let us know what you think! www.creatingyourmasterpiece.com

Third, we are excited to announce our Team Performance Workshops - specifically for businesses. Check out the Just for Your Business tab on our site to learn more.

We have several workshops lined up for November, December and January. During these tough and challenging economic times it is important to continue to re-invest in your team. They are the backbone of your business, and the to key your business success.

Finally, we just returned from the I Can Do It conference in Tampa. WOW!!! It was awesome! We got to see so many of our favorite speakers, authors and mentors! Cheryl Richardson, Dr. Christiane Northrop, Wayne Dyer, Byron Katie, even the Dog Whisperer - Ceasar Milan - was there! It was so inspiring and motivating!

OK, that about does it for the first official blog! Keep checking back frequently as we have some exciting news we will be announcing in the next couple of weeks about a program we are launching in December!