Tap Into Your Inner Rock Star Genius

Imagine if you felt like this even 50 percent of your day --

So let’s start with the word Genius. Because yes you are one and perhaps more importantly, you have one.*

Genius  is defined in many dictionaries as a quality of supreme intelligence and creativity.

So to be in touch with your own personal Genius can mean to tap into your intelligence and creativity and the fact that you do know what you want and how to get there.  

And, your Genius, as defined by numerous dictionaries and cultures, is also a deity or guide of people and places. So imagine that your Genius is a spiritual guide with a killer compass. When you feel stuck or you’re starting a new chapter or project or you’re standing in the dark prickly woods of transitions and thresholds, your Genius can guide you through and out of the wood, and into the light of an amazing life. (Remember Dante?)

And now imagine that you've decided to tap into your Inner Rock Star Genius, rather than focus on and fan the problem at hand. Even if you don’t know what that really means, or looks like or feels like. But you're willing to see how your thinking and actions shift around a bit once you accept this superstar self. It also means focusing on what you want rather than the sticky branches hanging into the path.

Changing habits of the way you think and act, in even the tiniest ways, can lead to all sorts of daily-life enlightenments. And perhaps most importantly, harnessing that Inner Rock Star Genius can get you one step closer to living the dream. 

What if you lived your dream rather than just dreamt it?

We are more than the sum of the stories we give ourselves. Your Genius knows it. Follow it.

And that’s all for today, you Genius Rock Stars. All of you!

——

*Writer Elizabeth Gilbert gave a fantastic talk at TED on creativity and Genius. She speaks to a shift in how the ancient Greeks and Romans saw Genius as something people HAD, like an other, a daemon or creative cohort; and with the Renaissance, genius was something people WERE, with no one to share the success or the so-called failures. Heavy responsibility, but in dreams begin responsibilities.

Watch it here: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Don't be a Gratitude prisoner. Keep dreaming.

Lately I've been thinking about moving. And at the same time I'm trying to really deeply appreciate and squeeze out all the loving goodness of this splendid town of Seattle.

I don't know where I want to go, but I have a bit of wanderlust and I'm craving a change of pace. Maybe it will pass. And maybe not.

So I dream. Water is a big part of my dreamtown-scape. A big city, not. That's about all I know.

And today I got a big dose of Gratitude (does that word bug you a bit too, like a harp just chimed in?) about living in the Northwest. Here's what happened. Very simple, appealing to my water-lover self.

This morning I swam in a fresh-water lake at Madison Beach with Ruth, 7am. Later that morning I drove up to Vancouver, where I'm doing some coach training for several days.

By 3:30 pm, I was taking a dip in a refreshing salt-water bay, Deep Cove, in North Vancouver. I even put my tongue out to taste it.

Deep Cover, aka Deep Throat. I need memory cues.

So today I had a moment of capital-G Gratitude -  and I'm still going to dream about Where Else ...

I add the and for a reason.

Have you ever noticed how Gratitude can be passed around a bit like a T-spoon of "don't complain, love what you have and aspire for no more?" Now, I am a big believer in being totally in love with now now NOW and with what you have, those simplest things - but I admit - at times, I've been a bit of my own  gratitude prisoner, whereby I feel like I shouldn't reach for more. Be grateful. Now shut up. Go clean your room. And I won't talk about the times that don't serve you to be grateful and you're probably better off going to your front door and screaming like a crazy person about how f-ing pissed off you are and then go back inside and come up with a five-point plan to change it pronto.

So gratitude rocks. Deep appreciation and the moments of Oh Wow This is the Money Bite rocks. But that doesn't have to stop the dreaming and striving. While loving where you are. If that's what your body is asking from you.

So for today: I am happy to be living in this Northwestern Valhalla  and I'm going to keep dreaming of all the amazing other places on this great big globe of ours.

Peace, out.

Top Three Daily Life Happifying Needs

What are three Things that add to your general state of happiness if you do them every day? And are you doing them?

*If you're blocked, Happifying Things can include: 7 hours sleep; exercise; one meaningful human interaction; writing; drawing, cooking, meditating, making the bed, laughing with your kids ... you know.

But You Do Know

It's easy to say it. "I don't know." I don't know what I want.

I don't know what to do.

I don't know why I _________.

I just don't know.

Really?

But what if you did know. Imagine this:

A knowledge base deep inside you that for all the hours, days, months and years you've been alive,  it's been collecting and storing information based on all your experiences. This is the wise knowing you that knows.

It knows what you want. It knows what to do. It knows how you might begin getting there.

So, if you could suspend all disbelief and believe in this pool of knowledge -- even if just for one minute -- close your eyes, take a deep breath and PRETEND there is information coming to you from this juicy pool. If you open yourself up to the possibilities of answers to your I don't knows -- what are some of the answers?

This is about possibility. Commiting -- to yourself and your life. Stepping into an answer means you're willing to emerge from the security blanket of your I Don't Know. Let's face it: Just as it's frustrating to not know,  it's equally as comfortable to not know, too. Because then we don't have to take action. Or commit to anything, god forbid. (I admit, I fit into this last category).

So what if we all really know, but just don't give ourselves access to the information -- or the gift (or is it the confidence) of knowing?

Take one minute. As yourself one Fruitful Question that's been on your mind. Pretend you have an answer. If you're open to it you'll see it.

I recommend writing it down. Or doing a  freewrite. Ask yourself the question and you can use this line as a starter prompt:

"I do know I really know and the answer as I know it is ..." and let yourself free write without knowing where you're going. Writing always exposes us to something new. If you're open and write down the truth of what comes to you, there will be answers here.

You do know. We all do.

"Trust yourself. Then you will know how to live."                        --Goethe

Truth or Dare Writing Prompt

Here's a writing prompt that's also a dare.

Write about the thing you don't want to write about.

If you need some nerve to go for it -- as I did yesterday morning -- tell yourself you can throw the pages away or delete the files the minute it's done. (Mine is still there, and not so scary or threatening or embarrassing.)

Some years ago I noticed something while standing in my kitchen staring out to the lake. There were some things -- personal traits, qualities, longings, secret desires -- that I was embarrassed to admit to myself. And at this time there was this thing aka a moment of truth I was letting myself see. I'm not going to say what it was, but seeing it let me also catch it and deal with it and move on in a positive direction. 

Once you bust something, it's hard for it to take hold of you. It can't sit there in the dark corner scaring and taunting away.

Make sense?

If it doesn't, which makes sense, it might if you start writing down all the things you don't want to write down that you might find inside that beautiful Gucci luggage.  Open it up and let yourself see something you really want or desire or dream about or are afraid of. Write out every stinking detail.

Then tomorrow, you can write about what you found there.

You may be a bit more liberated.

If you need a prompt, start with:

Nobody knows about ... or I will never tell anyone including myself about ...

Remember: writing isn't lethal. It doesn't cause illness or obesity or natural disasaters. You won't get arrested (at least in this country) for writing it down. 

Think of your writing as the key that takes you to new places: scary, perhaps -- but always someplace new and unexpected.

Happy adventuring!

When You Can't Find Your F&*cking Focus

Today I'm having trouble with focus.

How do you focus when you have 3 - 4 different projects ongoing?

Focus feels like is a one-project action. And when you have diverse areas to which you want to give  attention, how do you have one singular ray of attention? Especially when some of these projects are in similar areas, like work projects. Or  juggling various creative projects. There isn't always a concrete line in the sand.

I haven't found another word for focus -- or term or activity or metaphor or imagery yet. The image may be more like putting my arms around my day or my projects or ... diving into the day? That feels a bit hokey, but I do like the visual of my day being a body of water and I'm going to dive into it and swim around from activity to activity.

And sometimes I can't focus because I'm stuck because I'm disorganized. Papers, lesson plans, etc all over the place. This is often a sign to clean up my act and corrall like piles of papers into proper binder homes.

So off I went to Office Depot, bought a bunch of binders and I'm now in the process of Organizing. What a pain in the ass. But what a road cleaner, too. Tomorrow I'll be able to move more smoothly through my day.

After too many years I am finally learning that a certain kind of stuck and unfocused feeling means I need to get organized. Type A people have known this forever, too, lucky bastards.

And once the screaming kids (papers, etc) are tucked into their homes, the path is clear to be productive. And do it with a feeling of curiosity and adventure, rather than stress and what-the-hell-do-I-do-nextness.

At least I hope so.

But I'm still going to re-think the whole focusing act.

Freedom. What Does It Mean?

What better time to talk about Freedom than July 4 weekend?

I think a lot about freedom. It's probably my highest value. And about five years ago I realized of all the things I wanted in my life at the time, Freedom was the theme.

But what, exactly does Freedom mean? Here's what it means to me.

For me, freedom is:

*Freedom from myself: my thoughts, my ego, my monkey mind, my Gollum self.

*Freedom from having defensive reactions to the people who push my buttons the most.

*Financial freedom. Enough money to have the experiences that most matter to me without sweating and fretting about having enough cash in the bank.

*Freedom is being able to love unconditionally and without expectations. F&*k. That's a tough one.

*Freedom is waking up and asking a question like: What do I want to create today?, and doing it rather than being stuck in a cage of fear biting my fingers and yelling at people inside my head like a crazy person.

*Freedom is being myself in any situation-- my real, true self at that moment.

*Freedom is making people laugh.

*Freedom is running barefoot over a golf course at sunset with my niece and nephew. Freedom is the purest kind of happiness, based in love.

Happy Independence Day Freedom Fighters!