Life Coach Laurie » Authenticity

5 ways to be creative when you think you’re not

admin — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:28:30 +0000

Many times I’ll hear someone say to me, “Laurie, you’re a singer, you write songs, you’re creative, I can’t do that kind of stuff” followed by the notorious “I’m just not creative” as if they’re defeated before they even get started.

Think about some situations you’ve been in where you’ve felt powerless, frustrated, pushed in a corner, isolated, and confused about what you should do next. Do you think if you could write a song it would help you get out of that trap? Do you think painting a picture or writing poetry would be able to help you solve that problem either? When experiencing the problems just mentioned these are the times it’s most important to be creative. Consider these 5 ways to be creative when you’re feeling you have no innovative juice inside of you and tap into creativity you may have overlooked.

1. Reflect: We live in a reactive often unconscious society. By simply engaging in reflection and recognizing the moments in your life and what you’ve learned you’re tapping into that part of yourself that many never seek to know. Consider what parts of yourself, what answers you could discover if you simply made the time to reflect on your feelings, your thoughts, you gave yourself the space of silence to hear your own intuition. Get a journal and make time everyday to reflect and write.

2. Be vulnerable: The next time you feel as if you don’t know the answer or you’re confused about something simply say so boldly. Be that person who is willing to get the conversation rolling. Allow yourself to tell others what you’re experiencing instead of responding the way you think you should or by staying silent. Express yourself in an authentic and respectful way and you’ll soon be the go to person for creative solutions because you’re willing to be real, which not everyone is willing to do.

3. Be Flexible: When things are supposed to go one way and they don’t, tell yourself you’ve got nothing to lose even if you think you might. Consider at least two alternatives on how you might proceed and move forward. Model to others that you’re open-minded and be willing to receive feedback and adjust when necessary. Creative people welcome ideas and recognize there are ideas and opportunities everywhere. Be willing to see them.

4. Be Proactive: Recognize that there are times when we’re not able to plan, but in many cases we can prepare and be ready for what’s to come. Consider a potentially difficult client or staff meeting that always results with the same negative outcome. How could you proactively change how things go the next time. Possibly this would be to proactively at the beginning of the session state “This is what has happened the last 3 times we had this discussion, let’s make sure we don’t do it again. If it starts to happen I’m going to _________________” and establish your boundaries accordingly. Politely request their feedback as well and agree on how you each are going to respond when x occurs. Proactively address your boss privately when no conflict is present and say “every time I get called to your office I experience anxiety. It would really be helpful if you could let me know ahead of time what we’ll be discussing so I can prepare”. There are always exceptions and circumstances where this may not be effective, but just remember being proactive is about you being in the driver’s seat and in charge of how people treat you. If you’re not feeling respected or a situation is too great to deal with you always have a choice.

5. Support Creative/ Innovative people: Often times the few people who are willing to speak up or stick their neck out on the line are on their own. Those who don’t speak up may be thinking “thank goodness so and so spoke up and said exactly what I was thinking”. Just because it was said doesn’t mean it is going to have the same impact as it would if other people supported it as well. Connect with people who think like you, who you admire, who you respect, and practice supporting them fully. Surround yourself with the people who bring your energy up, who challenge status quo, who can help you tap into your own creative energies.

These are some examples of what creative people do. It doesn’t take any artistic skill to be able to perform these successfully, but it does take a commitment. When you’re drained or exhausted or thinking about what you’re lacking you’re not focused on your gifts and talents and getting them out into the world. Consider what a disservice this is and make the change to embrace your creativity today.

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What comes naturally??

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:47:19 +0000

Okay Okay I know, my last post was a video as well. Well… I suppose that’s because that’s just how my brain thinks because music “comes naturally” to me. This will make more sense the more you read. Tonight while driving home from my mother’s day celebration I cranked up the tunes on the way home to keep me awake and I found myself dancing and singing to a song that really got my juices flowing. I used to get uncomfortable when I was doing this around other cars, but I found when I held back it usually ruined the song for me, cuz it never fails, people are always around when I really want to belt something out or throw my hands in the air. So I decided a while back even if I was in the middle of a groove or a note I just kept going no matter who was around. I invite you to do the same. We only get so many moments in life. Let’s not let anyone spoil anything for us!

So nevertheless, I heard this song on the way home and it got me thinking… initially when I heard the lyrics I thought it was going to be a cheesy love song, but I quickly learned it was much deeper than that. Yes, she’s referring to what comes naturally between them as young lovebirds, yet on a deeper level what really resonated with me was the reminder that we all intuitively deep down know what comes naturally to us and how attractive it is when someone hits that sweet spot in life knowing who they are and can express it as well.

I simply invite you to take a moment today to listen to this song and
#1 get your groove on if you’re feeling the tune
#2 think about what things come naturally to you.

A lyric in this song says “You know who you are and to me that’s exciting”. YES YES YES…. that is what’s exciting to all of us. Think about someone that you know that knows who they are, that’s comfortable in their own skin that oozes authenticity. Isn’t that exciting?? It is to me. Even if a person doesn’t know exactly, you can sense that excitement in those that are searching, and that’s just as exciting if not even more cuz the energy is so high. So if you don’t know what you want and can’t even begin to imagine how you’re going to get there, take a moment to consider first what comes naturally to you and how you may be able to use that in building the life of your dreams. Even if it’s the smallest thing, start with creating a list of things that come naturally to you and see what you come up with.

SELENA GOMEZ: Naturally video: Embedded disabled, go check it out on YOUTUBE and get back here !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YR4dKArgo

Share with us below what comes naturally to you!

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Stand for Something

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:34:00 +0000

This week I was hearing this message loud and clear from some of my mentors in different forms, so I decided to share my “country music” version with you today. In learning what our passion or “purpose” is that so many of us long to find, we unfortunately tend to over think it and continue to find ourselves frustrated about what that “thing” is, and when we don’t find it we’re frustrated until the next time we go on our “life purpose” hunt.

Think about it a little differently this time. Think about it from the inside out for a moment. Think about it, we are usually looking for so many of our answers outside of ourselves, but more often than not the answers are within us. I’m not trying to be cheesy here, I recently learned this lesson after fighting it for so long, and I want you to learn it quicker than I did. Just hang with me for a second.

Okay okay, I know, you don’t know what your answers are that’s why you’re looking outside yourself to get ideas. Unfortunately, the answers that we can get from the outside are “HOW” things. How to do this, how to do that, education or knowledge that we don’t have. But our “WHY” before we even begin to look at the “HOW” needs to come from within us. No one can give us our “WHY”.

Let me give an example. Instead of asking yourself what you’re passionate about, ask yourself what matters to you and/or what your values are. Passion is such a loaded word and can be such overkill sometimes. It’s associated with highly emotionally or sexually charged situations, circumstances and events and sometimes we just don’t have that fire inside of us on a daily basis so we think we’re missing something we need to go look for. That’s really not the goal. Guess what, you don’t have to find that “passion” you can start with what matters to you and build from there.

You innately know what matters or is important to you whether that’s the environment, animals, freedom, education, appreciation, health, simplicity, organization, belonging, compassion, forgiveness, etc. You get the picture. I’ll give a personal example, unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how you look at it) for me freedom matters to me more than fitness and it shows. (ok, yes I’m sensitive about my weight right now, but I’m working on that) but in all seriousness, I can get completely lost in creating personal and financial freedom for myself and my passion to help you do the same, but when it comes to some other areas they are slacking. That’s the way it goes, we’re not superhuman, which is why it is so important to have so many people in the world with various passions/aka values so we can learn from each other, grow and evolve together throughout our journeys.

Okay, next argument I hear. “Well, so and so already is passionate about that topic, they do it better than I do”, and BLAH BLAH BLAH. Well, I believed that for a long time too, but then when people repeatedly told me there wasn’t a Laurie Knight version of it yet, that resonated with me. So much of my message is about being authentic, that immediately I knew I needed to walk my talk and put my authentic version of my “why” out there even though it overlapped with what some other people are doing. It’s amazing once I took on that perspective, I no longer viewed people as competition, but more as partners with similar passions. Wow… talk about a-ha moment.

Okay, so watch the video and begin to jot down the things that you value. Jot down the things that you stand for and document circumstances where you would consistently respond the same way. You’ll begin to find some answers and slowly but surely you’ll start to connect with that knowing part of yourself.

In this day of information overload, it’s easy to convince ourselves that we don’t have our own answers and that everyone knows how to do it better than we do. In certain cases that may be true. This isn’t about being oblivious and lying to yourself that you know everything there is to know, it’s about being authentic and tapping into that part of you that does know you too have something to contribute to the world.

So, what do you stand for? Would love to see your own list or comments!

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The Authenticity Summit

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:22:24 +0000

The Authenticity Summit: Spring 2010

Curious about what being authentic is really about? Think sometimes you have it down, yet other times look at yourself and hardly recognize who you see or where to start to become who it is you want to be?

Living authentically is a lifelong journey, and as with any goal, you will need to take action in order to learn how to do this effectively. When living authentically you’re provided with the luxury of being less sidetracked, overwhelmed or distracted by things that are not purposeful or meaningful for you in your life, which is a tool we should all be armed with in today’s fast paced society. We’re constantly being bombarded with information and the next new thing that’s going to change or improve our lives, all to be disappointed after falling prey to false promises of hope and security.

Bottom line, the answers are more often than not within us, yet the norm is to first search for answers outside of ourselves. We need to know how to access our inner wisdom effectively and effortlessly. Unfortunately very few of us actually know how to access this authentic part of ourselves successfully.

Be part of this exclusive event to support you in developing a more authentic approach to your life and business and start applying principles you learn from this series immediately. This event is FREE. Share this with your family and friends and anyone else you think could benefit from learning to live a more authentic life.

Some of the topics/ information included will be:

• Signs of not living authentically

• Common roadblocks to authentic living

• Common masks/ habits preventing authentic living

• Meaning of authenticity

• Specific strategies/ tools/ resources to enhance business/ life

• Meaningful ways to connect to authentic self/ others

• Live exercises/ homework designed to deepen an authentic connection

• Connection between authenticity and spirituality

Brian Johnson (unconfirmed)

Brian Johnson loves wisdom. That makes him a Philosopher. He also loves inspiring and empowering peeps to rock their greatest lives. That’s why he created PhilosophersNotes.
In 2004, in an effort to integrate his philosophical and entrepreneurial selves (yes, he’s a Gemini and to put the truths he was studying into practice, Brian created Zaadz (now Gaia)-a company named after the Dutch word for seed committed to leveraging world-class social networking tools to connect, inspire and empower people committed to transforming their lives and our planet. (Think: Facebook for people who want to change the world.)
As the Philosopher & CEO of Zaadz, he raised $3 million to finance the launch of the business. Investors included a billionaire and his family and the CEO of Whole Foods. Feeling the dharmic pull to immerse himself back into studying and living the universal truths, Brian sold Zaadz to Gaiam, Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA) in the summer of 2007.
Brian is also a contributing author in Michael Strong’s book Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs & Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems where he joins Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus, legal reform expert Hernando de Soto and others in discussing how we can leverage entrepreneurialism as a force for good. His chapter focuses on the role of the conscious entrepreneur in transforming our world. Website: http://www.PhilosophersNotes.com

Alexandra Jaye (unconfirmed)

In her adorable goddess words:

My name is Alexandra Jaye. And, yes, I am a Goddess (as all of us beautiful women are .
I love, love, love to learn and grow! I am so inspired by learning and there are so many fabulous things I want to experience in this lifetime! I am all about playfulness, creativity, curiosity, gratitude, hope & optimism, and wisdom. (These are in fact my top 6 strengths at authentichappiness.org
I created MyGoddessLife.com to be a magical place where I get to share all the goodness I’m learning in my self created Ph.D. Goddess Living program!
I’m evolving as I walk my own unique path. Learning to trust my intuition and love myself fully and in turn falling more in love with the world. My commitment is to grow, expand, love, empower, heal, transform, have FUN (!!) and inspire others to do the same!!
I love a lot of things… But I *really* LOVE God, life, my lover, books, organic food, the human body & mind, traveling, yummy lovin’, relationship stuff, fitness, healing, spirituality, fun, creativity, personal development, freedom, love, cuddling, kissing, dancing in my underwear, singing with hairbrushes, writing, and most of all: laughter!! Website: http://www.MyGoddessLife.com

Linda Salazar (unconfirmed)

Linda Salazar is an in-demand speaker, Certified Life Coach, spiritual growth teacher, and author.  She has addressed such diverse groups as the Motion Picture Health and Wellness Program, the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants, the International Moms Club, the Costume Designers Guild, La Leche League, and been interviewed on hundreds of radio stations across America.  
As the founder of Awaken The Genie Within® Coaching, Linda teaches people how to divine a deeper wisdom with exercises that awaken their internal genies to embrace their positive traits, while subduing their inner gremlins which stop them from all they can achieve.  
She has compiled life lessons from coaching business owners, social workers, actors and many other clientele into her book, “Awaken The Genie Within®.” One television host client said, “Linda’s words spoke so loudly and truthfully to me. From her own life experiences and her own wisdom… she shares her thoughts in such a poignant and powerful way – in a style that always makes you feel like she’s your best friend!”  She has worked on film & television sets for decades through thousands of pressure cooker situations, surrounded by terribly talented and extremely temperamental performers, directors, and crew members. Here, Linda honed her skills developing down-to-earth spiritual, emotional and life practices for work and relationships, the foundation of her teaching.   She became a Certified Life Coach and member of the International Coaching Federation so she could guide others through their heartaches, job changes, and relationship issues to embrace the changes they want to achieve, regardless of what they’re facing. http://www.awakenthegeniewithin.com

Mike Robbins (unconfirmed)

Mike Robbins is an expert in teamwork, communication, and the power of appreciation and authenticity. He delivers keynote addresses, leads customized seminars, and works one-on-one in a way that empowers people and organizations to work together effectively and be more successful. Mike has inspired tens of thousands of people to reach new levels of awareness and success, both personally and professionally through his talks, seminars, and writing. He teaches people to be more grateful, appreciative, and authentic with others and themselves.
Mike is the author of two bestselling books, Focus on the Good Stuff (Hardcover, Wiley) and Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken (Hardcover, Wiley). He is also a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Single Parent’s Soul and Thirty Things to Do When You Turn Thirty.
Mike has worked with some of America’s top organizations and institutions such as Google, AT&T, Apple, UC Berkeley, the U.S. Department of Labor, New York Life Insurance, Stanford University, Chevron, Wells Fargo, Kaiser Permanente, Genentech, and many others. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and is one of less than 10% of the professional speakers in the world to have earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation.
Mike has been featured on ABC News, the Oprah radio network, in Forbes, the Washington Post, and many others. He is a regular contributor to Oprah.com, the Huffington Post, and CNN.com. Mike is also the host of his own radio show, “Let’s Get Real,” on Energy Talk Radio. Website: http://www.mike-robbins.com

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