I shared a late dinner with my friend Janice recently. Janice is mostly successful pursuing her own projects, but often lets her pessimism impede her success. She’s always thinks something bad will happen that will totally derail one of her projects. Then, when something good does happen, she doesn’t believe she deserves it and waits for the other shoe to drop. Does this sound like you? Too often we allow negativity to get in the way of our success by feeling undeserving of that success. We all must learn to receive and accept the good things that happen to us as the rewards of our hard work. If you do not know how to receive, you may never get what you want. Here’s how you can be more receptive. 1. Notice Your Work. Success more often comes from working smart rather than working hard. But since most people believe that success is they payoff of hard work, they do not feel like they deserve it if it came from smart work. This is not true. Always take time to think about the effort you put in and commend yourself for working smart to achieve your goals. This will help you [...]
October 27, 2010 – 8:30 pm
As artists, we are passionate people full of raw emotion and creativity. But we can channel our anger into a burst of creative thinking. Here are a few ways I have learned to turn my anger into creative problem solving:
October 19, 2010 – 9:00 am
Even though I left the church, I feel inclined to help an institution that has run into so many issues. I sincerely believe that the ordination of women will benefit not only the Catholic Church but make a positive impact on the world.
As a minister and an artist, I am always intrigued as to how spirituality effects the creative mind. So, when I saw this article from Deepak Chopra on Spirituality and Sex, it was a must read for me. My favorite is #1: Sexual energy is the primal and creative energy of the universe. All things that are alive come from sexual energy. In animals and other life forms, sexual energy expresses itself as biological creativity. In humans, sexual energy can be creative at all levels — physical, emotional and spiritual. In any situation — where we feel attraction, arousal, awakening, alertness, passion, interest, inspiration, excitement, creativity, enthusiasm — in each of these situations, sexual energy is at work. Whenever we feel these states of awareness, we must put our attention on the energy that we are experiencing, nourishing it with our attention, experiencing it with joy and keeping it alive in our awareness. Read this Huffington Post article and tell me what you think. Like this article and want to read more, feel free to subscribe to my blog feed
Life can be fun, but have its challenges along the way. Am I right? Whether you’re starting a business, raising a family, or relocating to a new city, at times it take a large amount of strength and faith just to put one foot in front of the other. I know, I’ve been there. We all have from time to time. I was down in Boston’s North End last week and came across the church of St. Leonard. As I was walking with my canoli, I began to wonder “What do people believe in? What keeps them going when things seem hopeless or a struggle?” Though I know what keeps me going every day, no matter what life hands to me, I would like to share two other stories with you: Dave had had a home-based business (T-shirt designer) for over 3 years. He considered himself successful making $27K a year. However, when the recession hit, orders were canceled and a major client did not pay. Needless to say, Dave’s business was hit pretty hard. But is the great thing about Dave. He knew that this was a make or break moment for his business. So, what did he do? [...]
Wow! We often hear that the key to happiness is through laughter. Whether you believe that or not, you HAVE to watch this video of laughing yoga. I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
In my recent blog post, “How to Live: Lessons from the Jedi Masters” I discussed the need to find a balance between living in the moment while planning for the future. Achieving that balance is central to achieving happiness; but sometimes, our own habits prevent us from taking that leap to get to great opportunity. This is true for any entrepreneur, but even more so for any parent who is also an entrepreneur. Being in charge of a home based business – and at the helm of a family – means that you must always anticipate future outcomes while handling the tasks of today. That being said, I propose the following three steps to achieving happiness. This is a more scaffolded approach to a simple recommendation! 1. Let go and say yes: For one day this week, say yes to any opportunity that comes your way. Life has a tendency to present what we need and want in a way that we may not understand immediately. By saying yes, you can allow yourself to overcome any fear or anxiety that may be preventing you from getting in the game. This article regarding improvisational acting has a great take on the [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Creativity, Happiness, Peace, Philosophy, Spirituality, Uncategorized
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Also tagged achieving happiness, entrepreneurs, gratitude, home-based business, life balance, working from home
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February 13, 2010 – 9:20 am
I know many of you are looking for that luxury lifestyle and hoping that you can design that lifestyle you’ve always wanted and finally work a “Four Hour Workweek.” But at what cost? Perhaps it is the new year talking, but I have been on a total “balance” kick lately. While I value energy, happiness, and positivity, I also believe in a balance in temperaments, in the way of the Taoist philosophy of yin and yang. This informative article explains that “the yin, the yang, and the harmonious temperaments produce the collective, the individualistic, and the harmonious society, respectively.” Makes sense huh? I mean, if you spend all of your time taking care of others, you leave no time for yourself and therefore fail to achieve harmony (and vice versa). Failure to achieve balance within yourself might also give forth the wrong idea about who you are. For example, when I meet someone who is overly-energetic or overly-aggressive, it turns out that 9 times out of 10 that person is extremely insecure. Overcompensation in either yin (collective) or yang (individualistic) sides of yourself yields an unnatural sense of being, both inside and out. Suite101.com had a great article on Balancing [...]
February 10, 2010 – 9:13 am
I LOVE the first three movies of the “Star Wars” saga (I’m talking about Episodes I, II, and III of more recent years, which gets a little confusing given the whole “prequel” thing). In my opinion, “Star Wars” has been one of the most profound blockbusters of recent cinematic history, operating with the help of several themes. Like so many have claimed of “The Godfather,” ”Star Wars” carries lessons that are relevant to our everyday lives. For example, in Episode I, the following conversation unfolds between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: Qui-Gon: Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs. Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future. Qui-Gon: But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan. This idea of living in the moment while planning for the future extends from master to teacher once again, when Qui-Gon explains to Anakin that he must “not think, just do.” The lesson we are taught is that we must trust our instincts, make quick yet sound decisions, and be mindful of the future while keeping it in the background of our minds. I am [...]
