7 Ways to Love Your Life a Little More

Are you in love with your creative life?

If your reaction is "What creative life?!?!" we need to discuss the possibility of doing some one-on-one coaching together! 

In the meantime, here's something you can do on your own in the coming week. I invite you to ponder the prompts I've shared below inspired the Osho quote in today's Mid-Week Oasis Moment.

If you keep a written journal you may want to answer the questions each time you sit down to write. Observe if and how your answers change over the course of the coming week.

If you keep a visual or art journal you may like to create a page inspired by each question.

Or, if you like, you can click here to download this free printable I've created for you.

#1 ~ What do I love about my current creative life?

#2 ~ What might help me love my creative life even more?

#3 ~ What's one small, doable step I can take to set my answer to question #2 in motion?

# 4 ~ What's one easy, affordable way I can add some beauty to my life?

#5 ~ How might I enjoy a bit more music in my life?
       (Even if you don't think of yourself as musical.)

# 6 ~ How might I add some poetry to my life?
        (Even if you don't consider yourself a poet.)

#7 ~ How might I energize my life with dance?
       (Even if you don't consider yourself a dancer.)

I truly hope that these questions spark some ideas that will help you dive into some creative joy and love yourself and your life a little more! 

With lots of love from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

3 Steps to a Creative New Year

In the spirit of celebrating the coming New Year, I invite you to try this simple 3-step process to help set your intentions and spark a year of joyful creative living in 2015.

Grab some colored pens or pencils (I love writing with colorful felt-tip markers! ) and a blank piece of paper or, better yet, a beautiful journal you haven't been able to bring yourself to write in yet because you don't know where to start. Click here to download the prompts in printable form below if you'd like.

Ready? Let yourself answer the following questions quickly and intuitively without overthinking them. Your first answers are usually your best and most true.

#1 ~ Give Yourself Credit ~

~ What creative projects, pursuits and experiences did I enjoy most in 2014?
~ What helped give me permission to enjoy these creative experiences?
~ What worked well when it came to living a creative life last year?

#2 ~ Give Yourself Ideas ~

~ Which creative projects, pursuits and experiences would I like to continue in 2015?
~ Which new creative projects, pursuits and experiences would I love to explore in 2015?
~ What's one small way I can experience creative joy every day in the coming year?

#3 ~ Give Yourself Permission ~

~ Where can I find compassionate support to help me make time and space for my creativity? (Think friends, groups, classes, coaching, etc...)
~ How can I practicing giving myself permission to enjoy creative experiences more often?
~ What's one loving way I can allow myself to experience more creative joy than ever in the coming year?

Here's to living the creative life in 2015! May your year be filled with many wonderful Creative Oasis moments, laughter, love and light!

Jill

Are You In Love With Your Life?

I like to think of myself as a glass half-full person, but I'm realistic enough to know that it's a tall order to love every single minute of every single day of our lives. Stuff happens...sometimes good...sometimes  bad. Many things that happen are out of our control...but we do have a choice when it comes to how we react to them. 

We really do. When I stub my toe in front of my little niece it hurts like hell, but I'm somehow able to keep the string of obscenities that I'd normally let fly to myself. When a car suddenly pulls out in front of me I can let it make my blood-pressure boil or I can let it go.  Either way, I can't change the fact that I've just been cut off in traffic, but I can choose to not let it bother me so much, take a deep breath and move on with my day. 

Am I able to make this grown-up, Zen-like decision every time? Of course not. I'm human and fairly new to this "letting things go" philosophy in the grand scheme of my life. But I can honestly say that when I'm able to take a deep breath and release things that are out of my control I feel soooo much better than when I give myself over to feelings of anger and frustration.

Great example of positive reframing via Blondie!

The flip-side of this coin is I can remind myself of the endless things that are within my control! 

The many choices that I can make on any given day that help me love my life a little more.

 For example, rather than watching mindless TV or surfing Facebook 

I can choose to spend five or ten minutes:

#1 – making a collage in my Creative Oasis Journal

#2 –  coloring in a mandala

#3 – reading an inspiring book 

 #4 – playing the piano 

#5 – I can remember that saying "No" to someone else's request means 

I'm saying "Yes" to my own well-being.  

Here are a few small questions that might help you love your life a little more:

What's a choice you can make that will empower your creative spirit this week? 

Who might you say "No" to in order to say "Yes" to yourself?

What's one small way you can love your life a little more today?

We'll be learning and practicing wonderful new ways to make more time and space for the creative fulfillment we crave in my teleclass beginning September 18, 2013.

Creating Time for Your Creative Oasis

(click here for all the details)

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. – If you'd like to have Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-sized bonbons of creative inspiration) delivered each week please sign up here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html

You'll also receive a free copy of "Permission to Be Creative 101" – my short e-book that will help you take the first small steps to make the time and space for creative fulfillment – your Creative Oasis – in  your busy life!