My Beautiful Garden - A Precious Gift

I have recently received a beautiful gift. As a matter of fact, it may be the most beautiful gift I've ever received. It is the gift of a flower garden.

Some of you may remember that my friends, Bob and Jayne Farrell, lost everything they owned in the Nashville flood last year. The sad part of the story is that they still have no home. They've been staying with their kids in Phoenix for the last year.

This past month they were here in Nashville, looking for land to build on. While here, they faced many ups and downs and are still wrestling with the reality that those who promised to help them rebuild have since changed their minds.

In the midst of the confusion, Jayne came to my house, shovel in hand. She spent endless hours in the hot sun ... digging, preparing the soil, and planting. It was very humbling for me to watch her give so much of herself to make my home beautiful, when she has no home of her own. Such a beautiful picture of selfless love and unselfish giving.

I've always wanted a garden, but I simply didn't know where to start. I needed someone who knew about gardening. My desire was there, but I didn't know the steps. Jayne showed me the basics, how to prepare the soil, what types of plants and flowers to buy, what kind of plant food and fertilizer to use. It's really overwhelming when you don't have the basic knowledge. My dear friend Jayne became my gardening coach and I am forever grateful to her.

Perhaps that's where you are with marketing your creativity. You create, but you have no clue how to market your creation.

Imagine if you had a coach, someone like Jayne, who could show you the basic steps. Perhaps your creativity could blossom into a thriving revenue stream.

If this sounds good to you,  I'm thrilled to share with you my Summer Success Coaching Packages.

 I'm eager to help you!


Click here to view my Summer Succes Coaching Packages!

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Find Your Focus

Creatives, you are blessed with innovative ways of thinking, but if you're not careful, this creativity can lead to a lack of focus.

I keep running into creatives that are tackling new projects every time I see them. They are bouncing from one idea to the next on a regular basis, never making any headway. Now, I'm all for multiple streams of income, but if you bounce before you get traction with one, you're on a path destined for failure.

It seems that many are looking for that 'magic bullet': the one thing that will make money and take them from starving to thriving. I hate to burst your bubble, but if that's the way you're thinking, I'll save you some time and lot's of energy by telling you that the 'magic bullet' doesn't exist!

Instead of chasing after the new thing that promises to be a magic bullet, I encourage you to find your focus, your highest passion, and determine to make it fly. Decide to stay with it for the long haul. Focus all of your energy on this one project and determine to get it off the ground. Discipline your time and reject all 'shiny obects' that come along to zap your energies.  Believe me . . .  they will come like clockwork to distract you.

Whatever you decide to focus on, know that it will take hard work, discipline and long hours. It will progress little by little. You'll have to fight against discouragement and impatience and constantly remind yourself that success does not happen overnight! 

You will need encouragers to help you focus and stay on task. It's impossible ... difficult, at best ...  to do alone.

So ... what are you working on? What is your dream? Are you getting discouraged before it's even off the ground?

Give yourself a time limit. If you're not making any headway in 4 to 6 months, I would suggest your seeking some wise counsel. Hire a coach if you can ... someone to hold you accountable and make sure you're on the right track. After that,  if you're still not making headway in a few months time, you might want to reconsider. But always get advice and seek wisdom before you move on to the next thing. Often, discouragement and giving up comes just before the breakthrough. 

Stop bouncing and start focusing! If you take consistent steps daily in one direction,  before long you will see the vision start to become reality. 

If you need some support, let me know. I've been known to cheer many over the finish line!  And please, feel free to share your struggles. Are you tempted to change paths, because the one you're on is taking too long? Are you discouraged or are you stuck? 

Action VS Perfection

I'm constantly running into creatives who are STUCK. They can't seem to push their projects over the edge to completion. Upon hearing their stories, I'm struck with statements that seem common to the "starving artist" community:

"I just can't make up my mind about what to call my website."
"I must redo 'such and such' and don't have the funds or time." 
"When I get past this obstacle, I'll start on marketing my art."
"I just can't figure out how to do . . . . " 

These aren't reasons,  they're excuses born out of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Maybe even fear of success.

 As a creative, are you an excuse maker or an action taker? Do you wallow in your reasons for 'why not' rather than fight through the fog to the finish line? If you find yourself hitting a wall with your creative projects, listen closely.

We get stuck in our creativity for lots of reasons. But often it boils down to the fact that we don't think our product is good enough.

Well, I say, 'Action is better than perfection!'

If you don't get your art out there, you'll stay STUCK .... and STUCK is not a productive place.

Have you noticed that Apple puts their products on the shelves and sells multiplied millions of dollars of product, before all of the kinks are worked out? How many hours have you spent on-line with 'trouble shooters,' just to find that it's a flaw with the computer or software program?

 Now, I'm not advocating that you produce flawed products on purpose, but surely you get the point. If you wait until it's perfect . . . . you are losing money, fans and endless possibilities.  Truth is . . . it'll never be perfect! So what are you waiting for?

Take action today and everyday. Get your art, your music, your writing, your designs out there for the world to see. In fact, take the first step out of 'Stuckville' and share them below (post a link to your work) in the comment section. I'd love to see you unstuck and on your way to becoming a thriving artist!