by Katherine on February 23, 2010
Today I’m making a case for not setting goals.
Whoa! How can we proceed without GOALS? How on earth do we know where we’re going if we don’t set out all the steps ahead of time?
I know there are many experts who will strongly disagree with me, and they will make great arguments. They will point to example after example of successful people who certainly didn’t get where they are today without goals. By certain definitions of success they’re not wrong.
However I’m sticking to my point of view so bear with me. Here’s my argument. If we try to define ahead of time the exact form that our inspiration will take, we limit ourselves. With laser focus we don’t see possibilities beyond our line of vision. Through setting our boundaries we might reject a shift to an opportunity outside those boundaries.
When we make our intention to grow and learn through what we’re inspired to do, to affirm all that we are, to share our uniqueness with others, we will be astonished to see what brilliance comes to us in ways we never could have imagined.
Now if you’re thinking that there has to be a target somewhere, you’re absolutely right. Having what I call a Big Vision is good. It gives us energy, it fires our passion, and it feeds us creatively. One of the reasons we feel drained and overwhelmed is because we are doing something that is not natural to us.
Getting to the big vision is not a well-documented sequence of steps. Instead within the power of a big vision is the trust to keep moving, the faith that we will receive help from unexpected and delightful sources, and the intuitive knowledge of what one step to take next.
This principle is simple but practising it takes some, well, practice. Because there are so many messages from our culture that run counter to it we need to shift our default position.
Here are some simple ideas to begin.
- Start by envisioning something relatively easy.
- Set aside a few minute each day to see and feel it clearly in your mind.
- Know that as you connect to your vision you are connecting to Infinite Consciousness.
- Make the vision something you have no strong negative beliefs about.
- Watch for intuitive ideas about what step to take next.
- Relax into it and have some fun.
- When your vision manifests, celebrate!
Then while the energy is still flowing from this one, strengthen your belief by envisioning another!
by Katherine on February 9, 2010
I love discovering new techie tools, but it’s not the techie tool itself that excites me. What excites me is how I can use it to be creative. I find new ones all the time and the list got so long that I had to create some qualifying questions to make decisions about them. Otherwise I might never be seen again in the real world. (Just kidding.)
The questions I ask myself to make a decision about a newly discovered technical tool are:
- Is it going to be fun? (Has to be fun or next, please!)
- Will it support my creativity? (A no-brainer!)
- Is it easy to learn? (Or does it have too steep a learning curve?)
- Is it going to complement another technical tool I already know how to use? (Not absolutely required but definitely a plus.)
- Is it relatively inexpensive? (No matter what the cost, will I get enough use out of it to make the price a non issue?)
- And finally, do I just get an intuitive hit about it? (Never underestimate this… intuition is almost always accurate.)
Today I’m going to introduce you to a technical tool that was a resounding yes to all the above questions.
Animoto is a tool for making videos with still photos, video clips, text and music, all blended by their technology into a montage with all the energy of a movie trailer.
Who are the people behind Animoto? Well in their own words, “Animoto Productions is a bunch of techies and film/tv producers who decided to lock themselves in a room together and nerd out.” Love their sense of humour.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words…or in this case a video, so you can see one that I created here for my Voice of Destiny Music site.
The music I used is original music from one of my CD’s, so there’s no copyright issue. They ask that you not use music you don’t have permission to use. That would include anything that’s not on their site or anything that’s not your original music. They do however have a lot of royalty free music already on the site.
(In future posts I will give you some great sources for both free photos and places to buy a license for music. Stay tuned for that.)
There are three levels for Animoto customers:
- Basic which is free and allows you to make an unlimited number of 30 second videos
- An All Access Pass which is $30 a year and allows you to make an unlimited number of full length videos
- A Business Level which is $249 a year and allows you to make an unlimited number of full length videos of DVD quality for commercial use
Other Features
- The first two levels are branded with the Animoto brand. The Business level allows you to display your own brand instead of theirs.
- Each time you edit and save, the video is different. Each one will be saved in your account.
- You can embed the videos in your website or upload them to YouTube.
- The All Access Pass and the Business Level let you set the tempo of the images at regular speed, half speed or twice the speed. (My video is half speed.)
Try it out by clicking on the image. (It is an affiliate link.)
And have fun!
by Katherine on December 8, 2009
{Find out whether you’re a Grounded Wingnut}
Insight CD
Many people are turning to brainwave technology to increase their success, creativity, and ability to actively attract their big visions.
Before we even learn how to speak we seem to learn so fast and take in so many beliefs that don’t serve us as adults. The part of our brain used for speaking and walking is not developed so much of our time is spent in alpha, theta (very relaxed) or delta (sleep) states. Our minds are most receptive in those relaxed states and so we take in huge amounts of information with very little effort.
But what if as adults, the conditioned beliefs are telling us not to take a chance on creating a bigger vision for our life? Lack of success is usually caused by a mind conditioned to stay in familiar learned beliefs and patterns rather than take a chance on something unknown. However with the latest in brain wave technology from the Immrama Institute you can start to change your creative ability.
Simply by listening an audio CD with binaural beats and the soothing sounds of ocean waves through stereo headphones for less than a half-hour each day, you can:
• Achieve profound states of deep meditation and relaxation
• Significantly reduce stress and anxiety
• Improve your sleep and increase energy and vitality
• Awaken your potential for long-term personal growth
• Dramatically increase your self-awareness
• Take your inspiration and motivation to new levels
• Experience higher levels of creativity and consciousness
• Develop your intuition and expand your personal insight
• Reach deep into your subconscious mind for life solutions
Get your own copy of this great tool here.
{Disclosure: this is an affiliate link. However, I only pass on info that is pertinent to being more creative, and that I have used myself.}
by Katherine on November 24, 2009
Well I’m excited! Today marks the first day of a new column on Creativity Shifts. The column is called The Grounded Wingnut.
Let me explain what Grounded Wingnut is for, and why I’m choosing to call it by that name. I’ll start with the name.
Yes, I admit being just a wingnut by itself might not be such a great ambition. But it’s a little quirky and catchy, and I like it if I add the grounded part to it. Someone called me that once and I took it as a compliment! And that’s how I mean it too.
So here is how I’d define it. You are a Grounded Wingnut if you:
- See your business or career or life as a container through which you express your creativity and grow both personally and professionally.
- Have to be creative and have fun in your business or career or life in order to be fulfilled and happy.
- Listen to and trust your own inner guidance more than you listen to the voices of others.
- Recognize the need for a spiritual purpose to everything you do and at the same time want to be grounded in this world we live in so you can accomplish your vision.
- Have mentors who guide you to your own wisdom and brilliance.
- Don’t have to know every single answer to every single question.
- Have an extraordinary vision and follow your inspiration to take the daily action steps that bring you always closer to it.
- Have a sense that something is longing to express through you.
- Have a longing to bring your greatness to the world even when you’re not totally clear what that is yet.
- Recognize that each individual is a part of All That Is.
So now that it’s defined, let me tell you how I’m going to use The Grounded Wingnut.
I’m going to give you information about practical resources, tips, and tools that you can use as a vehicle to bring creativity, a spiritually-based purpose, and vision to what you want to build and offer the world.
Watch for it!
