There are many out there who wish to help individuals achieve limitless creativity. Such a noble endeavor to help fellow man; some creativity coaches are indeed working to set out simple principles which can help any individual get to that space. They are stead fast in their mission. One such gentleman I recently met was Dr. Nick Arrizza. He said;

“It is my hope to bring individuals back to an experience of their true and limitless creative abilities and to their human essence. Sadly this has been lost and much to the detriment of the human endeavour.”

I have rarely run across such a man on a mission to heal the world. So I decided to read his many articles and step-by-step methodology about how one might go about this. He has several papers on these websiteas;

http://www.telecoaching4U.com

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nick_Arrizza

Well indeed. This is one major issue and important factor, which has impeded human civilization, a repeating one in fact which needs to end for us to get to the next step, I could not agree more. There are other factors as well. As society gets more complex without a major increase in biological evolution, we are stuck with an animal inside trying to mask our innate tendencies and still function as a whole and contiguous grouping. Problems arise when we train humans to do, instead of think so they can operate and function in the present period of incremental complexity. Some cannot do it. Not because they do not have the genetic material to do it, but because we have pre-conditioned them to be worker bees instead of thinking souls. Indeed it is necessary to have folks monitor the flows of the system without screwing it up using a protocol of known safety and reliability in the infrastructures and flows of the system. But we also need those who create the system, revamp it and realign it when it is too unnecessarily complex and fails to serve us. For instance: Health Care, legal, government leadership, educational system, etc, etc. These are opinions and observations entirely of my own, upon reading Dr. Nick Arrizza’s works. It might behoove you to read his works to see where your mindset is.

Dr. Arrizza is an interesting person with some simple formulas which could help millions if not billions of people in the world come to a better understanding of their surroundings and minds and in doing so be more creative, productive and achieve such happiness as is their innate desire to achieve. At least this is the feeling I get when I read his articles. If he can do that for the world; Imagine what he can do for you? Think about it.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Everyone has a life purpose; a unique and special something each of us is supposed to do in LIFE. A life purpose is not a specific job or career, it is much deeper and much more fulfilling. Now, you can uncover your own life purpose. You can do it the easy, fast, modern way, using a modestly priced online program, or you can uncover your own life purpose using the more difficult (but free) old-fashioned do-it-yourself method, If you want to save a few bucks and try doing it yourself here’s how …

There are 3 main parts to your life purpose … motivations, life principles, and service to others.

Step #1 Motivations

First, list at least 5 activities you like to do most.

Next you list the actions required to do your favorite activities. Use only “action verbs”; action verbs are words like: create, nurture, restore, catagorize, communicate, etc.

Then, narrow the action verbs down to the top 3 choices.

Step #2 Principles

Next you list the ideals that you, personally, believe in most strongly. What you stand for. Come up with as many as you can think of (5 or more if possible). Then you choose the single most important principle to you; your guiding principle.

Step #3 Service

Your life purpose also involves being of service. Being of service to others. Being of service to others in the real world. Think about others in society who you care about strongly and would like to see helped, i.e. what groups or types of people or entity would you most like to serve or see helped? List as many as come to mind (10-12 if possible). Then choose the single most important one to you, the one that you feel the strongest about.

If you complete these 3 exercises properly all 3 components of your life purpose will be revealed to you.

Just put the 3 components together and you will have the answer to the age-old question of “who am I … and why am I here”. You will have discovered your own unique and special purpose in life.

About The Author

Andrew Lawrence is the founder of the Life Purpose Society and creator of the online program, “Find Your Life Purpose in 30 Minutes”, the fast, easy and inexpensive way to uncover your own unique and special purpose in life, at http://lifepurpose.0catch.com

The expectations we have for ourselves contribute greatly to the degree of excellence we achieve. Through our expectations, we define the boundaries inside which we are willing to strive.

Excellence, however, is not a state of perfection; it is a personal vision and guiding principle to live with daily. By striving for excellence, we continue to learn and improve throughout our lives.

A vision of excellence, consistently kept in mind, builds resolve and deepens involvement in each task before us. It allows every small action, even the most routine ones, to glow with the creative joy needed to produce achievements of outstanding value.

Each individual will define excellence in a deeply personal way. Consider these five questions while envisioning the quality that you desire for your life and career:

What would your vision of excellence look like if it had no restrictions, and you knew that you could achieve it?

In what areas of your life are you tolerating and expecting less than the best that you desire?

What, if any, are the challenges that repeatedly block you from performing at your highest potential?

What resources could you mobilize to help create the most abundance for the future?

What must happen next for you to move closer to your personal vision of excellence?

Your answers will help to clarify and strengthen your vision and enthusiasm to achieve the excellence and fulfillment that you seek.

Grenville Kleiser (1868-1953) wrote, “Keep a definite goal of achievement constantly in view. Realize that work, well and worthily done, makes life truly worth living.”

May you achieve excellence and all of its rewards each and every day!

© Copyright 2005-2006 by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve your top potential. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com.

The only way to get ahead in life is to know where you want to go and keep yourself moving in that direction. Blame, shame and regret are a waste of time. “Never look back unless you plan on going that way.”

In order to move forward, you have to be aware of where you are. Are you stuck in neutral or, even worse, backsliding in reverse into the past? If you are, put on your brakes, change gears and get back on track.

How can you tell if you’re off track or going backwards? It’s pretty easy. Just pay attention to your feeling feedback. Your emotions are your strongest indication of whether or not you’re focused in the right direction. If you’re feeling angry, upset, guilty, or whatever, about something that happened last year, last month, last week or ten minutes ago, then you’re stuck in the past. And there’s no way that you can get to where you want to go from the past. To move forward, you have to start from the here and now. You must be present to change gears.

So get in touch with your feelings, but don’t stay stuck where you are. Let go of negative emotions. This includes any complaining, blaming and justifying. Let it all go. Realize that it’s over. It’s gone. It’s past. And the only reason it’s still hanging around is because you’re still thinking about it.

Now, it’s time to quit idling around and move on. But, before you can move forward, you must get out of reverse (the past), focus on your goal and change gears. Look at what you can do to either transform the situation or, better yet, just let it go and transcend it. That’s often your best bet.

The Chinese symbol for “crisis” is the same as for “opportunity.” Isn’t that interesting? So, in every breakdown, look for the breakthrough. When you’re in the middle of a “crisis,” you can change gears by asking yourself, “What’s the opportunity here?” That’s thinking in forward gear!

Katie Byrd will take you by the hand and teach you the skills she’s used to journey from a financially strapped, bad credit nightmare to debt free abundant living. To find out more visit: http://abundanceandwealth.bellaonline.com

Obesity plays a big role in our society today. Exercise and eating right are a way to fight obesity. But how do you motivate yourself to exercise? Let’s face it; it isn’t one of the most enjoyable things do to with our time.

And time is very important to us today. There never seems to be enough of it. So how do we get exercise motivation? Setting goals is the key to this process.

The first step in achieving exercise motivation is to decide what goals you want from yourself. Do you want to lose 10 pounds? 20 pounds? Or do you just want to tone your body?

The next question to ask yourself is what are you going to gain from these goals? If you like the answers you’re getting from these questions, then you are half way to exercise motivation!

When setting goals for exercise motivation, try not to set them to high. Don’t set a goal to lose 50 pounds, unless you can afford to lose 50 pounds! Don’t set a goal to run 5 miles a day, if you have never run a mile before.

Be realistic in your goal setting. This is so important in this process. The goals have to be both possible and realistic for you to be able to achieve them.

After the goals are set, write down what steps you are going to have to take to reach these goals. For instance, do you need to stop eating dessert every night after dinner? Do you need to give up that second cappuccino in the mornings? Can you walk to work or lunch, instead of driving? Once you come up with a plan to change the way you do things, it will be easier to lose weight.

The next step is to be creative with your exercise routine. Getting on a treadmill in a lonely room isn’t going to keep us motivated for very long. Maybe you need to put a television in the room with the treadmill. Or maybe find a route outdoors for your walk or run.

Commitment is the last and final stage to achieving exercise motivation. You have lost ten pounds and are starting to eat a healthier diet, now you have to commit to doing it. Make time every day and don’t let temptations get in the way. It is all in the will power.

That is not to say that you can’t reward yourself with a day off of exercise once in a while, or a piece of cake now and then. That is important also, but being consistent with your exercise routine is priority. It will soon become habitual to exercise. You have just replaced your bad habits with a good habit!

I want to share some additional ideas about the
process of change to help you gear up for showing up
more fully in 2006.

First I want to tell you about a powerful exchange I
had with a 17 year old client and his mother this week.
I must say that this young person is massively troubled.
His mother stated that she always taught her child to be
a “free thinker” and to challenge “entrenched power”.
My response was that “It is OK to think outside the box,
but first you need a box”.

By having a box I mean a set of beliefs, values, an identity
and a coherent personal story to hold all of this.

That being said, once you have a “box”, hopefully it is
flexible enough to make room for new ideas and experiences.

I strongly believe your identity or personal story literally
creates who you are. My 17 year old client has constructed
his identity around being a person who is a fighter. He is
not clear about what he stands for. He is clear what he is
against – EVERYTHING!

In order to create change in your life, you need to examine
your current identity conclusions.

This is crucial because you act in line with your identity. Your
identity acts like a governor on a go-cart. It will only let you
go so far or so fast.

You may be pondering, “What is my identity or personal story?”
or “Where does it come from?”

Your identity conclusions are self created out of your collective
life experiences. Many of our most preciously held assumptions
we developed before we were old enough to know the difference.

We often get caught up in defining ourselves in extremely narrow
and limiting ways. For example, some folks use their profession
as their primary identifier. Other individuals use unfortunate past
experiences to construct their identity around – “I am a victim”.

Defining your self by a problem you have can be highly troubling. Clinging to other titles, roles or labels is extremely restricting – as these can fall away.

Your identity can be thought of as your true inner self. It includes many interconnecting aspects of who you are. Specifically it includes:

YOUR BELIEFS: These are your unique ideas and conclusions
about: the world around you, other people, and your behavior
– to name a few.

YOUR VALUES: Specifically those “things” you hold dearly and
play a significant role in driving your day-to-day choices and
behavior.

Overall your IDENTITY is your deep sense of who you are. Your
identity can be seen as what organizes your beliefs, capabilities,
behaviors, and values into a single system – a story.

Your identity is so key to who you are. While you need a clear
sense of who you are, your identity can be problematic if it becomes rigid or outdated. For example, many individuals who I have seen in coaching or psychotherapy over the years have come in with outdated solutions. Specifically, if someone grows up in an abusive home, they may learn to distrust people and keep people at a distance. This solution (and corresponding stories) makes perfect sense when considering the context in which they were originally developed. As an adult, this outdated solution likely contaminates relationships.

So how do you begin to change your identity or your personal story?

That is a huge question, but I am glad you asked. Here is a powerful starting point:

Ask yourself some powerful questions to connect with your true self or edit your existing story. For example:

If you were on your deathbed what are the 2 most important things you would share with loved ones about what you learned in your life?

What gives you the greatest joy in your life?

If money was not an issue, what kind of work would you do?
Who is your greatest hero(s) and why?

If you had a time machine and could relive one experience you had, what would that experience be and why?

Remember, expanding or editing your personal story is key to your success. This is similar to what Earl Nightingale meant when he said, “We become what we think about, most of the time”.

The key is that we can change what we think about; with the right approach. William James stated “Of all the creatures of earth, only human beings can change their patterns. Man alone is the architect of his destiny… Human beings, by changing their inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their life.” In other words, when you change your story, you change what you arrange for, create and attract into your life.

Don’t follow the masses. I suspect that Thoreau was correct when
he said “The mass of men live lives of quite desperation”. So many people play it safe. They stay small. They take the easier softer way. They are afraid to show up more fully in their own life. They are uncomfortable with the potential impact that living out an expanded and more empowering story will have on those around them.

Break your addiction to you personal story!

Remember, you perceive what you perceive because that is what you perceive.

In life, you get what you expect.

Seek and you will find (or create or arrange for or simply make up).

What you expect is in line with your identity and personal story.

Make a decision!

Get clear about what an expanded personal story who look like.

Keep in mind that YOUR story is not YOU. You are not the story. You are the storyteller.

Your story is not carved in stone. I like to think of it as being carved in liverwurst. It is changeable.

It starts with believing that change is possible – followed by a
DECISION.

Change what you believe is possible in your life.

Break out of the routine of ordinary.

Transcend what is currently “normal”.

Break out of automatic pilot mode.

Ask your self if there is anything more.

You know there is.

Shatter the illusions of what you currently think is possible.

Cross the divid that separates what currently is and what could be.

You deserve to be living out the most extraordinary version of your story.

Remember, you are the storyteller – not the story.

Give yourself permission to be great.

You deserve to be in love with your own journey.

Choose adventure.

Make the decision.

Dr. Mike Davison
http://www.PartnersInPurpose.com
http://www.PartnersInPurpose.Blogspot.com

If you have any questions about individualized consultation or
coaching to help you live your big dream, please do not hesitate
to contact me at mike@PartnersInPurpose.com .

Copyright, 2006. PartnersInPurpose.com

All rights reserved. For more information, contact:

Dr. Mike Davison

3295 N. Arlington Heights Rd. Suite 103

Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Telephone: (800) 470-3257

Do you hear the word, “ruthless” during your daily activities in the last few days? That’s the word being tossed about as folks discuss Randall’s choice on live television Thursday night.

As coaches we work with intelligent, well traveled clients who keep tabs on current events. Even the frivolous ones such as the TV show, The Apprentice. The recent concluding segment which resulted in hiring the 4th apprentice provoked discussions among our active, goal-workshop attendees wondering about the apparent conflict when chosen Randall said, “No” to the option to hire Rebecca that same night. Wow. What a surprise….especially when reviewing Donald Trump’s original question which was, “Randall, if you were me, would you hire Rebecca also?” “If you were me” is the key phrase uttered by this successful, competent, wealthy business entrepreneur. Taking the lessons from wherever they come, i.e. taking the coaching, it’s interesting to note the different observations as Rebecca, Donald Trump and Randall concluded the interview process.

As coaches we ask our clients to learn from many different areas and to hold a higher vision for themselves. This particular show is a way of observing how young, competent, creative minds, organize in an intense business situation. Whether relaxing at the spa or planning their next strategy, the contestants use their talents and innate intelligence to accomplish tasks and impress the Trump organization.

The coaches chime in: Would you have said, “Yes” to the Rebecca question? “Of course”, says Leslie, the coach…the question was “…if you were me”. It seems logical to add a very competent, earnest & ethical woman to the mix. And, how delightful to do it that same night! Coach Kris points out that Rebecca showed grace and creativity under pressure. Her “can do” attitude prevailed even in the face of obstacles such as the broken leg. You’ve got to admirer her for that and more.

You saw both Randall and Rebecca take a stand for themselves: *How do you take a stand for yourself?

*How clear are you? Randall was clear and his decision came with ease. Rebecca maintained her composure and remained professional. Clarity can be a tremendous guiding force.

*You are an intelligent reader, how do you see it?

We are reminded of the wisdom below: “…live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” Quotes our wise advisor, Rainer Maria Rilke.

What do you notice as a result of these musings about The Apprentice? How might you use these examples to do something different? What change are you ready to make? Harnessing your own courage from examples such as these, you can support yourself into the well-lived life your desire. Go for it!

Why are birthdays so important? Counting the population of this world, every day must be a birthday of more than many million people. But for every one of us, our birthday is very important. Why? Is it because we were born on this day? But why our birth is so important? Because otherwise we would not have existed! So birthdays have importance because we exist. Isn’t it?

Does celebrating birthday change over the life? When we were children, we were very excited on our birthdays. Do we maintain the same excitement as we grow? Most of us don’t. Is it because, we have already celebrated so many birthdays, that we are bored? Or we become so philosophical that we lose the fun of living like a child? Why not celebrate birthday as we used to do when we were very young? The same fun, same enjoyment and the same excitement? Why not give it a try? May be we will rediscover our own childhood that we lost when we grew up?

Most of us have been sending birthday greetings to friends and family members. Click her to select cards that convey Happy Birthday. http://www.ecarduniverse.com/ecards/anyonebirthday1.php Make birthdays fun!

Here is a really simple way to bring happiness into your life.

A couple of years ago, when visiting friends Pete and Sandra, and Sally their 3 years old daughter, I was asked to baby sit for a hour while they went to get some groceries.

Sally was playing happily on a play mat and I just watched her, happy in a world of her own. Watching her got me thinking about happiness and what, over time, I have come to refer as the art of happiness.

If you ask a young child what their dreams are, or what they want to do when they are older, they will paint wonderful pictures, will be truly excited and will have absolute faith in their dreams.

These dreams are not sleep dreams, they are our deepest hopes, wishes and desires. They are where we would like to be or what we wished we could do if we were able to do absolutely anything. As adults these dreams are long suppressed and we forget just how powerful they were, but they are the key to rediscovering happiness.

To be truly happy in your life, to accomplish your goals, and to truly obtain your hearts desire then you are going to have to become a child again and explore these dreams.

Children don’t dream what might happen, their dreams relate to now, they have no concept of the future, and you must adopt the same approach.

In order to achieve your dreams you first have to see, feel and touch them in your mind. You are going to have live your dreams and this takes real mental effort.You have to imagine the sensations and only then will you re-discover the art of happiness.

It doesn’t matter how you explore your dreams. Many people find they have to spend time really concentrating on what they really want. Others find that once they start the dreams just pour out without any effort. However you find your dreams they must be your own, something you really want for you, not what your partner, boss, mum or anyone else wants.

As you discover them write down your dreams, it solidifies them in your mind and turn them from dreams into goals. Setting the strongest goals is all about finding your deepest dreams so, no matter how silly or ridiculous your logical brain thinks they are, pretend you are a child once more and write them all down – no limits or boundaries.

Then expand the list with detail. If you want more money – how much this year, next year, in ten years? If you want a better car don’t just put down “I want a bigger car” – which car, model, colour, engine size. Then go for a test drive and feel the thrill. Go into the fine details and make that dream tangible.

Many people dream of having more money, a bigger car, better holidays but they are vague desires and they fade and eventually they settle for the what they have and are disappointed and unhappy. Don’t let that happen to your dreams.

Use your dreams, a list or pictures, as a screen saver on your computer. Keep a copy in your wallet and put it on your bedroom wall so it’s the last thing you see at night and the first thing you see in the morning. Don’t give up, and work towards it all the time.

Few real dreams can be achieved overnight but as you work towards your dreams enjoy the progress rather than get frustrated about not getting there yet. Enjoying the progress strengthens the desire and is part of the art of happiness.

If you get impatient, and you probably will at some point, don’t feel frustrated for without the dream we would have no progress to what makes us happy.

Your excitement and joy in what you are doing is really the art of happiness.

John has 4 grown up children and recently obtained a writing degree. He writes on a number of topics including personal growth and self esteem. Go to Building Self Esteem for more information.