Like many writers, I love to read. The walls lined with books in my house are testament to this (and yes, I still prefer the rough feel of paper to the slickness of a screen for reading). When looking for books to improve my writing, I usually either turn to beautifully written novels, or more practical “how-to” books about writing. The book I’d like to look at here, however, doesn’t fall into either of these categories.

First, a little back-story. The clients I work with aren’t writing vanity books meant to simply make a lot of money. They have a deeper message to share, and one that takes accessing a deeper part of themselves to connect with this message. One place to find tools to help you do this is in “How to Channel Your Higher Self” by Celeste Hamman. In this book, Celeste looks at ways to access and communicate with your “higher self.”

I often advise writers to build a “bridge” between their busy, thinking-oriented lives and their more reflective writing time. This takes us deeper into what we really want to say. In this book, several exercises are ideal for this. One of my favorites is Celeste’s “Opening to Appreciation” exercise. I start by breathing deeply, and then drop down into my heart space. I feel into the warmth and love there (if it’s not immediately accessible, she suggests thinking of puppies or whatever will help you get to that feeling), and then expand it to my whole body and even the environment around me. Then, I note what I appreciate in my life, and after a few more luxurious breaths, I begin writing from a much more heart-based, centered place.

If this book sounds like something you’d like to check out and you’re reading this the week of May 17, you’re in luck! This week, Celeste is also offering a number of bonuses to everyone who orders her book (including a writing ecourse from me!). Go to  Channel Your Higher Self and check it out. Oh yeah, for those who prefer getting information in other ways, along with the book you get fre*e access to an experiential online environment with audio recordings, video presentations and a resource link library.

Meantime, try the appreciation exercise before you write and watch what flows onto your page…

Do you ever have so many great ideas swirling around that it’s hard to keep track of what, or where, they all are? Perhaps there’s a partially written book manuscript in your drawer, a painting languishing on a shelf and great business ideas scattered in your computer files?

Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, are you very good at staying focused on one thing – so focused, in fact, that you dogmatically stick with it and the process is, well, slightly dry and joyless?

If you’re in either of these camps, you’re not alone. As a writing coach, I’ve seen people in both of these spaces (and been in both myself!). The former are frustrated that they just can’t seem to finish what they start, the latter are frustrated that it’s just not fun. There are, however, insights to guide your way.

In HeatherAsh Amara’s’s new book “Sacred Time Management,” she says, “When we have too much intent (focused purpose) running, we get narrow-minded and dogmatic. There is no room for discovery or learning through our mistakes. When we live solely from our creativity, we become ungrounded and scattered. We have lots of ideas, but not the force to manifest them in a concrete manner. It is only when we balance play and focus, discipline and experimentation, intent and creativity, that we possess the ingredients to fully catalyze our blossoming.”

I love this. It so beautifully describes the relationship between the two styles, and what direction will move us towards more balance. In upcoming posts, I’ll explore ways to find this balance. Meantime, awareness is a huge leap – so enjoy flying!

When I read a client’s writing, it’s usually obvious where they were writing it. I don’t mean if they were on a black rock beach in Hawaii or having tea at their daughter’s house. I mean, it’s clear if it was written from the very logical, detail oriented section of the brain that is afraid to make a mistake and gets all rigid when facing the empty page… or if it’s written from a light, joyful space that’s whooshing through the page like bluebirds on a summer’s morning.

People don’t always get that the space they write from is just as important as the words that come out. That’s why I’m especially tickled with the title of Story Circle’s national memoir conference, Stories from the Heart V, held in Austin February 5-7 (http://www.storycircle.org/Conference/ ) I’m excited and honored to be one of the writing coaches selected this year to support conference attendees in “writing from their heart.” When we go deep, we find our authentic voices that we can then share with the world.
I hope you’ll join us – let’s find out what riches await when we loosen the rein on our logical brain and write from vaster spaces…

For someone who loves to write and loves to read, there’s no greater thrill (other than a cold evening, a fire and a good book) than mixing and mingling with other writers. On that count, a recent outing was pure bliss. My husband Charley and I strapped on our tennis shoes, grabbed water bottles and made a day of it at the Texas Book Festival in Austin.

Under balmy 75 degree skies, we traced green pathways around the state capital lined with tents full of books. Friend Jennifer Marine and author of “No One’s the Bitch” told me about her upcoming interview on Dr. Phil’s show, I got some books signed, and we sat in the massive capitol rooms to hear authors speak. Afterwards, we sipped freshly squeezed lemonades while listening to music and cradling our precious book purchases.

A highlight was listening to my favorite author, Elizabeth Berg, speaking about her writing process. She likened it to a “freefall into trust.” She said she never knows where she’s going to end up, but it’s a spiritual process where she simply has faith that what needs to be expressed will make it onto the page. Rather than rigidly plotting her books, she lets everyday miracles speak for themselves on the page.

By the end of the day – and before our jaunt to 6th Street to see revelers in their Halloween costumes – I felt deeply quenched. Writing is a solitary sport, but one so deeply enjoyable we sometimes forget that swapping stories with other writers is a vital part of the package.

Are you ready to launch your writing visions, whether book, blog, or articles? Would you like to tap your inner wisdom and express your true voice? What about taking some much needed time to reflect and rejuvenate – all while taking your writing project to the next level?

If this sounds inviting, then please join us for the Writing Practical Wisdom retreat from 10-1 p.m. on October 10 in Round Rock, Texas. Fee is $45 (includes lunch).

Retreat benefits include:

o Use the “Writing in the Now” method to access more joy and energy as you create juicier, more meaningful writing
o Create a personal writing ritual and intention setting practice
o Get the essence of YOU into your writing
o Use journaling to clarify your thoughts and ideas
o Write effortlessly by tapping your subconscious
o Bring whatever writing project you’re working on, or want to start, and move it forward

For more information or to register, go to Morning Mist Retreats at www.morningmistretreats.org

I’ve always avoided the rain. Secretly, I’ve really wanted to be like those people in the movies who joyfully run out in the rain, spinning amidst the drops with a blissful look on their faces. Their meaning is clear. They’re really living – the rest of us aren’t. Yet, when it starts to rain, I’m the one quickening my step to get underneath a store overhang, or waiting an extra 10 minutes until it slows before I make a dash for my car. My husband scoffs and makes comments about how no one melts in the rain, but frankly I’ve never seen him out there blissfully spinning circles, either.

All that changed this year on my birthday. I was up early and in the mood for a solitary walk, so I flipped open the shutters to check on the weather. It looked ominous. Still, I figured I could be out and back before the weather changed. I grabbed my umbrella, left the dog behind (it was MY birthday, after all, not his) and started out.

Halfway through, a few fat raindrops plunked on my bare arms, so I took preventative steps and put up my umbrella. Before long it was pouring and I was looking for a tree to dive under. Then I caught a smell. This was something I hadn’t smelled in awhile. It was rich, composty, some sort of mix of worms and flowers. I inhaled. I looked down and saw the water flowing down the side of the road with brown leaf boats racing along. I joined them, running beside the quick flowing water to see who would win. A few giggles burst out, and I was glad everyone was tucked into their houses and couldn’t see me slipping and dancing down the street.

The fabric of my pants clung to my bare skin as the staccato assault continued. I didn’t care. It was almost as if I could taste Spring. I wasn’t watching it out my window, it was baptizing me.

By the time my husband swung by in the car, pushing open the door to offer me a dry ride home, I was hooked. I smiled and waved him on. The unwrapping of this birthday gift was too decadent to hurry along…

Pearls for Writers: What is something that you avoid, thinking that it will be unpleasant, rather than diving in and experiencing the truth of it in the moment? Pick something and try it out. Then write…

Have you ever had a writing project staring you down, perhaps smirking a little as it teasingly sashayed by? You wanted to nab it and declare yourself the winner, but instead you watched it taunt you and did nothing… other than beating yourself up, that is.

If this sounds familiar, then tune into BlogTalk radio February 4 at 11 CT as life coach Christine Laureano interviews me about how to gain writing confidence and not only start a project, but finish it as well! If you have specific questions, feel free to call in at and ask. We’ll be looking at ways to find your writing mojo, write with less effort and more joy, and figure out where to start if you’re writing to promote yourself. You’ll also see why writing can be better (and cheaper) than therapy!

So please join us, bring your questions and sense of adventure, and we’ll discover some tools to pin down that writing project!

Yesterday, as I was kicking up dust in the attic trying to stow away the Halloween boxes, my husband shouted up to me “Where are the batteries in the dancing chicken?”

Ok, long story, but yes, we have a dancing Halloween chicken that shuffles around to the beat of Macarana. The battery compartment was empty and he was puzzled. Just yesterday, the chicken had danced across the floor.

I shouted back down through the attic trapdoor, “I took the batteries out before I came up here. You’re not supposed to leave batteries in seasonal items or they might leak and corrode the inside.”

Now, my husband knew this about batteries. What was so baffling to him, however, was that I not only knew this, but had followed up and taken the batteries out before hauling the Halloween box to the attic. I’m not the one who usually tends to those kinds of details. He does. I’m more of a short cutter. I don’t towel dry dishes; nor do I carefully wrap every ornament in it’s own piece of newspaper when I store Christmas stuff. So why, he wondered, would I be so thorough as to take out batteries for storage?

The answer is something we’ve said to each other many times throughout our marriage, and which he shouted up the attic trapdoor to me ¬— “Ah, I know, different wife every day!”

You’re probably wondering what the heck that means? It’s a shorthand term we’ve used through the years to remind each other to really “see” our spouse. People change every day, every moment, yet when we get lazy we carry around an old snapshot of our spouse the way they were last month or last year rather than noticing and appreciating the small shifts. By reminding ourselves “Different wife every day,” we remember to keep our eyes open to each delicious twist, turn and surprise the other has to offer as a constantly evolving human being. If he keeps looking, one of these days he may even see me wrap the Christmas ornaments!

Find your own Pearls: For one day, really notice your spouse (or kids) and look for one thing that surprises you.

Pearls For Writers: Are you making any assumptions about your writing, or its quality, based on who you were last week or a year ago? What would it be like to sit down and write, ready for the surprise a new aspect of you has to reveal?

Among the many people I’ve coached, most recently I’ve enjoyed fitness professionals. Why? Well, I remember the first time that I used a personal trainer. She introduced herself, took a few notes, and then proceeded to march me around the gym like a robot. When I faltered at getting the specified number of reps, she barked “Suck it up – keep going!” When I asked a question, she looked somewhat annoyed before answering. And when I expressed disbelief that I had what it took to reach my fitness goal, she agreed!

Well, I did reach my goal, thank you very much, but it was with another trainer. 

She wasn’t a bad person, she just lacked some key life coaching skills that got in the way of communicating with her clients. So, when I coach with personal trainers, I imagine all the clients who will have better experiences than I did!

The reason I bring this up is that I just had an article published in PFP (Personal Fitness Professional magazine) called “Life Coaching 101.” It feels great to get the word out there about how powerful coaching is, and especially to personal trainers who can really make an impact with this knowledge. What made this project even more fun is that my friend and colleague, Shelby Murphy, took over as editor of the magazine this year, so I got to work with this amazing woman.

If you want to scoop up some life coaching tips for yourself, click here for the fre*e online version my article: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/rbpublishing/pfp_200809/index.php?startpage=28.) Enjoy!

This summer, I chose not to blog. I made a conscious decision that I would focus on spending time with my two teenage daughters (which I deliciously did) and coaching my existing clients. Come the beginning of school, I told myself, it would be my time to focus on ME, to rev up my business and move in the directions that called to me.

School began, and I happily set off on expanding my coaching business. That is, until last week when my oldest daughter got sick and had to be picked up only minutes before a client appointment. This can’t be, I inwardly railed. I had that line in the sand. Summer – time with the girls. Fall – time for my business. School had started and clearly my daughter hadn’t read the fine print (all in my brain) about how this was supposed to work!

As I drove to school, frustrated at this breech of agreement, it suddenly dawned on me. By setting up my unreasonable expectation (when school starts, it’s time for ME), I had unconsciously become rigid and drawn a line that couldn’t bend with life’s natural circumstances. Not only that, but I realized that my upset was not because I now had to adjust some work plans (my client was fine with the change). My upset was because of my negative thoughts about my plans being changed. Once I realized that, I was able to let go of the negative thought and felt better in an instant.

As you go through your day, notice what expectations you have set up (consciously and unconsciously). What happens when they’re not met? What would happen if you let go of your vision about how something is supposed to happen and instead embrace how it really does happen? Are you willing to trade in your “plan” for a little more peace?