You may not know this about me, but when I’m interested in something, I become a master researcher. I want to know all about it. I troll the internet, research people who have and are doing what I’m interested in, learn their stories and map their successes and challenges. I read their blogs and books and learn what experience has given them to share. I find the information inspiring, like a bolstering catalytic force that strengthens my YES and helps me move forward feeling encouraged and connected to a pool of similarly inspired people.

So this past year I got interested in people who are successful in their particular area of focus.

For example, what’s a painter who makes $200,000+/year doing that’s different than one who makes $40,000? Especially if they more or less spend the same amount of time painting.

Although I focused on people who do all sorts of things (painting, music, counseling, writing, photography), and by NO MEANS consider one’s income to be the only measure of success, I found the same thing across the board. There was 1 magic formula everyone I learned about did and a few other things I found that were pretty darn similar.

The magic formula is so simple it’s like duh, I knew that already but clearly we don’t all know this otherwise there’d be more ROCKING IT and less HOW DO I MAKE THIS WORK? in people’s lives. It boils down to this: You have to fully and consistently show up for what you’re doing.

I don’t mean you have to slave 7 days a week. Nobody I learned about did that. In fact, from what I could find, every single one of them has a consistent schedule they keep to and really show up for, and with the exception of a few type-A folks, this schedule looks like WORK when you’re set to work and DO WHATEVER (except keep working) when you’re set to personal time. And, deep breath for you night owls, the majority of people’s schedules began at 6:30 or 7 in the morning, many of whom use this morning time for art and get to business around 10ish.

So what would it be like if you actually, whole-heartedly SHOWED UP for your life? What if you gathered all the energy you spend in doubt, questioning, confusion, or disorganization and harnessed it into engaged creation and action? Imagine how rocking your business, creativity, relationships, etc. could be if you really showed up for them. It’s potentially like you could walk into a whole different life!

When I was in Hawaii last month my honey and I, both artsy entrepreneurs, got to talking about the obviousness and simplicity of the magic formula and decided to create an experiment we’re doing now through Summer Solstice called The Show Up Experiment. Perhaps you’d care to join us?

The experiment is this: We’ve each set a certain weekly work schedule for ourselves that’s considerably more than what we’ve each been doing but that’s still totally realistic. During “work hours” we’re only going to work on the 1-2 main dishes in our creative-business lives and everything else will happen outside of those hours.

Simple. Clear. Easy. Do-able. And way more organized and efficient than trying to cover every base every day… which we all know is a form of sabotage as it leads to everything being done half-assed and you feeling frazzled and exhausted.

I’m super excited about this experiment and what fantastic possibilities will come of it (fingers crossed!!) so I thought I’d share it with you because maybe, just maybe, some part of your life is calling for a Show Up Experiment as well??

We needed strengthening with creativity and business, and perhaps you do too, but maybe your life needs attention with health or relationships or __? Whatever it is, I can say with certainty from my semi-obsessive researching of the past year, that IF you have an area like this, you’re RIPE for a Show Up Experiment and NOW’S a great time to create one and step into it. Seriously, do it! You have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Carpe diem!!!

ps. Showing up is The Foundation of the magic formula, but it wasn’t the only thing. So the “few other things I found ” will come in next week’s post. Stay tuned!

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Here’s an entertaining and illuminating dose of cause and effect inspiration to give you a BOOST!

Heard any of these?

I can’t handle it if s/he leaves me. I earn __ amount of money which sucks because it’s not enough to live on, but I can’t earn any more. I can’t do __ – I’m too old/short/heavy/etc. I can’t go up to her, I don’t have a chance! I want to sing/dance/paint/etc., but I can’t and since I’m not an artist, I can’t try. I can’t change careers now, I’m in too deep with what I have going on… even though it’s not satisfying or not paying me well. I don’t like where I live or don’t like the relationship I’m in but I just can’t move on. I just can’t (adjoined with frozen deer in headlights look). I don’t know how. It’s. too. much.

OMG, even just READING this paragraph I feel like a doomed wooly mammoth being sucked DOWN into into the La Brea tar pits. It’s soooo dense and heavy.

But sadly, crazily, BIZARRELY, I hear people say this sort of thing ALL THE TIME. Sometimes it’s this direct and sometimes their ego tries to hide what it’s up to by saying it a bit more indirectly or being “reasonable”. But at the end of the day it’s the same thing: The Poison of I Can’t.

This poison has been dripped into humanity for ages and it runs in each of our psychological blood streams. It has soaked itself into the fabric of who we each think we are and has woven itself into how we view what possibilities are available in life. It works on each of us to close the door on our light, to shackle who we know ourselves to be and keep us feeling small… and miserably helpless.

But it’s a lie. The BIGGEST LIE. The most wildly ridiculous and fantastic tall-tale that’s ever been spun.

I mean, really – just look around at the people in your life. When you really LOOK and see who they truly are, don’t you just revel in how extraordinarily fabulous they are? Aren’t you dazzled by how uniquely talented, gloriously intelligent, insatiably lovable, and profoundly capable they each are in their own eccentric and wild way?

I AM. I look at the people in my life and am blown away by each of them… and they’re each so different, but each such precious gems of power, beauty, creativity, wisdom, and love. I am inspired beyond belief by each of them. Their mere presence ignites me to expand who I think myself to be and approach life with more boldness and heart.

And guess what? This ISN’T a “guess which one is not like the other” situation. You’re that too. You are every bit as talented, powerful, and delicious as the people in your life. Whatever crappy actions and story that may’ve been dumped on you up to this point is no more powerful than dust on your mirror. It’s nothing. Not worth a second thought. Sure, it happened. But it doesn’t define who you are for the rest of your life. Geez! So, wipe if off, see who you are, and move forward!!!

Do you know about John of God? His story is fascinating so, if not, read about him here. But, to say it shortly: he’s a healer in Brazil people travel to from all over the world. Although it’s not always the case, he’s known for miraculous healings where people who have been afflicted with life-long or terminal ailments experience spontaneous and complete healing. Far out, right? Well, one of the rooms of his building is filled with crutches and wheelchairs people no longer need… because they leave there just fine and able to walk on their own.

I Can’t is like that. It’s a crutch ego’s been using on you forever to convince you something’s wrong with you when there isn’t. So if this is a message who’s time has come in your life, then puh-lease take it in.In.IN. to the very core of who you are and toss your old I Can’t story in the dumpster where it belongs!

And whatever you’ve been dreaming of or considering, do it. Even if it’s not something you do forever, do it as an act of showing yourself you can. Because, you CAN. Now’s the time, baby, to be and live you – loud and proud:)

(Hey, that rhymes – we’re off to a good start!)

Here you are – beautiful, wild, passionate, intelligent, a throbbing mass of sensations barely able to contain how much vitality, desire, love, and inspiration is coursing through your being. You’re talented beyond words, with gifts you’ve been mastering for lifetimes. You are simultaneously so completely connected to the collective that within you is the entire universe, and so utterly unique that you are an irreplaceable instrument the greater intelligence is creating through with a purpose nobody but you can do. You are made of stardust, your voice is the voice of The Creator, you are love manifest.

Seeing you like this, I am in awe of the grandeur of life. Aren’t you!? I mean, take a moment to breath IN how completely mind glowingly cosmically exquisite this being human is, this being you is. It’s wild! Profound! The stuff dreams are made of! Only it’s real, everyday, and it’s called life and you get to live it. Right now. In this moment. Here it is – woo-hoo!!!!

So when I see you (or me) hunching your shoulders, looking critically at yourself in the mirror, holding onto a relationship with someone who treats you badly, telling yourself you can’t do it, looking away when you see someone hot instead of looking at them with your winning smile, and the other 10-bazillion actions that express the low self-worth we’ve each been conditioned to identify with, I want to run up to you and tear the victim mummy wrappings of conditioning OFF of you so you can start seeing who you really are – a divine expression of light in form.

The other day this was my status update on Facebook which got just about as many “likes” as anything I’ve ever posted, which is a LOT!

One of the biggest things I’m re-creating in myself is that it’s OK to take up the space I do, in all the ways that is, and to stop apologizing for being me… or my desires, feelings, dreams, and expression. We’re all dynamic, amazing, and unique – and that takes up some space, which, to me, is a GOOD thing.

One of my friends who is beautifully WAY over 6’0″ responded, “great freaking truths of goodness expressed here…here I am large of body and breath and sound and feeling and life, and there is this tension in me for taking up space…make it go away please!”

I think we all feel that. We want the tension of holding ourselves in and back to end, to GO AWAY. We want to feel free, to shine, to express the fullness of the love we are, and live fulfilling, connected lives of purpose.

But it’s not going to happen with us constantly criticizing ourselves into being small, and whipping ourselves into submission when we color outside the (painfully small) lines our egos tell us to stay within.

It’s going to happen when we say ENOUGH to the inner critic, tune into our respective muses for inspiration and guidance, honor our feelings and desires for expression, take what’s given to us and GO WITH IT!

I’ve been experimenting with this for awhile, and while it’s a forever becoming unfolding, I’m finding that as I keep peeling the layers of domesticated human off of me, the introvert I once thought I was is more and more a thing of the past, which is so fantastically freeing, not to mention FUN!

So let’s begin. Wild and free, baby – that’s where we’re going. You in!?

Sometimes we feel flat. Get confused. Don’t know what to do with our time. Feel trapped in judgment. Aren’t sure how to let our wild spirit FLOW.

Imo, in moments like that it’s best to pay NO attention to those old flavors of self-loathing, get amped, and come back to LIFE! So step right up and get your daily dose of creative mojo right here. Theresa’s creative energy could hardly be more uplifting, entertaining, and inspiring!

It’s an easy enough thing to have happen.

You want to live passionately and you start to pursue a dream. In fact, maybe you’ve already started and are in the throws of nursing a sweet gem of fulfillment to life. I hope so.

Regardless – you start chugging along with your dream and there are all these things to do, create, experiment with, buy, learn, and follow up on and suddenly you’re busy with the work of your pursuit. Damn, there’s kind of a lot of it.

So much, actually, that soon enough you start feeling like maybe this isn’t so much fun. Why’s there so much work to do? I thought passion was supposed to be fun and all this work stuff isn’t fun. One, two, three more glances at your to-do list and you cross the line into the overwhelm red-zone and soon your many vices take on a new glimmering appeal. Lost in the haze of whatever it is you do to distract yourself, you can’t remember why you’re doing all of this anyhow and ego puts the finishing touches by smearing some self-defeating and/or confusion-inducing questions into your mind and you’re officially lost with Vaseline on your lenses.

Nice!

Not that I know anything about this.

Yeah… right.

So it’s easy to speak from ample experience when I say that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to passion-dream-manifestation is clarifying what success looks like to you and what being a successful ____ (fill in the blank with whatever your passionate dream is) looks like 3, 5, and 10 years from now.

I mean, that’s the whole point, right? You want to experience fulfillment. So clarifying what this is for you is your North Point – a shining star guiding your way through the maze of choices and slashing through the gazillion distractions we face each day.

So here’s the simplest thing you could do to help yourself.

Write out in detail what being a fully successful ___ (your dream) would look like for you. And then write out what you’d like this to look like 3, 5, and 10 years from now.

From here, take the 3 year version and back it up. What steps do you need to take to get from where you are now to there? Be really incremental with it. If developing a body of work or learning a new skill is part of that, then you know what you’re doing for the next 6 months. But what then? Break it down.

Then put what you wrote someplace you can see it.  Perhaps on the wall above your desk or on your fridge.  And, if you’re more of a symbolic sort of person, take what you wrote and make a collage or image that says it all and put that up, along with what you wrote.

The beauty is that when you have this, then you know what you need to be doing right now. It’s clear. And when you’re faced with choices between x, y, and z, you can look to the 3-year North Point and decide if x brings you closer to that or puts it off.  Being busy for the sake of being busy does NOT mean you’re being productive for your dream. But being busy with a clear focus and purpose DOES.

So on that note, I’ll say one other thing. A lot of things that look like they’re taking you towards your dream aren’t. I call it faux-productivity. For example, If you want to be a musician, you need to practice. Period. You just do. There’s no two shakes about it. So a faux-important thing you may be seduced into doing before you can get started is cleaning your room, well how about the whole house, and getting the perfect cup of tea, and oh it would be good to get outside for a minute, Nature’s always inspiring, and so on. Sometimes you may need to do these things, but most of the time you don’t.  You just need to pick up your instrument and play. You can get to the rest of that if it’s really so important later.

Isn’t life great? You just got a free coaching session! What abundance. Now get to it!