Success Strategies for Creative Souls:
Subtract
Negative Thinking
by Gail McMeekin
EVERY TIME WE TURN ON the TV or read news online, we are bombarded with negatives about the economy—-home sales are down, gas prices are up, consumers are spending less, and so on. Yes, people are feeling squeezed, yet many people are still prospering and growing their businesses and starting new initiatives.
All of us know people who always have a negative spin on things and belong to the “ain’t it awful club” and they are on a roll these days as well. Then there are our own fears and limitations that can spark a negative litany of grim thoughts in our own heads too.
There may be unresolved confidence issues, old family scripts, or tough times personally. All of these stimuli can rob us of our creative ideas of possibility and promise. If our head is too filled with negative talk, there is not room enough for the exploration of our fascinations, creative experiments, new relationships, and adventures. While we need to deal with the realities of our lives, we need a sacred space in our mind that fertilizes creative thoughts and positive thinking.
So how do we protect ourselves? We must be vigilant about subtracting negative influences and replacing them with positive life choices and growth enhancing thoughts. Therefore we need strong filters to sift through the media downers and the people who want to play in a negative space. Here are some strategies to help:
1) Collect positive words and quotations and read them regularly.
2) Make a treasure map of what you want to create in your life--be as specific and visual as possible about what kinds of clients you want, relationships you want, experiences you want. Post it where you can meditate on it daily.
3) Practice a technique called “thought stopping”—when you get a negative thought you don’t want, erase it from your mind. This takes practice but works. Replace it with a pro-active thought that supports your vision of life.
4) Avoid negative people and news whenever you can. Meditate daily on your connection to the planet and all the people on Earth and the goodness in the world.
5) Lastly, put your energy into changing what you can in your life and the lives of others. Focus on improving things and making a contribution of your creative presence in the world. Join the folks who believe they can institute positive change in the world and don’t waste their valuable time focusing on the negative. You can subtract the negative from your life by actively solving your problems and the problems of others with passion and integrity and joy.
Creativity Conference
I teach Success Strategies for the Creativity Coaching Association, which I just love doing. This October 4-5, Beverly Down, President and CEO of the Creativity Coaching Association, has set up a fabulous conference in lovely Lake George, New York with the theme of “Creativity: Let it Be Life.” The conference has two tracks: Creative Pursuits and Creativity Coaching and is open to all who want to spark their creativity in the arts, professional development, spirituality, or family life. Speakers include Beverly, Eric Maisel, and Quinn McDonald as well as nine special workshops. It will be a great event! For more information and to register go to:
www.creativitycoachingassociation.com
Gail McMeekin is an executive/career/creativity/life choices coach and the author of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, The Power of Positive Choices, and a new e-book called Boost Your Creativity, Productivity, and Profits in 21 Steps. She divides her time between her homes in Orleans and Boston.
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