How Doing �The John Travolta� Can Help Your Creative Confidence

Doing The John Travolta? Is that doing the hip thrust -finger pointing thing�in Saturday Night Fever? It�s not. It�s not wearing your hair slicked back and it�s not a foot massage with a twist (for you Pulp Fiction fans).� The John Travolta is a state of mind.

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One of the potions I just finished (yippee/sigh) writing about in The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder is called Awe-vanced Inner Messages (as in: Take A.I.M. at least four times a day for a better way to see the world). This is a potion whose ingredients release self-talk designed to serve your higher purpose rather than your lower self esteem. Higher purpose means using creativity for many. Under the influence of A.I.M., you are shot more quickly and confidently in the direction of your dreams. Doing the John Travolta is like releasing a feeling of confidence that serves you.

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John Travolta talks about his very first auditions during an interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actor�s Studio. The people holding one of his early auditions suggested to him that he not go into acting. John left thinking to himself �What is WRONG with those people.� He didn�t even CONSIDER that his acting was not good enough.

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Imagine feeling this way about your idea, your talent, your passion. Whatever gets in the way of its intended purpose is the problem - not your ability to succeed at it. When there IS an obstacle, you just keep on going, at the very least acting as IF you are unstoppable � taking your talent somewhere else, showing your idea to someone different, practicing a little more and discovering new ways to improve. John Travolta�s attitude came from an instinctual knowing that is filled with the kind of confidence that tramples over fears and keeps one engaged in their practice. John Travolta devoted himself to acting at an early age, he knew he wanted to be an actor and was around people who �got� him and encouraged him. He made his life acting.

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When you embody a passion by focusing on it as a priority, you live in a way that finds opportunities to passionately practice, seek experiences that deepen your craft, immerse yourself in anything about improving it that you can find.� And each day you become better, wiser or more patient. You KNOW that you are good or getting better and noone else�s opinion, including your own inner-judge can stop you from rising to the top.

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But you can start NOW and you only have to take this potion a tablespoon at a time. Just devote five minutes a to your intended passion in order to break the barriers of resistance that come with the pressure to do more than that. This will make getting to it comfortable, bypassing the overwhelm that comes in between intention and follow through. The habit to persevere needs to develop before wielding a John Travolta level of confidence, and breaking things down prevents fear activation- the same fear that leads to procrastination. If you do not have confidence yet, confidence itself becomes a skill to practice just a little at a time just as much as practicing the skill for your intended craft.� Practice thinking about what feeling confident might feel like in your body, mind and spirit. What you would do with it. What can you do for 5 minutes today that will make your creative passion more of a focus? What about tomorrow? And how will you remember to do these things?

Incoming Events
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Tuesday(TONIGHT!!), October 2: 5pm PDT,�6 MT,�7 CT,�8ET�Fr.ee teleconference on Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching with the theme this month: How Creativity and It's Relatives Help You Reach Your Dreams
This call is for:
1. Coaches who want to learn how to augment their coaching practice and increase their client load with creative techniques,
2. Any individual who wants to learn how�simply thinking creatively�can lead to greater creative fulfillment. Sign-up here

Monday, October 8: Jill is the speaker at the local San Diego Chapter of International Coaching Federation.
Topic: Using Creative Savvy in Life and Business Coaching

Autumn Retreat October 12-14 at Spirit Fire in Mass. www.spiritfire.com Don't be left out!�

Thursday,�October 18th Drop-in Writing� Workshop� Book Works -�Del Mar, CA �7- 9 pm. Theme: "What Happens When Eber Lambert Hi-jacks Your Writing Workshop?"�Come play with prompts, possibilities, personas and surprises making creative writing easier with guest poet, writer and satirist, Eber Lambert. �All levels. No critique. $13 includes free mini Halloween Flashlights for writing spontaneous poems on Halloween night to the first 10 people to show up.�

Thursday, October 18, 2007�Jill is Keynote Speaker at�Golden Isle's Women Celebration on St. Simon Island, Georgia. �Topic: Creative Brilliance and The Anti-Aging Potions. Tickets are $35 Call 912 638-9988�.

Next 14-week Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training begins October 29th see www.kaizenmuse.com

Try out a session with a KMCC coach.

Jill's latest column: Previously on Marge or Marge Reloaded�at Creativity Portal�(new article soon)

The Muse is In Classes are sometimes updated HERE

Beam yourself here for some creative entertainment:� Jazz Dispute

Jill is now taking creativity coaching clients interested in receiving coached during the KMCC training (a hefty discount applies): inquire at info@themuseisin.com.��Overcome procrastination, perfectionism and overwhelm and finally experience that flow of creativity you have been putting off.�

I finished my book! YAY!!!! (due out from Running Press�Fall 2008)

Happy October to you.. its a month to enjoy fantasy, alter egos, fall breezes, amber orange�motifs�and full pumpkin risings. Treat yourself to something sweet - like a massage, a nap, a juicy�apple�or the company of a good friend. Watch for those small delights that happen every day�and when you're aware of one, think to yourself "Sa-WEET!"

teleconference sign-up

The Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training

The Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching (KMCC) training fills the gaping hole in all existing coach training curricula.� Jill Badonsky�s KMCC training course provides a fresh look at how to work with people momentarily seized by perfectionism, overwhelm, and/or procrastination.� Using a combination of Jill�s 9 Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) and Dr. Robert Maurer�s Kaizen (Small Steps) approach, the Kaizen Muse Coaching methodology is brilliantly counter-intuitive and staggeringly effective.� I recently completed the 14-weeks of training classes and still have demanding coursework to complete before testing for certification.� I�m humbled after nearly 20 years of active coaching to discover how to pinch both sides of the client�s brain and watch the exponential results.� The approach is fresh, irreverent, funny, fun and very, very effective.� I love it.

~Shirley Anderson, MS, MCC, IAC-CC Master Certified Coach,� International Coach Federation Certified Coach � IAC, International Association of Coaches

Find out what the buzz about Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching is all about. The techniques used in this model of coaching have resulted in life changing successes for thousands of individuals desiring to move past blocks to their creative dreams with renewed motivation, focus and ingenuity. Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching is for individuals and organizations who want to reach their goals through a creative course of action that takes into consideration the common obstacles we experience because we are human. Compassion, playfulness, innovative thinking, and clever perspectives make this coaching model practical as well as enticing. KMCC coaches choose from the following niches: business leaders, organizations looking for innovation; weight loss; wellness; relationships; individuals in transition; writers, artists, songwriters, storytellers, and people from all walks of life looking to incorporate more of the joy of creativity into their daily existence. More about KMCC on the call this evening and the beginning of every month.

"This is one of the best training I've ever taken, not only to�approach�my coaching niche with techniques that elevate its reach and effectiveness, but because�I made my own�creative breakthrough during the course of the class."

The training is kept small to meet individual needs. Weekly teleconferences with Jill Badonsky, M.Ed., and Dr. Robert Maurer teach the principles, students listen to Jill coach clients in eight live coaching sessions with two outside clients, the curriculum uses the principles to teach the principles - i.e. compassion, play, real-time creative experiences, small-gentle steps, guided imageries, mind sculpting, and resistance/self sabotage�defying techniques. An enriched on-line community supports the learning as well as sharing experiences, insights,�practice coaching�and amusements of your peers. Fourteen weeks of learning new information about the creative process that is not presented in any other course and which is changing the lives of hundreds.

Find out more about the training by going to www.kaizenmuse.com or set up an informational phone call by emailing info@themuseisin.com

Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching Training Information

Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaches Chime In

�It's a Small World After All
by Sue Messer, Certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach
Sue prescribes Kaizen-Muse techniques to individuals interested in weight loss and creative expression
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In this world of "super size me" there is a little new yet old phenomena lurking in the Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching community creating big results.� What is this technique that is helping others achieve goals and live their dreams?� Simply put it is just encouragement to keep it small!� If one wants significant change in any area of their life, as a coach I tell my clients to take small steps, do small actions and ask, small questions.
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This was a hard lesson for me to learn but has proven to one of the single most valuable habits I have incorporated in my life.� It doesn�t matter what area I want to improve be it drawing more, practicing ventriloquism or simply exercising, one little action, one little step or one little question consistently taken or asked,� in time produces huge results.� The smallness can be as simple as showing up a few minutes day after day.
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The success I have yielded personally as well as the clients I have worked with when building on small, consistent, daily actions has been phenomenal.� When I say small I mean small or mini such as one word in writing your book, one note in writing your song or, one stroke of the paintbrush and tomorrow maybe two.� When consistently taking these small, sometimes seemingly insignificant actions, chapters are written, books are published, songs are sung and masterpieces painted.� So when searching for a way to achieve your goal remember one simple word, SMALLER. Post it in many places and remember its meaning.� Small Mini Actions Let Loose Enormous Results! It indeed is a small world after all and that is where dreams really do come true.� It can happen to you.� With Kaizen-Muse techniques your world will expand beyond your imagination.

Sue Messer can be reached at www.suemesser.com and Suemesser3@aol.com

Sue Messer

Muse Profile: Deb Chaney, Artist, Coach

Deb Chaney is an artist who paints large contemporary abstract paintings on canvas and paper using gel mediums, acrylics, and collage elements. Her tools vary from the sleeve of her shirt to large Robert Simmons sky flow brushes, palette knives, and sturdy blue workshop rags.� Visit her website for a taste of her technique.Originally from Vancouver, Canada Deb currently lives in Santa Barbara, CA with her husband and daughter. She just finished the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training and is a Muse Group facilitator.

�Did you receive your formal art training?
Not really. I didn�t go to �proper� art school, more like I went to the �art school of life�. Six years ago I saw the art of LA artist Adolfo Girala at an outdoor art fair. Adolfo�s art intrigued me, drew me in, and I was hooked. I was lucky in that he very kindly took me under his wing. Several studio visits and several years of practice later � and still a life time more to go � I am painting at the level which I�m at today. I�ve also taken workshops with Bob Burridge, Anne Baldwin, Nancy Reyner and Lana Grow.

Creative time of the day for you:
Morning, first thing! Yeah, I�m one of those morning people.  I jump out of bed, can�t wait to tackle my current project. Especially when every one is sleeping. Sometimes I wake up at 4 am and start paintings.

Do you have a mantra or motto?
Currently it�s; �The more I trust, the better life gets� (subject to change). �Breathe� is another one I like.

�Key to your perseverance:
hmmmmm�.Holding the vision that via my success I empower other artists to make it as well. I love the challenge of being a working professional artist and figuring it out along the way � how do you apply to galleries and get submitted? how to sell your art on your own? Where to sell? These things inspire me and keep me persevering � a relishing of the challenge, but most of all a love of ht e process. I absolutely fricken� love painting.

Best advice received:
Do what you love, the money will follow.�

Next book?
I am currently working with a graphic artist creating a new brochure exhibiting my Raw Expression pieces as well as describing their Feng Shui meaning and giving tips to placing the art in your home/office.

�Most favorite achievement:
Cycle touring around Iceland with myself one summer. Great trip. Lots of magic moments and the experience of a lifetime.

Vision for your work:
That it illuminates and adds vitality to the places where it�s shown. My dream is to exhibit my work and be collected internationally.

�How you get ideas for paintings?
Other artists, online, shadows on the side walk, scenes in movies, scenes in life, from my unconscious, from my previous paintings, art books�.

�Favorite studio music:
Currently I�m enjoying �The Proclaimers� Sunshine on Leith album. (always changing)

Next big goal:

I would like to create a body of work to exhibit with the intention of raising awareness of the fringe benefits of creativity, how simply being creative makes us happier, healthier, more focused, improves eye sight, may enable us to live longer, keep goals, and so much more. I would love to have an artists talk and demonstration as part of the exhibition. I would also like to give some of the proceeds to a charity that is in line with the premise that being creative helps people be happier. If you know of a nonprofit out there, please do let me know � deb@debcreative.com � thank you.

�Where can people see your work?
3 places right now � to see work fresh out of the studio, best place is to visit my blog http://debchaney.blogspot.com, for work existing and sold see my website http://www.debcreative.com and for prints, posters, mugs, magnets all with my art images on them you can visit http://www.cafepress.com/debchaney.
And coming soon in art galleries in Vancouver, Montreal, Scottsdale, LA, NY, Santa Fe, Seattle, Paris�

Deb�is the author of the Little Inspiration Book, Ideas to Empower Women and contributing author of Sand in my Bra, Funny Women Write From the Road. Deb also writes a blog about life as an artist, mixed media painting techniques, studio habits, and how she stays creatively inspired. email Deb at deb@qknowledge.com

Deb's Blog

The Great Prompt-kin

�You're not going to believe this, but October is Listen to Your Inner Critic Month. I think we should hear what our inner critic has to say but be ready with come-backs like YEAH? SO WHAT?, or YOU'VE GOT A POINT THERE, IF YOU PART YOUR HAIR WE WOULD'NT BE ABLE TO SEE IT. OR�see if your inner critic actually has anything important to lend, decide whether you want to use it and if not, do The John Travolta. "What is WRONG with you people?"
Much of the time the inner critic is based on fear, unrealistic expectations and beliefs gone astray. Once the initial stages of the creative process are conquered unjudged, our inner critic can help us see what needs to be removed, modified, hung in the laundry room�or saved for another project. But don't believe things like "You're too old, you're not good enough, it's already been done, it's too hard, you're crazy." These things are just not true and if you believe them, What is WRONG with you people? Actually, it's normal to be at the mercy of negative messages - its common and its the rare person who�has no negative inner talk.�It is the people who have a John Travolta-like come back that rise to the top in any endeavor. Let your inner critic speak in your journal but then REPLY with a statement that shows that your better sense is in charge.

Okay, that wasn't a prompt.. just me riffing on one of my usual tangents who shacked up with a loose association.
And now some prompts you can REALLY use:

1. Actually, now that I think of it.. writing to your Inner Critic is a prompt. (see above).

2. Write a�three line story. A story in three sentences! That�s right, so make every sentence count.� The first sentence can state the conflict.� The second sentence can complicate the situation. The third one can present a denouement � a resolution of things, not necessarily a happy ending or a complete solution, but a moment that enables the reader to step back to ponder what it might have been that the story teller wanted to say.
Possible Story topics: A lost object, a traffic snarl, the wisdom of a pet, a passing parade.

Stories by the artist/writer Brian Andreas
Let his technique inspire you to create your own brief story.
My grandma used to plant tomato seedlings in tin cans from tomato sauce, & puree & crushed tomatoes she got from the Italian restaurant by her house.� But she always� soaked the labels off first.� I don�t want them to be anxious about the future, she said; it�s not healthy.
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I�m the tallest man in the world, he said, so I�ll have to miss dinner.� I said too bad about missing the ice cream then.� And suddenly he found he fit quite well at the table if he let his legs stretch down the hall.

She asked me when the season of joy was supposed to end.� I said I didn�t really think there was an exact date.� So we left the tree up till June that year.

Create a doodle or a collage based on and/or incorporating your three line story (or one of Brian's).

To be delighted by Brian Andreas on a daily basis, subscribe to his daily stories here.
Thanks to my good friend, Dale for this prompt.

Story People Site

Instructions to Painters and Poets: How to Paint Sunlight

illustration: watercolor by Jill Badonsky

"I asked a hundred painters and a hundred poets
how to paint sunlight on the face of life

kites

What a wonderful life I�ve had. I only wished I�d realized it sooner. ~Colette

I got to be on Shirley Anderson's Coaching Salon yesterday: Catch the audio here:

Brought to you by Jill Badonsky�www.themuseisin.com and www.kaizenmuse.com
Write! info@themuseisin.com� Do your creative stuff: WWW.YOU.CAN Breathe.