Description

Class OverviewWhat is success to you? It’s no wonder people keep missing ‘success’ when it exists undefined and outside of them! Reclaim YOUR definition and start to take action that aligns with YOUR dreams! (Check out the Top 10 Big Ideas from the class below!)Gail McMeekin is a Passionate Mentor to Creative Women and CEO of Creative Success, LLC. She is an expert on creative women and the best-selling author of The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women.How to Shift YOUR Definition of SuccessThe word success simply means “a positive outcome.” Yet, the media would have us believe many other definitions by showcasing celebrities with fame, wealth, and acclaim. There are also a number of female entertainers who shot into fame and fortune using pornography. It is no wonder many people do not feel “successful” and minimize the meaning and importance of their lives. We are going to shift all that!The Top 10 Big Ideas1Defining Heart-Felt, Personal Success For YOU!You are creative—we all are—not just writers and artists—so own it. It is essential that we do the necessary soul searching to design and feel pride in our own life choices that comprise success on our own terms.I feel so sad when clients come into my office quite miserable as they have been trying to live out someone else’s definition of a quality, fulfilling life, not their own. Just because everyone in your family is a doctor, does not mean that is your life purpose. You must find your own path and tapping into your inner wisdom and your truths will help you to do just that.2Claim Your Passions!One of the tasks I often give clients is to keep an “excitement list” for two weeks and write down anything and everything that gets them psyched. This could be a color you love, a political speech, a cause, a novel, an actress, an invention, a recipe, art, etc. Do not judge your list—just write these things down.After this exercise, you will see a pattern of what makes you happy, what you are drawn to, and what matters to you. If you chose a color, for example, you may want to wear it or slipcover a couch with it, or it may be a clue that you want to be a decorator. Our passions make our lives stimulating and fun, as well as giving us clues on what success means for us!3Follow Your FascinationsNow that you have an idea of things that excite you, you can experiment with them. Creative living is about trying new things out and seeing how they feel to us. For example, I once took a pottery class with a dear friend. I have always admired hand made pottery and loved the idea of doing art with this special friend. But, by the end of class, I had clay all over me and on the ceiling and realized that this was not the art form for me. (I do love to do watercolors and SoulCollage® instead., I discovered later.)Make a list of some action steps to test out your excitement ideas—take a class, do an informational interview, read a book, watch videos on YouTube, etc. One of my clients had attend movies all over her excitement list and she ended up going to the New York Film School and now makes documentaries. You have to be willing to try things out and if they do not work, you can then cross them off the list. I can buy lovely pottery whenever I want—I do not have to craft it!4Identifiy What Kind Of Lifestyle You WantDo you want to travel all the time or are you a homebody or do you like a mix? Do you thrive on fast-paced workplaces or prefer to work on your own at your own pace? Do you enjoy working for an organization or do you long to run your own show? Do you want a simple life or a celebrity/high profile life?Think very carefully and write down your ingredients for a blissful life and/or make a collage with pictures representing what you really want. For example, I know that staying in New England in the chill of winter is not something I enjoy. I hate being cold. So the past few years, my husband and I have been spending time in Arizona and California to escape. In our long-term vision, is a plan to spend the entire winter in warmth and sunshine. What are you tolerating in your life that you want to change?5Do Work You LoveRemember the book “Do What You Love and the Money will Follow”? We are living in a time now where our creativity is our best job security skill. There are many more opportunities to explore doing work that feeds our soul and is meaningful. But we have to be smart about it.If you are an artist, you must learn how to run a business in order to be financially viable. If you want to start a business, you need people to help you with the parts of the business that you are either not good at or do not know how to do or prefer not to do. In any career path, there is a requirement of mastery. We must become experts at what we love doing.6How Much Money Do You Really Need/Want?I am intrigued by the fact that some people who have earned a lot of money often feel like they need to keep earning more. It is hard for them to stop. When they show up in my office stressed out and unhappy, I often ask them “Money for what”? They often do not know the answer. For some people making money is sport and for others money is essential to cover the bills and create savings. What are you working so hard for? Many folks after 911, downsized and moved to a favorite location and began to live on less. Their priorities had changed. Many life and work transitions involve make positive life choices about time and the quality of our lives. Other folks who have changed careers want to increase their revenue so they can feel the thrill of it.Sit down and think carefully and look at your numbers and decide what kind of relationship you want to have with money in your life.7Subtract The Serenity Stealers In Your LifePart of success is feeling happy and in charge of our lives. In my book “The Power of Positive Choices”, I talk about how we add and subtract our way to a great life. But in order to add in Positive Life Choices that thrill us and give our lives meaning, we have to first release what I call our Serenity Stealers—the people, places, things, beliefs, tasks, etc.—that steal our peace of mind and threaten our well-being. Make a list of all the things that if you had a magic want you would have disappear. Then move into problem-solving mode where there are solutions to every situation.8Honor Your Creative InspirationsDecide what you want your life to be about and then make it happen. We all have good ideas, sometimes too many, so we need to encourage the flow of ideas and then evaluate them to see which ones we want to pursue and make into products and services, or will add spice to our relationships, or improve the planet. People have a tendency to doubt their ideas without even exploring them to see if they are viable and if you are truly passionate about them. Your ideas are like creative gold—cherish them—and follow their opportunities.9Keep Your Promises To YourselfBeing in integrity with ourselves is a key to fulfillment. Claim what you want whether it is a healthy body, a challenging business, a wonderful family, a spiritual life, etc. So often we set down goals or intentions and they do not happen which weakens our own self-respect and trust. Decide now what is most important to you and begin to build your life around those Positive Priorities. Often, we need to declare our intentions out loud to make them real and they work on them step-by-step and see how they feel to us. Negotiate with the people closest to you for the time to do what your heart longs to do to enrich your life. Procrastination is indecision so make some decisions and follow-through.10Celebrate Your Personal Positive Outcomes Along The WayStop comparing yourself to other people and their “success.” You are a unique being and we all have our own path to the life that we want. So do not wait to celebrate until you have achieved all the things that you long for, celebrate everyday for what you have accomplished already. Cheer yourself on for the acts of courage and bravery that you do often to help yourself to grow and get closer to the life that reflects your definition of success. Be grateful for the gifts from the Universe that show up all the time and support you. Gather around you positive, happy people who will stand with you as you climb the mountains and sail the seas in search of your dreams. Subtract or at least minimize contact with all those negative people in your life, whether alive now or ghosts from the past. You are the author of your success and your life story. Claim it and fill it up with things that bring you heartfelt joy and keep creating new chapters of wonderful experiences and make the time to celebrate each precious one.