What It Was Really Like

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you have noticed that I like to take a cheery view of things and present ways that you can uplift your state of mind, your emotional well-being, take steps to enhance your creative life.

Maybe you have the impression that I am a goody two shoes, or a Pollyanna sort, who ignores the hard stuff in life.  Or, if you have known me for a long time, you surely know that is not the case.  You would know that I have a pretty salty attitude sometimes, and why that is so.

Either way, I'm going to change the tone of this blog and see what happens.

I've decided to open up about what it's really been like to live the creative life, from the inside, and in particular, about my journey to becoming a writing coach.  It's not all so much fun and games!

The decision to write has been a no-brainer for me.  I've always written things down, even when I lived in dire poverty, and tucked them away into notebooks in hopes that someday things would be different.  I made collages of images that made me happy, and opened up the books to inspire myself when the outside world wasn't giving me any space to express myself. I felt a sense of identity that I couldn't have in other ways, and it gave the hope that my vision cold be real.  I drew pictures, wrote poems, and wrote short essays about the things that I cared about.  For a long time, they just sat in the notebooks, biding their time.

Poverty is bad for the soul.  It makes people angry and cynical, and it stifles creativity as though it were a luxury.  In fact, creativity is the road out of poverty.  Taking small steps, one at a time, I began to build new roads into life, out of the isolation that I was experiencing.  I began to hope for prosperity and acknowledgement, for a better life.

Nurturing hope when everybody around you is talking doom, behaving in cynical ways, expressing anger,  is not easy to do.  And it's not a road to popularity, either.  So a lot went on in the deep silent spaces, where the eyes of the curious and the voices of the critical couldn't reach.  My interior life has been my strength.  Now I want to share it with you.  

What was it like to hide like that?  I felt bad about myself from just about every angle.  I bought into stories that didn't serve me, and that held me back from becoming my true self.  Let's be honest...it sucked.

And how did that change?  

What was it that pushed me out of my comfort zone, caused me to feel that I absolutely HAD to do something different?  It's not a story for one blog post.  It will take a while to talk about this transformation.  The reason I am doing it is that I feel it can add more value to your life than I can by making pretty images for you.  There's still a place for pretty images, and I will offer those, too.  My hope is that you will value them more by understanding what makes them so important to me, and relate more completely with what they mean for you.

In the coming weeks and months, I will open up about my story in ways that I haven't done before.  I hope this will be of value to you, my reader.  Thanks for your loyalty and support. It's not going to be easy to do this.  It will be worth it, if I can help you to become inspired to step out of whatever limitations you may be experiencing.

Schedule some time to talk with me about writing and what it can do for you.

Big View, Big Ideas

Here's a view of 
New Orleans from the 22nd floor, taken years ago when I was there visiting with my son before he started flight school.  It was a great time to visit!  



When we arrived, the whole city was mad with joy, as the Saints won over the Vikings in the game that would take them to the Superbowl.  

Everywhere, people were dancing in the streets.  The entire city was one big party that went on till dawn.
I'm not a football person, but that didn't matter.  It wasn't about football as much as it was about life, about overcoming tragedy, about being filled with joy.
The whole atmosphere was magical, and just thinking about it now puts me into wonderful frame of mind.  This kind of stuff stays with you!

Now time has moved along, and it's been a bit of time since people walked by on the street, and said, "Hey, don't worry about nothin', baby.  You in Big Easy, now."  Bless their hearts, they meant it, too.  Time can't change the feeling of love that was being shared in those moments.

And I still remember.  A feeling like that is worth cultivating and keeping in your heart.  The great moments that you have to reflect on in your life can sustain you through a lot of other stuff.  What really great times have you known?  When you think about them, what kind of feelings come up for you?  What do they mean for you?

How can you share those feelings with others, keep them alive, use them to nourish your dreams?  I want to help you do this.

Let's tap into your creative powers!

Have a really great day, and remember the good things.  





 

Simple as it Gets

With tiny houses becoming more and more popular, it seems fitting to have a look at the tiniest one I've seen so far.  This Lego house was made by my grandson Liam one day when we were playing together.  


Doesn't it make you think of how simple life once was?   Making a really cool house in just a few minutes, with just the basics...a dream come true.  Seeing the little house fills me with happiness as I think of the delights of simple fun.

Now that you are grown up enough to read this, you have a lot more layers of reality to deal with, and life doesn't seem quite as simple as it once did.  

Lots to do, to think about, many roles to play, the list goes on and on.  And still, after all the doing and getting has been done, what is it that makes life good?  It's the simple times of enjoyment when nothing much is going on. 

That's the time when your soul cuts loose and you have a feeling of quiet happiness, that nurtures you and your heart.  How to simplify your life, so that you have more of those times, may be something you'd really like to explore.  One step at a time, you can change the overwhelming feeling of having too many things filling up your life, into a feeling of knowing you can handle what comes up, make time for your creative projects, and just enjoy life more in every way.  

Getting organized in new ways that nourish your inner states and feed your creativity is a great process.  It frees up your energy and makes the texture of life more open.  You can have a flow of energy that feels good and supports you in being able to put more into the things that really matter to you.  Do you have a project in writing or the arts that you haven't been able to get going, or keep going?

Find out how to make more time in your life for doing the things you love. 

Believe in your dreams,  and know that life can still hold moments of simple delight.

Best wishes,

Betty

Grab the Handle and Make it Happen

Here you see how simple getting some help can be.

Stepping up to the challenges of life is a constant path to greater self-knowledge and self-worth.  It's all too easy to think you have to "go it alone" or "be the one" in order to make what you do and who you are be and feel worthy.  

But it's not true!  The real truth is that nobody ever did anything "all by their lonesome", except to BE that lonesome.  Anything that is worth doing in life is worth getting help to make it the best you can do.  

Creative work is a great example of this.  Without someone to appreciate the art, the expression, the message, there is no interaction, no message returning from the Universe.  The return of the message circulates the great ideas of humanity, and even the most humble expression has all of that in it, showing a face of the great circulation of energy that is Life itself.

Help and guidance always make life better.  The person who listens to you and tells you what they think of what you have said is the one who helps you to see the point of it all, who gives your message greater resonance, by asking you what you meant, by affirming, by disagreeing, perhaps.  

When I wrote my book, Prevail, the input that I got from others along the way was invaluable in keeping me on track, focused, and expanding the message. People who read my drafts really helped me to see deeper into the material and encouraged me to put more of myself into the book.  Without my editor, I would have missed the point of what I was writing!  The tough questions, and the encouraging tone he had, combined to add a dimension I could never have achieved on my own.

Your friends, your readers, your critics...each has a place in your work.  Want some feedback about your ideas, strategies to bring your work to light and help you move up to the next step in your life? 

Your inspiration is standing right next to you, tapping its foot, waiting for you to get started....I will help you get going, stay on track, refine your creative force.

Let's talk about your message and your creative expression.

The world needs for you to tell us your truth.  Who are you, what have you done, what have you learned?  What are you so interested in that you could talk about it all day?  What do you know that nobody else does?  Will you tell me about it?

I'd love to know.  

This is the time for the hidden voices of the creative to be heard, the work of our hands to be known.  Reach out and grab the handle!
What great pictures, great stories, are lurking within you, waiting to be seen, heard, felt?

Get some support to make your dreams a reality.

I am ready to support you.  Please get in touch, and let's make it happen.  

Many Blessings,

Betty


 

Standing Out from the Crowd

What is it that makes you different from anyone else?  Is it your way of walking, your eyes, your voice?  Are you really good at something that others find to be difficult?  

Most of us would find it hard to stand on one leg for any length of time.  Yet for the flamingo, that's just the way it is.  Bending and turning, nodding and swooping of necks, are so easy while in this position.

What seems hard to do at first may become easy with practice.
Your life and your way of being are not like others, in the details, the things that make you who you are.  The experiences you have are a source of insight and of strength for you as you create your life from day to day. You are an expert at doing what makes your life work. 

That expertise wants to grow, and to help you grow.   Your message is important. You know things that nobody else knows!  That knowing deserves to be expressed, so the world can learn the things you have learned. 

My work here on the land is an example of this.  As I watch the things I planted grow into maturity, and outgrow what I thought was possible, it has been a great lesson in persevering, and in letting go of my own ideas of what can happen.  Nature creates with astonishing vigor!  Somewhere along the way I became an expert at mountain living, by trial and error, by practice, by use of my imagination.  And the landscape now attracts many visitors who add to the depth of the experience in so many ways.  And the mountains continue to give me lessons in adaptation, in beauty, in listening.

What is your expertise?  Have you ever thought of writing about it?  Picking up a paint brush?  Playing some music?  Let's make it happen!  It may seem hard to start, or to begin again if you have a gap in time to bridge. What would it be like if it was easy?  You are a naturally creative being, with so many things to offer.
This is the time! Get the flow going!  Let's talk about what you want to express, and what that expression can accomplish.

Talk about writing and projects with Betty

Give yourself the support to help you keep being inspired, as you gain your momentum, open up your flow, and complete your message.

Stand out from the crowd!

All the best,

Betty

Your Choice to Recognize Yourself

Making the choice to recognize yourself is the best gift you can give to the world.  You have a unique set of gifts, strengths, and quirks.  Seeing how precious you truly are, how you can live your best life, you can rise above whatever challenges you may face, knowing you have what it takes. 

It is the very things that make you uncomfortable about yourself that can often be your greatest strengths.  The times you felt you had made mistakes offer opportunities for insights that couldn't happen if you "always did it right".  How would you ever learn if you always knew what to do?  Learning how to move on from the place where you feel you are not enough, you realize that you are more than enough.   

Every day, stop for a moment and notice how far you have come, and give yourself credit for overcoming the challenges along the way.  Each one of them helped to create the person you are now, and to refine the message you carry.  Your life and your experience have purpose and meaning beyond what you know.


Your message is important.  The experiences you have are a precious gift that you can give to the world when you open up and express your truth.  Write your story, make your painting, play your music.  You are a unique expression of the Spirit.  The world is hungry for the wisdom you have learned, things that nobody else knows.  When you open up and share that with the world, it gives your life greater vibrancy, and a sense of purpose stays with you.

It's not always easy to get started.  It took me years before I finally wrote the book that was begging me to be written.  I waited till it was just too painful to wait any longer.   I know the struggle of feeling you don't have the time, the space, the courage...

I will help you to find the time, the space, the courage. 

Contact me today!



It's all about using what you have today, who you are today, to create more of the future that YOU want. 

When you look in the mirror, smile.  And have a beautiful day.

Best wishes,

Betty

About me:

For over forty years, I have lived in the back country of Big Sur, gathering experience to share with you.

My service orientation drives my successful food distribution business, and is key in the high quality of my fashion items, known for their originality and quality.  

As part of my life’s vision, I have served on various boards and community organizations for many years, including the school board that established an independent school district in this area.  Currently, I serve on the Executive Committee of the Planning Process for the California Coastal Trail, Big Sur section.  In June of 2015 I joined the Big Sur Multi Agency Advisory Council as local representative.  As the founder of Monterey Area Writers, Photographers and Artists Meetup, I work to bring new opportunities to creative people in the area.

I am a member of the Professional Women's Network of Monterey, and a VIP member of the National Association of Professional Women. My business is honored by the Better Business Bureau, with a rating of A+.  I am listed in the registry of Continental Who's Who.

 

The Virtues of Weeds

The Virtues of Weeds

For most gardeners, and most people, weeds are a source of annoyance, messing up the pretty picture of the neat garden and appearing in the most inconvenient ways at the worst times.  They take up space that we want filled with something else, and they use up nutrients could have been used could have used by plants we would rather see.  The photo above shows the large assortment of plants which now grow in my yard, which was once a clay packed surface in which nothing grew.  As you can see, some of them are ones I want, and others are not.

Weeds are more than a nuisance, however.  Weeds show us important things about life.  They show us how the unexpected and unknown, even unwelcome, things that pop up, may be showing us the way forward.

They are an illustration of the power of nature to adapt to changing conditions, and to create new and unexpected situations.  They pop up in the most inhospitable places, using their talents to take hold and extract nutrients from soil that appears to be utterly useless.  They fill empty spaces with shapes that have their own rules of structure, not like those that we wish to impose on locations.  Weeds are the most efficient gatherers of nutrients, which is why they grow so fast.

More about how to change what you don't want into what you DO want 

Most people don’t know that weeds also extract from the soil exactly the things that, when metabolized by them, will increase the soil’s balance and also its fertility.  When I was starting out my gardens here in Big Sur, I was often short of fertilizer.  I discovered that by pulling up weeds and burying them upside down, in shallow trenches, which I then enriched with small amounts of nitrogen, I could create soil in a very quick and efficient way.  I would plant on top of the covered trench, using a small amount of soil, and by the time the plants reached the buried weeds, they were broken down into pre-soil, ready to be absorbed and digested by the roots.  Worms had arrived to help with the work of converting the nutrients.  Food grew quickly, and with far less effort than by using other methods.

Our way on Earth is like a garden.  When you look at the value of the weeds in your life, and find ways to uproot them and convert them into the things you want, you have tapped into an unlimited source of energy.  So, plant your garden, and when the weeds show up, look at them in a new way.   

They are here to show you what is needed, and to help you create it.  Their energy is arriving for you to make use of, to help you make the transformations that will bring you to the life you desire.

Contact me for a free consultation  about how to make the most of where you are today to create a better tomorrow.

I want to help you to use the value of your experience to create more enjoyment, inspiration and meaning in your life.