Creative Living is for wholesome Heartists and (s)Heroes!!
There certainly is an art to living wholeheartedly, especially in this hectic post-pandemic world. Re-designing your life means living outside of your comfort zone. It takes a lot of intentional effort, courage… and creativity!
We are not even halfway through the year and look at how much ground we have covered already?!
We kicked off the year by kicking anything that doesn’t serve us any longer to the curb. We decluttered and streamlines every aspect of our lives first. In January we zoomed into decluttering our physical environment, in February we cleared out our inner world. Then we optimised our most valuable resources through time management and goal setting in March. Q1 was all about lightening our load of anything that was holding us back. Once those basics were covered we explored how we could make our life more fulfilling (April) and meaningful (May). Q2 has been all about Creating the life we want to live wholeheartedly.
Through redesigning your life, you have already proven your bold creative powers! Living intentionally is living the life of an everyday heartist and essential (s)hero:You wholeheartedly live every day outside of your sandbox with the heart of a lion!
Living intentionally is the PPPath of the PPPeaceful warrior.
Living wholeheartedly outside your comfort zone is sometimes terrifying. We are not built for change, we were programmed to survive, not thrive. Sameness creates a false sense of safety and security. Change and uncertainty are uncomfortable to our human constitution. At the heart of change is a lot of willpower and a dash of boldness.
“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
Goethe
It is a life long adventurous treasure hunt to discover your heart’s desires. Once your compass is set, you shouldn’t allow any obstacles to bring you off course. The pppath to creating the good life you want to live wholeheartedly is a PPProcess of Patient Persistent Practice.
I would strongly suggest you sign up for the 40 Day RESET course this summer if you aren’t travelling. Enjoy the good summer living in your own sanctuary with this STAYCATION reset retreat. 40 days to living the good summer living, every season.
Be steadfast and savour every step you take along the way. Wherever you go, be there completely. Be fully present every step on your PPPath of this adventure called life. The journey is the destination of your lifelong treasure hunt! Success is not a destination, it is the journey of living your full potential daily!
Feel Good, Be Good, Do Good.
”We convince with our presence.”
Walt Whitman
Be the hero(ine) you admire.
Selfless risk-takers have always been revered. The recent covid-19 induced isolation and aftermath have been an introspective and symbolic phase in our human evolution worldwide. Essential workers transformed into (s)heroes. Research showed that while bystanders sung their praises (literally here in Manhattan every night at 7pm for months!), (s)heroes tend to downplay their own heroic acts. The study concluded that if heroes see their actions as less remarkable, then that would suggest everyday people may be more capable of heroism than they believe. Scott Allison, psychologist at the University of Richmond, stated: “The mindset that anyone can be a hero can empower us – and prepare us to act heroically when the situation arises.”
In this (post) corona society we need to support each other in creating a new normal that is wholesome and healthy for all. May we all bounce back from this pandemic stronger and more courageous than ever before. May we all feel essential everyday (s)heroes from here on forward!
“Those who are selfless are free.”
Nathalie Francois
Create more of what matters
A sense of meaning improves your physical, emotional and mental health. (Read last month’s blog if you want to learn more about meaningfulness.) According to research there are three components that make a life meaningful: it needs to makes sense, you need to have purpose, and you need to feel your life matters. Feeling like you matter may be the most crucial one for your long term wellbeing. It is the recognition that one’s life has value and makes a difference.
When I was first introduced to life coaching 15 years ago, coaching was mainly focussed on passion and purpose. Find what you are most passionate about, and design a purposeful life around your passions. I followed my bliss all around the world, enriching my life with memorable experiences. I lived a full and rich life that inspired others and made me feel alive! It has been an adventuresome joy-ride. I am forever grateful I had the courage to pursue my dreams, but being passionate and brave didn’t fulfil me. I have come to the realisation that in order for me to feel fulfilled, my life needed a deeper meaning. I needed to feel that I made a difference.
Scientifically speaking, a greater sense of meaning is enhanced by healthy routines, by extraordinary experiences, by learning, by connecting, by building confidence, by being purposeful, and by making a difference. Pretty much all the good stuff coaching helps you integrate into your wholesome life! Sign up for either one of the self-coaching programs to start improving your quality of life today.
Living intentionally is the PPPath of the Heartist.
There is an art to living wholeheartedly and intentionally! There are many different sources that have validated the wisdom in creativity. Composing music, writing poetry, painting your emotions, drawing a picture can be both therapeutic and fulfilling. Art can help you process and create simultaneously. It is ‘Big Magic’ indeed, as Elizabeth Gilbert titled her book on the ‘creative genius’ she believes lives inside each of us. She proposes to treat creativity as a delightful treasure hunt where we seek to uncover the ‘jewels’ that are buried deep within. Finding these treasures will make your life more enchanting and meaningful, she insures. She is convinced that creative living helps you to achieve a state of transcendence. Quoting her book: “A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. Living in this manner – continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you – is a fine art, in and of itself.”
You don’t need to be a born artist to be creative. You can be a creative business owner or engineer. Talent can be developed over time. Science has proven that you need 10,000 hours of practice to excel at any skill. Keep practicing and exploring, and one day that experience will become a talent that feels natural to you and you will excel at it! Just as Elizabeth Gilbert sees it as a treasure hunt, have fun exploring and discovering what makes your heart dance.
Creativity is a beautiful messenger that can inspire others to boot. If you can portray your experience and your message artistically it will make the creative process meaningful to you as well. Creativity is a gentle expression of our experience and accumulated advice. We can give our wholesome life meaning by making a difference in other people’s lives through living creatively.
Through redesigning your life the past few months you have already proven your creativity! Celebrate your creative powers and apply them to your daily life, from re-designing your daily routine (RESET program!) to imagining creative solutions. Acting coach Michael Checkhov used to advise his students:
”If you want to work on your art, work on your life!”
I am curious what you will be dreaming up next! Play outside your ‘sand’ -box and build sandcastles on the beach this summer! Embrace this summer and turn it into a creative staycation retreat to establish a healthy self-care practice. You need to feel good in order to be good and do good.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
It’s loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness. ”
John Keats
Happy Creations and Happy Trails all summer long!
Cheers to the good summer living!
Nathalie Francois
Feel Good, Be Good, Do Good.
P.S. Sign up for the Wholesome Newsletter to receive these monthly Wholesome Living coaching tips straight into your inbox. This month will include our Wholesome Summer Reset insPPPiration!
P.P.S. The RESET Program will help you further create and establish a healthy routine to bring out the best in you and guide you along your treasure hunt! Sign up here to get started today!
PPPs Do you value these FREE coaching tips? I have finally added this button so you can show your appreciation! Press here to put your attitude of gratitude into action.
PPPPs. I will be taking a summer break from social media and return all relaxed and rejuvenated after Labor Day, but I will continue this monthly wholesome living blog to keep enjoying the good summer living together!
Everyday this summer play outside your sandbox:
- Find your Creative Voice:
What is your creative purpose?
How can you express your experience?
What is your message?
How can you creatively express that message?
What really matters?
What is essential to you?
What makes your life meaningful?
- Whenever you are confronted with a challenge, try to find a creative solution outside of your norm. Take calculated risks! Try and do something different every day. Think outside the box and be adventurous!
- Design and –patiently and persistently- practice your daily summer routine. The 40 Day RESET Program will walk you through creating your wholesome routine. Sign up for the Wholesome Newsletter if you’d like to receive my wholesome sample from the RESET program to inspire you on your summer journeys.
Happy Trails!
Feel Good. Be Good. Do Good.
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