Amateur Love Music

Healthy Italian Cooking

Italians asscoiate cooking with love and family and good friends. Every occasion is an excuse to eat. Manga! Italian cooking varies from region to region and is based on the best fresh ingredients. They also use a great deal of olive oil in their cooking. Some doctors have stated that this is one reason why heart disease is so low in Italy.

Italy produces more than 40 varieties of pasta with the highest quality coming from southern Italy. Polenta is the national dish of Italy. It is a cornmeal porridge that was used to feed the Roman soldiers. It is boiled, baked, fried or eaten warm or cold.

There are twenty different regions of Italy. Southern Italians are the ones that cook almost exclusively with olive oil and northern Italians eat more rice and polenta. Sicilians use a great deal of fennel in their dishes because it grows wild on their island. Central Italians create dishes rich in tomatoe sauces and cheeses. Meat is not an important part of the Italian diet, instead fish, cheeses, grains, fruits and vegtebles make up most of the meals. There are a few meats though made up of fowl and game.

The Italians only eat two meals a day prefering instead to drink a cup of coffee filled with heavy cream for breakfast. They also eat later than Americans do. They usually do not start eating dinner until at least 7:00p.m.

Italians like to have a drink before dinner while they socialize. It is called an aperitif. Most of these drinks are alocoholic but they also have soda, water and juice drinks. Italians also carry bottled water with them every where they go.

At dinner, Italians like to drink wine. There are many vineyards all over Italy and many small Italian villages and cities have great homemade wine. Beer has become the most popular drink in Italy after wine and is now drunk with dinner as well. After dinner, Italians have a cup of coffee and then they have what is called ammazza-caffe or kill-coffee. It is supposed to help the digestion process. The most common is called Grappa. It is a distilled drink made from the grape’s skin.

Cheap Mobiles with Free Line Rental

12 Month Free Line Rental DealsDid you realise that it’s really possible to acquire a mobile absolutely cost free withfree line rental? What that means is that you will be given a free mobile phone with free inclusive text messages and free inclusive minutes without paying a penny for them!Right now you are probably thinking that this is some kind of scam, but these deals are 100% genuine!The idea is to take on mobile suppliers at their own game. Understand this, mobile suppliers advertise 12 month free line rental deals to attract prosepective buyers through the door. Then they attach a load of clauses to the offers to reduce the quantities of people that take out and correctly obtain a free line rental mobile offer.The way free line rentaloffers operate is that the customer sign up for a cell phone contract as normal, and pay the bill as they would with any other contract. Then, at pre determined intervals within the first 12 months of the mobile phone contract you need to send off for cash back. At this time the shop that sold you the mobile phone sends out a cheque. Typically around three individual claims need to be made before you recover all of the cost of your mobile phone.Now heres the deal, the store owners ensure the process pretty hard , as they insist that you produce phone bills (which you may lose). They may also insist upon specific days for the claim to be made (which may be forgotten) and implement various other loopholes and tricks. This is why you must be clever and beat them at their own game!Fully read the contract, make a note of the dates, do not lose the paperwork and make your claim on time and you should geta mobile phone completely free for an entire year!The fact is the shops don’t care about throwing away a few of these handsets cost free as it makes for a good publicity for them. Being able to promote “free cellphones” enhances the profile of their shop, and, as they recognise only a few customers are likely to get through all the pitfalls needed to acquire a 12 months free line rental deal, it does not actually cost that much money!A free line rental mobile deal may not be the right for everyone as you have to be prepared and ensure you properly finish all the tasks of the claim correctly, but, a 12 months free line rental mobile is definately something worth due consideration if you are cost aware.

Eminem

Born in Saint Joseph, Missouri as Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972, Eminem started performing amateur raps when he was only 14 years old.

While in high school, Eminem joined freestyle battles and earned the approval of hip hop audiences. He dropped out of school when he was 17 and signed up with FBT Productions in 1992. He came out with an album called Infinite in 1996 but it wasn’t until he signed with Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records in 1998 that his career took off.

Eminem’s The Slim Shady LP became one of the best-selling albums of 1999. The following year, he came out with The Marshall Mathers LP which sold a record 1.76 million copies during its first week. Stan, one of the songs in the album, has been hailed as one of the greatest raps of all time. He came out with several other albums that spawned songs like Lose Yourself, Without Me, and Just Lose It.

Highly controversial because of the topics and offensive lyrics of his songs, Eminem garnered approval for his work in the semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile. He is set to play the role of a bounty hunter in the film adaptation of the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel. Eminem is currently working on a new album with Dr. Dre.

Read more about Kendall Coffey on his legal commentary and analysis site.

Kendall Coffey comments on the Jose Padilla case.

Kendall Coffey’s profile is on LinkedIn.

Ave

– Au Terminus ! ordonna Jean au chauffeur du taxi dans lequel il venait de sauter. L’htel
Terminus était situé au centre ville, en face de la gare l’angle de l’avenue de l’Indépendance.

Pour la suite, veuillez visiter le lien suivant:
http://www.gggems.com/aventure_gemmologique.htm

Auteur de plusieurs romans inspirés de nombreux voyages dans des pays producteurs de pierres précieuses et d’expériences insolites dans ce milieu.

About the Author

http://www.gggems.com/aventure_gemmologique.htm
Auteur de plusieurs romans inspirés de nombreux voyages dans des pays producteurs de pierres précieuses et d’expériences insolites dans ce milieu.

Getting In Touch With Your Inner Feelings

Every disease or ailment, whether it be cancer, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure or something else, has a series of warning signs. In ever case, when we experience an abnormality, we tend to move quickly to do something to get back to normal. Our physical feelings tell us when we’re well, and they also tell us when we’re not well. If we want to live a long and healthy life we had better pay attention to our physical feelings.

In the same way, nature also gives us a way to tell what’s right for us and what’s wrong for us in life. Just as nature gives us physical pain to tell us when something is wrong in the physical realm, nature also gives us emotional pain to guide us toward doing or not doing things in the emotional or mental realm. The key to dramatically enhancing the quality of your life is simply to follow the guidance you are given. You should always listen to your mind, your body, and your emotions.

Just as our natural physical state is health and vitality, our natural emotional state is peace and happiness. Whenever you experience a deviation from peace and happiness, it’s an indication that something is wrong or out of balance in your life. Something is wrong with what you’re thinking, doing, or saying. Feelings of ease or uneasiness, happiness or unhappiness, can be triggered by a myriad of factors. But it is your feeling of inner happiness that is the best indicator you could ever have to tell you what you should be doing more of and what you should be doing less of.

Unhappiness is to your life, what pain is to your body. It’s sent as message to tell you that what you’re doing is wrong for you. Unfortunately many people don’t listen to their inner feelings and are reluctant to use their own happiness as the standard by which to judge the events in their lives.

Human beings are naturally happiness driven. Everything we do in life is oriented toward maintaining and increasing our level of happiness. We are built so that it’s impossible for us to feel any other way, without making ourselves mentally and emotionally ill. The fact is, you can’t give away to anyone else what you don’t have yourself. So, you can’t make someone else happy if your are not happy yourself.

The very best way to assure the happiness of others is to be happy yourself and then in turn, share your happiness with them. For example, when a parent has a high level of self-esteem and happiness, he or she then expresses it and shares it with his or her children. When a parent does this, they are giving the greatest gift a parent can give.

When you are unhappy it depresses and discourages the people around you. If you want to make others happy, start by living the kind of life and doing the kind of things that make you happy.

One of the most important things that we ever do in life is to serve other people in some way. It is through service to others that we achieve a sense of meaning and purpose in life. But, the key is to serve with joy and happiness. I believe we are here to serve others, but we’re also here to achieve our own joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment as a result. When we feel that we are making a contribution to the world we’re living in and that we’re putting in more than we’re taking out, it raises our level of self-esteem.

Happiness is composed of a many elements. They can be physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Each person requires their own particular combination of these elements to feel the very best about themselves. It is important to understand that these elements are constantly changing. And only you can tell what it takes to make you happy. That is why, the only way to judge whether a job, a relationship, an investment, or any decision, is right for you is to get in touch with your inner feelings and listen to your heart.

You’re true to yourself only when you follow your inner light, when you listen to what Ralph Waldo Emerson called the “still small voice within.” You’re being the very best person you can be only when you have the courage and the fortitude to allow your definition of happiness, whatever it may be, to be the guiding light of every part of your life. Whenever you feel stressed, anxious, worried, or uneasy about any part of your life, it’s nature’s way of telling you that something is wrong.

Very often, you’ll suffer from what is often called “divine discontent.” You’ll feel fidgety and uneasy for a reason or reasons that are unclear to you. You’ll be dissatisfied with the status quo. Sometimes, you’ll be angry or irritable. Very often, you’ll get upset with things that have nothing to do with the real issue. You’ll have a deep inner sense that something isn’t as it should be, and you’ll often feel like a fish on a hook, wriggling and squirming emotionally to get free.

And that is a good thing. Divine discontent always comes from a positive change in life. If you were perfectly satisfied, you would never take any action to improve or change your circumstances. Only when you’re dissatisfied for some reason do you have the inner motivation to engage in the other behaviors that lead you happiness and fulfillment in life.

When something is making you unhappy, for any reason, its natural tendency is to get worse rather than better. So avoid the temptation to engage in denial or pretend that nothing is wrong. Never simply wish, hope, or pray, that whatever it is that’s bothering you will go away on its own. The fact is that it probably will get worse before it gets better and ultimately it will require you to face the situation head on, and do something about it.

Many people work very hard and experience considerable frustration trying to do a particular job. However, in terms of their own happiness, the right answer might be to do something else, or to do what they’re doing in a different place, or do it with different people.

One of the highest and most important goals you can ever set for yourself is the goal of having peace of mind. Once you set this goal and work towards achieving it, you’ll be holding yourself to the standard of inner peace, and you’ll find that every decision you make will turn out to be the best decision. You’ll have more energy, enthusiasm, and become more creative. You’ll become a kinder, gentler, and a more loving person. When you set peace of mind as your standard, you’ll tap into a source of wisdom that will guide you without fail toward doing and saying the right things in every circumstance.

The most important things you can do to get in touch with your inner feelings is to practice quiet meditation on a daily basis. You should set aside 30 to 60 minutes each day for meditation. When you begin to practice meditation on a daily basis, you’ll begin to experience a flow of energy coming into your mind and body. You’ll have a tremendous sense of well-being, and a stream of ideas will flow through your mind. And, most importantly, you’ll get the answer to the most important situation facing you every single time you meditate.

You must learn to trust yourself. Take the time to listen to your emotions and your inner feelings as to what makes you happy or unhappy. When your inner feelings tell you something is right for you, then do it. If they tell you something is wrong for you, then don’t do it. You must never compromise on what your inner voice tells you to do. You will greatly enhance harmony, peace, and happiness in every area of your life by developing the habit of listening to yourself and acting on the guidance you receive.

Set peace of mind as your highest goal. Associate only with those people and work in only those situations that make you happy and contribute to your sense of inner peace and well-being. Always please yourself in all things. Happiness is the highest human good, and your happiness is your highest good as well. When you listen to yourself and act on what you hear inside, you will have a life filled with success, happiness, and fulfillment.

Copyright©2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe’s work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

Get Paid for Online Surveys | Paid to Do Surveys

First step is finding reputable online survey companies, which will be the hardest part of the process. Simply searching for online surveys in some forums and Google can yield unpredictable results to survey sites that may promise money but never deliver. So, do some research before you sign up for survey sites and find a company you are comfortable with. Now, I have found some sites are great for free surveys, through which, you take surveys at no cost but you could build up points, and when you want to be paid you just email someone and they send your cash fast! Getting Get Paid For Online Surveys is simple. Generally people use paid surveys to make some extra income to meet some additional expenses, read on more about Get Paid For Online Surveys. You will benefit greatly be using the larger forums because they are generally packed full of topics about doing surveys. Also see Best Paid Online Survey. Can you really make any decent money with online surveys? You can make anywhere from $10 to $150 dollars an hour for completing online marketing surveys.

The Internet improves the way companies conduct the surveys. In the past, people would have to go to the companies’ offices, sit and wait, fill out forms, test products, and fill out more forms, which waste much time and is very inconvenient. Now, the Internet now makes it possible for the companies to send the information right your living room! Read on to find out more about Get Paid For Online Surveys. Completing surveys really does offer the opportunity to earn a second income an income from the comfort of your own home. Find out more about Get Paid For Online Surveys and Best Paid Online Survey. These are the top survey “list” sites that exist.
Join for Free now at http://www.Top-PaidSurveys.org

Now you need a way to actually find the highest paying survey sites. More about Get Paid For Online Surveys and Best Paid Online Survey at our website. Get all the info on Get Paid For Online Surveys from our homepage. So getting jobs for 13 year olds is not that difficult after all. Get paid survey network list absolutely FREE from our website! Absolutely no charge for joining the industry’s TOP 7 paying survey networks from www.top-paidsurveys.org

Apply To Take Surveys (and Get Paid!)
AND to View 100% of Survey Results of Your Choice From EVERY Industry!

From personal experience, each of these consumer survey networks contains thousands of high paying multinational companies, ready to pay you $10-$300 for every survey done! Absolutely FREE to join.
Good Luck!

Oracle Financials Implementation: Brazil – Notes for International ERP Consultant

Oracle E-Business Suite, also referred as Oracle Applications/Oracle Financials is competing with other high-end ERP products, such as SAP R/3 or mySAP. Microsoft with its Microsoft Business Solutions subdivision is also coming into the competition arena with Microsoft Dynamics AX/Axapta. In this small article we will be concentrating on Brazilian MRP market niche with its specifics, challenges and opportunities.

• Localization. ERP localization includes two parameters: local tax compliance and local language support (in our case Brazilian Portuguese). The most challenging one is taxes – Brazil, being very large country has unique tax requirements and ERP compliance is challenging. Currently, among recognized international brands, the following ERPs have Brazilian tax compliance: Oracle E-Business Suite, SAP Business One/SAP R/3 mySAP, Microsoft Axapta/Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Navision/Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Language support is not a problem nowadays, however this was a big question in the past – all the systems, mentioned above have Portuguese translation.

• Corporate Clientele. Oracle Financials is targeting large clients and also upper mid-market. The interesting statement is this – in the case of Oracle Financials – it is easier to sell it to corporate clients, who have corporate headquarter in Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand. If large company has 100% Brazilian ground – it probably tends to deploy one of the “local” solutions, such as Microsiga. Both scenarios have reasonable arguments – local MRP is good – it is advanced in compliance to local regulation, at the same time Oracle Applications would allow your corporation have and retain control over its Brazilian subsidiary, simply by deploying one or another Oracle E-Business Suite consulting partner – which is now a commodity.

• So Paulo & Rio de Janeiro markets. This is probably where you plan your penetration to begin. Here we would like you to read our publication on these two gateway markets specifics

Please do not hesitate to call or email us: So Paulo 55-11-3444-4949, USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.greatplains.com.mx http://www.enterlogix.com.br ) – Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally.

We are serving Brazil: So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Manaus, Brasilia

Not Your Grandma’s Grammar

Not Your Grandma’s Grammar

As if it isn’t enough that computers have influenced just about every area of our lives, you’d think that something as sacred as the English language would remain immune to technology’s pressures. Not so. You may not need to learn new rules of grammar as often as you need to update your computer’s RAM, but tweaking your grammar skills will make you look more professional, and you can impress your friends and colleagues with some cutting-edge reasoning.

SPACED OUT One or two spaces between sentences after a period?

Unlike individual letters in typewriters, which all take up the space of one character, computerized lettering allows for spacing differences depending on the size of the letter or punctuation mark. Hence, an m or an H is wider than an I. A period takes up less space than any letter so one space after a period on the computer creates a large enough gap to the eye to indicate the end of a sentence.

Computer programmers changed this rule, not grammarians or English teachers. The battle is still being waged, but I think the programmers will win.

QUESTIONABLE MARKS Quotation marks and punctuation.

In Grandma’s day, a period used with quotation marks followed logic. Examples: Myrtle said the word “darn”. The period went outside the quote because only the last word was in quotation marks, not the entire sentence.

Myrtle said, “I would never say that.” The period went inside the quotation mark because the entire sentence is a quote.

Today (actually for the last 30 years or so), the period always goes inside the quotation mark. Example: Myrtle said the word “darn.”

This does not follow logic, but it makes life easier for professional editors and for the rest of us who have enough to think about besides punctuation. Warning: If you write a quotation in England, ignore this advice. Logic is still followed on that side of “the pond.”

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, MAYBE Since Grandma’s day, we have shortened some words and dropped the former plural form. Memo and memos used to be memorandum and memoranda. Yet other words still retain their original length, spelling, and plural form. Example: curriculum and curricula.

With the word data, we no longer see the singular datum used at all. Data is now normally used as both the singular and plural form. Examples: The data are being tabulated. The data is useful to the scientists.

JUST BECAUSE In Grandma’s day, you would be scolded if you started a sentence with but or because. But you wouldn’t have deserved that scolding then or now. Just make sure that if you start a sentence with either of these two words, you are following them with complete thoughts. Good Examples: But she would never say such a thing. Because of this bee sting, my arm is swollen. Bad Examples: But I can’t. Because I said so. These are incomplete thoughts and you will get your knuckles rapped with a ruler for writing them.

GET IT WRITE It’s not rocket science; it’s the English language – and it’s easy. Click here for a free preview of the book and for more information:

THE BLUE BOOK OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION by Jane Straus. www.grammarbook.com

White Sun – Roots of Sufferings

Ignorance of the Truth is the root of human suffering and this leads to anger, hatred and greed within the person. Most human beings are never satisfied with what they have and poor people have the impression that wealth would bring happiness to their lives. Physically unattractive people always feel dissatisfied with their looks and to them, beauty would make them happy. However, if we check with wealthy people and beautiful people whether they are happy all the time, we will find that they, too, have a lot of things to worry about. They may tell you money cannot buy happiness and when beauty is overcome by old age, their happiness cannot last.

Every individual has a different degree of expectations in their life. Why do people feel such dissatisfaction in their lives? Let us see a simple example here:

Once, a little girl was crying by the roadside and an elderly passerby felt sorry and asked her, “Why are you crying?” Rubbing off her tears the little girl said she had lost the one dollar that her mum gave it to her as pocket money to buy candies and cookies. The passerby wasted no time in offering her the one dollar to solve her problem. The little girl took the money and stopped crying immediately but the next moment she started to cry even louder than before. The man was puzzled and queried why she was still crying. The little girl said, “If I had not lost the first dollar, I would have two dollars now.”

Life is full of cravings and ignorance of the Truth generates sentiments of anger, hatred, dissatisfaction and suffering which in turn can lead to killing. If a human being let hatred grow in his heart, he will become an evil spirit. If an evil spirit let hatred grow in his heart, he will become a demon. Therefore, shunning hatred is the beginning of avoiding the demon. Ask ourselves whether we have any hatred in our hearts. If you have, then it is time you have to get rid of them because it leads to the devilish path. Learn to forgive and in return you will be forgiven.

A person cannot hide his true anger behind a facade of smiles and cheerfulness. Just be aware that our thoughts in our mind determine our behavior which in turn forms our habits. These habits mould our personalities and they yield our fate. If a person is always complaining and arguing with people, it shows that his heart is full of anger and darkness. Difficult personality will never have a good life because who wants to be with him?

We are normally happy when people agree with us and unhappy if they disagree. If someone says some rude words to us, we will immediately feel displeasure or even get angry. On the other hand, if someone says some appreciative words or praise us, we will feel delighted and happy. Our moods are constantly affected by someone’s comments or criticism. We simply cannot avoid being affected by people’s behavior because we are living in the world among people and surely people will say something unless we go into the jungle and hide away from the world. But this is not the solution. The only way is to set our heart to the realization of the Truth and become independent people who listen and act with a cultivated mind. There is no great happiness or great sadness.

The way to peace and calmness of the mind is to refrain from asking others to change their behavior, align ourselves with the Truth and get rid of our negative feelings towards others. The famous proverb says, “Old habits die hard.” Even a long married couple might find it hard to change their spouse’s behavior. It is much easier to demand ourselves than to demand others to change. Being a good role model for others is much simpler than asking others to set up good example. If we try to get rid of our negative feelings like anger and hatred, then happiness will come and unhappiness will disappear. Learn to forgive and our relationship with people will improve and our family life will become more harmonious. We will regain a happy life and experience true happiness.

Once we can get rid of our roots of suffering, namely greed, anger and hatred, we will no longer suffer because no one can upset us. This is because the roots come from within ourselves and not from outside. The key to a peaceful heart lies within our inner-selves and the practice of Tao is to get rid of these roots of human suffering. An evil mind is defined as a mind filled with ignorance, greed, anger and hatred. Such negative mind will lead us towards a demonic spirit.

This is the saying of my Heavenly Teacher JiGong:

“To oneself, we must seek faults among our faultlessness. Not only can this improve our virtues, it can keep us from harm too. To others, we must seek faultlessness among their faults. Not only can we cherish our kindness, it can settle resentment too. Do check on oneself at all times. Instead of demanding others, demand oneself in every aspect. It does not matter if we make mistakes, but the important thing is we can correct them. In correcting mistakes, we can realize why and what we need to correct. Yet to realize something in depth, one must demand oneself. Hence, the saying:

To blame oneself with the same heart we blame others, and to forgive others with the same heart we forgive oneself. It is always easy to know others, but it is hard to know oneself. It is easy to forgive the wrongs of oneself, but it is hard to spare the faults of others. People can see things that are a hundred steps away, but it is hard to see the back of one’s own body. The eyes can observe things as tiny as the autumn-hair, but it is hard to count one’s eyelashes. Hence, those who always see the faults of oneself are on par with TAO.”

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew, as a disciple of Master JiGong realized that first we need to correct ourselves and then get rid of the roots of sufferings. By forgiving others we are forgiving ourselves and happiness will come. Every little thing becomes a source of happiness. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

Connect With Your Creative Dream

We get so busy in our day-to-day life, with all the doing and actions and daily chores, that we can quickly lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. What’s it all for? What are you working towards?

If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?

Taking the time to connect with your creative dream allows you to visit (and then revisit) the big picture. For instance, if I know that these smaller articles are going to come together into a book, I’m going to approach writing them with more excitement and a stronger sense of purpose.

Creative dreams are precious things. They’re sometimes so dear to us that we fear saying them out loud, writing about them or even indulging too much time in thinking about them. We worry we’ll lose them, that other people will think they’re silly and might convince US of the same thing, or we tell ourselves we’re just “fantasizing” and think we “should” be working instead.

Or the opposite may be true; we may have a very active fantasy life, conjuring up images of many different creative dreams, scenarios and the like, but never quite bringing any of them back down to the earth with us.

Connecting with your creative dream, in the ways I suggest below, will allow you to nurture a healthy vision of where you’re going, and bring that dream into your everyday life as a creative artist. Bringing your creative dream with you into your day-to-day world can help get you out of the mire of self-doubt, details and challenges of today.

Your creative dream is that little smile on your face that no one understands but you – and whoever you trust to share it with.

Put it into Play: Daily Practices for Connecting with your Creative Dream

Part 1: Define your Creative Dream – Defining your creative dream can be as simple as spending a few quiet moments in reflection, and then capturing your thoughts through words, images and/or music. Here are some more specific ideas; choose whichever one appeals to you, or try them all.

Often in a coaching session I’ll ask a client to do this: Imagine that you’re climbing on top of a BIG mountain. From there, you can look down at your past, present and future paths. Explore things from this unique perspective and see what you can see about your creative dream from up here. Then capture your thoughts through words, images and/or music.

Another idea is to write yourself a letter dated some time in the future, at a time when you’ve made this creative dream come true. Write about how things are for you now, what you did to make the dream happen, how you’re feeling, and any expressions of gratitude, appreciation or self-acknowledgment. Record yourself reading this letter.

Or create a collage or other artistic representation of your creative dream. Place it in your creative workspace.

Revisit these processes whenever you feel the need, or if you’ve been through a transformative experience.

Part 2: Connect with your Creative Dream Everyday – Choose one of the following:

Read through your notes or “future letter”.

Play or listen to your “creative dream music” or your recorded “future letter”.

Talk about your creative dream to someone you trust. Let them know before hand if you’re open to their comments or if you’d prefer they just listen.

Move your artwork or collage to a new place in your creative workspace. Play with when it comes into your line of sight as you work and notice the impact. This will also keep it from fading into the woodwork (where you’ll no longer notice it).

Questions to Consider:

Where in your creative life do you need to step aside and look at the big picture?

When was the last time you let yourself dream?

(c) Linda Dessau, 2005. All rights reserved.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for the free e-course, “Roadblocks to Creativity” by visiting http://www.genuinecoaching.com