Last week we had a great call with Dr. Mark Hanks, a veterinarian from kindredvet.com. We talked about the energetic connection between humans and animals, the best way to add years to a pet’s life, and we had a very touching conversation about how and when to put a pet to rest. If you have beloved pets, you won’t want to miss this recording. You can find it here and on iTunes under “Change Your Life with Cheryl Richardson” podcasts.

If you’re an author, a CEO, a leader, or someone who has an important message you’d like to share with a larger audience, check out our new Movers & Shakers workshops in San Francisco and Boston, here.

Finally, be sure to tune in to HayHouseRadio.com for my live radio show on Mondays at 5pm ET/2pm PT. I’ll be live tomorrow!

Have a terrific week…

Love,

Cheryl

p.s. – Need a little Divine Direction? Use the “Touch of Grace” button on our homepage here.

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Topic of the Week

Creative Expression

This week’s newsletter is a rebroadcast while I meet tomorrow’s deadline for my new card deck called “My Daily Affirmations.” It’ll be out next summer…

Recently, during a visit with my friend Nancy, I learned about a show on the Sundance Channel called “Iconoclasts.” The show brings artists together to dialogue about their work, the causes that are important to them, and their creative process. It’s become one of my favorites, and while watching an episode that included Grammy Award winning musician, Alicia Keys, I heard something that stayed with me all week.

Alicia said she’d been singing since she was four and when she started expressing an interest in piano, it wasn’t easy for her family to pay for lessons, let alone get her a piano. “A friend ended up not needing this piano and gave it to us,” she explained. She went on to say that people always ask what her biggest break was and her answer is: “That piano.”

Most people think of a “big break” as someone or something that gives them a chance to show their gifts to the world – a chance to perform on stage or TV, for example. But most artists – painters, dancers, writers, musicians, designers, etc. – would tell you that their big break came well before they were able to share their creativity with others. It came as a result of someone’s willingness to help facilitate the expression of his or her innate talents. For example, the person who gave me my first diary (my mom), set in motion the expression of my creative gift through the medium of writing.

As I listened to Alicia, I thought, “Sometimes the most meaningful gift we can give others is the one thing that will breathe life into the artist that resides within.” With that in mind, why not do a little exploring this week. Choose someone you care about and ask:

“What break do you need to better express your creativity?”

or

“What one thing could I give you that would support your inner artist?”

Then, listen carefully. The answers you hear may range from “I need help finding a great beginner’s paint class,” to “I could use a new pair of tap shoes,” or “I’d love to spend time together to hear more about how you learned to decorate your home in such a beautiful way.” The idea is to identify that one small thing you could give that will allow someone to deepen, develop, and express an innate creative talent.

It’s a great question for children! You never know what might happen when you give a kid a chance to express his or her creativity. Agreeing to let your teenage son cook a few meals may inspire him to become a great chef. Or teaching your niece how to use a sewing machine may give her the tools she needs to become a gifted fashion designer.

The older I get, the stronger I feel that we need more artists in the world. Actually, I believe we’re all artists and we just need more people willing to make their unique creative expression a priority. Whether you’re great at decorating a home, weaving a rug, building model trains, or inventing a widget that will save the planet, your creative dreams matter. They hold the key to a better world for us all…

Take Action Challenge

This week, try an experiment. Ask someone you love to identify the break they need right now, and see if you can give him or her that gift.

This week’s video is a post holiday joy. You may have seen it (10 million people have), but when my sister-in-law Missy passed it along I knew I had to share it with you. So much fun… Thanks Missy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8