A few weeks ago, I was on a Group Coaching Call for my Conscious Creative Success Circle. Amy was on the call and sounded “nail-bitey.” (That’s how I describe that “can’t-get-started” nervous state we all feel sometimes!) Amy is just starting her business. She’s learning a lot and doesn’t know where to begin. She wanted advice about this, about what to do, and how to get things off the ground. It’s so tempting in a situation like this to do what EVERY single music biz executive-type did to me when I was getting started: Shout out a big laundry list of to-do’s. After all, laundry lists and more information make us all feel like we’ve gotten our money’s worth, no?
Of course there’s LOTS of actions to take and lists to make when we need to start any project. But when someone asks me about starting ANYTHING – from a new business, to an eBook, to a new exercise routine – the first thing I talk about is food. (I know. I know. It’s strange. But stay with me!) In my late teens and early 20′s I was bulimic. And when I began the long process of recovery, I was furious that I couldn’t just give up food. I hated food. It was the cause (so I thought) of all my problems. I reasoned that an alcoholic had it “easier” because at least the offending substance could be removed from his life. A bulimic has to keep eating – while recovering from exactly what she was eating. I wished I could just give up food! That seemed so logical!
I didn’t realize then that the very thing I was angry about would also be the very thing that would teach me how to approach everything in my life. Precisely because I could not remove the “offending substance” from my world, I was forced to heal and renew my relationship with food and with my body. I had to make friends with food. I had to make friends with and listen to my body. I had to learn to use my ATTENTION, not just my logic. This learning process taught me how to do everything else in my life, too – from songwriting to money to pets to marriage, and yes, to business. I do none of these things perfectly, of course. But I’ve learned how to hear my own inner wisdom when I go deeply enough to build a relationship with the thing I’m working on or with.
Many of us are like Amy starting her new business – our brains are crammed full of the “shoulds” and the “how-to’s” and laundry lists. But we’ve forgotten to listen to our own wisdom. We don’t know what to do first because we’re stuck in our head thinking thinking thinking. We haven’t stopped to honor the power that comes from our ATTENTION. So, this is how to fearlessly begin anything: You start your business, your fitness routine, your book, your project, by building a relationship with it. You schedule time for it every single day. You honor that time as if it were with an important supervisor or coach.
Then, set a timer, and you show up. Even if you only have one hour and even if you only sit there staring at a blank piece of paper. Your attention is so powerful that eventually, the perfect action steps, the perfect ideas, the perfect relationship will start to flow. But it has to start with creating the connection by focusing your attention. All the business advice in the world will do nothing if you aren’t regularly present with your attention and intention. It’s always a little scary to offer this perspective to my clients because it can sound so touchy-feely! But the truth is that every successful person I know uses her attention in this way, whether she’s beginning a new venture, or just returning from a vacation. She has a deep and true relationship with her business and herself. She fiercely protects her time and attention in order to create this deep connection. When the to-do lists and action steps come from this place, your success is guaranteed!
While songwriter Christine Kane is best known for her hip and catchy tunes, and the down-to-earth wit of her live performances, her fans and students share that they are inspired most by her message of living authentically, passionately and courageously. Christine’s philosophy is that you are the artist and your life is your work of art. That, she says, is what it means to “Live Creative.” She now shares this message nationally, speaking to groups ranging from the Air Force to the American Hospital Association to NICU therapists. Christine’s award-winning blog ranks among the top 10,000 blogs on the internet. Christine has released six CDs and an award-winning DVD in her expansive career as a performer and songwriter. She has toured the country many times over, sharing the stage with everyone from John Mayer to the Beach Boys to Nanci Griffith. Border’s Books & Music named her one of the Top Five Recordings of 2003, the Washington Post called her “a petite powerhouse of a singer.” If you liked this article, you’ll love Christine’s LiveCreative e-Zine. To discover more about how you can Make Your Life a Masterpiece, go to http://www.christinekane.com.
Article Source: How to Begin Anything Fearlessly!
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