Comfort is the foundation for creativity and creativity is the flower
that gives off the fragrance of service.

Dear Women of Commitments and Passions,

As many of you know, I've struggled mightily with my work -- teaching women to be gentle and loving to themselves -- often wishing I was doing something more "hip" or more... I can't even remember what other "mores" I've lusted after! Yet in the last six months or so, I have noticed a gradual softening in my attitude toward my work; it started as an appreciation for how much I have learned and taught myself outside of a formal institution or affiliation, and how accurate my approach has been (as other writers, traditions, and the modern grail of science have confirmed).

Working with business coach and spiritual teacher Mark Silver brought me more appreciation as he articulated for me the vital spiritual nature of comfort and taught me to feel into the heart of my business (which is a feeling of being utterly and completely loved and okay, and communicating that feeling to others).*

Then, this past week, I learned that an old friend I had lost touch with is in very serious financial straits. As I listened to her story about how her quagmire enveloped her over the last seven years, my ears kept hearing, "She didn't believe she could get a better job so she stayed. She didn't believe she could survive standing up to him because of his anger so she never asked the hard questions." I was heart pierced by how self-care could have fostered her self-kindness and self-respect, enabling her to bypass a lot of suffering.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying, I am SO DAMN PROUD to be a companion on your ever-unfolding safari of self-love. Thank you for sharing the experience with me.

Gratefully,

*Note: You can learn to do this too through Mark's book! See his website for more information.

Instead, whisper an invitation:
May I live at peace in my center
May I surrender to what is
On earth as it is in heaven
May I remember everything is already mine,
already here in my heart
May I be blessed to apprehend that I am the formless sacred mystery of Being
and the formless sacred mystery of Being
is me

Self-Care Minder
Recently, we went to a new way of talking about self-care, organized by four moods and / or stages. Click here for more info on those moods.

Depleted. Blue. Down. Tired. Edgy. Restless. Untethered. You know the feeling -- you're floating weightless above the earth, but not in the good way. In the way where you feel there is nothing to hold you to that which you previously felt was so critical and important. Suddenly, what you thought was your life's mission seems trivial, silly, downright laughable. Or it still seems important, but you're the last person who should be trying to undertake something so ambitious!

These moments of the blues can be natural shifts in your energy. Instead of fighting the waves that threaten to pull you under, ride them. Use these opportunities not to question your choices and your very right to breathe life giving oxygen, but to examine your life, stirring it all up and seeing what rises to the top.

This sort of distance can feel disorienting, and it can provide an objectivity that will free you from the bonds of everyday habit.

Look down from above. The height may give you vertigo, and it may take your breath away. Inhale. Exhale. Look around you. Repeat.

Tapas/Heat. Two weeks ago, I gave myself the gift of a seven day retreat in Arizona, five of which were spent with master yoga teacher, Amy Weintraub -- I can't say enough good things about Amy's work -- both for mood support and for an amazingly self-nurturing approach to life. She travels widely so do consider taking a day workshop with her if she is anywhere nearby.

I am always loath to make any commitment that smacks of "the same thing every day" because, as I teach at my retreats and especially at the Writer's Spa the quickest way to squander your creative and spiritual energy is to make commitments you either can't possibly keep or have no intention of keeping- you know things like, "I will for five hours every day and never sleep again" or "I will never eat sugar again (after this éclair)." So imagine my surprise when, at the retreat, I declared that I would do an hour of yoga first thing every morning unless I am very sick or traveling. And I am not only sticking with it but looking forward to my alarm going off!

Why the change? At Amy's retreat, I rose every morning at 6 and found myself in a candlelit room overlooking the Tucson valley filled with people doing their own varied yoga practices. This experience imprinted me with an image and a heart-feeling of others committed to their wellbeing.

These seven days have reintroduced me to the wonder of tapas -- of the heat of self-loving discipline. Daily practice brings so many benefits including the inner heart inspired will to overcome the mind saying, "You don't really need to do yoga today. You've been so good, you deserve a day off. And besides, you didn't sleep well and your elbow hurts and..." also, being around like minded people committed to living consciously actually entrain my heart and thus my body and brain chemistry to be able to support the changes I am reaching for –it part of the magic that happens at well lead retreats!

Tapas = daily practice = start on a retreat!

Resources: The Women's Retreat Book

Joyful Desire.
"She just had this way of brightening the day."

"She decided to start living the life she imagined."

"She discovered her real measurement had nothing to do with measurements or statistics."

Do you have a "She" in your life? Or maybe "She" is who you aspire to be? Kobe Yamada's best-selling book, "She," is full of vivid word pictures and descriptions of the ideal, REAL woman – one whose worth goes beyond her dress size or bank account.

How do you become that she? By letting your desire joyfully bubble up in you, by taking the time to listen to that desire and by trusting it, tasting it, making it really a part of your daily life.

What is beckoning to you right now? What brings you energy, no matter what? What is so easy, you discredit it as your joyful roadmap?

For more inspired thoughts, visit Compendium Books.

Effortless Service. If you're a creative catalyst, brimming with ideas, it can feel impossible to focus on what exactly you want to accomplish next, how you can make real your highest ideals. Everything seems like a good idea, and everything is a possibility! By focusing, though, you admit you are human -- embodied (and therefore limited by time and space) spirit -- and this creates greater power for change (just think of the cutting ability of a laser, which is concentrated light) and spiritual humility.

Remember the mission statement craze of the 90s? The buzzword these days is "manifesto." Why not create a statement of purpose about what you represent, what you stand for, what you would even (gulp) die for? Your manifesto can become a way to filter the vast amounts of learning, visions and possibilities that catch your eye.

Think Bono. Nelson Mandela. Martin Luther King, Jr. Gandhi. All individuals who made a difference by knowing what they stood for.

Figure out what you stand for. Tell others about it. And while you're at it, change the world.

Resources: ChangeThis is a website dedicated to what the world could be. Read other manifestos and submit your own.

Resources You'll Love
Tine Wiggens and her Studio Friday the place where artists meet for a weekly creative challenge to show glimpses of their studios, life, and work.

Make 2007 your year of "aspirations" instead of "resolutions" -- with help from http://wwww.SuperViva.com, the online life list community for planning a life you'll want to look back on.

Artella is an online playground for writers, artists, and creative spirits overflowing with tangible passion, an authentic community, and resources for all creative souls to light their fire in ways that they never dared to dream.

Nationally recognized coaching pioneer Laura Berman Fortgang's latest book "Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction" can help you gain career clarity and life direction quickly no matter how long you've been struggling to find it.

Help for busy, creative souls to design an authentic life by going beyond the ordinary "day planner" format. With insightful questions, a flexible layout, and prompts for soul exploration and goal setting, The Life Organizer is intended to help women -- create lives they love.

Until April 1st if you purchase your Life Organizer through ComfortQueen.com, you will receive:

• A signed copy of The Inner Organizer at 20 percent off the list price of $19.95;
• An audio CD bursting with additional ideas to help readers make the most of The Life Organizer, including meditations, a guided journey through the five step life organizing process, and other surprises, valued at $29.95;
• An invitation to a free tele-forum with me to discuss ways to make the life organizing process the best ever approach to creating a life that you love. The first opportunity to participate in a Life Organizer tele-forum will be February 15th at 5:30 pm Pacific / 8:30 pm Eastern. Please sign up. Jennifer will be doing additional forums later in the year also.