It's about time for the midyear check-in on my word theme for the year: to record ahas about how things are going and if any shifts have taken place. And, then I share them with you. Well, I've been stuck around the sharing part. Stuck. Ironically, my word this year is Motion. I've been stuck in motion. The truth is I've been in the midst of massive motion lately, lots going on in my work life, and changing locations, from LA to Austin, to be near family for the foreseeable future. So, massive motion swirling - physical, energetic, mental, material, emotional. All in about a three-month span. So how did that lead to a feeling of being stuck in motion? I haven't been writing. As a creative being in a mad love affair with words, not writing regularly feels like a piece is missing; a big enough piece that it... Read more →

This is what TV showrunner and writer for ABC's "The Fix", Sarah Fain, said in a recent interview. "Remove the barriers to entry." She and partner Liz Craft were asked what makes them want to read, or more importantly, continue to read a script that's been submitted to them by writers looking to get hired. Besides good writing, surprises within the first five pages (if the first five don't grab them they stop reading) and interesting and compelling characters, they talked more about what interferes with the read or stops them from reading it all together - things that are firmly within the writer's control and where so often they fall short. Things like bad formatting, poor sentence structure or grammar, misspelled words, not enough white space (too many words on the page), are all turnoffs before word one. They said, do yourself a favor and remove the barriers to... Read more →

Then, Meet Them Here... Photo by Aleksandra Mazur on Unsplash I love the little moments, the game-changers that shift things, changing everything from that moment on. This was one of them. I was doing a Creative Jam Session with a client recently, a woman who is brilliant at what she does. I mean crazy brilliant. We were brainstorming on creative ideas to get her business going in a new way. “She intimidates me,” she said, talking about a high-profile woman for whom she’d done some coaching. I understood. The woman had some really impressive creds, was a genius at what she did and was running a large event where she was required to speak, which is where my client was coaching her. She floated quickly through the comment, “She intimidates me.” It got me thinking about the idea of intimidation and more apropos to our discussion, the meaning and weight... Read more →

Yes, it's a scary, sexy killer combo. When I pulled the word prompt card of the day, these two were stuck together. Exploration and risk. Are they meant to be linked? The two words often appear together when talking about science, business and space: Exploration and the risk assessment thereof. But, it got me thinking about how a marriage between the two ideas offers an interesting allegory for life. I think of exploration as a road of discovery. Forging around corners of the unknown. Being open to newness. Trying things on for size. Dipping into an experience before fully committing. Digging deep in the microcosm of a thing and then connecting the dots and meaning therein. So, an explorer? An explorer is a seeker, a questioner, a non-settler. Can an explorer ever really be settled, or are they not happy unless in the field of exploration? Always looking around the... Read more →

The word prompt of the day is discernment. It’s simply defined as the ability to judge well. There’s a certain amount of rigidity to the word, but when one is discerning there’s a trust of self that organically takes place, which actually is an opening for truth. If the discerning instinct is ignored it can lead to an error in judgment, a missed opportunity, a feeling of in-authenticity and even heartache. I also think of discernment as a deliberate process. Sometimes it’s so clear it can happen in an instant, but often it’s not so clear. For big things that matter, there’s much more that goes into discernment. To my way of thinking, consideration of factors (what, when, who, where & how), listening to your own cues, allowing an organic flow to guide you and trusting divine timing are most critical. Making a choice, taking a step – or deciding... Read more →

Fifteen phone messages need to be returned, 55 emails need to answered, the laser printer needs ink, a proposal needs to be written for a sales pitch, an annual report needs to be delivered in a half hour, your son called and forgot his baseball uniform, six employee evaluations sit on your desk - due yesterday, you have to reschedule a lunch meeting for twenty, oh and Hugh Jackman is on the Today Show...and it's only 9:15 a.m. What do you do first? Does your list of tasks, obligations and deadlines leave you sitting paralyzed at your desk? I recently re-read two books which continually have a profound impact on my life and career. It's hard to fathom that "Think & Grow Rich", by Napoleon Hill, was first written in 1937 because the principles still hold so true today. In fact, if you ask many of the top leaders currently,... Read more →

I recently got an email from a reader asking me to send her a post I'd written three years ago about dissolving fear, stating "I think it would be very helpful to me right now." I happily sent it to her and decided updating and revisiting the subject might be helpful to all of us. “The key to change…is to let go of fear.” ~ Rosanne Cash The very word can stop us in our tracks sometimes. FEAR. It can keep us from making a decision, or from taking advantage of an opportunity, or from stepping into any situation that puts us out of our comfort zone. The very notion of fear can cause inertia. Let's take a moment to re-define or reframe this word, to think about it in a new way. Some define fear as False Evidence Appearing Real, in other words fear isn’t real. And, there is... Read more →

Labor Day is about honoring the contributions workers have made and are making to our lives, to our country and to the world. But, it's also a time to rest, relax and regroup. It got me thinking about how important it is to have sense of accomplishment and meaning in how we spend our time and in the work that we individually do. When we each aim for our own highest good then it also serves the collective highest good. For me, it comes down to simply this... Would love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you go about loving what you do as you do what you love? How do you discover what you're meant to do? Let's share and get the conversation going... If you enjoyed this Thought Changer, please click the little green button below this post and thank you for sharing! Related articles In... Read more →

This is a fantastic compilation of well researched ideas on how to spread your message and promote yourself and/or your blog/site. I've already started to incorporate the ones I hadn't heard of before. Some of these are also excellent suggestions if you're promoting an event or upcoming show. Courtesy of Andreea Ayers of LaunchGrowJoy. Andreea gives some blogging tips and then breaks down the 30-ways-to-promote ideas into five essential categories: Social Media, Bookmarking Sites, Your Contact LIst, Other Blogs & Syndication. Brilliant! I just had to share the wealth. If you enjoyed this Thought Changer, please click the little green button below this post and thank you for sharing! And, please visit us on our Facebook Page: Facebook.com/ThoughtChanger Cindy Yantis is the Thought Changer Blog creator & curator. She is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. For more info: CindyYantis.com Read more →

There were so many amazing photos posted recently of the Blue Moon. It was awe-and-then-some! I took several moments on my patio, breathing into the seeming expansiveness in the air created by the sight of the magnificent orb. I tried to get a photo, but couldn't capture it. The best one I found was posted by my friend John Tamerlano on his FB page, so I'm borrowing it! Thanks, JT. Just looking at it creates a sense of wonder abou t what lies beyond it. It got me thinking about the Unknown and what an impact, good and bad, it can have on our lives, and how the prospect of the Unknown can bring on excitement, anticipation, fear or terror in varying degrees or all at once. As we strive to raise the level of our playing field we will continually approach and cross the threshold to the Unknown. To... Read more →