VISION QUEST
     Sent 4/18/2006

Sharing Creative Energy Newsletter
By Darla Arni

April 2006
Sharing Creative Energy Newsletter is a free monthly, or whenever Darla
can get it out, publication for clients, friends and subscribers who want to
be more creative, energetic and productive in their life and work.
Past copies are archived on our web site: www.darlaarni.com.
© 2006 Darla Arni
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In This Issue:
VISION QUEST
Quote of the Month
Mensa Moment

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VISION QUEST
Seeing clearly has always been important to me. I started wearing glasses in third grade, moved to contacts in college and finally a few years ago had corrective eye surgery. Along the way my eyes were always changing and I regularly needed adjustments to see clearly. I remember each time I left the eye doctor with new lenses I would look around in wonder at all of the details of the world I had been missing. I especially recall how different trees looked to me. I would go into the doctor’s office seeing their tops as a mass of colors and shapes, but with my new prescription, gazing out of the back window of my parent’s car, I could clearly see the mass was made up of individual leaves of different colors, sizes and shapes. They were there all the time but I couldn’t see them.

Over the past couple of months my life has felt like the tops of those trees. (Stay with me now, this will make sense.) I struggled with a sinus infection for seven weeks, couldn’t breathe through my nose or smell for over two months, my energy was drained, my mother’s dementia worsened and it seemed like everywhere I turned I was overwhelmed. I saw my life as a big mass made up of too much responsibility, too little time, less direction than I would like, and often, not a lot of hope. At the same time I was trying to promote a new presentation on the energy of attitude! I knew all the right things to do but for some reason I felt immobilized. In my classic perfectionist style I was trying to fix everything at the same time, be everything to everybody, and felt guilty that it wasn’t working.

Then it dawned on me. There are leaves on those trees. The huge big negative mass was made up of tiny, individual leaves, or in this case, choices. While I can’t handle them all together, I could tackle them one by one.

So I took some of my own advice (which isn’t necessarily easy to do) and began making small changes and better choices. I started by:

*Being mindful of my negative self-talk. The inner dialogue and messages you send yourself all day long can be your worst enemy. Taking control of your mind gives you control of your life. Sometimes we’re so physically run down it’s impossible to be mindful, so be easy on yourself and allow for recovery time.

*Tuning out the media. Too much of the news focuses our attention on all the problems of the world and adding those to your personal concerns can be overwhelming. I’m not saying become a recluse; just take a break from the daily, on the hour, media frenzy vying for our attention.

*Feeding my mind positive thoughts. Whether it’s an uplifting book or inspiring quotes on sticky notes stuck to your computer it can make a difference. A friend of mine recently gave me a copy of the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz and I find myself reading parts of it over and over to keep me on track. I especially have trouble with the second agreement entitled, ‘Don’t take anything personally’. (I should probably memorize the entire chapter like the character in Fahrenheit 451 so it’s with me forever!)

And so I will continue. All of us come up against huge, negative tree masses from time to time, they’re only leaves and it’s your choice.

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If you would like my list of “12 Ways to Improve Your Attitude” for yourself
or a friend email me and I’ll send it out ASAP. Send your requests to Darla.
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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MENSA MOMENT
My cousin Ernest was once kidnapped. He knew they would either take him to
New York City or to Sydney, Australia. When they took his blindfold off, he could see he had been locked in a room without windows. There was only a table, a bed, a chair, and a sink. However, Ernest was able to figure out which city he was in.
How did he do it?

Email your answer to Darla. The first 5 correct answers will be entered in our prize drawing.

Last Month’s Answer:
Silence.
There were several correct answers so we had a drawing and (Drum roll please) Congratulations to Margaret Cott. Margaret will receive a pocket personal journal. Please email me Margaret so I can mail your prize ASAP!

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Darla Arni is a Professional Speaker, Consultant and Author of Sharing Creative Energy at Home, Life Compass for Women, and the Sharing Creative Energy Newsletter.

Sharing Creative Energy
e-mail Darla
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