My Story of Creative Re-Awakening

My creative outlet began with a childhood desire to learn to paint.  My mother enrolled me in “art school” which in truth was spending a few hours with Lori, a local artist who offered lessons from her basement art studio.  I loved it – even at age 7 and 8 the smell of the oil paints got to me, so much so that I made art a part of my life consistently until age 20 when I let school and work take over so much so that I didn’t make time for this type of creative outlet any longer.  Though I had let go of one form of creative expression, I realize now that I replaced it with other forms, including craft projects like mosaics, decorating my home, and – for the Career Center at the university I worked for -developing brochures, materials and bringing creative ideas to the table about the types of programs and services we offered.  Fast forward to today and you will find me engaging in such creative outlets as writing (articles, a workbook and blog), helping my clients think out of their box, and deciding how I structure my coaching and speaking business.  Another wonderful development is re-discovering painting – or rather making time for it in my life again!

I would love to hear your story of creative expression!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

This time of year it is fitting to spend some time thinking about what you do have to be thankful for.  In the hustle through life, especially at holiday time, so often we forget to stop and give thanks for what we have and what we have accomplished.

Here is my partial list of what I have to be thankful for..

  • The sun that shines nearly every day here in North Carolina
  • The beauty of nature all around me
  • My loving husband’s smiles and hugs just when I need them most
  • My cuddly cat nestled at my side
  • The way my body and mind feels after a workout at the gym
  • Seeing the growth of my clients as they discover and stretch themselves
  • The home my husband and I have made for ourselves here
  • My creative outlets
  • The wonderful friends and family I am blessed to have in my life

What are you thankful for this year?

Living Large On Less

Living large on less, or living frugally, has been a hot topic in the news lately.  There was an article in Business Week  called The New Age of Frugality and a recent episode of Oprah had a segment on a family living frugally.

Though it is making recent news, it is how my husband and I have been living our lives as long as we can remember.  We both grew up with parents of the World War II generation who had grown up in the years following the depression.  The values they instilled in us were those of saving more than we spend and spending less than we earn.  We both adopted those values and have had fun living large on less.  We have lived this way regardless of where we were living (New York or North Carolina), regardless of out income (which had fluctuated a lot), regardless of what the stock market was doing, and regardless of what others were doing. 

Do we have to live large on less?  No, it is a choice that we have made and continue to make because we truly believe that we can have everything we need and most of what we want at a price that fits our budget.  We make our choices by thinking about what matters most and why we want what we want.  We are resourceful and feel rewarded when we accomplish something we had to learn (like installing flooring ourselves) and feel satsisfied knowing we can live on less than we earn (regardless of our income).  I truly believe that everyone can live large on less.  It will mean something different, and look different for everyone, but it is possible!

A friend of mine and professional organizer, Janice Russell of Minding Your Matters Organizing also believes in living large on less and often writes about it in her blog.  You can check it out at http://www.mindingyourmatters.com/blog

Stefanie Zizzo, Career and Life Coach, www.stefaniezizzo.com