Learn to ask quality questions

Madeira, beach, quality of life, Shannon Skinner

Madeira

The quality of questions you ask yourself determines the quality of your life.

Newton is said to have discovered gravity by observing an apple falling from a branch of a tree while at the same time noticing the moon hanging in the sky. He wondered why the apple fell and not the moon. A remarkable question that lead to a greater understanding of our universe.

Okay, so not everyone is Newton asking questions that will help us understand universal laws, but we can learn to ask quality questions to do something that inspires us, get ourselves out of a pickle – or transform our lives and ultimately live an extraordinary life.

The difference between a quality question and a regular question lies in where it comes from: your heart. Zeroing-in on what is truly important in your heart to create, whether it is personal, business or other, is the first step. Then you ask yourself questions that are derived from or connected to your values.

We all live with a set of values. Some of those values are more important than others. For instance, an entrepreneur will have a high value on business and will spend a lot of time learning and growing in that area. A health expert will have a high value on wellness and will spend considerable time focussed on having a healthy lifestyle, whatever that takes. A mom will have a high value on her children, and she will put much time and energy into raising her kids, such as their education, food and clothing. An investor will put an enormous time and energy into understanding finances, the markets, etc.

For me, I have a high value in higher learning, travel, writing and media. There are other areas that are important to me, such as health and relationships, of course, and the priorities change, depending on what is going on in my life and the world around me. Right now, travel is not possible, so that area has been replaced by learning in other subjects that interest me, and other things.

One thing I know for certain that to live an extraordinary life begins with a) getting clear on your values and then b) asking quality questions.

Here are some examples of how you can turn a general question into a quality question:

  1. How can I earn more money?

Quality question: How can I make more money than every by doing what I love and getting paid handsomely for it?

  1. How do I stop making the same mistake?

Quality question: How is this (fill in the blank) helping me get what I deeply desire?

  1. Why am I failing at xx?

Quality question: How is this setback helping me reach my goals in the bigger picture?

The bottomline is to link your questions with your highest values and turn the question into a way of moving you forward and finding answers that will inspire you, help with clarity, and overall living a quality life.

The quality of questions you ask yourself determines the quality of your life. So ask quality questions – of yourself and of others.

*Photo: Madeira beach

**This blog post is an excerpt from my book, The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse permitted.

This is the second part of my How to live an extraordinary life series.

Shannon Skinner is a broadcaster, speaker, writer and author of The Whispering Heart, Your Inner Guide to Creativity and host/producer of ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com. She speaks around the world about her message: follow your heart, not matter what.

 

 

 


How to unlock your creative power and manifest your dreams

Shannon Skinner travels to Saiilon, Valais, switzerland on a pilgrimage to walk Farinet Path and visit Dalai Lama vineyardEach one of us has the power to create whatever we desire, whether it is a relationship, dream career or starting a new hobby. We can all make our dreams come true if we know the secret: unlocking our creative power. When we unlock our power, we can begin to create the life we want – one that brings us joy and fulfilment.

“While many people think there is such a thing as a ‘creative type,’ that is nothing more than a myth,” says Shannon Skinner, author of The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity, a practical guide to unlocking your creative power, turning dreams into reality and living with joy. “We are all born creative and we use our creativity in our day-to-day lives, whether it’s developing a business plan, planting a garden or simply deciding what recipe to make for a family dinner.”

Ms. Skinner provides seven ways that you can unlock your creative power:

1.Ignite Inspiration – Inspiration is the gasoline of life. Discover what inspires you for it fuels the drive to dream up ideas and new ways of experiencing life. 

2. Be an Inspiring Person – When you are inspiring, others will become inspired. It’s catchy! Here’s how you can be inspiring: live with an open heart by finding more and more gratitude; and believe in yourself by increasing self-worth.

3. Surround Yourself with Challengers and Champions – Look around you at the people you surround yourself with. What is their energy like? To unlock your creative power, it is good to be surrounded by people who support and/or challenge you – but stay away from Fire-Breathing Dragons, who are negative, and Energy Vampires that will suck the energy right out of you.

4. Give Your Life a Shake – Change is good for us, we grow. Sometimes we need to turn life on its ear in order to be more creative. Here are some ways to shake up your life: be open to change; mix up your daily routine now and again; and pack a bag and travel.

5. Live with Courage, Take Risks – No risk, no reward. Risk-taking is directly linked to our self-worth and courage.

6. Increase Vitality – Pay attention to your vitality and health. The more vitality you have, the more your can swing your dreams into action. Here are some ways to do that: reduce stress; get a balanced perspective; exercise regularly; pay attention to diet; and get some sleep.

7. It’s All a Learning Experience – There is no such thing as mistakes, there are only lessons. Let go of the fear of making a mistake, and adopt the perspective that everything we do is a lesson in life. 

*Theses are excerpts from Shannon Skinner’s book, The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity.

Copyright Shannon Skinner 2004-2020. All rights reserved. NO COPYING PERMITTED.

edited: July 29, 2020

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Shannon Skinner is a Toronto-based writer, broadcaster, international speaker and author of The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity. Watch her interviews with extraordinary women: ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.


Trust the creative process

In 2005, I wrote a book titled The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity. Following a few years of exploring what creativity is, I decided to actually put it down in writing. Something I learned in the process, is that trusting the creative process is actually part of the creative process.

Shannon Skinner travels to Saiilon, Valais, switzerland on a pilgrimage to walk Farinet Path and visit Dalai Lama vineyard

Let me explain.

Fear and/or self-doubt inevitably pop-up during the process of creating…anything. Part of the creative process is to transcend fear and self-doubt. Unless you do, your creation won’t see the light of day. But it takes trust.

Learning to enjoy the creative process is part of the process. It takes trust.

No matter what you do, no matter what the end result is, there is much to learn as you go through the process and about the process itself. Trust is required.

If a project goes off the rails, such as a book deal falling through, a business failure, a painting doesn’t work out, what is important is what you learned and discovered through the process. It takes trust.

There are no mistakes, only lessons. If we only ever count on the end-result, we would miss most of life.

It takes trust.

Edison tried 9,000 experiments to perfect the light bulb. That’s 8,999 lessons before he got it right. That is a lot of trust.

* partial excerpt from my book The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity.

*photo of Stained Glass Path of Farinet in Valais, Switzerland, created by local Swiss artists. Read about the art and my adventure here.


Act on what you love

I go in and out of inspiration. First, I get infatuated with a creative idea. Sometimes I act, sometimes I don’t. When I act, sometimes the inspiration lasts a while, and sometimes it is fleeting. It is not possible in time and space to create everything all at once, so I believe this is one of the reasons this happens. But one thing I know for certain is that creation begins with infatuation and it is the inspiration that is like jet fuel – and that inspiration is founded in love. So, do something you love, because then you have a good chance not only at success, but more importantly, fulfillment.

So how do you know whether to act on what you love to do- or let it go? Here are some action steps

Shannon Skinner at riding stables

1. Decide – what would I love to do in my life from today-forward?

2. How can I get paid to do what I love?

3. What are the top action steps that I can take to get me achieving this?

4. Think through what the challenges will be and come up with a way of mitigating.

5. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, because that determines where you will have success.

For me, travel and meeting extraordinary people are high on my values, as is writing and speaking to share stories of love and wisdom. These are things I act on without outside motivation.

What is it that you would LOVE to do in life – and what steps are you taking to make it happen? I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment below or tweet to me at @Shannon_Skinner.

Shannon Skinner is a Toronto-based, award-winning television and radio show host, international speaker, author and creator of ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com. For information on her speaking engagements and interviews, visit: www.ShannonSkinner.com and www.ExtrarodinaryWomenTV.com. Tweet to her at @Shannon_Skinner.


Visit these water sites to get your creative juices flowing

Water has a profound impact on us. The human body is mostly made of water, about 70 per cent, and we cannot survive more than than a few days without it. Coincidently, 70 per cent of the earth is covered with water. A large portion of the population lives on a waterfront. Tourists travel all over the earth to see or bathe in bodies of water.

River Thames in London, England, UK

photo courtesy @VisitBritain

Water has many benefits. It impacts our mood. It is cathartic and healing. We meditate and reflect next to it. We play and exercise along beaches and shorelines. We sail and cruise on big bodies of water. There are sacred, holy rivers that appear in religious texts, and are used for rites of passage, such as baptism and spreading ashes after death.

Poets write about it; consider R.W. Emerson’s brilliant poem, Water. It is a recurring theme in literature (e.g.) Avalon. In mythology and folklore, holy wells or sacred springs are entrances to other worlds. The fantastical “Fountain of Youth” for centuries has had believers thinking we can stop the aging process – if only!

What’s more, water boosts our creativity and inspiration. When we are inspired and feel invigorated, we can unleash our creative genius. This is key to following our heart’s desires and having a fulfilling life.

As a traveller, I like to seek out places near magical water sites where I can recharge my energy and get inspired for my creative work. It especially helps me get out of a rut. I’m not a beach bum, though. Mostly, I like to walk near the water, and meditate and reflect as I go. This kind of meditate walk has been the most effective way for me to dig deep into my creative reservoir.

Lake Geneva on Shannon's Travel Bag

Lake Geneva in Geneva at early dawn

If you are in a rut or want to find your creative juices again, consider travelling to a place near water where many others have found inspiration, and tap into that energy. Here are some ideas:

  1. Ganges River, India: the sacred and holy Ganges River is India’s longest river and has great importance in Hinduism. Millions of Hindus come here annually to bathe in the water to wash away their sins, and be freed from the death-rebirth cycle. The sacred, historical city of Varanasi along the Ganges banks is impressive, and people visit from all over to practice yoga and visit temples that are centuries old. It has inspired many creative works.
  1. Lake Geneva, Switzerland: Geneva, Switzerland, the “capital of peace,” sits on Lake Geneva, which is snuggled in the Alps and shared between Switzerland and France, Lake Geneva has a long history of inspiring artists. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein got its inspiration here. Deep Purple’s song “Smoke on the Water” was sparked when a hotel on the lake caught fire. Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn and David Bowie lived nearby, and today singer/songwriter Shania Twain owns a castle in the area. Geneva’s promenade offers a pleasant experience to stroll and meditate.
  1. River Thames, London: the longest river in the U.K., the banks of the Thames in London, particularly, has for centuries drawn many artists, has rich history and, of course, is popular for rowing. There is something magical about walking along London’s riverbanks, where one can soak in the amazing historical architecture. When I lived in London in the late ‘80s, every Sunday morning, my ritual was to walk along the banks to meditate and reflect – a time I treasure.
  1. Lake Ontario, Toronto: For those who either cannot or would rather not travel to get the creative inspiration that water offers, we have, of course, a fabulous lake in our own backyard. Best of all, it is free.

Geneva harbour during the day

Lake Geneva harbour during the day

Shannon Skinner is a Toronto-based, award-winning television and radio show host, inspirational speaker, author, and occasionally writes travel articles. For information on her speaking engagements and interviews, visit: www.ShannonSkinner.com and www.ExtrarodinaryWomenTV.com. Tweet to her at @Shannon_Skinner.

Photo credit: River Thames courtesy @VisitBritain. Lake Geneva photos are courtesy my Canon.

This article was originally published in Toronto Waterfront Magazine (winter 2017)

 


Travel the world through all your senses

Ever since I was the age of 20, when after graduating from university and moving to the U.K., I have had perpetual wanderlust. My father once called me a rolling stone (as in a rolling stone gathers no moss) and a dear friend refers to me as a tumbleweed, though I’m not sure that sticks. What keeps me interested in seeing more of the world is that travel enables me to experience life through all of my senses, and I believe this has made me a well-rounded, better person.

drummer3Drummers perform at Rongali Bihu festival in Assam ’15. Yep, I’m a groupie.

Our lives are enriched by experiencing the sights, sounds, tastes, scents and textures of other cultures, as well as our own. Food, drink, music, dance, sports are all ways we can experience culture. By experiencing different cultures, we build bridges to connect and understand one another. We can only appreciate different cultures when we make a choice to experience them.

From my travels around the world, I have danced with the tribes in northeastern India (Assam) and saw living root bridges, remarkable natural architecture in the jungle, which was like stepping into a science fiction movie. I learned how to make tasty chocolate pots in Geneva, Switzerland. In Scotland, I traced my Stewart family roots, from the line of the noble Stewarts, which took me across the country to see castles, estates and farms.

I recall the pungent spices bellowing from the food stalls in Bangkok, and the salty sea air brushing my nose in the Caribbean. The image of the blue sea against crisp white buildings of Greece keeps me longing to return. In Venice, the taste of Italian ice cream while sitting in the piazza and watching beautiful people pass by. In Prague, the enchanting classical music in palaces and churches. The sweet voices of tribal children in northern Thailand as performed a traditional song and dance around a campfire. The roar of chants and cheers of passionate soccer fans in a stadium in England. The touch of the delicate woolen sweaters in the shops of Dublin, and the coolness of the stone wall of the oldest church in Scandinavia.

I remember swimming in salty springs in Turkey and dancing like a maniac in the clubs of Tenerife, and savouring the taste of fresh dates in Morocco. And hearing the monkeys playing in the trees in the earning mornings in Costa Rica gave me a case of the giggles.

Traveling the world has truly enriched my life. How has it enriched yours? I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or tweet to me at @Shannon_Skinner.

Read more about my travels at Shannon’s Travel Bag.

Some of this article is a re-purposed short excerpt from my book, “The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity.”

Shannon Skinner is on a journey of following her heart and creating change in the world. She is a broadcaster, inspirational speaker, author and writer on the subjects of change and travel. Her inspiring keynotes are uplifting and transforming lives around the globe. To book her as a speaker for your next conference or professional development day, contact shannon (at) shannonskinner.com. Watch her interviews with extraordinary women at www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.

Follow me on Twitter: @Shannon_Skinner
Instagram: shannon.skinner
Web: www.ShannonSkinner.com


Got the February blahs? Try these.

Canadians know how challenging the month of February is. March is not much better. After months of low light, shoveling snow and enduring frigid temperatures (unless you live in Vancouver, in that case, stick it!), we start to get cabin fever from hibernating.

Frosty Morning in Forest

Something I have noticed in my own life is that after hanging up my downhill skiis more than a decade ago, I stopped enjoying winter. I tend to stay in more and by the end of February I’m going squirrelly. For exercise, I do walk my dog several times a day and jog on the days when my lungs and face won’t hurt, but it is not enough. Going outside is a big effort. By now, I need an attitude adjustment. My guess is that others do, too.

Here are some ways to get over the February blahs and cabin fever, as we go into the last stretch of winter.

  1. When it’s cold outside, be warm and sunny from the inside: Go into your heart more. Do the things that warm your heart and make your light shine and radiate. Maybe it is helping out at a soup kitchen, or cooking a meal for your elderly neighbours, or a random act of kindness.
  1. Create an inspiring space: Our environment directly impacts our creativity and productivity. Low light tends to create lower moods. So brighten up your interior, both literally and figuratively. Create an inspiring space where you do your creative work. Colour plays a huge role. Paint your walls vibrant colours such as red, yellow or orange – or calming ones like baby blue. Enhance your space in a way that is inspiring to you — and maybe it will inspire others.
  1. Buy new art: If you already collect art, take stock of what you have. Consider trading or buy new art. Start a new collection of artifacts or other items that have meaning to you and place them in your creative space. Perhaps it is from your travels. Or make your own art to hang on the wall.
  1. Listen to music to lift your spirits: Listen to the kinds of music that pick up your energy, spirit and mood. Music impacts our energy level. I personally love opera and, this weekend I, fought the snow to see the Canadian Opera Company’s production Don Giovanni, at the Four Seasons Centre. The way the music made me feel was worth fighting the snow to get there.
  1. Get outside to play: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! I write this at the risk of being pelted with snowballs…Even if you are not athletic, get outside to play as much as possible. Go for walks, even if they are short. Play winter sports. Go tobogganing. Remember the fun you had as a kid and try to re-create that feeling.
  1. Take a class: As a forever student, I am always taking a course of some sort. Taking courses forces us to get out of our spaces, meet new people, we learn something new – and it keeps us engaged. Consider taking a photography, cooking or language course.
  1. Get some sunshine: We all crave fleeing from the Canadian cold into warmer, sunnier climates. So find a travel deal and go somewhere new, whether it is basking on a beach or a wellness retreat, or taking a course, such as Spanish, in a place that inspires you.

Photo credit: Andreas Krappweis

Shannon Skinner is an award-winning inspirational speaker, writer, and host and producer of the television and online series www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com.

This article was originally published at HuffingtonPost.com.

 


Do you have burnout? Listen to your heart.

stressed at workSo you had passion for your work. Now, you feel stressed, overwhelmed and a lack of joy you once felt for your job, career or business. The bounce in your step has turned into a drag. Your creative juices are no longer flowing and you have stopped creating all together, and all you think about is what stresses you. When you wake up in the morning, you dread at worst, or are indifferent at best, for what the day will bring.

 

You might even be feeling powerless to continue on the path of making your dreams come true.

If this sounds familiar, know you are not alone.

The past week has been abuzz with discussions about the growing rise of depression and the stigma of mental illness. Also on the rise is job burnout, which, according to the renowned Mayo Clinic, is described as “a special type of job stress – a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work.” In fact, a Stats Canada survey in 2010 had identified that 1 in 4 workers report being stressed, and, more telling, 6 in 10 highly stressed workers identify work as their main source of stress.

While I am not a medical expert or an authority on job burnout (full disclosure here), I do know this from my own life experience: when you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling for your work, you may have a creative block. When we get blocked, we stop creating – and our dreams may seem like they are slipping away. When are dreams are not coming true, we can get depressed.

I know. I’ve been there.

Anyone who is in a creative field or in the artistic world is intuitively tapped into their creativity. They “get it.” In the corporate world, creativity is often looked at as something frivolous. How many companies do what it takes to develop and nurture their employees’ creativity? This is not something to mess with. Creativity is a key to happiness and success.

Creative energy is like electricity: it flows effortlessly. But when the plug is pulled on your creative power, it means you have run into an obstacle, otherwise known as a creative block. Most likely, that obstacle is an emotion – fear, resentment or anger – that stops you from connecting with your heart’s desires. When we are flooded with these negative emotions, self-doubt creeps in and we can no longer hear the whispers of our heart. Self-doubt is the biggest killer of creativity. It takes on a life of its own, quashes your creative spirit, sabotaging your dreams and desires along its path of destruction.

The only way out of this vicious cycle is to return to creating from the heart. The way to do that is to release negative emotions, and discover how they benefit you and how they help you get where you want to go. For example, perhaps you are stressed from the grind of owning a small business. How does that stress benefit you? Or if you have a tense relationship with your boss, how does that tension benefit you?

Once you let go of the negativity and self-doubt, the heart’s whispers will become louder, once again.

Then, take action. You might need to leave your job or change your career, or sell or close-down your business.

Perhaps easier said than done, you might be thinking, but what other choice do you have? We can give-up our power and joy to negativity and continue doing something we loathe, and let it eat us up in something we call burnout. Or we can turn negativity on its head, kick it around like a football, and return to the heart — and get back that lovin’ feeling for what we do in our work.

If you have had job burnout and experienced a creative block, I’d love to hear from you about your experience.

Photo credit: Carl Dwyer

This article is cross-posted at www.HuffingtonPost.ca.

 


We must do more to support Canadian artists

About 50,000 years ago, a creative explosion occurred in our human evolution when Homo sapiens suddenly developed new skills and forms of self-expression. They began painting, created music and designed musical instruments. They made decorative jewelry from ostrich eggshells, fashioned clothing and invented advanced tools. This “dawn of culture,” according to authors Richard Klein and Blake Edgar, is when humans began to display abstract thinking and develop culture and art, and is considered to be the most significant cultural event in human history.

Symbolic thinking – that is, thinking and communicating through abstract symbols — is the foundation of arts, music, language, mathematics and science.

Art courtesy of Julie Himel

(Art courtesy of Julie Himel)

Fast-forward to the 21st century, human beings have come a long way in our creative arts since decorating ostrich eggshells, and one thing is for certain: artists make our world a colourful and interesting place. Innately curious and inquisitive, artists create beautiful, dramatic, thoughtful forms of art that please and engage the human eye and ear, or get us to think — or move our bodies. Artists also play an important role in society because they document history in the making. Think of all the artifacts and works – ancient and modern — that are in museums and institutions around the globe.

And yet, given their importance, many artists — from painters to filmmakers to dancers to writers — are still today unable to survive economically from their art alone. Often times, they are asked, almost expected, to provide their talents or skills for next to nothing, or nothing at all. As Jenn Goodwin, Toronto-based dance artist and programmer for Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche, put it: “You would not ask a plumber to give their services for free.”

As a nation, we do not support them enough.

Historically, artists have always had to rely on personal patrons, like a rich uncle. Today, we are fortunate in this country that our governments have become larger-scale patrons with their various funding and resources for arts and culture, but the arts is always vulnerable to cuts and economic down-turns. Fortunately, we do have a number of philanthropists who support the Canadian arts, such as The Honourable Margaret McCain, who I interviewed last season.

And so, this season, on my show Extraordinary Women TV, I wanted to bring out the stories of local independent artists, the challenges they face and how they get their support to continue doing their art. I wanted to play a role, albeit a small one in the bigger picture, in advocating for them.

So I went on-location over the summer to various art shows, such as the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and Distillery District, and visited galleries. As I walked around with my cameraperson and spoke with these artists, I realized they are truly extraordinary — not because of status or financial wealth, but because it takes bravery to not only create art, but to share your art with the world. As Toronto-based artist, Karen Taylor, says: “As an artist, you feel naked and exposed.”

Artist Julie Himel, an award-winning Toronto painter and mother of a young child, has managed to find support to do her art full-time and balance it with having a family. On a personal level, during difficult times, she turned to her art as a means of healing, as so many artists do. Her work, which is nothing short of magnificent, can be found in public and private collections internationally. “If you keep your eye on beauty and simplicity, life can be a lot happier,” says Himel.

Abstract artist, Kate Taylor, works out of her studio home in Toronto and her art appears in private collections around the world. Blending art with business, she spearheads The Artists’ Network, an organization geared to helping and supporting visual artists create sustainable businesses and professions.

And so, if I have a take-away from filming this season’s show it is this: Toronto has many remarkable and talented artists, women and men, who make our city a colourful and interesting place. Their art has value — and so do they. My wish is to see many more Canadian businesses, and those with deep pockets and rich resources, taking a greater role in supporting independent artists. Surely today we are much more awake than we were at the dawn of culture 50,000 years ago. The stereotype of the “starving artist” should no longer linger in our collective consciousness.

Check out my coverage at the Toronto Art Exhibition on my YouTube Channel.

On the topic of creativity, check out my book, The Whispering Heart, Your Inner Guide to Creativity.


Creativity’s dirty little secret

I have a secret to tell you…

A dirty mind is great for creativity.

It has been long understood that creativity and sex are linked. Lovers often express their feelings and desires through creative forms, such as poetry, love letters and painting, regardless of whether it is amateur or masterful works.

1249095_71334214Think about the time when you first met your spouse, a new flame or the hot guy/girl you bumped into while on vacation. You probably had energy and passion that drove you wild, and you likely did double the amount of work you would ordinarily. Instead of taking two hours to churn out a report for your boss or client, it took you only one hour to hammer it out because you had other more, how shall I say, interesting things to do.

Sexual energy and creative energy are so strongly connected that they impact each other profoundly – this is pure biology, chemistry and physics in cahoots with one another. Sexual energy fuels inspiration and passion, and when harnessed and properly channeled is a pleasurable and powerful means to motivate us creatively.

I had once read that some professional athletes have been known to avoid sex at least 24 hours prior to competition, so they can harness their pent-up sexual energy for that important game. The ancient Greek athletes (originally only men were allowed to compete) were so serious about the Olympic championships they did not touch a woman, or another man, for at least one week prior to their game in order to keep the “inner flame” lit.

There are many well-known artists who have consciously embraced their sexuality and directed that energy toward creating their art masterpieces. Think of the artist Toulouse-Lautrec, who turned his sexuality into his now-famous classic portrayal of Parisian nightlife. Writer John Cheever is alleged to have believed sex improved his writing as well as his eyesight – talk about great insight.

In the business world, people who work together and are physically attracted to each other are usually more productive because there is a “charge” that fuels their creative energy. It can be an electrical experience reaping amazing results. Consider the number of television dramas and soap operas that are built on this dynamic. Chances are you probably know of someone who married a person they met while working together.

Here are some ideas on how you can harness your sexual energy to help channel it toward your creative dreams and ultimately get them off the ground:

1. Plan Romantic Nights Out with Your Mate: With some organization and planning, take your mate out on special occasions that enable you to become more intimate with one another, such as candlelight dinner or simply a walk on the beach. Above all, make it fun.

2. Enjoy Some Aphrodisiacs: In a recent study, scientists discovered a regular daily apple intake can boost sexual pleasure in healthy women. There are a number of other foods that are believed to help get you “in the mood,” such as oysters and chocolate. For naysayers, there is no harm in giving it a go, right?

3. Relax and De-Stress: We all know that too much stress is taxing on our health and productivity, but it can also impact our sexual energy and creativity. So find ways to de-stress. If at all possible, find ways to do this together with your mate, like couples yoga, where it can add to your intimacy.

4. Mind the Alcohol: Although a few drinks might remove inhibitions and get you in the mood, the name of the game here is to harness your sexual energy to become more creative and make that creative dream happen. Difficult to do with a hangover. So do not overdo it.

And so, experiment with your sexual energy and creativity, and determine what works best for you. You never know where that blend of these powerful forces will take your creative mind and talent.

(based on an excerpt from “The Whispering Heart: Your Inner Guide to Creativity,” by Shannon Skinner)

* photo courtesy of cjhallman


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3 weeks ago

Shannon Skinner
I recently had the opportunity to speak at a travel industry event, “Evolving Tourism Landscape in India,” hosted by the India High Commissioner in Ottawa and India's Consul General in Toronto.I spoke about my northeast India travels and why a Bengal Tiger is calling me back.Photo: Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (thank you) ... See MoreSee Less
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4 weeks ago

Shannon Skinner
India is one of the most fascinating destinations in the world. Take it from me, a travel writer.This September, I am hosting a guided tour of India for extraordinary women, in partnership with Sunspots Holidays. Join me as we explore India's stunning architecture, such as the renowned Taj Mahal, royal palaces and ancient forts. Discover Indian culinary delights, cultural places, authentic textiles and learn about everyday way of life of Indians, including yoga, through a female lens.We will explore 5 cities, as well as India's breathtaking desert region, Rajasthan.I am excited to share with you the India I fell in love with. Join me!🔸women's tour🔸Sept. 16-27, 2024🔸12 days/11 nights - 5 cities🔸Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Jodphur-Udaipur🔸small group Presented by: Extraordinary Women TV. Book this exclusive offer now.For details, visit: ShannonSkinner.com.Contact: info@shannonskinner.com. *Tour can only be purchased with Sunspots Holidays (TICO registration 1030981).#shannonskinner #extraordinarywomentv #travel #india #toursforwomen #shannontravels ... See MoreSee Less
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