organization, Midwest Creativity Coaching

It’s the start of a new year and the time when we sit back and gaze at all the wonderful, beautiful possibilities. Just think of all the things I’m going to get done this year, all the accomplishments, all the completed goals. This year is going to be THE BEST, Jerry!

And we look at all those incredible feats we’re going to achieve and we … freeze.

We get so worked up over the scope of our plans that we are suddenly overwhelmed and can’t even get started.

These are the times we need stop. Breathe. Focus. Stop thinking about the future and all of our amazing plans, and just BE PRESENT.

What’s going on with you today, RIGHT NOW? How are you feeling? Take a few minutes, 10-15, and meditate in silence.

A lot of people here the word “meditate” and automatically think there’s no way I could clear my mind. But that’s not what meditation is about. I’m not even sure clearing your mind is possible, especially for creatives like us. Our minds are always turned on to the possibilities of art all around us. So asking someone like us to clear their mind just isn’t realistic.

But sitting in silence is. So you sit in a COMFORTABLE position. Close your eyes and just breathe. And while all those random thoughts are flying around in your brain, listen to the sound of your breathing. Listen to the room around you. Let those thoughts that are running rampant in your head collide in your mind’s eye and then push them away.

Just breathe and be in the moment. We’re not thinking about what we’re GOING to do, we’re thinking about what we ARE doing, which is just sitting here, breathing.

According to the Eco Institute and their 141 Benefits of Meditation, “Not only do experienced meditators often look decades younger than their ‘true’ age, but they also live much longer lives than the rest of us mere mortals.” Meditation can also help you lose weight. Says the Eco Institute, “Meditation satisfies the same neurochemical ‘fix’ within the brain that we get when we eat addictive food.”

The American Meditation Society says meditation can also improve psychological health and self-esteem, lowers incidences of depression, anger, irritability, improves concentration, increases positive thinking, and enhances creativity. And aren’t these ALL things creative people can benefit from?

In his Tim Ferris interview, Terry Crews said he got to the point where he stopped thinking I WANT to be rich and decided I AM rich, now how would a rich person act? Good idea.

I don’t need to be rich, but it wouldn’t hurt. I do, however, want to be happy and successful in my writing. So let’s look at some other successful creators who meditate.

Paul McCartney started meditating in 1967. When the Beatles traveled to India to learn about mediation, they “spent their free time writing songs—many of which ended up in ‘The White Album.’”

Jerry Seinfeld credits meditation with helping him survive 9 years of a TV show where he was “the star of the show, the executive producer of the show, the head writer, in charge of casting and editing, for 24 episodes on network television – not cable.”

And Martin Scorsese has said, “For the last few years, I’ve been practicing meditation. It’s difficult to describe the effect it has had on my life. I can only mention maybe a few words: calm, clarity, a balance, and at times – a recognition. It’s made a difference.”

How can you argue with testimonials like that?

And I’m not saying you need to go buy a bunch of candles and incense and dedicate your life to following the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I’m just saying take a few minutes to help battle the goal overwhelm you’re probably feeling at the start of the year. Have a seat. Focus on your breathing. Stop thinking, for 15 minutes, about all your plans for the future and just BE PRESENT.

by Caleb Straus, Snout Productions.

I hate that question. I mean, I love that question, but I hate that question. Mostly, I hate it because I could never quite narrow it down. I had a different answer every week, when I was young enough to be asked that question.

When I went off to college, I still couldn’t decide. I wanted to be an actor, a graphic designer, a musician, and a special effects artist. Or maybe a director. Or a writer! Ooh, squirrel!!

All the while, the pressure being put on me from well-intentioned outside forces to “pick one”.

Now, since then, I’ve learned it’s best to pick one at a TIME, but thanks to my experience with C. Dennis Moore and Midwest Creativity Coaching and one 90-minute phone call, I don’t have to pick one overall.

I run Snout Productions (www.snoutproductions.org), and we do it all. We make and release films, music, prose, visual art, and anything else the muse drives us to create and release. We did our due diligence in the beginning by simply EXISTING, in a market that typically demands specialization. We’ve put a few things out now, and I found myself at a crossroads. What next? Where to put my immediate attention for the next week? The next month? Where to start?

This is where what I now consider to be the key ingredient of Midwest Creativity Coaching came into play. The system Dennis set me up on was custom-tailored for my needs. We can do the same for you. The positives of this set up are two-fold, and one of them I actually didn’t expect –

1. I’m infinitely more productive (which I DID expect and hope for)

2. I am actually LESS BUSY( which I didn’t see coming). I’ll say that one again for the folks in the nosebleeds,

‘I AM ACTUALLY LESS BUSY.’

And that doesn’t mean I’m taking on less projects. Quite the opposite in fact. At this moment I have a one act play, two short films, two albums (going on three), and a book in various stages of production. I’m not stressing about any of them, I’m excited about all of them, and thanks to this new system, none of these projects are getting the short shrift.

I know what you’re thinking, “What’s the secret???” Well, that’s where scheduling the free consult call comes in. We won’t know YOUR secret, until we talk to YOU.

Take it from someone who’s been in the trenches a while; you need to get organized. If you are on this website, feel free to click on “contact us”, and end your search there. You won’t need to go anywhere else. And if you doubt my sincerity because I‘ve gone from client to consultant, consider the entire reason I work for this company is because of what it did for me.

I trust you’ll make the right decision for yourself.

MEDITATE to ALLEVIATE stress and FACILITATE creativity

“What do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?”