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Welcome to my first seasonal newsletter: Autumn 2017
Deep Creativity Newsletter
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Time to Embrace your Creative Potential
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As autumn leaves turn scarlet and gold, many of us start feeling restless, looking for new possibilities in this season of change.
We were born with tremendous creative potential: with our personal talents, dreams, and possibilities. And each of us is unique. Since the beginning of time, there has never been anyone exactly like you--even identical twins have different fingerprints.
Yet too often we lose touch with our uniqueness. The pattern of our lives changes from
creative
to
reactive
—words that look quite similar but are polar opposites. Something in our experience short-circuits our creative potential, shames us for being ourselves, tells us that we “should” be something else. Conforming to external expectations, we can look successful on the outside, but deep within may feel something vital is missing from our lives.
As they experience this restlessness and discontent, people begin reaching out for something new—reading self-help books, signing up for a class, taking a trip, beginning a new diet, exercise, or meditation practice.
As I explain in my book,
Your Personal Renaissance
[1]
,
this sense of restlessness could be the first step in discovering your calling, a quest to live more creatively in this season of your life. The next step is getting back in touch with your personal strengths.
What did you love to do as a child? Childhood memories are keys to your strengths—perhaps you had a love of nature, a desire to explore, a fascination with science or a love of animals, building things, singing, dancing, or creating artwork, making people laugh, or playing team sports. How can you bring more of this strength into your life today?
To continue discovering your strengths, you can take the VIA Strengths Survey as I ask all of my coaching clients to do. You can find this free survey at
www.authentichappiness.org
(After signing in and answering some demographic questions, the survey should take 30 to 40 minutes.) Based on years of research in positive psychology on the character strengths common to humankind, the VIA Strengths Survey identifies your top five strengths or “signature strengths”-- your own personal constellation of character strengths.
What are your signature strengths? Research has shown that using them on a regular basis will enable you to flourish—to live with greater physical and emotional health, success, joy, and well-being.
[2]
I invite you to begin discovering and using more of your strengths today as the next step to living more creatively in this season of change.
I wish you joy on the path.
Diane
[1]
Dreher, D. (2008).
Your Personal Renaissance: 12 Steps to Finding Your Life’s True Calling.
New York, NY: Da Capo.
[2]
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N, & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions.
American Psychologist, 60,
410-421.
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I am a positive psychology coach, researcher, and best-selling author. My books include
The Tao of Inner Peace
,
The Tao of Personal Leadership
,
The Tao of Womanhood
,
Inner Gardening:
A Seasonal Path to Inner Peace
, and
Your Personal Renaissance: 12 Steps to Finding Your Life’s
True Calling
.
My coaching uses the latest research in positive psychology, mindful listening, powerful questions, and other creative techniques to help people overcome roadblocks, achieve your goals, and discover greater joy and meaning in life.
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I am a Certified MentorCoach (CMC), an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), and member of the
International Coach Federation
(ICF) a leading global organization dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high standards, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of trained coaching professionals.
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Listen to my Reflections from the Tao on the Wisdom of Nature, Leadership, and Life
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Diane Dreher, PhD, MA, ACC, CMC
North Star Personal Coaching
© Diane Dreher 2017
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