The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women

I'll be working on this piece today which measures 36"x36" - it's already past this stage...already has the beginnings of a canoe and symbols on it this morning.  I also finished ready Gail McMeekin's 'The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women' - I'll share a quick overview:

1.  Express Your Creative Gifts
2.  Get Heart-Focused
3.  Heal Your Self-Esteem
4.  Learn New Mindsets
5.  Design Action Strategies
6.  Commit to Your Intuition
7.  Craft a Plan That Helps You Grow
8.  Short-Circuit Self-Sabotage
9.  Let Go & Leap
10. Avoid Female Burnout
11. Nurture Your Mind/Body/Spirit
12. Initiate Transformation

As I read through the stories in this book, I realized that we all tend to fall into the same traps.  We don't trust ourselves to know what we need (Heart-Focused), feel like we 'owe' everybody but not ourselves (too selfish), and don't always pay attention to the kind of lifestyle that pleases us...I think that is why things such as self-help books, surgery, makeovers, etc have become mainstream.  We don't trust ourselves to make the right decisions for us.  I don't know why it has taken me 45 years to learn that I like things rustic and simple, always have...inclulding my home and my wardrobe.  So why have I felt the need to live in a certain home with certain things in the past?  Why was I drawn into stores to purchase items that made me feel better for a day rather than trust that what I truly need and desire will find its way to me when I am ready for it or when it is ready for me? 

I have also struggled with Female Burnout.  I know I need plenty of solitude and silence and yet I have continued to commit to others.  But my physical body threw me for a loop last summer - I spent weeks in different medical facilities and finally came to the conclusion that what I was giving up was my health and my soul.  Not that those things which I committed to were bad in any way but I wasn't listening to my heart.  And now I feel balanced once again.  I remembered that my happiest times were when my husband & I lived in the country with only one vehicle and I couldn't go anywhere.  Those were the times I meditated, walked, read, and painted and I was so very happy.  Those are the times I feel peace and I must not forget that...it's so good for me and good for my family.  So, I have to keep in mind that I need plenty of time of stillness, to quiet my mind and listen to my heart.  And then all is well.  No reacting and over-reacting.  Just pure, simple peace.