LOOK UP, LEADER See that awesome sky. It seems that there's a lot of expectations of leaders in this brave new world of constant connectivity.  It's that insistent voice calling from the wings, "Come on, come on! Surely you can come up with something bright and shiny, brilliant and unique everyday!" Whenever that new thing arrives, big or small, it's heralded with wild trumpeting, a resounding cheer, bright neon arrows pointing to #yippee you! followed by multiple retweets from social media mavens across the clouds through FB/twitter/pininterest/snapchat (or that new social media thing I don't know about yet). While some people are focusing on the glamourous flavor of the moment, I admit, I'm becoming more and more interested in those quiet, and equally cool, ideas that emerge from the soft spoken creative genius leaders who would rather not post anything, anywhere. How do we carve out space for these less flashy, simpler ideas from that quiet creative genius you in a world filled with constant noise, ads, posts, and techno stuff? Here's a suggestion  and you can do it anytime you want, but it's especially effective when you find yourself glued to your phone or computer screen. LOOK UP. When you were a child, this was such a simple and innocent act.  In my childhood world, I'd be out messing around in the backyard with my bro, Jim, and suddenly I'd fall down into the grass and roll on to my back and I'd just stare up at that amazing sky.  Sometimes it was blue or light gray or bright pink. Sometimes it was filled with spacious emptiness. Sometimes it was swirled with wispy streams of overlapping and beautiful complexity. The sky, full of clouds or clear pristine space, is a reflection of you and your potential - it's expansive and wide. Looking up creates a simple physiological shift; a physical reminder that while your head might be caught in the drivel and doldrums of the day, that you are more than that brain. You are big and beautiful and expanding. This past week I gave a talk for the Soroptimist International of the Americas in Vancouver, BC.  This women's club has been around for almost a century helping women and girls to reach their potential.  They fund programs to help support women's education, health, or to prevent human trafficking, or to provide resources and opportunities around the world. Check them out and support their work. My audience in Vancouver BC was from many nations and these women drew the most amazing pictures of their dreams for the future. The SI women continue to look up from all parts of the earth and in their willingness to serve others, they remind me what an honor it is to be alive. One of the leaders said during her lunchtime talk, "We are indebted to life until we serve life." - Raquel Arreola Ruiz, past President of Soroptimist International of the Americas. And so it is. Today, why not give yourself a break from your screen.  Right now. Go outside and look up, leader.  Remind yourself that there's a bigger picture and plan for you too. Stop a moment to appreciate the amazing and expansive world that surrounds you, that you're an intricate part of, that offers you the chance to expand beyond who you are and what you know.  Look up, leader. "Oh my,  Bettina! Will you look at that!  Look at the sky!  It just goes on and on, and oh my goodness Bettina, I'm think I'm getting some kind of understanding here.  Bettina, this is what I believe God is like. Why God just goes on and on and.." - Pauli Moran, from the play, Farmgirls. GOAL SETTING SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2014, VANCOUVER, BC Pictured here: the SI Team from Taiwan. Awesome artists and tireless leaders joined me for a photo following my keynote. Thank you! MAP YOUR FUTURE HOW A SIMPLE PICTURE can change everything. If you haven't drawn your vision of the future for awhile. Download that free template here. Then watch this video and get going! Look for our new toolkit to help you work with your team or organization! SHOUT OUT CRAVER TAKES 1ST! The short one on the left won the bike race in Gresham last weekend. The tall one on the right is a 55+ bike racer who made it happen with an awesome lead out. This is what it means to be on a team.  Find your team and appreciate them. Guess what? You reading this?  You are my team and I am so grateful for #creativegeniusyou.

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APPRECIATING THE LITTLE GUY IN ALL OF US This week I was traveling for a conference and I had to take a cab to the airport. If you don’t travel a lot, you may not know that there’s a current war on between the black car service drivers and taxicab drivers. Companies like Uber have figured out a way to make black car cushy transport easier. I’ve tried it and I realized I prefer riding with the cab drivers because they seem like the little guy in this situation. Many cab drivers are new to our the country and are learning their way around. I want to help. So when I walked out of my hotel and a black car drove up and told me he would give me the same price for a ride as the taxicab, I waved him on and got into the taxicab behind him.  The black car driver got mad about it, but he was waiting in a taxicab station, which isn't allowed.  When I told the cabbie why I passed up that black car to ride with him, naturally we became fast friends! I found out my new friend was originally from Antigua. Then we proceeded to have the GREATEST conversation.  We talked about traffic and how it tests you to see if you’ll do the “right thing” or not.  My driver told me a story about how he wouldn’t let a woman cut into line in front of him and almost got beat him for it. (and he was a big guy).I shared about the time someone behind me got so tired of cars cutting into line at the last minute (while the rest of us had been waiting for an hour), that he pulled over into that lane and simply stopped traffic, forcing them to creep along with the rest of us. We laughed and admitted that we'd been those cars cutting in too, sometimes. Then our conversation went from great to fantastic. He and I began listing all the career paths we had taken and we found that many of the industries we'd worked in overlapped - #business, #healthcare, #art.  We’d walked over so much common ground that we both became giddy appreciating our timely connection. In the last few moments, he turned his mirror so he could look me in the eyes and confided that he felt he had never really been able to reach what he was capable of and didn’t know why. This was soul to soul, sharing truth. Well, you can guess what happened next; naturally I shared the vision to reality process with him. I handed him my business card so he’d know how to watch that TEDx talk #DrawYourFuture, and a HUcard fell out of my wallet at the same time. That must have been meant for him too, so I handed it to him as well.  “When you feel down, or worried, sing HU”, I explained, “it’s a sacred word as old as time that will help to remind you that you are a spiritual being, capable of anything you desire.” We parted ways with a profound appreciation for each other’s gifts and stories, and for that wonderful thread that weaves through everything, connecting us to new friends everywhere, in every moment.   This week take time to appreciate the little guys in your world (that means you too) and honor those interactions as an opportunity for connection. Wherever you go,#lead the charge and give love, be love. Thanks for reading #creativegeniusyou, Love, Patti CREATIVITY SYMPOSIUM FREMONT ABBEY ARTS CENTER Join me June 7th from 10AM - 3PM The Creativity Symposium for Puget Sound Entrepreneurial Women is a one day conference event for entrepreneurial women to unleash their joy and creativity through speakers, workshops, mastermind circles, and networking. #womencreativesunite HEALTHCARE EDUCATORS ROCKIN' H2P CONSORTIUM When educators get together to get things done, things happen. Thanks for inviting me to illustrate your brilliance. You are amazing and thank you for transforming education. #educationtransformation SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL 43RD BIENNIAL CONVENTION Early warning!  I'll be speaking in Vancouver at this event! If you don't know about the amazing things the Soroptimist International are doing for women around the world, now is the time to get online and find out.They are a force to be supported. Send your friends to draw their dreams into reality in Canada!