Charging Your Connections

Charging Your Connections I read an interesting study recently about a factor that contribute to our sense of belonging: people. I know, I know. You're like "Duh." And yes, we've known for a long time that our social circles influence our happiness and sense of belonging massively, but this wasn't talking about friends and family. It wasn't even talking about colleagues and teammates. It was talking about that fleeting "Hello" when you pass a distant neighbor, and that "Have a nice day" at your local store. It was talking about the vacation stories you swap with your hairdresser, or the smile you give your regular barista. Turns out, all those seemingly superficial relationships can be really important. Together, they contribute to our shared sense of community, and a strong sense of belonging. Barista Joan won't come in the middle of the night and help you out of a pickle, but her smile of recognition in the mornings is a comfortable reminder that you belong here. So this Holiday Season, don't take those superficial relationships for granted. Give your barista an extra tip, help your grocer pack the bags, give that distant neighbor an extra big smile and a wave. Charge those connections and set your intention on building your community in 2017. You belong here, Patti. Tip of the Week Find Your Match I found my match this week. Now go find yours! Creative Genius COFFEE Blast Off Coffee We love coffee so much that we teamed up with coffee expert, Dawn Pinaud to create the perfect #CreativeGenius blend. Stimulate your genius with this incredible coffee, perfect for espresso, press pots, drip, or cold brew. It’s a deep, rich, velvety smooth blend with notes of fruit and chocolate. Fresh as can be, this coffee is custom roasted in small batches and packed and shipped within 24 hours. Shop Now

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Inspired By Who You Meet - In Person & Through Social Media

YOU INSPIRE THE WORLD!
This week I did two book signings & a couple of workshops to show people how to draw your dreams into reality and promote my new book Drawing Solutions:  How Visual Goal Setting Will Change Your LIfe.  I was completely inspired by who I met and the stories they told.  Here are a few of them:

You are resilient and committed to self-actualization despite the odds.

At 3rd Place Books in Lake Forest Park north of Seattle, I heard an amazing story.  One of my participants recalled an employee meeting at her job where the boss showed them Maslow's chart of hierarchy of needs.  He said "With this job you will never become self-actualized.  You will only meet your most basic needs.  You will be able to pay your bills and buy a new refrigerator if you need one.  And that is it.  If you want to become self-actualized, leave now.  We are never going to do anything to make this job any better!"  This woman said she stuck it out for many years, while growing more and more miserable.  


She realized she needed to build her strength and courage, accept that she was going to have to create a change. Then, she watched the Draw Your Future TEDxRainier video and shortly thereafter heard a Billy Joel song playing in the store where she worked, "This job is going to give you a heartattack-ack-ack-ack..."  and she said, something snapped.  She went right into her boss's office and quit.  Now she is off on a big adventure - first traveling, then setting up the business she's always dreamed about and despite not having it all buttoned up, she's never been more excited.


You pursue your dreams.

Emily didn't even see the talk or the video, but when her mother showed her this template, something clicked!  Now she is running her own Vision to Reality groups on Orcas Island.

You want to make a difference.

Diego saw the video on YouTube and he contacted me through social media.  He and his team are helping to lift kids out of poverty by teaching them innovation and creativity skills in some of the poorest schools where he lives in Chile.  He contacted me because he was using Alex Osterwalders' business model innovation.  He is teaching young people how to become micro-entrepreneurs and he wanted to add our Snapshot of the Big Picture process to his toolkit.  Would I let them use it?Absolutely.  Like Diego, I am committed to offering tools to everyone, everywhere.

You inspire all of us to dream big dreams and work hard to make them happen.

Aaron is a fantastic cartoonist who came to my workshop at the San Juan Island library.  He is working hard on his vision and building his team, despite the health issues he has to deal with everyday.  He's also got great support, his very cool brother.

I know you have big dreams.  Draw them and send them to me so I can share them with the world.  Every one of us matters.  Your dreams elevate the rest of us.  Thank you for being here.

Love,

Patti