Everything you do with heart is art…

by Diana Long on January 27, 2010

As many of you may have noticed, I am advocate for personal expression & creativity. Just a few days ago, one of my favorite thought leaders & bloggers,Seth Godin shared this post about art: Seths’ definition of art contains three elements:

1. Art is made by a human being.
2. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
3. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording… but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.

By Seth’s definition, most art has nothing to do with oil paint or marble. Art is what we’re doing when we do our best work.

I agree and believe now more the time is ripe for creativity and innovation. How might you “gift” the world today with your strengths, talents & expertise?

In the spirit of the topic of creativity,I’ve recently taken up painting with acrylics, honoring a long time burning desire… My first go-round at this has been a rather large undertaking… to paint an abstract painting to go into our living room. What can I say, I am an overachiever :) )

As with anything we experience in life, there are always insights along the way.

A huge blank canvas is definately a bit intimatidating, similiar to any big project that scares the socks right off of us. But once you get past the initial fear and dive in, progress is made, step by step, brush stroke after brush stroke.

Here’s a quick peek on the progress of my painting:
Blank Canvas
A Start
A Start
More Color
more color
Taking Shape w more to add! More pics coming soon :)

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Is it time to “shake things up”?

by Diana Long on January 24, 2010

Upside Down
Now more than ever, business owners are looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, to have their message be heard above the “noise” of so many marketing messages.

One of the best ways I know of to get “unstuck” and create something brand new is to do the opposite of what you’ve gotten into the habit of doing.

We truly are creatures of habit, from the way we tie our shoes to the way we run our businesses.

Ready to “shake things up” and get unstuck? Ready to create something brand new?

Here’s a simple solution offered by Annharriet Buck,which she calls Buck’s Theory of Contrasts

If you have been sittting,stand
If you have be standing, sit
If you have been traveling,stay home
If you have been home, travel
If you have been teaching,learn
If you have been learning,teach
If you have been talking, listen
If you have been listening, talk

You get the idea. Unhook yourself from your habits and shake things up. i promise you will see things differently open yourself up to new ideas and feel better in the process. All this translates into fresh new thinking both personally and professionally.

Time to get unstuck and do things differently. I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts! What are you inspired to do differently this week?

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Do You Have Your Own “Success Partner”?

by Diana Long on January 17, 2010

Do you have a strong connection with a mentor to help you to leap ahead in your business & in your life?

I had a big aha moment I wanted to share with you about how incredible it is to have a strong partner ( more on the importance of this in just a minute, first let me tell you this little story:

Here’s what happened…

Recently during one of my dance lessons, I was introduced to a new dance,the Bolero.

Almost immediately,I noticed that my pattern of overthinking was truly get in my way of succeeding. As I tried so hard to focus on the “what”( the steps & what step is next) I easily became “caught up” in striving to get my steps just right and anticipating what is next before I’ve even completed the previous steps.

Note to self, this strategy doesn’t work very well!

When I am not fully connected to my partner all kinds of things happen: My timing is off, I crash into my partner, I trip, or fall off center. Not too graceful :) Not much of a partnership. I’m all alone “in my head”.

The obvious problem here is that I’m not very connected.

I’m not connected to my dance partner.

I’m not connected to my own body and movement.

I’m not connected to the music.

I’m not connected to being fully present in the moment.

I’m not connected!

My dance instructor,Michael, called me out on this. It was a really great wake-up call.

He told me, dancing isn’t about the steps. It’s about the connection. It’s about the synergy of the partnership. He showed me that there is a push & pull movement that happens between the partners. It’s not just about executing the steps.

I really “got” it, and our dancing took on a whole new meaning. It truly is about the connection. There’s power, more ease and results by truly being “in”the partnership.

It got me to thinking about partnerships, about coaching and why I am a raving fan of coaching and why it works so well.

As we just completed this past year, I bet you’ve given thought to what is next for you and your business in the year ahead.

You COULD try to do everything by yourself, you COULD spend a lot of time all by yourself ” in your head”, thinking,plotting and planning your goals for next year.

OR

you COULD make the decision that could dramatically change your year.

How much moo-lah would you like to have in your bank account? What do you want to launch in your biz? What do you want to experience In your personal life, more travel? More adventure? More love?

I would LOVE to help you activate your dreams and goals for your business and for your personal life. My clients get results! You can,too.

If you haven’t checked out my brand new highly customized Step Up Coaching program that I have created for YOU, then please do it now :)

This program is designed to help you get specific solutions for your specific business at a more than reasonable investment. (Pricing for this program will go up February 15th …so don’t delay.)

I invite you to Step Up and start off the New Year with your own creative and strategic partner. I created a special page for you to learn more about what you will learn and you can see it here @ http://www.DianaLong.com/StepUp.htm I only have 2 openings available as of today.

Let’s design and create your year ahead be everything you want it to be!!! So don’t hesitate, go ahead and Step Up to what you want!

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Dream It, Design It, LIVE It!

by Diana Long on December 28, 2009

Please Join Us For

The Dream it, Design it, LIVE it! & Official Launch Party for the Dream Card Game™

The Not to Be Missed Event for Women Leaders in Business, Professionals & Entrepreneurs

A brand new year!

Dream It, Live It Celebration

* Are you committed to creating your best business year EVER (despite the economy) in 2010?
* Do you want to get re-energized, re-focused, and be “on-fire” with your goals & dreams for 2010?
* Are you ready to truly “have it all”, creativity, passion, & joy and pour this positive energy into your work & life?

Be Inspired, Get Focused. Start Strong in 2010!

In this energizing, inspiring, motivating program, you will:

* Participate in the Dream Card Game Experience ™ (you will love this!)
* Enjoy Excellent Networking
* Gather at a Gorgeous Venue
* Dine on Delicious Food & Drink
* Get LUCKY – Your Chance to Win Drawings for Valuable & Luxurious Gifts

MIHomes Showcase Venue
Located in the Easton Mall
4077 Grammercy St., Columbus Ohio 43219

Thursday, January 14th, 2010
5:30- 7:30 pm – Check In & Networking Starts @ 5 pm
Columbus Ohio 43219

Register Today so You Don’t Miss Out on this One-of-a-Kind Event! $ 35.00 (Purchase online by January 14, 2010 Noon EST)
$49.00 (At the Door)
(Previous Events SOLD OUTHere’s What a Recent Participant Had to Say:
“This program is invaluable! It was absolutely the best investment of my time and money for my business and personal life! My Vision of Success is now super clear. After attending the workshop, we celebrated a RECORD month in sales!! When’s the next program? I’ll be there!
- Lisa Weaver, www.TouchOfGourmet.net

Register Now – Seating is Limited!
Diana Long 740-657-1699
www.dianalong.com/DreamItLiveIt.htm

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” Eleanor Roosevelt

This event is proudly sponsored by: www.TheWomensBook.com & www.MIHomes.com

The Women's Book

[MI Homes] logo_MI_homes

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Activate the Good Stuff!

by Diana Long on December 27, 2009

I hope you are enjoying this Holiday Season! I’d love to share an interesting experience that I had a few days ago that really demonstrates what I teach my clients to do, which is to use the power of their focus & use their attention and intention to “activate” the energy of what they want both in biz and in life.

I was doing a little Holiday gift-shopping and visited a really “hip” area nearby called The Short North, enjoying a hot chai tea as I popped in and out of several of the art galleries there. In one of the galleries, I stopped dead in my tracks because I was mesmerized by a floral painting by a french artist.

This artist uses a particular technique called impasto that is her signature brand. The shop owner let me know that I was the 3rd person that morning who was interested in that same picture!

I wasn’t surprised because it’s the Law of Attraction at work – focusing on something activates the energy of it. What we place our focused attention gets energized. Plain and simple.

As we wrap up 2009, it’s the perfect time to do a review of this past year & look ahead for 2010.

What do you want to ‘activate’ in your bank account? In your biz? In your personal life?

I would LOVE to help you to activate your dreams and goals for your business and for your personal life.

In case you haven’t heard aboutthe brand new highly customized Private Coaching program that could just be what you are looking for… If not, please check it out @ www.DianaLong.com/StepUp.htm

The applications have been coming in this week which is really exciting. I want you to be sure to have your chance to be fully supported, accountable and have the strategies in place to make your year ahead be everything you want it to be!!! So don’t hesitate, go ahead and Step Up to what you want! Let’s create an awesome year for you in 2010!

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