“The designer must make soul contact with his client.” – Eva Zeisel

Winston Churchill once said that we create our dwellings and our dwellings create us.

Taking that a step further I believe we live in our environments and our environments live in us.

Architecture, like other art forms, links the practical with the imagination, as does a beautiful landscape or well-designed public space, home or garden. Our outer world becomes a reflection of our inner world, and creating beauty and harmony within, can only bring beauty and harmony with out.

The word inspire is derived from “in-spirit,” and infusing some spirit, energy and harmony in our environments certainly can’t hurt … and in fact will create a better world.

So I created “Inspired Spaces” as an online magazine with an approach to art, architecture and unique environments that spark conversation, connection, and a deeper awareness of how our surroundings can provide authenticity, well-being and beauty in our lives.

Inspired Spaces illustrates and explores a new way of seeing – and building – our world through art, architecture and conscious design.

Last summer I took a tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, with “James,” a charming man who used to give Katharine Hepburn personally guided tours of The Met. James was a fountain of knowledge and insight, not only about the art but also about the iconic museum itself. As the tour ended, he said something that has stayed with me, that art is not only to be viewed but also to be experienced, and has the power to change one’s consciousness. He added: “You leave The Met Museum a different person than when you entered.”

Of course, the same can be said for experiencing a stunning work of architecture, a mountaintop retreat or travel to a foreign land. The experience of a beautiful place can change us.

Frank Lloyd Wright taught his students that beauty dissolves conflicts, inspires people, and creates a sense of happiness and serenity. “Beauty,” said the famous architect, “is not unnecessary or impractical.”

Or as I like to say, “Beauty is good therapy.”

So for a little dose of beauty and inspiration, visit Inspired Spaces. And share it freely.

It’s a brand new year of writing projects and possibilities, and whether wrapping up old assignments, editing ongoing ones or creating something new – blogs, books, scripts and more, every writer can use a little inspiration. And this week I stumbled upon some of the best writing tips I’ve seen in a while: “Belief and Technique for Modern Prose” by none other than Jack Kerouac.

Perhaps best known for his classic novel “On the Road,” Kerouac was an author, Beat poet and bit of a wild man, who lived – and wrote – on his own terms. So here are a few of Jack’s ‘essentials’ for better writing, in his unique spelling and grammatical style.

I particularly like points # 1, 4, 25 and 29.

1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy

2. Submissive to everything, open, listening

3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house

4. Be in love with yr life

5. Something that you feel will find its own form

6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind

7. Blow as deep as you want to blow

8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind

9. The unspeakable visions of the individual

10. No time for poetry but exactly what is

11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest

12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you

13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition

14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time

15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog

16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye

17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself

18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea

19. Accept loss forever

20. Believe in the holy contour of life

21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind

22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better

23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning

24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge

25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it

26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form

27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness

28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better

29. You’re a Genius all the time

30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven

As ever, 
Jack [Kerouac]

[Jack Kerouac. "Belief & Technique For Modern Prose: List of Essentials" from a 1958 letter to Don Allen, in Heaven & Other Poems, Grey Fox Press, 1958, 1977, 1983.]

I love rituals around the new year that help me focus and look forward to the coming months with new energy, dreams and aspirations. Rather than make resolutions, which for me often lack excitement and originality, and have a limited chance of succeeding beyond January 15, in the last few years I’ve taken a simple and effective approach – choosing 3 words for the new year. With careful consideration (and meditation) I select 3 words that will shape my plans, inform my decisions, and guide my actions for the next 12 months.

While many people select a “Word of the Year” to guide their course in the coming months, I like the asymmetry, flexibility and added power of a 3-word theme. And I’ve discovered others like the 3-word approach as well.

My colleague and employee engagement specialist David Zinger uses the 3-word theme as a great planning tool to focus on how to ‘engage’ the year ahead while allowing for room on how those themes are realized… in the workplace or in life.

Social media expert Chris Brogan focuses on 3 words in the new year as a model to improve both himself and his business. He suggests summing up an entire perspective into these words, and using them not only as guideposts for actions in the new year but also as “lighthouses” to direct you through stormy places.

OK, so what are my 3 words and how does this work?

Well, for example, in 2011 my 3 words were: Commitment. Connection. Confidence.  Here’s what happened last year: I joined a business mastermind group of 12 powerful women entrepreneurs, found new clients and new work; met some amazing people and made life-long connections both personally and professionally; took 3 “Avatar” courses that advanced my spiritual and personal growth; and spent a lot of time with my father in the last year of his life, including being with him when he passed on.

My 3 words for 2012 are: Inspire. Ask. Receive. And here’s why I chose them.

Inspire: The word inspire is derived from “in-spirit,” and I believe living with spirit, energy and harmony in our environments, work and relationships will create a much more beautiful world. Stayed tuned for a project I’m working on this year that’s all about my “desire to inspire.”

Ask: As a fiercely independent woman who prides herself on being self-sufficient, I used to think asking for help (or anything else) was ‘weak.” Well, I’m sooo over that. It is only when we are supported, that we can support our selves or others. I’m increasingly learning how to delegate tasks, and ask for help both in business and in life. I’ve learned that the first step in creating what you want is asking for what you need. Look out world…

Receive: As selfish as this might sound, I’m working on my ability to be a better “receiver” and accept help, kindness, money, love and more, with ease and grace. Again, similar to my challenge in learning to ask, I’ve often said “no” (consciously and unconsciously) to receiving things from others. Well, no more! I’ve realized only by being able to receive more, am I able to give more and serve the world in a bigger way. So in 2012, I am open to receive – love, money, creativity, work, fun, help, free coffee — whatever life serves up, with deep gratitude.

So there you have it, my “trifecta of transformation” for 2012 and the 3 words this year that, for me, will change everything.

What 3 words would you choose for 2012?

I’d love to hear about them, share in the comment section below.

It’s the end of the year, and we’ve just come through a season that for many is one of consumerism, gifts and acquisitions. And hey, I like good ‘stuff’ as much as anyone, but I’ve always preferred quality over quantity …  in possessions, surroundings, experiences, and especially, in life.

I’ve just finished reading, The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka, a book that really spoke to me and one I would recommend to anyone looking to create more ‘space’ and meaning in his or her life. As another year draws to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on what’s working in our lives, what we’d like to adjust, and what we’d like to create in the future. Read more below.

Sarah Susanka, an architect who created the bestselling Not So Big House series of books, believes “big” is not necessarily better, in our physical spaces or our lives, and quality is more important than quantity. In The Not So Big Life, she uses architectural metaphors and design principles that apply as much to building a life as a home, and drafts a “blueprint for a new way of living.”

Susanka suggests the way to change (and enhance) the way we live is by being fully present and engaged in each moment, and every area, of our lives. Citing influences such as Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Eckhart Tolle, Rumi and others, she takes a spiritual approach to demonstrating that form and function serve not only architectural design, but life goals, processes and experiences as well.

Just as we can makeover and remodel our physical interiors, The Not So Big Life shows us that we can also adjust and align thoughts, actions and beliefs to open up the interior walls of our selves and our souls. In doing so, we reveal new possibilities so we can start living more passionately and effectively by engaging in the things we love to do and, as the book’s tagline says, “making room for what really matters.”

At the end of The Not So Big Life, Susanka includes an exercise for a year-end ritual, which she describes as a process similar to ‘sowing seeds’ to bring to fruition intentions, goals and projects for the new year. She lists a series of questions about the past year, present existence and future, and at the end of December she sets aside several hours to respond to these queries. When completed, she rereads the previous year’s answers.

Some of the questions about the past year include how she has spent her time, the results of the actions taken, what has inspired her, and what accomplishments, creations or disappointments have changed her. In reflecting on the past year, she also examines conditioned patterns, hidden beliefs and habits, and the effects they have had.

In her questions about the present she asks: “How am I different now from the way I was last year at this time? How can I integrate the key lessons of the past year of my life? “ Other important queries include: “What am I becoming? Who am I really?” and “Has my experience of time changed at all since last year?”

Lastly, in her questions about the future, she poses: “What is it that I wish to focus on or experience in the coming year? Looking far into the future, what wishes, longings or creations will I be bringing into being or engaging in some way?”

And finally, she ponders: “If I could sum up all my desires and longings in one simple statement spoken from the highest aspect of myself … what would it be?” (This is my favorite question.)

Susanka’s year-end ritual is provocative and insightful, and one I am putting in to practice. And this time next year, I can’t wait to review the results of what I have ‘planted.’

As December wraps up, a review of the year’s news and events, and making resolutions for the coming months are common traditions.

Do you have any year-end rituals that you practice? And do they make a difference in how the New Year, and your life, unfolds?

However you celebrate the passing of one year and the arrival of another, here’s to a happy, meaningful 2012.

Wow. After a long fall, and not much snow on the ground it’s hard to believe Christmas is only 10 days away, and another year is drawing to a close.

I love this time of year because as I look back over the past 12 months, it’s the perfect time for reflection, celebration and appreciation of for all that was, is, and is yet to be. As one year departs another arrives, with excited anticipation and fresh possibilities.

The holidays are also a great time to connect – or reconnect – with family, friends, colleagues and clients.

So, in the spirit of the season and in the spirit of connecting, I’d like to send you a holiday e-gift – an ebook I created called “12 gifts for 2012.” In it 12 entrepreneurs of purpose and passion (including myself) offer a gift we feel the world could use in 2012. And in my opinion, they are the best kind of gifts …gifts of insight, images and inspiration.

I hope you enjoy the gift package…and are inspired to think about your own gift(s) to bring forth in the new year.

Happy holidays … of both giving and receiving!

To download your “12 gifts for 2012” ebook click here.

Happy season’s readings.

I wrote this en route home from Atlanta, after another inspiring three-day retreat with my business coach Christine Kane, and hundreds of women (and a few men) entrepreneurs. With a blend of holistic wellness meets new ways of marketing, we were takin’ care of business with soul and strategy. By examining and challenging our beliefs, thoughts and actions – those that serve us or defeat us – combined with learning about strategic systems, technology, social media and more, upleveling our businesses became “mission possible.”

Here are 10 things I learned about connecting mind, business and soul.

1) Mindset first: skill set second.

This is one of Christine Kane’s mantras. A person’s inner work and state of being always affects outer success. As Christine tells her clients: the reason we set goals at all is because of who we become as we’re reaching them. Anyone in business, particularly entrepreneurs, must continually deal with their mindset, intention and actions. Thoughts become things, so it’s critical to choose good ones.

2) Soul AND strategy create desired outcomes.

You can’t be all “love” and no action. We can amp up our businesses (and our lives) with just the right combination of spiritual mojo, left-brain strategy and new approaches to marketing that promote authenticity and connection.

3)    Every profession is a service profession. (To quote Harrison Ford)

Businesses are here to serve people. Without clients, customers or ”peeps” to pay for your product or service, you don’t have a business – you have a hobby.

4) Setbacks are keys to solutions.

If we view problems differently, obstacles faced in business often become portals to finding ways to overcome them and serve clients better.

5) Honor where you are and what you need.

In business and in life, old models, ideas and benchmarks must be released, before you can identify new possibilities, and the support you need to get there.

6) More conversation, less presentation.

The new way of marketing is all about personal connection, resonance and being real. Your website, blog, business letters, products and services etc. should all speak to and with the people you serve.

7) Success is never on sale.

When we discount or devalue our skills and expertise, it causes our business (and our selves) to contract rather than to expand.

8)    A big dream without a roadmap is a dangerous thing.

Without a clear vision, structure and plan, fear and doubt easily enter in and take you – and your business – off course.

9)    You must exit your comfort zone. We’ve heard this before, but growth often requires risk, and moving through fear, discomfort and unfamiliar territory. The sweetest fruit is always out on a limb.

10) When you’re interested you’ll do what’s convenient, when you’re committed you’ll do what it takes.

Success requires commitment. What more is there to say?

What ways do you add a little soul to your success or business?

Happy December! With winter and the holidays upon us, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good book, hunt for the next bestseller (or something more obscure) or find the perfect literary gift. Lately, one of my favourite distractions has been surfing the Internet for fun and unusual websites for book lovers, word nerds and people who read too much. So forget Amazon, Indigo, Chapters and the other big bookselling sites for a while and check out a few new online spots to expand your digital literary experience.

1)    Book Crossing: www.bookcrossing.com

If you love your books set them free. This site lets you to share and send your books “out in the wild” with a special identification label that tracks the book, sometimes around the world, and lets you know who’s reading it. The site has a system to follow a book’s journey and the lives it touches, as well as a way to add journal entries, reviews and searches for books that have been “released.” It’s been described as a “modern day message in a bottle.”

2)   Bookslut: www.bookslut.com

Ok, this one made the list just for its name. For those of us who’ll read anything anywhere, Bookslut is a daily blog of insightful features, reviews, and outrageous commentary, including regular columns such as Cookbook Slut, Latin Lit Lover, and UnAmerican. The blog itself is a good read, not just its passionate book recommendations.

3)    Bookninja: www.bookninja.com

This one also gets points for its name. Bookninja is a Canadian literary site and according to its homepage one of the top literary sites in the world, and nexus for news, opinion and discussion about fiction and poetry. Also part of the site, Bookninja Magazine contains original articles and reviews.

4)    The Book Bench: www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books

If you love The New Yorker magazine (and I do) this blog is “loose leafs from the New Yorker Books Department.” That includes reviews, clever commentary and all the NY buzz about what’s popular, hot and happening on the literary scene.

5)    The Believer: www.believermag.com

The monthly online magazine, by its own admission, “covers book reviews that are not necessarily timely and are often very long, and interviews that are also very long.”  That said, the current issue has a weirdly entertaining interview with actor/writer James Franco in conversation with an artist called “Carter.” I also like that the magazine states outright: “We will focus on writers and books we like.

6)    Narrative Magazine: narrativemagazine.com

As its tagline reads, Narrative Magazine is “a non-profit organization dedicated to storytelling in the digital age,” sometime described as the PBS of literature. All content (which is a lot – stories, poetry, novel excerpts, articles and writing contests) is free to readers. The site acts as a virtual bridge to connect readers and writers around the globe, and celebrates work by established authors as well as emerging ones. There’s a “Story of the Week” and “Poem of the Week” as well as my favourite find, “Six-word stories.”

Of course, this is just a smattering of the many fun and fabulous literary sites online. Let me know about some of your new and wonderful finds in the digital literary world, and leave a comment below.

This week while Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, we in Canada are also gearing up for the season of giving. Signs (and advertising) about the holidays are inescapable, and in this season of gift giving (and over-giving) it’s easy to get swept up into the mood of consuming and the “joy of spending” for family, friends and significant others.

At Winnipeg Women/Winnipeg Men magazine, our holiday issue has just gone to press, and while it includes some glittering gift guides and wish lists, it also has a list of a few charitable organizations where people can donate their time, energy or financial support. I love this list (see below) and it reminds me of what Kahil Gibran said: “You give but little when you give of your possessions, it is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

Here are a few charitable organizations in Winnipeg where you can share your joy this holiday season.

Champs War Amps Program provides financial assistance for artificial limbs, as well as counselling programs and seminars to bring young people together. To make a donation visit waramps.ca

Rossbrook House offers youth a safe alternative to the streets 365 days a year. For donation information go to www.rossbrookhouse.ca

The Manitoba Riding for the Disabled Association is a non-profit organization that provides a therapeutic riding program for children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, visual impairments, autism and other physical disabilities. To make a donation go to www.mrda.cc

Meals on Wheels of Winnipeg has a long history of service and today their volunteers deliver to over 1000 clients in Winnipeg. For more information or to make a donation visit www.mealswinnipeg.com

The North End Women’s Centre has been serving women and their families for over 25 years, providing a place where women can receive the understanding, support and resources they need to make informed choices about their lives. For more information or to make a donation go to www.newcentre.org

Oyate Tipi is a non-profit organization that accepts donations of gently used household goods and furniture. All items are distributed to women and children who are trying to better themselves by escaping poverty or abuse. Schedule a free pick up by calling the Oyate Tipi donation line at 204-589-2265.

Siloam Mission serves people in need in Winnipeg’s inner city and offers a Christmas dinner. Financial donations can go toward the purchase of Christmas meal tickets (just $2.97 feeds one person) or to support other services. Online donations can be made at www.siloam.ca

Winnipeg Harvest is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to people who are hungry as well as offering training opportunities to help people step up and out of poverty. To donate money, food or time, go to www.winnipegharvest.org

Of course, donations can also be made to arts groups, health care organizations, foundations and other charities… it’s simply a matter of choosing who or what you would like to support.

For all those giving of your time, energy or dollars this season, may your gift(s) bring you and others great comfort and joy.

Enjoy the gift of giving, and have a happy, meaningful holiday season.

I do a lot of writing for CancerCare Manitoba, an organization doing life-saving work, research and health care in our community, and the writing includes many stories about people who are dealing with cancer every day. Recently, I wrote a piece about an inspiring two year old, diagnosed with leukemia, who is leading his family through the whole experience with his high-energy and positive attitude… sometimes it’s the children who teach the adults.

On both sides of the story – from the perspective of those who give (individuals, groups or organizations) and those who receive – these tales of transformation can inspire and inform, and it’s important to tell them.

To read more about the story I wrote for CancerCare Manitoba click here

What a powerful story can achieve…

Stories capture moments that define a life, or a lifetime.
Stories inspire, challenge and sustain us.
Stories test our imaginations, and our truths.

Stories illuminate our world and our hearts.
Stories mirror what we fear and what we love.
Stories expose our vulnerability, and our strength.

Stories create space for the light to get in.
Stories build connection, community and creativity.
Stories take us on roads of the earth and roads of the spirit.

Stories are merchants of ideas and agents of possibility.
Stories transmit beauty and transformation.
Stories offer deep diving for the soul.

Stories change lives.

This week has been an eventful and insightful one. My dad passed away last week, after a long life (85 years) and a relatively short stay in hospital.  Now, with Dad at peace, the funeral and celebration of his life over, and my family having returned to their homes far and wide, there’s time for reflection.

Death, or even near death, always offers new perspective – on what we can and cannot control in life, on what truly matters… and what is simply irrelevant or insignificant.

As someone who has had a few brushes with death, I am always grateful for the reminder of how precious life is, and the opportunity to ask myself: Am I living in the present? Do the people I love know that I love them? And if this was my moment to “exit” would I leave the world a better place? In other words, am I doing what matters – to me and to others?

At my dad’s funeral, his granddaughter (my niece) read this poem by Michael Josephson.  It was a fitting and beautiful tribute to my father, who led a life of authenticity, kindness and generosity that mattered to so many. In this poem, Josephson truly captures what in the end will be the measure of one’s life.

What will it matter?

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won’t even matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,

Not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstances but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.