Living by Design Tips
A Power of the Creative Process, V23, #13
A Power of the Creative Process By Leslie Sann Dreamers only dream. Creators bring their dreams into reality. ~Robert Fritz An object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. Putting things in motion creates momentum. The actual...
Different Versions of Reality, V23, #12
Different Versions of Reality By Leslie Sann I think, therefore, I had a thought. My sister and I were reminiscing about our childhood pet dog, Brandy. She was sharing about how she found out that Brandy had died. It was the end of summer, and our mom had picked her...
Thought is Not Required, V23, #11
Thought is Not Required By Leslie Sann Thought is not required, only action. Wandering the streets of Arles, FR, we find ourselves turned around. It is hot, very hot, with record-breaking temperatures. The paper map is unclear, or the street has no signage letting us...
Empty Next, V23, #10
Empty Next By Leslie Sann There is a beautiful tension in all creation between letting go and forming, the pushing and pulling of color and sound and everything imaginable. ~ Janet Morgan A client is about to release her child into the world for the beginning of his...
WOW Brain, V23, #09
WOW Brain By Leslie Sann Turn agitation to curiosity to wonder. Living in Wide Open Wonder (W O W) is the antidote to Crazy Brain. Wonder opens us to creativity. I wonder ... hmmm? Through reflection and wonder, we grow in wisdom, harvesting what has gone...
White-It-Out, V23, #07
White-It-Out By Leslie Sann We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better. ~ J.K. Rowling Being human and all, I bet you sometimes get on the thought train to hell. Not fun. It...
Turning Worry into Wonder, V23, #07
Turning Worry into Wonder By Leslie Sann My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened. ~ Michel Montaigne There are many expressions representing the uselessness of worry. One is that it is a misuse of the imagination. Another is...
Experimenting with Life, V23, #06
Experimenting with Life By Leslie Sann All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better. ~ Raplh Waldo Emerson We all know life happens. It unfolds as it does rather than the way we expect. It helps to have tools in your back pocket to win in the...
Dancing with Gratitude, V23, #05
Dancing with Gratitude By Leslie Sann Pleasure is not the purpose of man's existence. Joy is. ~ David O. McKay Gratitude fosters joy. Joy opens the creative brain, accessing possibility. Possibility moves us to choose. Choice leads to action. Action translates dreams...
Precious, V23, #04
Precious By Leslie Sann Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. ~ William James During a recent visit to NY to see family, we went to dinner in Manhattan, where my two nieces live. We dined at their favorite restaurant, which was filled...
Standing Tall, Looking Forward, V23, #03
Standing Tall, Looking Forward By Leslie Sann There is nothing unbearable in who I am;thus, I can handle whatever it is,enduring until the end. ~ John Morton On January 22, 2023, I opened my email and read this message, “Hi - I am interested in buying your...
A Case for Losing My Mind, V23, #02
A Case for Losing My Mind By Leslie Sann When I say not to think, I mean that if you have a thought, think nothing of it. ~ attributed to a Chinese Zen Master Living by design is all about exploring our inner selves and letting what is deep within...
Shedding your Skin, Blossoming Even More, V23, #01
Shedding your Skin, Blossoming Even More By Leslie Sann What if you allowed your next to come? ~ Allison Crowe This is the deal—we are more than human beings. We are also human becomings. We are designed to evolve into something next. Growing is our thing, and we like...
The Woman in Front of the Room, V22, #24
The Woman in Front of the Room By Leslie Sann And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself? ~ Rumi I did some traveling in December. On my return trip, I sat next to a young woman reading a book I had seen on a shelf at the airport. When I asked her...
My Hallmark Christmas Story, V22, #23
My Hallmark Christmas Story By Leslie Sann Will you be my neighbor? ~ Fred Rogers My girlfriend and I spent the week at a retreat and are returning home. She is traveling to Canada, and I am flying back to Chicago. We’re going on different airlines. It’s a small...
Pebble in Your Shoe, V22, #22
Pebble in Your Shoe By Leslie Sann Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson John Lennon said, "Life is what happens when you are making other plans." And I say, sometimes we don't like it. Often we find ourselves complaining about what is. How...
Putting Words on Your Gratitude, V22, #21
Putting Words on your Gratitude By Leslie Sann Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is likewrapping a present and not giving it. ~ William Arthur Ward There is a way to say thank you that goes beyond the words, thank you. Gratitude is a way to celebrate how the...
Not Broken, V22, #20
Not Broken By Leslie Sann You only know better once you know better. Sometimes a client will come into my office saying, “I need you to fix me,” or “I need you to help me fix this.” Fix what, I ask. What's broken? My office (phone or in person) isn’t an emergency room...
Choose and Then Choose Again, V21, #19
Choose and Then Choose Again by Leslie Sann Action translates dreams into reality. Tony Robbins All of creation starts with choice. Your life is the sum of all of the choices you have made up until now. That’s how you become the creator of your life. Choosing, acting,...
Put it Down, V22, #18
Put it Down by Leslie Sann Feeling is what you get for thinking the way you do. Marilyn vos Savant A younger version of myself spent way too much time fruitlessly figuring out why I was upset, which only upset me even more. Like picking a scab until it bleeds,...
Do-Gooding, V22, #17
Do-Gooding by Leslie Sann Seek out the good and your mind will fill with happiness. John Templeton Backing my car out from my spot in front of the farm store with a dozen just-laid eggs and some ripe tomatoes sitting safely on the front seat of my car, I notice there...
Chocolate Pear Torte, V22, #16
Chocolate Pear Torte by Leslie Sann You cannot give what you do not have. A while ago I was traveling the hillside towns of Tuscany, Italy, which I adore for many reasons. I love the pace of life there. Food is amazing. There is an aliveness and a zest for beauty and...
Singing in the Rain, V22, #15
Singing in the Rain by Leslie Sann When you are laughing you may still feel the pain, but it won't hurt. ~ John-Roger Have you ever had an experience that in the moment was dreadful to you, perhaps the worst thing that has happened to you ever, only to find after...
Choices have Choices, V22, #14
Choices Have Choices by Leslie Sann I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes. ~Charles Swindoll I have something for you to ponder. I love pondering, as in mull over,...
Causeless Joy, V22, #13
Causeless Joy by Leslie Sann Joy is not the absence of suffering but the presence of God. ~ Unknown Do me a favor. Look at your left hand, just take a moment and move your eyes from the screen and bring your attention to your left hand for a few seconds. Thanks. I'll...
Yes … Even Greater, V22, #12
Yes ... Even Greater by Leslie Sann The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. ~ Michelangelo Buonarroti Living by design involves learning to be intentional about life: making choices that...