And the winner is...

Congratulations, Daisies! I sincerely hope you enjoy the book and look forward to hearing what you come up with as your Style Statement.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. It was a real treat to see your style. I hope that you had fun expressing it.

Thank you to Carrie & Danielle for all the great work that they do and for contributing this autographed copy of their first book.

Have a stylishly good day!

Last Day to Enter...

Today is the last day to enter the Style Statement giveway contest. I'll be accepting entries until midnight tonight and the lottery winner will be announced tomorrow morning. You can find all the details for entry here. I'll post today's entries as I receive them. Don't forget when you send that I'm a .ca, being in Canada and all :) Enjoy expressing your style!

Judi

Danette

More Style Statement Contest Entries

Claudia

Carmen

Latharia

Contest participant Glen has offered to share any of his photos that you might like. Just go to his site and let him know which photo you would like by specifying the gallery and file number and that you heard about it here, and he will email you the full-size file free of charge and copyright.

I'm accepting submissions until Tuesday at midnight. The winner will be announced on Wednesday. For details on how to enter, click here.

Project 365 ~ Week 16

Justin & I walking to Home Depot.

My Dreamboard for Suzie's Challenge

Justin & I get to hang with the Movie Moxie at Hot Docs.

I launch Starshyne Tarot.

Meeting my dear friend's baby on the little one's 2-week birthday.

Fresh haircut and a new bag.

Friday night with Shannon, a great way to wrap up the week.

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

Style Statement Book Contest!

There's 1 more week to enter the Style Statement Book Contest! I've been reading the book and am so moved by it's deep commitment to each of us expressing our selves in the world in all that we do! As a coach, you know I can get on board with that!

All you have to do to enter is send me a picture of something that expresses your style and you can win an autographed copy of Carrie & Danielle's Style Statement. Today's picture is a detail from my wish box that completely expresses my style. I love white and sparkle and formality and space. You can see other people's style here. And don't worry. It doesn't have to be perfect - just something you love or feel reflects you.

Contest Details:

• What can you win? An autographed copy of Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte
• What do you have to do? Send me a photo of something that you feel reflects your personal style. I will post these photos every Wednesday until the contest ends and a winner is announced.
• Deadline: Contest entries must be received by Tuesday April 29th at midnight EST. But please send them in earlier so I can post your pics!
• Winner: The winner will be chosen by lottery and announced on Wednesday April 30th and the book will be mailed to them directly from Carrie & Danielle.
• Send Entries to: starshyne(at)openthedoor(dot)ca (but with the real @ and . )

Launch! Starshyne Tarot begins...

Over the past year I have had the pleasure of providing several email readings to women in this wonderful blogging community, including at Melba's Creative Bazaar where I was able to do so in person - what a treat! The feedback has been so heartfelt and the experience so meaningful, that I've decided to offically launch Starshyne Tarot. So now you can book an email reading with me and explore some of the trends and issues that are showing up in your life right now.

The tarot is a system of images, the tarot invites our intuition to come out and play. The patterns in the cards provide news way of looking at the patterns in our lives. When I do a reading, my goal is to open my heart and mind to what I see and to share that with you with care and honesty. As you know, I'm also a certified coach so you can expect my approach to offer some things for you to explore based on what's come up in the reading.

Please check out the new site and feel free to connect with me if you are curious or have questions. I always love to hear from people, so don't hesitate to drop me a line or leave a comment.

And a special thank you to everyone who encouraged me to pursue this venture. It is the manifestation of one of my business intentions of this year:

Dreamboard

I was inspired by Suzie to make a Dreamboard for this month. She's encouraging everyone to manifest their dreams through images, so you know I had to be in on this one.

This is my dreamboard. It represents my goals for the next months or so. I was a bit intuitive in how I approached the collecting of images but they did come to represent goals in each of the significant areas of my life: home, business, self and relationships.

It's not too late to make your own dreamboard. Why not participate?

Project 365 ~ Week 15

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

Just a little fun ~ Engineers & Cats

Sacred Suzie's Dreamboard Inspiration

My sister Sacred Suzie is inviting people to participate in creating their own Dream Board. She explains how to participate here. I'm late in jumping on board but I want to create one too! It's never too late to dream. Come and join us!

Style Statement Book Contest - This Week's Entries

This week I'm posting the first entries for the Style Statement book contest. One lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy & Danielle LaPorte. All you have to do to enter is submit a picture that reflects your style. It can be anything: a corner of your home, your favourite converse, a flower you love - anything. So, explore your style and enter the contest. The winner will be chosen by lottery. All the contest details can be found at the end of this post.

I'm thrilled to share this week's beautiful entries!

Kerstin
blog: http://www.gipsylife.com/

shop: http://www.gipsypix.com/

Suzie
www.suziesacredspace.blogspot.com/

Daisies
www.djkreutzer.com/

Glen
www.glensmcdonald.blogspot.com/ & www.aglimpseintime.ifp3.com/

Contest Details:

• What can you win? An autographed copy of Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte
• What do you have to do? Send me a photo of something that you feel reflects your personal style. I will post these photos every Wednesday until the contest ends and a winner is announced.
• Deadline: Contest entries must be received by Tuesday April 29th at midnight EST. But please send them in earlier so I can post your pics!
• Winner: The winner will be chosen by lottery and announced on Wednesday April 30th and the book will be mailed to them directly from Carrie & Danielle.
• Send Entries to: starshyne(at)openthedoor(dot)ca (but with the real @ and . )

Shaken and Stirred

On Friday night Shannon and I went to an Expressive Arts event in honour of Stephen Levine, the founder of ISIS. In going I hoped to connect with Paolo Knill, the provost of the European Graduate School about their program in Expressive Arts Coaching and Consulting. I'm really curious about the distinctions between the therapy program and the coaching program, and I wanted to ask about that.

I want to celebrate that I found the courage to walk up and introduce myself to Professor Knill. That was a real accomplishment for me because I am shy when it comes to those situations. So yay!

And I'm still sorting out what happened next. As we were chatting about the program, he asked me about my experience and suddenly said, "You should go into our doctoral program." He then explained that the doctoral candidates are taught exclusively by the founders of expressive arts therapy, that after one year I'd be qualified to teach MAs and that this would be professionally one of the highest credentials available in my field. He whisked me off to Stephen Levine to make sure we connected and that he knew who I was. Stephen was also incredible encouraging and shared his contact information saying he'd be more than willing to answer any questions and chat with me.

I'm still in a daze. A doctorate in expressive arts therapy? I walked away from my doctoral studies and here they are again, raising multiple heads like the hydra - one enticing, one terrifying, one intriguing, one distracting. I have no idea whatsoever whether I will persue this. But the entire evening helped me to expand my vision of my future and myself. Here are some of the things I learned:

• I was absolutely thrilled to be welcomed and encouraged
• The experience made me think bigger about what I'm capable of
• I started to imagine my work with a more international scope
• I envisioned myself travelling
• It reminded me that I would like to do work around non-violence
• It reminded me to keep art in my life on a regular basis

And in watching Stephen being celebrated as he comes up to his 70th birthday, I had a vision of how I would like to celebrate mine. He was in the studio of the school he and his wife founded, surrounded by people who have been touched by his work. There was a sharing of ideas and art and everyone created something together. I hope one day to celebrate my birthday surrounded by my tribe and sharing our talents and our loves. That's one vision for the future I'm holding onto.

Project 365 ~ Week 14

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

Style Statement Book Contest!

I am so excited to announce that I am hosting a contest for an autographed copy of the newly released book, Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy & Danielle LaPorte. Carrie & Danielle came into my life last year when I listened to a teleconference they presented on authentic business. These women blew me away. They are powerful role models in how to express "who you are in all you do."

Your Style Statement is a 2-word mantra that defines your essence and its expression. You can use it as a guiding light in making decisions about everything from your wardrobe to your choice of words. It's a touchstone that reminds you of who you are.

Last year I booked a Style Statement session with Danielle. It was an amazing experience. I didn't share it here because I found it so intensely personal. My Style Statement seemed like a gem just for me. It also took me a while to really understand it, not because it was unclear or somehow didn't fit, quite the opposite. My Style Statement pushed me to be the best me, the most powerful me, the most authentic me.

I hope that this book will help bring that experience to more and more people, and so I want to be a part of spreading the love.

Here are the details for the giveaway:

• What can you win? An autographed copy of Style Statement by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte


• What do you have to do? Send me a photo of something that you feel reflects your personal style. I will post these photos every Wednesday until the contest ends and a winner is announced.


• Deadline: Contest entries must be received by Tuesday April 29th at midnight EST. But please send them in earlier so I can post your pics!


• Winner: The winner will be chosen by lottery and announced on Wednesday April 30th and the book will be mailed to them directly from Carrie & Danielle.


• Send Entries to: starshyne(at)openthedoor(dot)ca (but with the real @ and . hehe)

Good luck to everyone,

Jamie, aka CURRENT RADIANCE.

Style Statement from Carrie and Danielle on Vimeo.

Don't make your dreams wait

In my work as a life coach, I talk to a lot of people about their dreams, particularly about hidden desires that lurk deep within people's hearts. You know the ones, those things you've always wanted to do but have put on the back burner because it doesn't seem possible or practical or affordable - that trip to Europe, that MA, becoming a dancer, having your own studio, running your own business.

And often when people share them with me, these dreams are quickly followed by a "but" - but I have a mortgage, children, a partner, responsibilities, limited time, limited money, limited energy, limits of every kind. And when I have paid off my mortgage (my student loan, my credit card debt) and am financially secure (well-off, rich), the children are in school (off to collage, graduated from university, financially independant), my partner has a more secure job (believes in me, gives me permission) and I have more time, money, energy, opportunity then I will....

Does it work that way? The Get-it-Done Guy Stever Robbins lists this approach as one of the Ten Great Cultural Career Lies. Here's his take:

#6 of Stever Robbins' Ten Great Cultural Career Lies: I'll work now and do what I love when I've accomplished (made my first million, cured cancer, etc.)

• Management consulting firms and investment banks use this lie as a recruiting tool.
• Dangerous strategy, and I know very few who've pulled it off. If you don't do it, you're left at mid-life trapped in a career you don't like, with a non-transferable resume, and a network composed of people who are the last ones in the world who could help you do what you love. But boy, could they help you get even further in a career you despise.

Ouch, that last point really hit home for me. Every year you don't pursue what you really want to do, you're getting more and more firmly entrenched in that place you don't want to be.

So what do you do? I am not suggesting you neglect your responsibilities, your bills or your loved ones. But I am suggesting that even in your busy, responsible, debt-ridden, exhausted life, you find a small space for your dreams, for your own personal joy. Just open a little window and consider what might be possible now. If you don't make room on your plate, the Universe won't know you're hungry. It doesn't have to be big. Take 5 minutes one morning researching violin classes in your neighbourhood. Say out loud to your partner that you think maybe you'd like to go back to school. Read a library book about starting your own business. Stop in at the travel agent at lunch and get a brochure for Paris. Open the door.

When I was training to be a coach, I really wanted to take the certification program. It cost $3500, and I didn't have it. One day a friend I hadn't talked to in years invited me to come talk to a group of people at her work about the power of coaching. I ended up with a contract. You'll never guess how much it was for. Yep, $3,500. I am now a certified coach.

Open your heart to dreaming. Amazing things can happen.

PS A special thank you to Stever for giving me permission to quote from his work. Thank you!

Project 365 ~ Week 13

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you.

I've shared a bunch of these pictures this week but they really are the most representative moments of my days, so I'll hope you'll forgive the double posting of them.

Signs of spring...

Apparently the rumours are true and some signs of spring are showing up. It's weird that my crocuses are sprouting out front and I've got loads of snow in the back. Still, the sun has started to shine and you can just feel people's moods lifting. I think it hit 9 degrees today and in Toronto in the springtime that's almost patio weather!

PS This little raccoon seems to be venturing out to discover spring. I used this picture also at Wishcasting this week to encourage people to think about what they'd like to discover. Come on over and make a wish.

DIY Book Club

I am absolutely loving my DIY Book Club. I put aside $10 a week and at the end of the month I spend it on books/movies/music of my choice. So far I've managed to get 1 of each almost every time.

By talking about this in the blogosphere I do realize that my weakness for dance movies has been revealed. And this month's selection of Stand and Deliver (and last month's Roll Bounce) reveals that my fondness for "believe in yourself, rise above the odds" films extends beyond the dance genre. I am powerfully moved by stories of transformation, whether it's renovating a house, redesigning your wardrobe or redefining yourself.

How to Run a Great Workshop I hope will be an inspiration and give me some great ideas as I continue to move in this direction with my work. I am passionate about creating transformational experiences for people!

And you know, I can't actually remember how Rosie Thomas came across my radar but I've had the name of an older album of hers written down for months. When researching what I might pick this time, I came across this new album and had a bit of a listen on her site and it just felt right. When looking for something to share with you from her there was nothing from this new cd. But I did find this and hope it touches you as deeply as it touched me. Enjoy.

The Isabel Project

One of the things I absolutely love about blogging is the plethora of cool things that you can participate in (not to mention any opportunity to use the word 'plethora' is cool too). Mary Ann at Follow Your Bliss has a niece in grade 5 who got the neatest school project - to get a journal and have it travel around the world. So Mary Ann reached out to the blogging community and people from all over volunteered to receive the journal, write a bit about themselves and their city and then send it to the next person.

Above you can see the quintessential Canadian map. It looks like it could have been straight out of my public school textbook! And of course, you can't talk about Toronto without talking about the CN Tower. Actually, it was really interesting to think about my city from this perspective. What did I want to share with a young girl about Toronto and about Canada?

I shared what a big city this is and how there's always something going on - plays and concerts and parades and festivals - and how people from all over the world decide to make Toronto their home. Of course I had to say that even though we're north of the US we don't have snow all the time, all live in igloos or travel to work/school on skiis. However I did send a picture of me going down by the lake in the dead of winter on a snowy day, so I guess we are a little crazy.

It was just a cool opportunity to share and remember why I like where I live.