If you’re like most people in this day and age, you’ve been trained not to trust your own inner wisdom and you’ve been taught to doubt yourself.

Your parents, friends, and teachers have probably never been comfortable with your intuitive insights, and have discouraged you from sharing them.

(My great-grandfather used to get so frustrated with my great-grandmother because she always knew what was inside every gift he gave her, that she learned to pretend she didn’t know!)

As a result, you may have suppressed your intuitive gifts so deeply that you’re not even sure you have them or how to access them anymore.

But at the same time, you may also have a secret longing to live a more intuitive, guided life — you know, deep down, that you have powerful resources at your disposal — but you just aren’t sure how to reach them.

Or, you may already have a sense of your intuition, but you don’t trust it or rely on it. You pick up on it, hear it, see it, or feel it, but you aren’t sure whether it’s your intuition, someone else’s “stuff”, the voice of fear or doubt, or maybe your mind is just trying to run the show.

As a creative, sensitive being, relying on your inner wisdom is the key to living a life you love and making your dreams real. Just like you need to learn NOT to listen to the voice of your inner critic (except at the correct key moments), you must learn to listen TO the voice of your intuition to guide you in making the important decisions in your life.

Your intuition will always let you know what, how, when, and where, but you have to know how to listen.

Here are 3 tips to help you learn to rely on your inner wisdom.

1. Track evidence of your intuitive successes. Very often, your fears and inner critic come up with lots of reasons for your mind not to trust your intuition. Your mind prefers logic, reason, and analysis and is quick to dismiss intuitive notions that don’t appear to be grounded in fact.

To counter your mind’s tendency to blow off your intuitive hits, track your intuitions and what happens when you follow them, or not. This will help you build evidence to sway your mind to a new way of thinking. I’ve created an online “Intuition Celebration Journal” for my Embrace Your Inner Wisdom class members to help them do just that.

2. Clear out the “blah, blah, blah” and tune in to what really matters. In this busy time we live in, it’s easy to be so busy and preoccupied that we forget to even pay attention to our deeper wisdom (and we might also be afraid to do it). Just carving out a few moments of peace and quiet each day will help you clear your intuitive channels and open up to the guidance available to you.

3. “Don’t just trust your intuition, obey it.” I shared this in my free video class last week. When it comes to working with your intuition, the place of mastery is learning to understand your innate intuitive wisdom and act on it, as directly as you possibly can. Strengthening your intuitive muscles will help you know what’s intuition, what’s not, and what it’s conveying to you, or not.

~~~~~~~~~~
These tips are part of my signature Embrace Your Inner Wisdom intuitive mentoring program that starts THIS Thursday, July 29th. There is still space in the class, and I’d love to have you join me if you haven’t signed up already. Find out more here.

~~~~~~~~~~
What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Please share your comments and thoughts on the blog below.

~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

~> Thursday, July 29, 2010, Kicking off my Embrace Your Inner Wisdom intuitive mentoring series. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a creative, sensitive soul — your intuition. Register here.

~> October 14 & 15, 2010. Leading my Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan. Interested? Please contact my team to be put on the mailing list for the program.

One of my all-time favorite science fiction books is The City and The Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke.

This magical story details the life of Alvin, a “Unique,” who has never been born before.

In the fully enclosed city of Diaspar, everyone else has lived many lives — they are reborn cyclically from the city’s Central Computer banks — and their memories of their past lives return to them on their 20th birthdays. Alvin has no prior memories.

Alvin’s uniqueness has been deliberately designed. Because the city creators knew that the measures put into place to protect the last of the human race might someday no longer be needed (including behavioral inhibitions to keep everyone safe at home), they knew that a catalyst would be required to test the waters and breakthrough old paradigms when the time was right.

Over the billion years the city existed and of the millions of city inhabitants at any given time, only 14 other Uniques emerged to play this key role in the fate and future of the city.

Unfortunately for Alvin, as someone with such a unique purpose and role to play, he didn’t fit in well with his co-inhabitants. None of the other people in his life were interested in seeing what was beyond the walls, or questioning why things were they way they were.

One day, Alvin met another unique character: Khedron the Jester. Although Khedron had lived before, he too was designed to play a key role — the role of the artist and the saboteur — with the purpose of shaking things up, stimulating discourse and debate, and catalyzing other catalysts (the Uniques) into action.

The city planners had chosen his role with care: They realized that a billion year old city would get downright boring and complacent without periodical upheaval, crime, disorder, and change.

Although the Jester had lived before, and had his own implanted inhibitions, he operated outside the societal norms and could help Alvin to claim his purpose and to act on it. Khedron became Alvin’s muse, in a sense.

Ultimately, Alvin ventured beyond the city walls to discover the self-imposed secret truths that kept the human race cowering on planet Earth and fulfilled his purpose.

I share this story with you for a number of reasons:

• I love the demonstration of purpose — of how a single individual can have a lasting impact — and how compelling that purpose can be. Alvin could not rest until he had fulfilled his purpose. Khedron fulfilled his purpose as well. Each had a role to play.
• I also love how The Jester — the archetypal fool — demonstrated the powerful role an artist in a society. Often creativity and art are thought of as gratuitous or entertaining, but this story caused me to see creativity as a powerful force for change, learning, growth, healing, and understanding. When I hear people debating or disliking an art piece (particularly a public art piece), I smile to myself, and think, “Good! That artist is fulfilling her purpose — she’s got people talking.”
• I love the idea that not fitting the mold is not only “designed” but is the key ingredient for success. The discomfort both characters experienced as “different” parallels the lives of many sensitives and creatives as we navigate this world not well-designed for us. Precisely because of the fear of being different, or rocking the boat, many of us hold back. But as sensitive sages and visionary creatives, when we hold back, we fail to fulfill our purpose. We must recognize that not fitting in is part of our impetus to fulfill our purpose.
• I love the reminder that we require muses and supporters as we breakthrough the limitations imposed on us (self-imposed and otherwise). As my teacher Sonia says, “We cannot do this alone.”

~~~~~~~~~~
What do you think? I’d love to hear from you:

• What does this spark for you?
• Where are you ready to venture into new territory?
• What status quo paradigm are you longing to challenge?
• Who is your Khedron or muse?

Please share your comments and thoughts on the blog below.

~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

~> **THIS Thursday, July 22, 2010,** Hosting a free, live, streaming video class called Claiming Your Intuitive Gifts to introduce my upcoming teleclass series on intuition. Please join me! Register here.

~> Thursday, July 29, 2010, Kicking off my Embrace Your Inner Wisdom teleclass series. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a sensitive soul — your intuition. Regular registration opens on July 22. Watch this space for details.

~> Fall 2010. Leading my Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan. We’re in the process of finalizing the dates for this in-person retreat to be held here in Berkeley, California (We’re now aiming for two days in October). Interested? Please contact my team to be put on the mailing list for the program.

I’ve recently been obsessed with George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars saga and other blockbuster films, which has led to all sorts of interesting reading and web exploration. Many people seem to believe Lucas has gone over to the “Dark Side” himself, only “in it for the money” with his projects (we’ll have to talk about that another time), but I’ve always found him to be an inspiring visionary.

Here’s why I’m interested: I believe that we can learn from successful, creative geniuses about how to bring our dreams to fruition.

I recently re-watched a documentary about the making of the original Star Wars trilogy. The insider’s look at the creation of a grand vision is utterly compelling.

What I love about watching George Lucas in action — particularly the George of the 1976 Star Wars production era — is seeing his absolute dedication and unshakable commitment to the creation of his art, his way.

Again and again, he steered clear of involvement with the Hollywood studios as much as he could (particularly later in the film series), and found ways to maintain his independence, like retaining merchandising rights (even when it wasn’t clear there would be a popular market for the merchandise).

He worked and reworked his script to be as precise as possible and checked and rechecked his story themes to make sure he was conveying the powerful mythological messages and meanings he wanted to convey.

He repeatedly overcame what looked like insurmountable odds to bring his vision to reality. With the first film, schedules were massively delayed, props were malfunctioning, costumes and sets weren’t living up to his vision, budgets were falling by the way side, and the studio was threatening to pull the plug, but still he kept on.

Clearly, Lucas experienced his own hero’s journey to create his films, along the lines of the story he tells of Luke Skywalker facing his own shadow and obstacles, reaching deep within himself to grow and expand into who he is meant to be and what he is meant to do in the world.

So what is it that enables one creative visionary to succeed, where another might fail? What can we learn from George Lucas about how to make our own visions real?

Here are 6 principles I’ve gleaned from my studies of him so far:

1. If you can see it, it must be possible. People around Lucas would tell him that something couldn’t be done, and he’d say, “Don’t worry about how we’re going to do it.”

I’ve always believed that if I can see something, there has to be a way to create it, even if I can’t see how yet. That’s how I’ve taught myself so much of what I’ve learned, and created so much of what I’ve created.

Interestingly, many technological advances are first devised in science fiction circles — and then the scientists figure out how to make it so.

If you have a creative vision, treat it with sacred respect, trust it, and get to work.

2. Stay true to your vision. Repeatedly, the people who worked with him would say that Lucas’ vision and passion for the idea were what made it all possible. They were obviously in awe of his ability to hold the vision, even when they couldn’t see it themselves.

Are you clear on the big idea of your vision and ready to see it through to the end, even if you don’t know exactly how you’re going to get there?

Find what you LOVE about it, remind yourself WHY you’re doing it, and go for it. Passion and perseverance will carry you through.

3. Delegate. A true visionary enlists other talented, dedicated, and creative supporters to help him or her make a vision real. George Lucas repeatedly hired other directors, screen writers, and editors, for instance, despite having those skills himself, because he knew he couldn’t be in the trenches and hold the big vision.

4. Be a strong leader. Although the pressure was intense, Lucas never seemed to waver or give up. Powerful leadership requires an unshakable faith in purpose and direction. Be clear on yours and retain your independence. It’s YOUR vision after all.

5. Be flexible. At the same time, be flexible, and allow your team to support you.

One of Lucas’ directors, Irvin Kershner, disagreed with him on a key line (where Han Solo says, “I know” in response to Leia’s “I love you” in the second film). Lucas thought it was a mistake, but went with it for an early screening. The audience loved it and talked about endlessly — so George left it as it was. He was flexible.

6. Trust your feelings. The concept of “The Force” in the Star Wars saga is the thread that weaves together both a teaching from the films and from Lucas’ creative legacy. Lucas knows the importance of developing and mastering our own emotional intelligence. Clearly he has followed his own, time and again, despite obviously massive outside pressure to conform to various norms and expectations.

From my perspective, this is all about trusting your own inner wisdom, even if it doesn’t make sense on the surface.

After all, every Jedi master knows that our eyes can deceive us.

~~~~~~~~~~
I’d love to hear about how or if this article has impacted you. Thanks for sharing your comments here on the blog, below.

~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

~> Thursday, July 29, 2010, Jenna starts her Embrace Your Inner Wisdom teleclass series. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a sensitive soul — your intuition. Regular registration opens soon. Watch this space for details.

~> August 2010. Jenna’s Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan. We’re in the process of finalizing the dates for this in-person retreat to be held here in Berkeley, California. Interested? Please contact Jenna’s team to be put on the mailing list for the program.

One of the things I notice about many sensitive and creative types is that we sometimes have a hard time trusting ourselves and our intuition.

Many of us have trained ourselves out of our intuitive abilities because we’ve been shamed for “just knowing” what’s really going on and speaking up about it.

(Remember the story of Cassandra, the woman who was cursed always to know the truth but never to be believed? You can read my article about her here: http://www.highlysensitivesouls.com/blog/?p=27)

One of the first steps you have to take to reclaiming your intuition is to begin to rebuild your relationship with it, by being open to it and taking action on what you learn from it. In my upcoming Embrace Your Inner Wisdom course, I’ll be teaching all about the 7 simple but profound steps you can take to activate your intuition.

But there’s also a conscious choice that needs to be made — a decision to live a life based in a spiritual perspective — to believe that the unseen and “unknowable” (at least to our conscious minds) are valuable and important.

One of the very most powerful steps to activating and reclaiming your intuitive guidance is to ASK for it.

Just ask.

Ask for guidance out loud.

Ask in the shower.

Ask while you’re washing dishes.

Ask when you’re in your car.

And ask for guidance about everything — especially the little stuff, so your conscious mind doesn’t freak out too much and you get a chance to build up a log of evidence that it actually works.

My favorite way to begin is by asking for help finding great parking spaces.

Try it!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you’d like to learn more about working with your intuition in a fun, playful, and magical way, my Embrace Your Inner Wisdom course is designed to help you reconnect with your spirit and your deeper knowing in a delightful, interactive format. It starts July 29th, and you can contact my team to find out how to register and for an early enrollment savings that ends July 8th.

When it comes to working with your intuition, it’s far better to “keep your own council” than to ask for input on whether or not your intuitive guidance is correct.

Because if you’re shopping your guidance around for outside validation, you’re not trusting it.

And if you’re not trusting it, you’ll receive less of it.

The bottom line is this: Your intuition is sacred guidance from your higher self. When you doubt and second-guess it, you discount the effort your spirit has made to get you the information in the first place, which if you think about it, is kind of a disincentive to keep trying to get your attention.

See, the voice of intuition isn’t loud and crass the way the voice of your inner critic is.

Intuition is soft, quiet, and gentle. It does have to be persistent though, just to cut through all the riff raff and get on your radar screen. So it takes a fair amount of effort to get it to you, and if you aren’t appreciating it, your guides (or higher self, or Spirit, however you name that guiding energy) sort of sit back and wait for you to come back to your senses.

So if you don’t honor your guidance, take action on it, and you second-guess it, you send a message that says, “I’m not taking you seriously.”

So here’s what you need to do:

1. Make a choice, right now, to follow the guidance you receive.

2. If you absolutely feel you need a second opinion, use an intuitive oracle like a tarot deck or pendulum for a double-check. (I can teach you how.)

3. Only as a last resort, check with an intuitive buddy who will FIRST ask what feels correct to you and encourage you to trust yourself before sharing their own opinion, if they do so at all.

And let me know how it goes, okay?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

I’m planning my calendar and I’d like your input. What do you want? What do you need? Weigh in, here.

~> Thursday, July 29, 2010, Jenna starts her Embrace Your Inner Wisdom teleclass series. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a sensitive soul — your intuition. Early registration is now available through July 8th. Contact Jenna’s team for details.

~> August 2010. Jenna’s Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan. We’re in the process of finalizing the dates for this in-person retreat to be held here in Berkeley, California. Interested? Please contact Jenna’s team to be put on the mailing list for the program.

In my article last week, I noted that I’m currently reading Refuse to Choose! by Barbara Sher.

In this terrific book, Sher describes a type of thinker she calls “Scanners.”

Scanners are people who are so fascinated by so many areas they can’t settle for just one.

Sher says, “If you haven’t been able to settle down into one path because you’re fascinated by so many others, if everyone around you thinks there’s something wrong with you, listen carefully: You’ve been the victim of mistaken identity.

“There’s nothing wrong with you at all. It’s time you found your fellow Scanners so you can enjoy who you really are. And it’s time to stop being judged—and judging yourself—and start creating the life you wanted all along.”

As a coach who helps people discover their life purpose and someone who is infinitely fascinated with well, everything, I’m intrigued with the power of this concept.

At the core, Sher’s premise is that a Scanner is interested in everything, is designed that way, and should never try to pick just one thing to focus on “for the rest of your life.”

She outlines a strategy I’m hugely enamored with, called her LTTL plan. Here’s the basic approach:

1. Learn: Spend a period of time learning a new skill or developing a new system.
2. Try. Practice with it, adjust as needed, and test it.
3. Teach. Once it’s perfected, teach others how to implement or use what you’ve developed.
4. Leave. Now it’s time to move on to your next dream project, preferably after being well compensated so you can take some time to really enjoy it.

Of course, connector that I am, I’m dying to read hands for a batch of scanners. I’m curious to know if there’s a correlation between any particular type of gift marking, for instance, that might be associated with the Scanner profile.

I have a particularly long head line, called the HAL 9000 line and also known as the Oracle, Gifted Problem Solver, or Relational Database Brain, and I can’t help but wondering if that might be common amongst Scanners.

Or alternatively, I’m also curious to know if Scanners typically have a large number of gift markings.

I’m currently about half-way through the book and will be reading next about the different types of Scanners, which may shed more light on my ruminations.

One other tidbit I’ve enjoyed so far is her strategy to calm more “nervous” types who feel stressed by being overly busy.

Sher points out that usually people who are too busy tend to add to their workload, essentially thinking that if they don’t get it done themselves, it won’t get done at all. She recommends using a “micro nervous breakdown” method to clear the tension and nervous energy out of your system.

Here’s the technique:

1. Go into a private room.
2. Take some deep breaths, say something to acknowledge how you’re feeling (like “Ouch” as Sher suggests) or give a few sighs to bring up the feelings of overwhelm.
3. Let any emotions come to the surface, cry a few tears, etc., for just a few moments.
4. When your energy shifts into a different breathing, you’re done. (I usually find myself yawning.)

It’s been a great stress reliever for me so far and I’ll be curious to know about how it works for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you think you might be a scanner? Are you already familiar with this concept? I’d love to hear what you think. Please leave your comments below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

I’m planning my calendar and I’d like your input. What do you want? What do you need? Weigh in, here.

~> Thursday, July 29, 2010, Jenna starts her Embrace Your Inner Wisdom teleclass series. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a sensitive soul — your intuition. Early registration is now available through July 8th. Contact Jenna’s team for details.

~> August 2010. Jenna’s Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan. We’re in the process of finalizing the dates for this in-person retreat to be held here in Berkeley, California. Interested? Please contact Jenna’s team to be put on the mailing list for the program.

A few years ago, Jennifer Louden (aka “The Comfort Queen”) sent out an ezine where she quoted one of her writing group members as saying, “Just. Do. The. Writing.”

It came floating back into my consciousness recently and I had to share it with you.

(If writing isn’t your “thing,” just fill in the blank with what is.)

Here’s the thing: Lately I’ve been noticing how I’ve made a number of choices based on the theory that I had to do one thing first in order to be able to accomplish something else.

For example, “If I create a business for myself with a good income and minimal hours, I’ll have more time to be creative.” In the meantime, I’ve allowed my business to swallow up a lot of my creative time (and energy). Oops.

So I got to thinking, why didn’t I just do the creative stuff I wanted to do in the first place?

Truly, there are a number of reasons, and a few of them are even good ones. I wouldn’t even necessarily change the path I’ve been on — I’ve learned so much, and in reality I’ve done tons of creative work over the last several years. My work has also inspired a great deal of my own creative thinking and personal growth.

But at the same time, my dreams of having time to craft braided rugs, sketch, watercolor, and write creatively have gotten pushed aside with the work of getting a business up and running. Having a family has simultaneously created more demands on my time, but has also got me playing more.

There’s nothing like having a little 2 year old boy around asking for stories about giants, kitties, leprechauns, and trucks to get my imagination rolling again.

(Incidentally, I just checked out Barbara Sher’s book Refuse to Choose! from the library about “Scanners” — people who love EVERYTHING and can’t pick one thing to focus on — and she talks about how important it is not to buy into the busyness hype, particularly for parents trying to keep it all together. I’ll report back on that subject later.)

When I look a little deeper, I can see the role my inner critic has played in keeping me from my creative work, as well as my core fear and life lessons.

Have any of these reasons not to be creative ever come up for you?

• I don’t have enough time.
• I’m too busy.
• It’s too hard.
• I’m not good enough.
• I don’t have the right tools / can’t afford them.
• I’m not really creative enough.
• I have to make more money first.
• I have to take care of the kids, bills, chores, house, garden, [fill in the blank] first.

I’ve just started reading The War of Art (thanks to my Facebook friend Justin for reminding me to get this book) by Steven Pressfield. Although I’ve just started reading it, I can tell you that I love it already.

Pressfield says, “There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”

Yes!

Resistance with that capital “R.” That’s our shadow, our inner critic, our observer, our obstacle, our reluctance, our fear. It’s that Thing we allow to stand between ourselves and our dreams.

I’m struck so powerfully by the simple idea that “sitting down” to create our vision or dream is what is so hard. How do we get there?

Well, clearly you know I’m a believer in working with your inner critic to quiet it down so it’s less of an obstacle, and there’s a decision to be made.

Here’s the way I figure it, after having contemplated the various choices, options, and results: If you’re thinking about doing X so you can do Y, just do Y.

Just. Do. The. Writing.

#thatisall

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are a few of my favorite inspirations about creative work that get me motivated (please share yours in the comments box below):

“Suit up, shut up, and show up.” ~ Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and The Vein of Gold

“The first draft of anything is sh*t.” ~ Ernest Hemmingway, author of A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises

“It’s not the world’s fault that you want to be an artist…now get back to work.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage (See also her powerful TED talk on nurturing creative genius.)

“Writers write first, and do the dishes afterward.” ~ Jenna Avery

Note: the Amazon.com links in this post are affiliate links.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

I’m planning my calendar and I’d like your input. What do you want? What do you need? Weigh in, here.

~> Tuesday, June 29, 2010, Jenna continues her workshop intensive series, “How to Quiet Your Inner Critic So You Can Stop Holding Back On Your Soul’s Mission.” It’s not to late to get in on the fun and self-awareness.

~> Summer 2010. Jenna’s Embrace Your Inner Wisdom teleclass. Details to be announced. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a sensitive soul — your intuition.

~> August 2010. Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat (in-person). Dates to be announced. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan.

Table of contents for How to Quiet Your Inner Critic

1. Is Your Inner Critic Stopping You From Taking Action On Your Dream?
2. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Tip #1: The Disarm
3. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Tip #2: The Test
4. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Tip #3: The Reframe
5. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic Tip #4: The Big Question

Here’s my fourth and final quick video tip on how to quiet your inner critic so you can stop holding back on your soul’s mission.

I think you’ll see that this simple idea is actually a powerful decision you have to make when it comes to creating your dreams.

viewing time: 0:56

My workshop series “How to Quiet Your Inner Critic So You Can Stop Holding Back On Your Soul’s Mission” starts TOMORROW, June 22.

Click here to register now.

If you missed my free Community Call on June 8th, you can still download and listen to the free call with great content to get you started on quieting your inner critic. Get it here.

Douglas Eby of Talent Development Resources at www.TalentDevelop.com and its associated sites, like www.TheInnerActor.com and www.TheInnerEntrepreneur.com, has been researching and writing about psychology and creativity for the last 10 years, and regularly publishes intriguing tidbits about creativity, personality, and more.

I connected with Douglas’s work originally through my interest in highly sensitive people and his site www.HighlySensitive.org.

In the past he was a film journalist and wrote film production articles for Cinefantastique magazine, interviewing numerous actors, writers, and other filmmakers, which helped further his interest in the inner dynamics of creative people, along with his graduate school education in psychology.

Characteristics of Creative Visionaries
Eby describes creative visionaries as people who have a drive, passion, persistence, or consuming commitment to realize their creative ideas. As visionaries, they have a sense of their work being so important, meaningful, and emotionally powerful that they are willing to commit to it and persist with it.

For example, filmmaker James Cameron originally conceived his movie Avatar in the 1970s and finally released it after 4 years in production this year.

He notes that this kind of persistence can be seen as a form of obsession.

Common Challenges & Obstacles
Eby notes the following challenges and obstacles often come up for creative visionaries:

1. Mental Health Issues often come up for creative types. Writers often struggle with mood disorders. Creative work doesn’t provide immunity to those feelings, and in fact they seem to be more prevalent with creatives.
2. Perfectionism. Creatives often have a burning need to make everything “right.” On the other hand, as Eby notes, James Cameron says, “I’m not a perfectionist, I’m a ‘greatist.’ I just want to make it great.” (Personally, I love that!)
3. Self Esteem. The dichotomy of feeling entitled and much more talented, creative, and visionary than most people, but simultaneously feeling less than or inadequate (so common for creative types) can wreck havoc with one’s self-esteem.
4. Fraud & Impostor Feelings. Many creatives feel like frauds or impostors, as if they will be found out as not really being talented. Actors Kate Winslet and Nicole Kidman both talk about such feelings.

How to Overcome These Obstacles
You may be helped by these common ways creative visionaries overcome these obstacles:

1. Receiving Therapy. Many actors and writers talk about therapy and how it has helped them. Actor Heather Graham feels that she creates better characters as a result of her personal work. Self awareness seems to increase creative quality for those who pursue it.
2. Going Ahead with Your Creative Work Anyway. James Cameron admits to feeling depressed at times and yet going ahead with his work. This is so true for me — as an Enneagram Four who often bumps into feeling down at times, I can’t wait around to be “in the mood” to create.
3. Seeing Your Work in Larger Terms. James Cameron again is an example of someone with a powerful vision who has a larger perspective on the work he brings to the world. This is one of the keys to making an impact with your creative project or vision.

How to Sustain & Fuel Your Creativity
Eby notes that many creatives are helped by collaboration, if that works for you and is appropriate to your creative process. James Cameron, for instance, hires the most creative people he can find, which helps him keep his ideas active and sharp, and emotions high. Solitary artists like painters and writers may have to fuel themselves in a different way.

Similarly, Eby recommends going with the flow of your creative work — not resisting it — as a way to sustain and fuel your creativity.

On Dealing with Naysayers, Fears, & Doubts
Eby suggests that creative visionaries become conscious of their doubts and fears and how they might get triggered by other people’s doubts and fears. He advises that we question and examine the underlying beliefs and ideas around the messages we receive from others.

Ask, “How true is that?” For example, a common admonishment to artists is that “you can’t make money doing art.” But how true is that really? Are there people out there making money with their creative efforts? (The answer is a resounding yes! in my opinion.) (If you’d like help with quieting these sorts fears and doubts, consider joining my Quiet Your Inner Critic course coming up June 22.)

What Supports Creative Visionaries to Succeed?
To help stay the course as a creative visionary, follow your gut. If you feel driven, called to, or have to take action on creating your creative dream, despite all the fears, doubts, and reasons not to, follow your gut to claim and step into your role as a creative visionary.

Also, pay attention to your emotional life and what holds you back from your creative spirit, expression, and interests. Therapy, coaching, or mentoring may be helpful. Deal with the fear and anxiety you have so you can get on with your creative work. Coaching in particular can provide a sense of responsibility for bringing your creative project to life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want more details? You can listen to the full audio interview here:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Jenna Up To?

~> Tuesday, June 22, 2010, Jenna kicks off her workshop intensive series, “How to Quiet Your Inner Critic So You Can Stop Holding Back On Your Soul’s Mission.” Register *today* to receive 3 special bonus gifts.

~> Summer 2010. Jenna’s Embrace Your Inner Wisdom teleclass. Details to be announced. Learn to work with one of your greatest gifts as a sensitive soul — your intuition.

~> August 2010. Give Voice to Your Inner Vision Mastermind Retreat (in-person). Dates to be announced. Clarify your unique vision to implement your Life Purpose in a specific, step-by-step plan.

Table of contents for How to Quiet Your Inner Critic

1. Is Your Inner Critic Stopping You From Taking Action On Your Dream?
2. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Tip #1: The Disarm
3. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Tip #2: The Test
4. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Tip #3: The Reframe
5. How to Quiet Your Inner Critic Tip #4: The Big Question

Here’s my third quick video tip (four total) on how to quiet your inner critic so you can stop holding back on your soul’s mission.

Once we’ve identified our inner critic’s messages and tested them for accuracy, we have to know what to do with them. Here’s a quick highlight on the next important step to take.

viewing time: 1:05

Click here to register now for my workshop intensive series, called “How to Quiet Your Inner Critic So You Can Stop Holding Back On Your Soul’s Mission.”

If you missed my Community Call on June 8th, you can still download and listen to the free call with great content to get you started on quieting your inner critic. Register to do so here.