Have you ever taken a 21 day challenge? 21 days to meditation or intuition? Are you up for it?

Of course I’m all for intuition and meditation but I’m not one to jump up at the prospect of a 30 day, 21 day or even  a 14 day challenge to do so.  I guess I’m more into experiencing the everyday challenges that arise naturally or that I seek out without a predetermined end date. I’m all for action and inspiration, and I’m all for determination and the realization of a vision (which I  find in my own unique way, thankfully), but I do feel slightly more repelled than compelled to enlist in a 21 day challenge.  As a result, I am interested to hear from those of you who have signed up to a 21 day challenge and what you experienced .  I imagine you experienced great benefit and I would love to hear about it in the comment box below.

Science seems to suggest that repetitive behavior for 21 days instills in us new habits.  So, please share what the benefits have been like for you?

The inspiration for this blog post, is due in fact to a 21 day challenge!  The Chopra Centre’s 21 day meditation challenge to be specific,which I was introduced to just this past week by my friend Tammy in California.  Though I have not taken on the challenge, I am drawn back to their web site almost each day to enjoy the daily meditations posted. Daily meditations are guided by Davidji- a very like-able and insightful meditation guide who is also the Lead Meditation Teacher and Dean of Chopra Center University ( Some days he posts audio meditations and other days he posts beautiful video meditations). In turn I want to share them with you.  So I am benefiting from this 21 day meditation challenge in my own way, at my own pace.  Perhaps you’ll enjoy them too!?

As a life coach I understand the philosophy and appeal of these 21 day challenges.  Accountability, self-responsibility and repetition of behaviors while gaining the support of  like minded individuals is extremely motivating.  And come to think of it,  maybe it’s something I could add to my list of  personal to do’s and also professional services that I offer going forward.  Maybe something like  ‘Julie’s 21 day intuition challenge‘ might  provide another way to support individuals looking to connect to their intuition ?

Wouldn’t taking 21 days to commit to anything you feel inspired by enrich your life ?

hmmm…

Though I began this blog post with a mild distaste for the idea of a 21 day challenge, in a matter of minutes, okay maybe hours, I’ve developed a new found  interest. I can’t say I am going to jump to it, but I realize that for whatever one decides to pursue and commit to wholeheartedly and with devotion, the journey is sure to be rich.  Please share your comments below and let me know what it’s been like for you and any other thoughts you may want to share.

Is Intuition a Gift?

I’m often asked if intuition is something we are all endowed with. I always immediately reply with an absolute “yes, of course” followed by something like ” if you choose to listen to your intuition, it will grow louder and stronger and become a more intimate friend and wise personal inner guide”. Dr. Judith Orloff calls intuition your personal ” truth teller” . I love the accuracy and succinctness of this phrase.

The next thing I always share with inquiring individuals that I’ve learned about intuition is that the gift in intuition is not that we have intuition but it is what is revealed through our intuition that is the gift for us.

What is your intuition revealing to you? What is the gift being offered to you today?

When we notice we are being offered gifts in each moment we start to really honor and establish this sacred relationship with our interior world.

I’d love to hear you share your comments below about the gifts your intuition is offering you.

Enjoy…

Psychotherapist and researcher, Dr. Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, introduced the world to the ‘highly sensitive person’ and the associated traits of  high sensitivity. According to Dr. Aron  “the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has a sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment.” Through her research, she discovered that between 15- 20% of the population exhibits high sensitivity. Dr. Aron explains that the traits of a highly sensitive person are innate,  normal and she also encourages HSPs to really understand and value their sensitivity. On Dr. Aron’s web site it says “Sensitivity is anything but a flaw. Many HSPs are often unusually creative and productive workers, attentive and thoughtful partners, and intellectually gifted individuals”. You can take the test designed by Dr. Elaine Aron and determine whether you have these traits and are perhaps an HSP. Self-test.

I like to stay away from labeling myself or remaining  in any one category or “group”  but nonetheless I have been intrigued by Dr. Aron’s research and insights and I do in fact  identify with the traits of a highly sensitive person. Not to mention growing up and even still today, I often hear these words ” Julie, you are so sensitive (in other words too sensitive)”.  Since learning more about what it means to be sensitive  over the years and in my continued self-discovery and research on intuition, now when I hear these words about being too sensitive, I smile back and say ” yes, I know and I’m so glad” .  Afterall, it is not who I am fully and completely but it is an important part.

There are lots of  great resources on the web pertaining to this topic. One great resource I am a member of is Jenna Avery’s Sensitive Professsionals Network. Jenna is a life coach for sensitive souls and has created a really neat professional network for sensitive professionals worldwide. Since being a member I have connected with other great professionals there. Grace Kerina is one such individual. She kindly invited me to be profiled on her web site, Highly Sensitive Power. She asked me some really interesting questions and our exchange can be found here .

May you embrace who you are more fully each day. All the best!

I am fascinated by the topic of creativity. I read about it, write about it and I am continuously discovering more about the topic.  My interest in creativity has also led to having Dr. Robyn McKay,  Creativity Researcher & Positive Psychologist on my radio show on 3 different occasions in the last 2 months.

In fact in my most recent interview with Dr. McKay I had my creativity coached and identified in a creativity coaching session (given by her).  After all was said and done, I earned the title of creative personality, learned about the hallmarks of the creative personality and how I can enhance my creativity, flow and inspiration on a daily basis.  And so with all this recent discovery into my own creativity and on the topic in general,  the timing couldn’t have been better when Montreal writer Alexa Nazzaro approached me for an interview about my creative process. I gladly accepted and below is the result of the conversation I had with Alexa.

Creativity through Intuition: An Interview with Julie Cusmariu

By Alexa Nazzaro

Ask intuitive healer and life coach Julie Cusmariu how she’d describe her creative process and she has one word, of course: intuitive. Although the word might seem ambiguous for most, Julie should know, given the many creative hats she’s worn under this hefty label. Among these are writer for magazines such as Alive and Aspire, creator of her very own Internet radio show Heart Beat that hits the cyber air waves every Wednesday afternoon, and publisher of a monthly newsletter.

Julie doesn’t get any ideas from the classic discipline of brainstorming. “That’s too structured for me,” she replies with a laugh. Instead, she begins by asking herself some basic questions to help guide her: What does she want to express? What’s important to her at any given moment? These parameters are critical in ensuring that her ideas are always a reflection of sincerity, and not mirroring someone else’s desires. “I don’t care what others think,” she states simply though without arrogance.

Over the years, Julie has noted which conditions are optimal for generating ideas and carrying them through, and they almost all have something to do with her physical environment. She counts solitude up at the top along with silence. She also needs to feel well-rested and nourished. If she can check all of these off her list, her mind is primed for receiving ideas. How does she know which ones to go with? The best ones all affect her the same way. “I feel it,” she responds without hesitation. “It has staying power.” She makes sure to test this staying power; instead of jumping on them right away, they are stored in her very own creative journal – a folder on her laptop – where they can germinate a little, be turned over and examined. If after a while (she doesn’t abide by any prescribed waiting period, though some ideas aren’t acted upon for months), the idea still sticks, then it’s time to run. Between the initial idea and acting upon it have been frequent revisions or add-ons, Julie’s own brand of mental mapping.

Running with an idea leads into what is typically a very intense 2-3 day creativity blitz with very little sleep. “If I’m writing an article, for example, I’ll just sit down and not stop until I’m finished. There will be many changes, there will be many drafts, but the execution part doesn’t last that long.” Julie figures that the number of revisions and drafts between the first and final number around fifteen. Whether it’s for her magazine/newsletter writing or preparing the script for her radio show, she knows she’s reached her final revision when she can’t do anything else to make her message clear. “Once my message is across, it’s done,” she explains with finality.

As with all things, of course, her blitzes can sometimes be interrupted by the feared Creativity Block. Julie has had her fair number of experiences with the obstacle that stops all creators in their tracks, including her current struggle with her monthly newsletter. Inspiration has been waning but she isn’t buckling to the pressure of her original commitment of monthly publication. Her mantra seems to be, if it doesn’t work, don’t force it. Preferring to stop if she has a creative block, she’s taking this time to analyze why the newsletter isn’t cooperating. “If something isn’t working,” she recommends to others, “ask why.” In her case, she is questioning whether the newsletter continues to be in line with her overall identity as a creator. A new issue of the newsletter hasn’t been published for a few months now, which would arguably be called official writer’s block. She considers the term for a few moments and then asks, “Is that what this is now?”

Telling the difference between writer’s block and deeper signs that a work should be abandoned is one of the common pitfalls in the creative world and Julie acknowledges that giving up can be tempting when oftentimes pushing through is the name of the game. How does she know when to do the latter when it’s all too easy to do the former? “You need practice to know the difference,” she says. Her personal strategy is to look closely at the underlying idea of a particular work. If the idea itself continues to resonate with a personal mission she has, if the idea alone, stripped of any attached work, continues to excite her – even just a little – then she knows she has to persevere. Deadlines also help here, although Julie admits forcing certain ideas for the sake of a deadline imposed by someone else has probably not led to her best work. Exerting a degree of discipline, albeit at her own pace, is the best recipe.

Luckily for Julie, she’s never had to worry about the will to create leaving her or stalling. For Julie, creating is a constant compulsion. She is quick however, to point out particular activities that get her creative juices flowing more easily, among them, engaging with other people of a similar mind and talking about the things she loves. She finds this simple act of interacting with others calls inspiration to the surface and contributes greatly to a life where creativity is an urge and not a task. “I don’t do creativity,” Julie sums up. “It does me.” If only we were all so lucky.

I am thrilled to receive Sonia Choquette, Ph.D. world renowned author, vibrational healer and one of my most influential teachers, as my guest on Heart Beat on BlogTalkRadio on Wednesday May 13th at at 4:05 PM ET.

Please join us in this personal, intimate and inspiring conversation as Sonia shares  her heart felt presence and wisdom with us.  Sonia’s books have sold over a million copies worldwide including her most recent NY Times Bestseller The Answer Is Simple…. Love Yourself, Live Your Spirit. Sonia’s intuitive gifts and teachings inspire deep change and transformation in individuals and always invite people to reconnect with their own intuitive wisdom.
Also in this hour tune in to find out and meet the applicant chosen to receive 8 weeks of free coaching, live on air with me on the ‘In Session with Julie‘ segment  Also be sure to listen in to receive my weekly intuition tip at the end of the show.

Listen to the show here as recorded live on May 13, 2009