Do you know people that just always seem happy and upbeat? As if nothing in the world can bring them down? They keep a smile on their face and a positive attitude in their heart. When you are around this type of person, their positive energy tends to *rub off* on you and you feel more upbeat and alive!

Conversely, do you know people that always seem to be grumpy or in a bad mood?  You know the type, the negative Nelly that just refuses to see the good in anything or anyone. When you are around this type of person you can almost FEEL them draining your energy!

Well, these two types of people really have a lot more in common with each other than you think! The commonality is that they both have the opportunity to CHOOSE how they want to look at life. On this week’s podcast Leah and Jen discuss the fact that we ALL have a choice each day as to what attitude we want to wear.

For example, when you are getting ready to start your day you probably look in your closet and CHOOSE which outfit you want to wear based on how you are feeling that day, or what the weather is like outside. Well, the same is true about our attitudes. We really do get to pick how we want to view our lives! We can be positive and upbeat, or we can be negative and unhappy.

In life everyone will face their own challenges, obstacles, and not so happy situations, that is inevitable. You cannot know joy if you don’t experience pain. However, you can choose how you want to deal with it! You can release the anger and sadness and move forward with a positive mindset, or you can hold on to the unhappiness and let it fester inside of you until you can’t see the forest for the trees!

So, next time you are around someone who is positive, upbeat and happy….thank them for making such a wise decision on what attitude they chose to wear!

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Have you ever wrestled an alligator? Have you swung from a trapeze? Driven a Formula 1 race car??

Well on this week’s Creating Your Masterpiece Show, Leah and Jen have to opportunity to chat with speaker, author and television correspondent Casey Wohl, who has done all this things and more!

Her book, the Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave Your Baggage at Home®, is the first in the series and was published in September 2007.  The second book, Girls Getaway Guide to Key West: Leave Your Baggage at Home®, hit shelves in October 2008.   These guides focus on where to stay, shop, eat and spa, as well as annual happenings and side trips for each city. She is currently working on her third Girls Getaway Guide to Nashville.

Casey shares her personal journey with Leah and Jen of how she discovered her passion in life after having gone through some difficult times. After a devastating divorce and getting fired from her job, Wohl found solace in traveling with her girlfriends and realized an unfilled niche in the travel industry as no one was writing city-specific travel guides for women.  Casey is passionate about traveling and spending time with friends. By combining these two loves, Wohl created and launched her unique and helpful city-specific travel guide series for women worldwide.

Her books (and her message) are all about empowerment and living your life to the fullest potential. Her tag line is: Leave Your Baggage At Home. And, she is doing that everyday of her life and encouraging and empowering people all over the world to do just the same.

To learn more about Casey and her Girls Getaway Guides, click here. And be sure to listen to this week’s podcast.

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Do you have an outlet for your creativity? Do you often feel like you have NO TIME in your day to be creative? This week on the Creating Your Masterpiece podcast, Jen and Leah discuss ways that you can incorporate a little creative time into your life!

When we were children, we had no problem unleashing the power of our creativity. Heck, it was practically a full time job! Playing with toys, building tree houses and forts were just some of the ways we were creative. Even in school we were encouraged to let our creative side shine! We finger painted, danced and sang as part of our educational curriculum. But, then something happens as we get older…..we get *real* jobs that require a lot of left brain thinking, and our creative outlets get smaller and smaller.

However, we have options and choices everyday to let this creativity shine through! When we are in our creative mode, we are honoring our authentic self! We are setting free the right side of our brain! Oftentimes, as adults we feel guilty when we do this, and maybe even a little silly too.

Some ways that YOU can begin to optimize YOUR creative outlet are:

1. Enroll in a dance class! Salsa, ballroom and tango dancing is very popular these days.
2. Exercise in a unique way. Yoga, ZUMBA, and pilates are create ways to get creative and get into shape.
3. Pick up a paint brush and paint a picture!
4. Pick up a pen and write in your journal

Remember, we are never too old to let our creativity shine through! If you get stuck trying to find an outlet for your creativity, spend the afternoon with a child. We guarantee you will discover many different ways to have fun and be creative. Let your imagination run wild!

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This week on the Creating Your Masterpiece Show podcast, Leah and Jennifer turn the microphone over to some of their weekly listeners to get feedback and input on what THEY like about the podcast.

Leah and Jen call two of their loyal listeners and interview them! Tune in to hear what Bob – from Matthews, North Carolina – and Wendy – from Charlotte, North Carolina – have to say about the show!

Jen and Leah ask them to share their favorite podcasts moments and also to discuss how listening to the podcasts has changed their lives. And, as an added surprise, they are asked to sing a favorite song with Leah!

It is always nice to hear how the podcast is impacting other’s lives in a positive way. If you have any comments you would like to share with Jen and Leah about the show, be sure to send them an e-mail. You might just get a phone call back and be put *on the air*!

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Have you ever felt like you just didn’t have enough time in the day to get everything done? Of course you have! We ALL feel this way at times. On this week’s podcast show, Leah and Jen share with you some tips on how to manage your time so that you can make the most of your life and get the things done that YOU want to do.

No matter how you slice it, there are never going to be more than 24 hours in a day. So, begin charting y our day out by writing down what it is that you need to do and what it is that you want to do. This way you have a map of the items that you can now create a scheduled time for.

Next, create blocks of time for each of the items and then put it into your calendar or day timer, and treat it as a scheduled event. Include everything from exercising, meeting with friends, going to the grocery store. Once it is in your calendar, treat it the same way you would as a doctor’s appointment or a business meeting.

Another critical factor for effective time management is Trashing Tolerations. Get rid of all the outstanding items that are zapping your time and energy. Once you get rid of those items, you will have more time to do what you want to do.

Finally, start planning your day the night before. Remember when you were a kid and at night your mom made you lay out the clothes you were going to wear the next day? This was an easy way to save you time the next morning. Well, it also works for adults when planning their time. This way, when you wake up in the morning, you will have a general idea of the things you need to do and you won’t be overwhelmed by it all.

Remember, your time it precious. It is something you never get back. So make the investment in managing your time and making the most of it.

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