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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Everyone has days when they feel a little lethargic, or blue. That is normal. However, did you know there are certain things YOU can do to help *pick up you* and get your Mojo back on track?

This week, Leah and Jen will share with you their top tips to keep your MOJO going when you need a little self MOJO-vation!

Some tips include:

1. Tap into the power of social media! Re-connect with friends and family on Facebook, or check out some of the wonderful motivational websites that are available! Simpletruths.com is fantastic!

2. Read a good book. There are so mnay excellent motivational and inspiration books available! Louise Hay is an excellent author and her writings are sure to get your Mojo going!

3. Get together with your friends! Make the time to meet with them, even if it’s just for a cup of coffee once a week.

4. Head out to the movies or rent a dvd of one of your favorite movies. Watching a movie is a great way to “escape” for a little while and just allow  yourself to absorb the show.

5. Purchase the Creating Your Masterpiece cd, The 30 Day Guide to Becoming the Artist of your life! It offers 30 powerful and motivating coaching messages and challenges!

6. Write in a journal. Make it a habit to write your thoughts, dreams and visions down in a journal. Expressing yourself through the written words is not only motivating but also very powerful!

In today’s world, it is easy to get caught up in all the issues and not so pleasant stuff we read about in the newspaper or see on TV. But, YOU are in charge of what YOU want to see and hear. Remember the old adage: Garbage in/Garbage out. So, to keep your MOJO going, start putting the Good Stuff in!

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Do you have a tendency to hold on to events that have happened in your past?  Do you play the events over and over in your head, berating yourself for what you should have done or not done? Are you harboring anger or resentment towards others that you feel have wronged you in the past?  This isn’t healthy for you or your life! On this week’s podcast show, Jen and Leah help you navigate through these feelings and help you determine how to best deal with the situation or issue that you are facing.

Most people tend to do one of three things when they are dealing with an uncomfortable situation, whether past or present:

1. They worry about it! Even though they have no control over the past nor can they predict the future. When we worry about things excessively, we are absolutely depleting our greatest resources….our time and our energy! You know the old  saying there is no use crying over spilt milk? That is so very true. What is done, is done….and the longer you worry about it, the less time and energy you have to move forward with your goals, dreams, and life!

2. They fix the problem. If we are faced with a situation or circumstance that we don’t like, we ALWAYS have the option to try to fix the situation. For example, if you have had an argument with someone that has led to a very tense relationship, you can always step up and apologize, even if you don’t feel you were the person at fault. The outcome of *fixing* the problem is much more important than who is (or was) to blame for it.

3. They forget about it! Sometimes there are things that happen in life that we just can’t fix. Life presents us with situations like divorce, death, losing a job, not getting the promotion, illness, etc.  These can be life changing events and the manner in which we deal with them can carve out the map for how the rest of our life plays out. Do you want to spend years of your life replaying these events over and over in  your head or do you want to put it to rest and move on with your life? When we learn to forget about it, we are releasing the anger, fear, resentment, etc and choosing to move forward.

So, think about what category you think you fall in to. And, if it isn’t the category you want for yourself, determine how you want to deal with issues in the future.

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On this week’s podcast show, Jennifer and Leah discuss the concept of being your true authentic self. They ask the question: Who is showing up? You or Your Representative?

Basically what this question is really asking is, who are you when you are around other people? Are you being your true authentic self or are you *wearing a mask* and being someone who you really aren’t? Are you sending your representative or your true self?

All of us have an inate desire for people to like us and to be accepted by others. However, what lengths do you go to in order to insure this result when you are with other people?

For example, when we are in the early stages of dating, we often are on our best behavior, and are very much in the *pleaser* stage. We seem to go along with whatever it is that the other person wants to do. We act happy and joyful and REALLY want that other person to like us. Often times we cover up those things that we consider to be *flaws* in ourselves. In a sense we are putting on an act in order for this other person to like us! We are sending in our representative! However, any one who has been married for a while knows that thie *representative* can’t stay in the marriage forever! Sooner or later you have to let your guard down and be who you were born to be!

The same can be true when we meet people for the first time. We agree with their ideas, their concepts, their politics, and sometimes even their religion all because we want them to accept us. But is that really fair to our authentic self? Isn’t it a shame to not let YOUR voice be heard?

Or, how about when we go on job interviews! In this case, we are truly sending our best representative out there to land the job for us! It is certainly appropriate to put our best foot forward when we are on an interview, but we also need to be ourselves as well.

When we continually send our *representatives* out into the world for us, at the end of the day we come home exhausted!  So, why do we wear these *masks* or *send our representatives* instead of our true self? Well, several reasons! One of the main reasons is fear. We fear that if we don’t conform to what others expect us to be that they won’t like us, we won’t get the job, the boyfriend, the promotion, etc.  Another reason is that we want to impress people, and we feel as though if we act a certain way or say a certain something, people will like us and be impressed!

This week, we challenge you to leave the representative at home and go out and be your true, authentic, wonderful self! You are unique and this is your gift to share with others! Let your self shine!

“Well, we all have a face that we hide away forever and we take it out and show ourselves when everyone has gone. Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk and some are leather..there the faces of the stranger and we love to try them on.” – Billy Joel, The Stranger

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