Tid Bits of Gold

Welcome

2010-05-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

"Tid Bits of Gold" - a blogger's beginning! Now serving to archive Sharon Corsaro's writings from 2008 and 2009, this site contains many sample works and many many "tid bits of gold" in articles by Sharon that share new ideas, thoughts to ponder and more.

New Blog in Formation!

While "Tid Bits of Gold" was a writer's muse --> a place to "put the work" of frequent writing --> now, the writer has grown! Yearning for a new canvas... a new format to work within... now, a new writing space is in development... coming soon to share new energy, fresh perspective, new focus and purpose!

Please stay tuned and join the following or just come back to get the news! And in the meantime, have a browse to see what's come forth from Sharon Corsaro and "Tid Bits of Gold!"

Sharon Corsaro is a creative coach, writer and creative facilitator who's mastered the process of "doing change, creatively" and aims to empower others in doing the same! Having spent recent time writing about her work, soon she will share her creative tools in a first book - coming out, any moment! Follow this blog to get the news... or follow Sharon on Twitter or Facebook ~ and visit www.growinggold.com to learn more.

"Validation"

2009-08-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Somewhere along the way, I saw a tiny clip of what I now know is the wonderful short film "Validation." I never knew there was a full story to that clip, until just the other day when I received a very simple and lovely tweet from @WarrenWhitlock. It said: "@growinggold Love you back. You are so much like http://budurl.com/valid."

So curious... I had to watch. By the end, I was crying with joy!

Such an easy statement sent in response to a very simple tweet I had posted to express my gratitude... And now, I was on cloud nine!

After watching "Validation," I was incredibly moved and honored to be compared to it, as funny as that may sound! Even more funny, I never even realized how much I completely do it all the time - until now! So, thank you Warren Whitlock for sharing your grace and lovely presence, to shine a light for me!

If you have just a few minutes, I highly recommend watching "Validation" right here online. It'll make you laugh... maybe cry... and most of all, it might make you smile with its simple and very sweet message!

Share a compliment and make someone smile! As I would call it, help grow someone else's gold, because you can! It's so easy and SO helpful to us all... to help our world shine a little more, smile a little more and feel good a little more ~ just because!

Sending warm wishes round the globe, as I sincerely hope I am "growing gold" every step of the way.

Sharon L. Corsaro online at www.growing-gold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach and creative facilitator devoted to "growing gold, from the inside out." Here on Tid Bits of Gold, Sharon shares morsels of gold found in everyday life, to shine a light more clearly on the positive potentials we all hold. She has been working on her first book to reveal her secrets for "doing change, creatively" with plans to share this information far and wide, very soon. Please follow this blog to stay tuned in!

Found Money

2009-08-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled on an update I posted to a social network nearly a year ago... and it's so juicy, I just have to share the story here, for it is such a great morsel of gold that many can appreciate!

One day early last October, I had just come off the phone with my little brother to say Happy Birthday to my one-year-old niece. It was a great connect with really good energy, because I really miss and love my little brother and I completely adore his new little daughter... Well, the timing of our talk was such that it was right when my brother's small little town in the mountains of Eastern California was all over the national news about a plane wreckage that had been discovered in the mountains there.

So as we talked, I mentioned the news and asked about all the hubbub going on in his little town. That's when I learned that my brother, who lives in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., is friends with the hiker who had earlier that week, literally stumbled upon some money in the woods - money that was later determined to have belonged to a very wealthy and famous pilot who had disappeared a full year prior.

When my brother shared that he knew the hiker who'd made the discovery, he told me, he's a really humble guy who worked at a local sporting goods store and had just been out hiking around off trail when he stumbled on the discovery. And that's when he told me that the guy had been awarded a very handsome reward for turning-in the thousand dollar bills he'd found strewn across the mountain side... I sort of gasped at this news, and then we both said... "Wow, so that guy just became a millionaire - by walking in the woods! What do ya know 'bout that?!".... We really got it... and with a huge laugh and jubilant recognition, we were so happy to revel in knowing his friend's extremely good fortune.

And I said... so, guess the moral is... just keep doing what you know is right... and before long, good things happen... just because!

~~

I really love coming across this story today, because it is such a rich example (pardon the pun!) ... and a great morsel of gold from everyday life!

It gives me such a hopeful feeling to know things like this happen! To me... knowing good examples of what is possible is so important because the idea gets planted in us that we could have this kind of good fortune too! Because... Why NOT?!

This hiker was a really humble guy... when he made the find, it was mostly just money laying on the ground - many thousand dollar bills and a hardly distinguishable torn piece of paper. He was a pretty humble guy for whom I'm sure $100 would have been awesome "found money"... not to mention what many $1000's would be! So, he could have just kept the money, as I'm sure it might have easily seemed "left without a trace" to any owner... but after considering the situation, he thought he'd better notify authorities, for after all, it was a bit strange to find that kind of money laying around out in the woods.

Lo and behold, it was quickly determined that this hiker's find was the missing clue for a plane that had disappeared a full year prior, for which all search efforts had failed. The money he'd found apparently belonged to the famous pilot who had been lost "somewhere in the Sierra."

So it was a miracle really... the hiker notified authorities, turned in the money and that was that...

But then... the story came full circle, the hiker was eventually given a $1 million award by the family of the pilot! Wow! That had to have been an enormous shock - and a huge jackpot for him!

So, he did the right thing, gave up the money he'd found which was probably hard to part with, but he ended up getting back an enormously more substantial amount... not to mention the whole "rest of the story" that unfolded in bringing closure to an unsolved mystery for the pilot's family and all others concerned! And all of that... "for just walking in the woods" ~ Amazing!

So, good things do happen... often when least expected... and just because!

Here's to holding hope, and knowing, treasures behold... it all comes around in the end! ~

by Sharon L. Corsaro, online at www.growing-gold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach and freelance consultant. She shares morsels of gold found in everyday life and our world, through her writings and Creative Coaching practice where she empowers others with tools for "doing change, creatively" ~ in life, business, community and more. To learn more about Sharon, please visit growing-gold.com ~ and follow this blog to catch more stories, pouring!

Sharon gets Published at Zen Moments

2009-08-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting when a story just keeps on going...

I shared a personal experience on my blog a few months ago. And recently it was discovered by the website zenmoments.org. They wrote to me asking if they could share it... and now I understand why!

My story was about an article I had received via email, that also happened to link back to the zenmoments website. However, the intrigue is that the story I later learned was pretty viral and famous across the web, was also very personal to zenmoments.org. You see, they were the folks who connected the dots to track down the missing author of what was then an anonymous story circulating thousands of times across emails and blogs... about a "Cab Ride." Zenmoments was so curious and taken by the story that through a very diligent effort, they found the author Kent Nerburn, and published his piece on their website with the author's permission... the first to find, honor and recognize the author of the now famous story "The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget."

Well, sometime much later, I came along and had my own very personal and moving experience with "The Cab Ride" story and its author. I shared my own story on this blog, about how the piece hit me and my life at a very pivotal time. Well, months after sharing my own story, zenmoments.org surfaced in my life too, and they wanted to publish my story too! So the great news is, now they have!

I share with you now that my piece called "Reflections on The Cab Ride" is now published at zenmoments.org - right here. The article appeared here on Tid Bits of Gold first, back in April 2009 - and now, I am honored to say, it is being shared again, at zenmoments.org.

You can find my first posting of "Reflections on The Cab Ride" right here on the Tid Bits of Gold blog, and if you like it, I would love to hear your thoughts with a comment at either the zenmoments site or here at TidBitsofGold.

And remember... zen moments are real... happening all the time! So be sure to keep an eye out... you don't want to miss 'em!

by Sharon L. Corsaro online at www.growing-gold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach and freelance consultant. She took an extended sabbitcal this year to write her first book, and is now preparing to launch a new website that will share her teachings and content more fluidly. She shares tools for "doing change, creatively" through her creative coaching practice, and she writes about the stories that unfold, as morsels of gold found in every day life, work and play. Find more from Sharon Corsaro at growing-gold.com and be sure to follow this blog, to catch more stories!

moments

2009-08-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

in the moments I have left...
I must shine this light upon us, my dear, upon us, so clear...

in the moments I have left...
I must shed this light upon us, so clear, upon us, my dear, upon us... oh so clear

in the moments we have left,
we must shine this light upon us my dear, upon us so clear, upon us, oh my dear...

in the moments we have left,
we must call the light upon us my dear, upon us so clear, upon us, oh my dear...

in the moments I have left,
I must feel this light upon us, oh clear, upon us oh so dear, upon us... oh my dear...

in the moments we have left...
in the moments that are here...
in the moments we have now...

we must call... the light to share...
we must call... the light to bare...

we must call... the light... call the light... call this light... tonight.

in the moments we have left...
we must call upon the highest, my love, the highest, my love, the highest...
we must call the light to be...
we must call the light, to see...

we must call... the light...

call the light...

call...
the light...
to
be.

by Sharon L. Corsaro online at growing-gold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach, freelance consultant... and periodic creative song creator! At times of stillness, living song comes pouring through Sharon as natural human instrument, where words, melody and more come forth - on the spot. While professionally focused at present, on writing and creative coaching... Sharon's truest art, is shared through her voice. A rich spirit with melody and words came forth on this evening, repeating the words from above... To learn more about Sharon's voice and vocalArt, please visit VoicebySharon.com or growing-gold.com.

All about Coaching: Catch the Interview!

2009-07-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

[Catch the Archived Interview - click here to listen NOW!]

What is Coaching?

We hear it all the time, "I'm a health coach, or I'm a business coach, or I'm a writing coach..." Well, there are SO many different types and styles of coaching... you really have to dig a little deeper, to find more.

What do Coaches really do... And why would someone want a Coach?

Well these are the questions that hit Kimyon Zari, creator of The Diamonaire Living Lifestyles Show on Blog Talk Radio, when she decided to host a panel of Coaches to get some answers for her listeners. And your's truly... Sharon Corsaro, Creative Coach extraordinaire... was one of the first to line-up. Quickly running from idea to fruition, Zari has assembled an excellent group of Coaches for a show that is sure to knock your socks off, with all you want to know about Coaching!

"A Coaching Forum," streaming live from the web Thurs night, July 30 from 5 to 6:30 pm Pacific Time (8 to 9:30 pm Eastern Time), promises to reveal a wide variance of opinions and styles from a great line up of Coaches. Sharing expertise and styles that range from personal to business, creative and more, the show should be hopping with variety and fun!

Answering questions like "what is coaching," "how can coaching help clients" and "how has coaching helped YOU," Zari aims to stretch the gamet for 90 minutes of lively discussion - and a great opportunity for listeners to get a lot of information without putting themselves "on the line." Yet, as time allows, the panel will take questions from listeners, as individuals call in their personal queries too.

You won't want to miss this one... you can catch it from anywhere you're able to log online, and here's the skinny for how to:

The Diamonaire Living Lifestyles Show, hosted by the Kimyon Zari (@TheDiamondCoach) on Blog Talk Radio, airs Thurs., July 30 at 5 pm Pacific Time, 8 pm Eastern Time. Interviewing a panel of Coaches with a wide range of styles, Zari aims to get down to brass tacks - All About Coaching!

The show can be heard over the web - Just log onto the webpage and click the player box found just to the right of the host's picture: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Diamonaire-Lifestyle.

Hosted by Kimyon Zari, @TheDiamondCoach,
Featured guests include:

Michelle Casto, @brightmichelle
Anita Charlot, @anitacharlot
Sharon Corsaro, @growinggold
Charles Major, @iamamogul
Bahiyah Shabazz, @shabazzmgmtgrp

We'd love to hear your thoughts LIVE... but if you have to miss the live show, a recording should be available online... Find a recorded version of the archived show right here!

by Sharon L. Corsaro, online at growinggold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach and freelance consultant empowering the principles of "doing change" creatively! She shares wisdom unearthed from years of navigating the process of change and creative development, through her writings and coaching. Offering Creative Coaching in bite-sized consultations by phone, Sharon shares a highly flexible format that allows clients to seek her help "just 30 minutes at a time" when needed... Just one session can be the catalyst for clarity that lands all pieces into place, or ongoing periodic support, for a business project or life change could be in order too. It's the growing gold philosophy that drives Sharon's passion for "growing gold, from the inside out".... where clarity is her gift, and mobilizing us all forward, is her path!

What about Clarity?

2009-07-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Did you ever feel like you needed to bounce your ideas around with someone... you know, the classic "sounding" board?

Have you found that when you need that, it sort of doesn't matter that the person on the other side knows all your details or even understand the dilemma... because what matters most is that you have a place to "sort out the pieces" - get things out of your head and into an "open space" to let it all shake out, and breath?

Well, this is the premise on which Creative Coaching stands. You see, what I've found through the course of helping myself and others over the years is that "sounding off," you could say, is extremely important. Sorting out the pieces of what we're dealing with at any given time does an amazing service for the forward motion of the greater creative process - for whatever you are creating, doing or changing, at any given time.

"Sounding off," as I say, is a process of putting ideas outside of oneself and into the air where they can be felt, heard and conceptualized more clearly than when they were crammed up inside us, bouncing around in our heads instead. Often, just hearing yourself speak an idea aloud can be enough to know that the idea is on track, or not. Or, give you enough clarity to realize, "no, that doesn't sound right at all" and quickly come to realize what does sound right.

So, take this "sounding board" concept... add a big dose of deep compassion, plus some very clear vision, and you have the formula for some very valuable assistance, delivered in the form of Creative Coaching.

Coaching can offer many things... and these days, what I've found is that many times we have the answers, we just don't know it. And so, we simply need clarity, to move forward. We need help sorting out the pieces - in order to move the pieces - forward. I know I need this when my "creating" process gets jammed up - and I know others need it too! And that's why I have reformulated my Creative Coaching service to make it... dare I say, a bit more clear! Clarity is what I bring to the table... not just my own clarity, but the clarity I hold and embody has a way of waking up clarity in others - and that's what matters to you.

So truth be told... I offer "clarity" Coaching! Creative Coaching that farms "clarity" from inside you. I offer this service over the phone in easy to digest, bite-sized consultations that provide just enough help to move things along. We do more or less, as your needs and personal or project situations require... And it's very easy. Teams can be part of the process, or just one individual. It's very simple.

Most importantly, it is clear. Very clear. When you're taking steps to get somewhere new - creating something you've not done before - or changing something old... Clarity is critical. Clarity helps you see what you need now, and in so, helps you move forward toward your next step!

So, are you having trouble seeing through the clutter in your life, project or situation? Answers come far easier when you sort out the pieces! I invite you to taste a session or two... it might be the very thing that's been missing, for you!

Sharon Corsaro's Creative Coaching is available in 30 minute sessions delivered by phone or Skype. Ask and you shall receive - It all starts with a simple email request from you. Get more details on Creative Coaching & Consulting here or just shoot off an email to growinggold (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Here's to life unfolding with incredible ease, great vision, and crystal clarity, for you!

by Sharon L. Corsaro, online at growinggold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach and freelance consultant empowering the principles of "doing change, creatively!" She shares wisdom unearthed from years of navigating the process of change and creative development, through her writings and coaching. Offering Creative Coaching in bite-sized consultations by phone, Sharon shares a highly flexible format that allows clients to seek her help "just 30 minutes at a time" when needed... Just one session can be the catalyst that lands all pieces into place, or ongoing periodic support for a business project or life change could be in order too. Sharon is passionate for "growing gold, from the inside out".... where clarity is her gift, and mobilizing us all forward, is her path!

Creative Coaching

2009-06-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sharing a gift of quick and constant assessment earned through years of navigating constant change, creatively ~ Sharon Corsaro holds a heart for helping others be vastly more empowered in creating and changing the landscape of their lives, businesses, projects, communities and more.

Energizing and mobilizing, Sharon assists others
through brief consultations that awaken vision,
motivation and new energy... to propel forward motion.

Shared in bite-sized 30 or 60 minute sessions by phone (or Skype), Creative Coaching is flexibly offered with meetings arranged at client request, for long or short term support.

Provoking others to see more clearly, new vision and creative thinking open in others, as Sharon holds a torch for tapping into the creative energy of person or project - to mobilize!

Through engaging, creative, insightful and very straight-forward dialogue consultations, Sharon helps others have courage to see beyond obstacles, clarity to sort through "mind clutter" and energy to forge clear forward motion.

With strategic alignment of words, goals, energy and actions...
clarity itself propels forward motion... where seeing the path is far more than an important first step, it is a critical component for any process to move forward!

So, whether sorting out one step in the process of many changes, or crafting a vast new direction for a project or life change, continual clarity of vision is key to moving forward!

It's very simple.

We meet by phone (or Skype) just once if that's the catalyst you need... Or many times, if ongoing support is right for you.

Life changes, business developments, creative projects... whatever you are creating or changing... we collaborate to find the variation that suits you best.

Creative Coaching uncovers insights, fast - deciphers direction, fast - propels movement, fast - and most of all, taps into your creative energy where your answers live - fast... to open and grow forth, the changes you seek!

Give it a try ~ It's easy... Let's help you today!

To reserve your space on Sharon's Coaching Calendar, please reach out by email --> growinggold (at) yahoo (dot) com. Appointments are typically set weekday afternoons.

~~~~

Beyond Creative Coaching...

Sharon's skills and past experience have included many tactical consulting services in project management, communications, creative collaboration, assessment, program development, writing and more. She has worked for or with large organizations, government service agencies, community groups, communications projects/teams, youth and families and more.

While her time is spent today writing, coaching and sharing her teachings more widely, Sharon is also available on a case-by-case basis for Freelance Consulting Projects and can be reached by email for more information in that regard --> growinggold (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Please visit Sharon on www.growinggold.com to learn more.

What is growing gold?

2009-06-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Why do I use the name growing gold? And why does it matter to you?

I suspect many people think "growing gold" means something like growing "money," but the heart of this matter is FAR more important than even that...

You see, my reference to "gold" is about inner gold... and inner gold is the critical key to everything.

So "growing gold" is about many things... but it starts with finding access to the stuff inside - the gold that comes pouring forth from inside people, projects, teams, organizations, groups - when their creative energy is tapped into and turned ON!

When creative energy is awake and thriving, that is like tapping into a river of liquid gold! And as enormous bonus, when inner gold is flowing... SO much more follows... because creative energy - the living inner gold of everything - is the juice that makes it all happen.

Creative energy is the living force that creates and changes everything - and it is what we need in every arena to build new ideas, create effective changes and grow just about anything. Waking up access to inner gold means gaining a whole new world of abundance that reaches into everything...

Well beyond growing "money"... "growing gold" means gaining access to the well inside that can help you create whatever you need! It's a system... a way of being... a way of thinking and doing... and it's all about gaining access to the creative juice that makes everything tick!

So whether you are creating a new business, changing your life, inventing a product, crafting a great solution, producing a creative product, navigating enormous change and much more... the gold inside you - your project, your team, your group - is the tremendous asset you want to grow! It's the sweet spot where all things click into place and work!

Unleashing the creative "gold" is key to everything... Sparking it to life to access your gold is pivotal... Helping you do that is what I do. Whether Creative Coaching, Freelancing, Consulting or engaging a conversation to create something new, it's always all about accessing the sweet spot - tapping into your inner gold to find the vision it holds, the guidance it can share and the courage it knows for taking steps well beyond your mind's belief for what's possible, and well into the magic place that dwells in the heart of all that gold!

growing gold from the inside out™ ~ to enliven, empower and bring forth natural and inherent gold... in everyone and everything... is precisely my goal!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growinggold.com

News from Sharon Corsaro

2009-06-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

June has arrived and I am SO happy for it!

'Tis the season of pursuing greater connection. Magic happens when I reach out... So I reach out to you today and say, let's see what we can do!

It seems I am always moving faster than I'm able to keep up with, so I take this moment to communicate some of what I'm working on... Maybe I'm here to help you?

1. Freelance Writing: Yes! I wear so many hats that many folks don't even know I'm an old marketing/communications pro and writer (plus digital filmmaking and video/audio production too). Given all the writing I've been doing for myself lately, I decided to dig up the old Freelancer Hat to share my skills with others as I've done heaps of professional writing while working for PR/ADV agencies, government programs, schools and contract projects. I am available via telecommute for online writing or offline projects, with a wide variety of skills, including interviews/research and writing plans/reports/proposals, editing or creating materials for PR/Adv/Mktg projects, writing online content, media materials, other creative projects, schools/public service reports or proposals. If you need this type of support or know someone who does, I'd love to help - just ask.

2. Doing Change Creatively! I've been writing and encapsulating my own creative work. It's all about leveraging the natural creative process to empower the change that's happening all around us ~ and doing that, creatively! I'm gearing up to preview some of the material in audio, radio, interview formats... will be sharing more on that, very soon!

3. Clarity Coaching: After taking a sabbatical from coaching to write, I'm ready to offer a little bit of my gold! Re-calibrated format to match me... On-demand Laser Coaching offers fast and poignant clarity checks that share crisp clean energy with folks who need help moving forward or focusing strategic, clear and creative vision for any stage of their process - in creative, business or personal pursuits. Sessions are "on-demand" because they are as needed... We meet via phone for however long you need, and we do it just once, periodically, or when you need it. So, you need a boost? Some clarity on a current challenge, creative brainstorm for your next business steps, ideas for communication, marketing or new options? It's very straight forward. I help you see, and through seeing, we open the path to create your solutions. (Visit related post: What About Clarity)

4. Networking! I continue to connect with many amazing people I've met over the last year and more... and thankfully, where I haven't yet reached... I keep getting found! I aim to continue connecting with new and old friends, adding to Facebook, Twitter and growing LinkedIn and Plaxo too! For those who want to find me online... I'd be happy to hear from you. I use the name growinggold most everywhere...

On Twitter: I'm @growinggold (www.twitter.com/growinggold)
On Facebook: I'm http://facebook.com/growinggold
On LinkedIn: I'm http://www.linkedin.com/in/growinggold
On Plaxo: I'm http://growinggold.myplaxo.com/

I'm also using a new email ~ growinggold (at) yahoo (dot) com.

It has been one heck of a journey... I hope you are enjoying the wild ride of life as much as I am. Even when it is harder than I could have ever imagined, there's still something good to be deciphered, unearthed, found or learned... in just about every moment!

My heart is moved by the people I find when I reach out! Thank you for being one of them ~ May you be blessed in your days!

Thanks for stopping by ~
Sharon L. Corsaro
www.growing-gold.com

Enjoying what is, right now

2009-06-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

I am so happy it's June 1st - and I finally feel perfect being right where I am.

Such a funny life keeps unfolding for me... It makes me laugh! I feel like I'm inside a giant storybook and, anymore, I might as well just sit back and read it - if only I could?!

I took this "break" away from Los Angeles awhile back... a breather that turned into a sabbatical - which of course involves a book! Well, there's so much to share on that, but I'll condense for now to say, months later I'm still out of LA... but no longer hiding ~ au contraire, I am here to engage and share! Thanks to this wild invention called the Internet, I can!

Have you ever felt like you needed a "timeout?" Well, that was me back in January - except I didn't know that when I swiftly followed my instincts, packed up my life and got on a plane to housesit for a friend in the cold far north of Alaska for a few weeks. As I write this now still gone to the north, I can see that I was sort of like a little kid who really badly needs a nap, fights it desperately, finally gives in, and after a really great long sleep, is wonderfully refreshed, pleasant and all new again!

Seems to me, God and the Universe lined things up so perfectly, that it's not been til now, many months later, that I finally realize how drastically I needed that timeout. A long deep unwind has reached levels of my person I couldn't have imagined... unraveling me back to life - when I didn't know I was un-alive?! Just worn out I think... but now - whew! I am fully renewed, refreshed, alive, recharged and ready to engage like never before, with great new energy!

I can't even express how grateful I am for the way things occurred. Sometimes life throws things at you, and you just gotta go with it... even when - especially when - it makes no sense, for there just might be a miracle waiting at the end.

Funniest part is, throughout what I've felt as this "what the heck am I doing here" period... I've lived with a daily pressure - that despite being in a gorgeous place, super peaceful in the middle of nowhere at the foothills of North America's largest mountains, writing my book, safe and well-cared for - I have constantly felt I "needed to go" get back to life in LA.

Every day for months now, I've thought "I need to go"... So you can imagine the great sigh of relief as, today, I can finally say, I feel great being right where I am. While I know I won't stay here forever, I finally feel it's OK for me to be here right now. Craziest part is, there's been very little negative impact and instead great positive impact in me being here. I can fully connect via internet and cell phone to do just about anything with the outside world - work, network, share - all while being safely tucked away in a quaint little village with great peace of mind as I walk in the woods, go to the river, breathe fresh air, enjoy forever sun light, visit old friends and eat fresh wild food... So what's the trouble? Well, it just took awhile for me to settle into the fact that this has been the biggest blessing of my life! And that, coming from one who's had a life full of global adventures, powerful introspection and enormous blessings - making this one then, pretty darn big!

So now that I'm finally good with all this, I feel great. I can let go of being distracted every day by "I gotta go" and instead, just fully take it on and "get it done." There's loads of work I can do from right here and "going back" will come when it's time, soon enough!

So what's the point?

Today, I celebrate life - being happy with what is, right now - and I encourage you to do the same. Sure, there are always obstacles, but we can get around them! For me... the grocery store is 14 miles away and I don't have a car, I don't have running water in my abode, I haven't seen a great film in ages... and I'm far away from many great professional gatherings I'd be attending back in LA. BUT... there is an enormous greatness here that's far different and unique... so I choose to focus on that and take in the blessing of what is right now, while I can!

So I say, celebrate hidden blessings... celebrate the lemons thrown at you... celebrate the "nap forced upon you"... Celebrate what is right now! Enjoy the natural way of life... the way things naturally unfold... the way things can magically line-up when we sit back and let them! Allow and enjoy what is, right now - even if it's only gonna last for a minute... as you watch the way the clouds move in the sky, or notice the person you pass every morning, yet hardly ever "see." Celebrate the magic that shows up in your life everyday, and just be happy with what is!

I share with you as I remind myself - let go of questioning the way things are and instead just enjoy, take in the greatness that is in every moment... and celebrate how good it is, even when it's not!

I'm so happy to say, I am loving life today! Happy to be right where I am... as the sunshine comes forth from inside... Perhaps this is true for you?

Sharon L. Corsaro
www.growing-gold.com
@growinggold on Twitter

Twitter Magic

2009-05-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

I finally got it!

I jumped into the stream of Twitter sometime ago and this weekend after literally 1,000 Tweets, I finally got it with crystal clarity...

My best analogy goes something like this...

Imagine you walk into a huge auditorium with piles of people standing around chatting, engaging, playing, about all sorts of things, business, art, music, politics, family, the environment, travel, commerce and more... like one big party. Now... imagine you started mingling through this crowd as though it were your goal to meet as many folks as possible or simply mix your way through the crowd like a playground for your life's greatest scavenger hunt, where you can find all the answers you need - and share all the answers you hold! Now... imagine this was all happening in an imaginary "space" where all people are connected by no more than a link through the internet, which happens to span the globe! Now add thousands upon thousands upon thousands of opportunities to "meet and greet" along your path across this giant "room" and voila ~ Welcome home for you have arrived in the new Twitterverse!

It might sound crazy... but truly... this is what it's like! I might have figured out the true magic of Twitter, cuz I really think it could be seen as a global-sized party where all types of people imaginable can be found! And for me, even more fun and wildly curious is that there are people to match all the different parts of me, all inside the space of Twitter - as though I only have to think of them... and they show up! (Well, maybe I haven't quite found a match for all those diverse sides just yet... but I know they're out there!)

So the big trick is - contact! You gotta make contact in order to engage or be "heard" by anyone... You have to follow and be "followed," for people to hear your words when you give a shout - with a Tweet! So just like in real life, you have to brush up against someone to say hello... Only, in Twitter, you simply have to know/see their Twitter name in order to make contact. Once you do, you can reach out and follow! If they follow you back... bingo... you now have one more person within reach of your "voice" to receive your Twitter words when you post a Tweet.

So I see it like this... You walk into this great auditorium that reaches around the globe, and anyone you brush up against (make contact with and "follow") you can engage with... Even after you may have "walked" hundreds of people away from the one you met at the door - all the way across the Twitterverse "room" - you can still shout back anytime to that first person with one simple @Tweet, to say hello!

But what do you SAY with all those people?

Just like in life, the real magic begins when you realize you can engage with ALL sorts of different people, differently! You might talk about the weather with one person, merely say hello to another person, find an instantly deep soul friend in another, develop a great business rapport with another, a playful childlike friendship with another, gain a consoling elder in another, a girl-talk friend in another, a serious philosopher in another, a great business partner in another... the list goes on and on forever!

Twitter is just like life - it holds great diversity! And it will be as diverse as you allow it to be... If I choose to relate with one person about my VocalArt, another about my new book and the science of change, another about a marketing tool or writing project, personal relationship or world travel... I can! Because there is such great diversity in this vast "room" of Twitter - I can make it whatever I choose - and so can you... like a great big party of life... ready and willing whenever you feel like "checking in" on the "networking party" that simply never stops!

The key is, you gotta make contact to engage... So you see someone interesting (you click on their name after someone else writes to them, or you use the search tool to find people related to words that match your needs)... and you reach out to them to connect... You "follow" them, let them follow you back... then when the time is right - just like hanging out in that huge auditorium of life - you find yourself standing next to them (that is, you see them Tweeting in the stream at the same time as you) so you strike up a conversation! Or, if its information you need, you hunt around, ask questions and collect piles of new info. Inspiration you seek? Friendship? Just like life... Twitter can provide whatever you need! And just like any large arena... there are times when you feel like talking to a whole crowd of people in a group conversation (when you use a hashtag to track your dialogue) or other times you want to just listen (read the words of others) or sit quietly with one person to contemplate the nature of life with a one-one back and forth.

The way we engage in Twitter - just like in life - varies as much as any mood... The best part is, Twitter is full of opportunity to do it however you like - with the chance to meet new people from across the globe at just the touch of a finger. You can share a lot or a little... or just take in the scenery. It's all up to YOU!

So if you haven't joined yet... try it out... As my new friend @WarrenWhitlock tried convincing me when we met a good six months before I joined, Twitter is not nearly as overwhelming as it seems... Instead, as I've learned, it opens wide a door of opportunity - to meet and greet with a whole world - a whole Twitterverse - of people I may not have ever found, any other way!

Twitter puts the world at your finger tips... ready to listen, share or just be ~ just waiting for us to show up! If you're already there, let's engage... follow me @growinggold and reach out to say hello.

I hope to see you Tweeting in the big ballroom of life very soon!

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, coach and unique presenter sharing the art of change through creativity, with voice and VocalArt that surpasses all expectations! She is presently working on her first book that aims to demystify the complex science of change and creativity that is found in every arena of our lives, work and world. Follow Sharon on Twitter at www.twitter.com/growinggold or follow this blog at right (www.TidBitsofGold.com) to stay abreast of the news! And thanks for stopping by!

Sharon L. Corsaro
www.growing-gold.com

Reflections on "The Cab Ride"

2009-04-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing thing happen last week. It all started with an innocent email from an old friend sharing a highly "web-circulated" story of miraculous magnitude. I may have seen this story before, seemed familiar, but this time "The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget" hit me like a ton of bricks.

You see, I've spent the last few months living in a precarious way... I left Los Angeles for the back woods of Alaska to write... and during this time, I've had some very interesting moments, to say the least. Miraculous encounters while being present in the moment watching the simple yet curious happenings of life in a small village where things are... a bit different.

I took off on this journey to write, though I don't think I knew that at the time. I just desperately needed a break from the mayhem of Los Angeles and this seemed the perfect spot. Many years ago, I lived in these parts, so coming for a "visit" was not too difficult. Friends who are like family opened a door... and back in January, I felt that getting a break out of the city - into the cold dark barren north - would be good medicine to clear my mind and help me write.

So the other day when I read this story "The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget" I was especially moved... It was such a clear and potent example of the way life can be, when we are present, as I've been experiencing on a constant basis in my slowed-down life where peculiar is most common in this character-driven town of a few hundred people near the base of North America's greatest mountains. The richness we can find in the blink of an eye when we really pay attention to what's going on around us can be profound.

"The Cab Ride," if you haven't seen it, is about an old woman's ride to the hospice where she will die, as told by the driver of her cab, a now-famous writer sharing a story from his own distant past. The story was so poignant and yet simple... and struck a particular cord for me. See my time this winter has been filled with helping elderly friends with daily life - chopping wood, shoveling snow, taking care of others while putting life's eventual end near in my thoughts during breaks from my writing... These times have highlighted the importance of taking in simple moments, being present with what's happening now and staying clear, to be a friend.

So when I read "The Cab Ride" story last week, I was incredibly moved, so much that I immediately wrote to the writer Kent Nerburn, an accomplished author and much sought after speaker - I just had to. Crazy part is, he wrote back to me - within 10 minutes! I was so moved by his story, then the writings I found on his blog, that when I got a personal message back from him, I was sort of stunned.

And what I must share now, is what struck me most from that experience last week.

When I read this man's writing... literally every word echoed with enormous grace for me. I was dramatically taken by the potency in his words... his depth and wisdom permeated me with every word - literally. It was palpable... I could feel his words... even as they seemed so very simple, there was something incredibly rich transferring unto me, coming through his writing, that really moved me. And that is when it hit me... as though this great writer was reaching through the ethers straight to me to say... DO IT! You have got to share your words! I have grappled with writing... I love to write and I know I must do so, yet I wonder how on earth this will work when all I "see" is me just telling stories... writing. I know somehow it will work and I'll make a great living with my words... but at the moment, as revenue mechanisms for writing are being honed, I sometimes worry, wonder and ponder... how on earth am I really going to do this?

So that day, as I felt the presence of this hugely grounded writer hanging out right here with me in my own personal space, I was hit clear as day with a powerful reflection... This man's words were cutting right through me as I realized he was showing me that is what happens through my words too... I have sensed my words move others deeply, yet we all have doubt... The moment became a powerful confirmation as I experienced what seemed a demonstration, that indeed, simple words DO have very deep impact.

I was able to feel the depth of this man's entire life experience through the simple reflections he shared... And that's when I knew. It is in sharing the way I see the world... that which comes from lifetimes worth of reflection... that my morsels of gold are carried forward. Experiences shared through the way we see and the depth we read into life is what's so important and valuable to share - to carry it all forward.

So I am deeply grateful for "The Cab Ride" landing in my inbox when it did - and even more, for the sequence of events that unfolded from there, for I was able to experience the great man and writer found in Kent Nerburn - and he has inspired, fueled me forward - to carry forth and share the stories that I hold.

I've spent so many years traveling this globe... experiencing life in the moment... pioneering creative life that in itself brought about deep wisdom for understanding the organic processes of change and creativity... And my knowing has come through miraculous experiences in countless foreign situations - in the moment - where I knew no more than what was right in front of me, as I learned to respond in a flash, to make the changes that would come. This is the mastery I developed along the way... and now, I am knowing, it's time to share the unfolding stories!

I am deeply grateful for that powerful day last week when I encountered this great writer and his simple yet deeply moving story of a ride in a cab one night many years back in his past.

I invite you to share the magic... "The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget" is posted at zenmoments.org and shared with the author's gracious permission. If you're interested, Kent Nerburn humbly shares some of his own post-thoughts from the viral experience of his story traversing the web - found at his blog www.kentnerburn.com.

Deep thanks to Kent Nerburn ~ for his spirit, courage and perseverance as a great writer!

by Sharon L. Corsaro

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach, freelance consultant and facilitator. She has traveled the world sharing her communication and creative collaboration skills while learning how to live the magic of being present in the moment. This year, Sharon's been working on her first book and speaker's platform to share her creative tools for navigating the process of change in everyday life. She offers Creative Coaching by phone to help others gain clear vision for strategic forward motion in personal and business endeavors, and she writes about "the gold found in everyday life" on this blog www.TidBitsofGold.com and on Twitter @growinggold. To learn more about Sharon Corsaro, visit her home website at www.growing-gold.com.

Collaboration Takes Courage

2009-04-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

As I reflect on a conversation from last night, I recognize the challenge of collaboration.

From outside perspective, I could see two people who could do very well to collaborate with one and other… And then I realized, they could also be in competition with each other. That’s when I thought... what if they chose to join forces, to become two working toward a similar goal, instead of just one – what if they chose to collaborate instead of compete. From outside perspective, I could see how rich this could be, I could see how abundant it becomes when two or more join forces. Yet when I reflect this same principle back onto myself, I realize and remember, the notion of competition.

It’s so ingrained in us to compete… I suppose it is our very nature for survival in the wild. Yet, I know too, there is another way – and as I reflect, I realize how much doing it differently, takes courage. Courage “to be” from a different place, courage to see from a higher perspective, courage to allow and embrace union and the possibilities of united forces, as opposed to being afraid.

As opposed to being afraid of the competition, what would happen if we joined with our competition to create a mighty force for tackling a new solution, creating something great... putting our might together to embrace the goodness that can come when we collaborate for common good? I suppose this is exactly what occurs when entrepreneurs join forces. There's a level of trust that must occur for two or more people with talent to join with others, for they could just "do it" themselves, hire out the help they need… but then again, there is something magically very different about working in collaboration… the meeting of mutually talented minds who have equal power, strength and ability to "do it"... yet actually realize and know - they can be so much better if they unite! Thinking with a glimmer of hope, "what if we join forces?!"

It is very different to collaborate. It's easy to see the great potential in joining up with other great minds - especially from outside perspective - yet there is an element of fear to be surpassed, in order to embrace the necessary change in attitude - from competition to collaboration. I've been working with collaborative thinking for ages... and yet still, with this thought and reflection today, I challenge myself to go ever further... to think about the greatness that can come in unified force... when I join with others who could be competitors, yet we choose to instead embody possibilities and join our energies for greater good while best of all, encouraging and carving a path for others to do the same.

Collaboration could be the changing tide we need, for greater good to prevail!

Collaboration is a key concept in the chronicles of Creative Change ~ the term I've coined to describe the notion of empowering the process of change, creatively. Coming soon to book, multi-media, live and web formats, please stay tuned for this wild ride! Join me to follow this blog at right (www.TidBitsofGold.com) and watch for great news to come!

Thanks for stopping by!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Brainstorming - What IF?

2009-04-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

"What if" you suspended all judgment and parameters that hold you where you're at, when you reach the need for new solutions... What if you "pretended" there were simply no limits - what might your brainstorming produce then?

"What If" is exactly the place I propose you aim when seeking to make a change.

The other day I shared a story about creative brainstorming and promised to reveal some tips. So today I share the beginning ~ The "What If" Principle ~ as top on the list, where magic begins.

Brainstorming is all about getting creative and allowing childlike innocence to explore new solutions - for truly, it is our inner child - the younger aspect of you or your cohorts - that really knows how to play, explore and have fun... Where fun is alive, creativity thrives! And where creativity thrives... you can bet you'll find some great creative juice with a good solution or two!

So go for the fun of it... and let yourself think "what if?!"

"What if" creates possibilities... you can almost feel it tangibly in your body when you say "what if"...the kid inside starts peaking through as "what if" begs positive potential... it's fun, easy, playful and sorta spunky as it's saying to you but "what if..." with a big curious fun-loving "?" hanging at the end...

So have fun and brainstorm! Give yourself permission to let go, suspend your "box," judgments and all the "can'ts" you live with... and just play! Play with a little creative brainstorming to break out something new, and let the magic get going...

It is from childlike innocence that the best innovation can occur for that is where there is an abundance of creative flare with breakthroughs and great ideas for a new way of doing something that simply wasn't working anymore.

It is in the unexpected that greatness occurs. Empower that potential for yourself or your team by getting childlike - asking "what if" - to just see what comes.

"What if" literally opens new energy... it opens your creative thinking for a positive upward spiral where the "string of thinking" that comes is most important. You must open the door, suspend limitations, to allow the unravel of new thought to come forth. Saying "what if" helps do just that, by opening your mind... allowing judgments to suspend while putting aside limitations - to embody a moment of "potential" instead of "what currently is."

This suspended notion creates enormous openness... like stepping into an imaginary world where you can "create" the answer you need. As you day dream a potential, far more is occurring and suddenly you envision an option that seems wildly outside your norm, yet you realize the idea could actually morph into a true answer that could work right away. Your imaginary "day dream" may not be so "outside" true possibilities. Yet you would not have found the "day dream" idea had you not allowed yourself to explore and wander in your thought with open willingness to say "what if."

Creative brainstorming requires openness. Openness brings new ideas alive that may have been blocked by your belief they were impossible. As you open creative space for what you deem unlikely options, you might actually find that an outlandish-idea-moment causes you to see something not-so-outlandish that really could work - only discovered by playing... and hearing yourself spill out words for something wildly outside your realm that make you think "hm, but what if?!" Could be, a variation of your "wild notion" just might work.

Whether you're looking for a new answer to getting a car, changing jobs, creating more money, or building a new service with a team of folks online, creative brainstorming by asking "what if" is a simple yet potent tool for allowing the new, by removing perceived roadblocks, to create a brain "storm" that bursts open new energy, for new ways of seeing opportunities.

Coax yourself out of your own box and into the open space of new potentials... and help get your mind outta the way to play a little by asking yourself or your team ~ "what if?"

The "What If" Principle is one that I've come to use in my Creative Coaching & Consulting practice... It is one of many concepts shared in new writings coming to book, multi-media and web formats to inform what I have coined "Creative Change" - the art of doing change, creatively. I hope you will stick around for the ride and follow this blog on the side bar (at www.TidBitsofGold.com) to stay abreast of the news!

Thanks for stopping by ~

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Brainstorm Anyone?

2009-04-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

The other day I was helping someone brainstorm an idea, and in the midst of our discussion, I found myself getting into coaching some basic creative principles because I was being hit with barriers that I knew were blocking the flow of new information...

"Can't do" statements were coming at me from every direction, and that's when I realized the "how to" of creative brainstorming is deeply ingrained in me such that, while I do it all the time, I hardly think about it - it's automatic... until confronted with a moment when the flow is being blocked by too many "can'ts."

The beauty of the encounter was that it caused me to get incredibly clear about how and why creative brainstorming works so well... and that's what I want to share... It's all about the power of "what if."

Creative brainstorming - for any purpose - is a critical tool for creating new solutions. Of great importance to the brainstorm process itself is how it is done... Funny, as I write this I realize that while I use this tool constantly in my Creative Coaching life and work to empower new changes and solutions for myself and others - I realize right now that I think I actually learned the basis of this formula back in my early days working for large PR/AD Agencies where there seemed an unspoken law for "how to brainstorm" every time we'd pile into a conference room to help a colleague generate new "stuff" for a client - a new slogan, marketing idea, media pitch and much more.

Little did I know back then, in my much less visionary days when I could hardly see a new idea if it were on my nose, that creative brainstorming and solutioning would become core to the very fabric of my person, not to mention hugely integral in my work. Crazy... but over the years I grew into a fountain of new ideas - huge evidence that things DO change over time!

Nowadays, creative brainstorming spills out into everything I do and say, so the pendulum swung quite far - such that I sorta forgot how hard it once was - until this moment the other day - when I was quickly reminded that not everyone knows how to do the zesty zany brainstorming thing that brings out "light bulb" moments one after another, while waking up creative solutions that have been waiting in the rafters of any home, office or random conversation...

So with some painful memory, I do recall the days when I had no clue for how to allow new ideas... and a full 180 degrees later, I now realize had it not been for the agency environment, I might have had no idea how to brainstorm with even an ounce of zest or zing.

And in reflection, I realize the unique value of this gift... and so in memory of my former left-brain-only self, I share some of the "art of creative brainstorming" I developed over the years to help others with tools that can help any type of new solutioning. It would have been so helpful back in the day, had someone spelled this out years ago for me... so, I share.

...To Be Continued...

More to come... Stay tuned and look for next post. Even better, sign up to follow this blog in the right side bar ~ and catch what comes!

Creative brainstorming is just one of the tools I share in facilitating Creative Coaching for individuals, groups/teams and their projects... It's just the tip of an iceberg I've developed over some 25 years of doing change, creatively. Sharing new writings on what I've coined "Creative Change" - the first book, multimedia formats, website, live programs and much more are being launched this year.

Creative Change is here to stay... I hope you'll stick around for the ride! Please join me by signing up to follow this blog on the right side bar (www.TidBitsofGold.com) and stay abreast of the news that's coming!

Thanks for stopping by ~

Sharon L. Corsaro
www.growing-gold.com

Surrender

2009-04-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

I was determined I would be out of here by end of March... today is April 3rd and I'm still here with much yet to do on my plate.

Surrender rings through as I step back to ponder... surrender and know it's all coming. Surrender to what is occurring right now and trust there is a greater plan at work while knowing "the plan" is always evolving and ever so constantly fluid!

Surrender to the fact that I left California to carry out a plan of getting my book written, having the new work packaged, programs launched with new websites plus all sorts of administrative work in order, and well... even just writing it here makes me realize - I am quite the one for setting expectations beyond the highest height.

So I settle... and remind myself... settle down, the pieces and plans are in motion with an energy so much bigger than anything I could possibly conjure up on my own... there's a bigger plan unfolding... and it's simply not stoppable now...

It is true... all things DO come in time... and perhaps it is time I surrender to allow... and take time to notice the miracles!

I am amazed and in awe when I see that every step, every turn there is always a lending hand. I am so supported I have to take note and be thankful... I go to get groceries and stop to see a friend only to be piled with free food because she's leaving town. I take a walk down the road and I'm stopped by someone I only just met to be asked if I can do some work to help them out... I stop over to another friend's at just the right moment to help with a teenage dilemma... When I have the need, I am offered a place to stay, food to eat, vehicle to use and the list continues... So while my bank account may be getting lonely as I spend time writing and working out the plan... I am continually vastly blessed, for whenever I realize a need, I am quickly met with options, answers, solutions... So I continue to be present with those around me, as they do the same for me... and amazing grace is more evident all the time, as though calling out to say "it's okay, just allow, and let go."

I am fulfilling a plan... and yes this darn physical world takes much longer than the speed of my vision. I see something - and want it done - snap of a finger, just like that. Funniest part is, lately it's been a bit scary as things come almost that fast... so I am watchful of my thoughts and try to take it all in! And then there are times when I aim to do *everything* all at once, too much, and I must come back to my knowing, that *time* might need a little more space than I've allowed.

*Surrender* I know is the way... to let go and allow the unfolding of a vision and plan I have very clearly barreled forth into motion... some things just can't be stopped - only need just a little more time.

And so with that again, I am faced with my own teaching... Allow time and space to unfold the works you've set into motion... just take a deep breath, and let go.

hm....

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Wisdom Arising

2009-03-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

Today I celebrate my own personal New Year as the first day after my birthday… I vowed to rest yesterday but this material churned up inside, so I share.

Couple days ago, I found myself saying "I’m celebrating wisdom and new beginnings, without adding years."

I had been wished Happy Birthday and I really wanted to respond with "shhh, I'm pretending it’s not happening" because – truth be told – there comes a time when we really want to pretend the years are simply not adding up. But despite my instinct to seriously say "shh," something deep inside responded to that thought as though saying back at me “no, that isn’t right.” And that's when I realized, while part of me really wants the whole birthday thing to "just go away," there is something else far more important – and that is about honoring my birthday for wisdom and new beginnings.

I don't like the idea of aging, yet it's true that in time, age deserves huge recognition, it deserves to be honored for the time that has passed and the wisdom that has grown – as the wise one inside – like the phoenix rising – deserves recognition, hands down! Wisdom, after all, holds enormous wealth as a most valuable asset that simply cannot be bought – it only must rise, over time.

So while I dislike the idea of getting older, on the other side of the same dreaded coin is another quite different emotion… I love knowing each year brings me deeper into the woman I am, as I come forth with more presence and the younger version sits back to listen. From this, I am knowing, my own personal New Year brings cause for huge celebration, as evidence that time has prevailed and wisdom persists.

While I wanted to pretend it just wasn’t happening – my heart screamed forth loudly, “Honor your wisdom, be grateful for the years, the mistakes you have learned from – and be happy you have made it this far!” And so I gain new footing.

I realize I would not want the years to stand still. Sure I'd love to look better as when I was younger with a few less wrinkles, gray hair or extra pounds, but I know far more important than looks, I am profoundly grateful for the richness I have gained through the passage of time. If the price tag for getting this was to age a bit in the process, then I am much happier to be more like a bottle of deep red wine who’s every drop is greatly savored, than I would want to be anything else!

I celebrate wisdom and new birth as I remember this March 30th to give thanks for the miraculous feat it has been to get me this far in this world at this time – as I know, every turn of the path, every trial and tribulation has been miraculous – as though I’ve been carried by an army of spirit, to grow forth from inside, the woman who’s wisdom is rising.

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Go with your Gut

2009-03-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Funny how timing can be so impeccable...

I share this story as an example... for the amazing precision of timing and the beautifully interwoven nature of our lives, where the slightest change in a moment can make a big difference...

I was in the grocery store the other day when this funny thing happened. I wasn't buying a lot, so when the lines were full, I opted for the express lane. While I was loading the conveyor belt, a few ladies stepped up behind me with one or two items in their hands and a rushed feeling about them. I felt pressured by their rush, so even though I was already up to the checker, I started moving my things back and encouraged them to step ahead of me in line. They tried saying no, but I insisted because I wanted to take my time. Finally they agreed to go ahead of me, and I was relieved to continue at my own pace.

Well, I was still sorting out my groceries when I noticed the ladies having some trouble at the register as I immediately realized they were foreign visitors and a bit unfamiliar with our system. The checker was asking them to enter a phone number into the box and while they were trying to do so, it was clear this was puzzling and cumbersome. So my instinct was to help and I quickly offered to punch in my own phone number to move them along to finish the process... And then came the great surprise... when the checker said "oh yes, you saved a lot" at which point we all looked a bit shocked...

It turned out they saved over $20 on their purchase - in the express lane no less - from the store discounts they got by me punching in my phone number real quick on their behalf.

The ladies were quite surprised and immediately one of the women turned to me and said "and that would not have happened if you hadn't pushed us to go ahead of you in the line"... to which I quickly responded with a smile "that is exactly what I just thought too!"

We all laughed with the fun of the moment's surprise as we each immediately "got it"... Had the sequence of events not occurred exactly as they did, these women would have spent $20 more for their small bit of groceries! We all smiled and laughed with a "thank you" for the wonder of synchronicity, as we shook our heads in amazement knowing that my persistence ended up making a big difference.

What's it all mean?
So this stuff happens all the time... sometimes we know and other times we don't. What happens when it's much bigger things, what happens when we honor our gut feelings and listen much more? When its more significant? Isn't that happening all the time too? Perhaps it's words shared in a conversation that plant a seed and later serve as the tiniest morsel that ends up saving someone's life? Or maybe it's acting on a feeling that makes absolutely no sense logically but just feels right - and it is!? What happens when its the breakthrough of a lifetime, because we get exactly what we need to move a "boulder up a mountain" and make the world a better place - because we listened to a hunch? What happens when it simply causes you to meet a new friend or find a new relationship that later makes your whole life different in the end?

What happens when we listen every time to the gut feeling that always knows?

What we do in every moment makes a world of difference. The turns we make on a street, the people we smile with, the words that come out. The literal movements of our every day and every moment - including the talking we do online... all these things, make a real difference - and sometimes very big.

It took a very long time in this life for me to feel, hear, believe and/or listen to my gut feelings. It used to be I literally had no idea what that was - and thankfully, that changed. Over time, I grew into the person I suspect I always was (but didn't know)... with rock solid gut feelings, and senses that can literally reach around the globe. Yet even with this core strength today, there are still times when I can be like a defiant teenager - and I don't listen to what I know in a moment's notice. Just simple things, like turn here or walk that way... as I quickly see the reason for the nudge and feel a big "I told ya so" as I say to myself "just listen, woulda?!"

So I share this funny story as example because it can be so simple. Just listen to the hunch, the nudge, the gut feeling, because it always knows... and because, "what if?" ~ What happens if we don't listen? What happens when we choose to ignore a gut feeling or intuition? How much are we limiting our outcomes? We'll never really know... so my answer is - aim to listen.

Get to know what you feel in "your knowing" and live by that tune... Tune into your gut and find out what's there, then share what you know, even when it doesn't make any sense in your head... just see what happens when you listen to the moment speaking to you - to make a certain move, say a certain word, or do something just because it feels right not because it makes sense. Time and experience will show that listening to "that feeling" manages to always be right!

Nothing is random... just go with your gut, and see what comes!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Gratitude Grows Gold!

2009-03-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

I met an amazing man a few years back - Max was his name. He inspired me beyond words just by his way of being and his very humble gift with gratitude.

I remembered Max just now, as I looked into my half eaten bowl of soup and realized I forgot to say Thank You! And that took me back to the moment when Max shared his story - when I could see with my eyes, clear as day, the pathway of gold we all can create, when we simply say Thank YOU!

Such a simple little thing... just say Thank You... and say it all the time... for everything!

You see, Max shared with me that day, that he did this all the time, constantly ("by the thousands" I noted). He said, "Thank You" was just always there in his head, no one told him to do it, it's just what would happen, and in fact, until he was telling me this story, he didn't even realize how much he did do it - that in fact he literally probably said "thank you" a thousand times each day, no kidding! (and by the way, he never worried about anything... his life just sorta "happened" for him with great success!)

And as if this all wasn't enough to rock me... the way bigger magic that day was that as Max talked, I could see... I could literally see a golden path he was creating as he continued to give thanks every moment! As Max talked of his habit - I saw the golden path that was being created with each of his words!

I couldn't believe the power of that moment - the enormous light that was bursting from the bubble of our talk - as I was literally seeing a the path of gold that he was creating by constantly saying "thank you."

I was astonished with the visual... it was so clear and obvious... and such evidence for my deeper knowing.

In that moment, I saw with my own eyes and knew without doubt that it's true, the whole universe of everything - God, the angels, our ancestors, the trees, plants, birds, bees, on and on and on... to everything - they are all really truly absolutely "in cahoots" with us... to create a magnificent world - inside and out - in every moment, in every way possibly imagined!

And...When we "give thanks" it is a HUGE piece of the puzzle... Because in our thanks we are saying back to them "YES!"- "I got it, the gift you just sent in the nice meal, a smile, glimmer of sunshine, yes, thank you, I like it, it's right - thank you and I'd love to have more!" And with that ... more is exactly what we get! Because they LOVE to be acknowledged... the energy that is giving, helping, being there for us all the time, loves to be noticed! Who doesn't love to be loved? It's feedback for goodness sake... everyone - including the spirit all around us - wants and loves positive feedback! Isn't that brilliant?! :)

So it is true - Gratitude Grows Gold...
We literally pave a path of gold ahead of us... when we say Thank You, with love, truth and honesty, in respect for the enormous army of love that is supporting our each and every moment! Literally every move, every moment, every step of the way!

So today I say ~ Thank you for the greatness of this moment, for the sun shining brightly, for the peace I can experience, for the food and shelter, warm clothes, body able to move, clean water, shower at my disposal, legs able to walk, wonderful friends... so much more, and for the amazing people that constantly show up in my world to show me always something new and great!

Blessings from this moment of gratitude ~ and Thank You!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

My Curious Adviser...

2009-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is my back woods Alaskan Adviser...Lynn Twigg. His motto that he likes to remind me every so often is: "I always remember to keep my mouth shut and seem a fool... rather than open it, and remove all doubt" recounted every time with a chuckle and a glint in his eye.

In truth, Twigg as he's known, is an 86-year-old very smart trapper, woodsman and pilot who plays a wicked piano for brilliant spontaneous music, and is really quite famous in these parts for his bush plane antics saving many a life over the years since he came to Alaska when it was still just a Territory back in the 1950's.

He's got one adventure after another to share... and whenever he comes and asks me what I'm writing... we get into some pretty good conversations about the nature of creativity and change for what he deduces at the end of each conversation "to be simple common sense." And then I remind him, that he is a very unusual person with an enormous gift of impeccable "common sense!" Not only can he tell the entire story of activity in the woods on any given day just by what he sees on the ground, but he can track any animal, knows every foot print, has walked away safely from numerous plane and car crashes, flies around one of the world's largest mountains and generally is a person who can survive just about anything in the natural world.

So... I say, "Twigg, you do get it I'm sure, because you are quite the exception to the rule as a person who is tremendously tuned in!" And then I remind him that my writing is for regular people who have probably never dreamed of the exceptional experience he's had in his 86 years... To which every time, he laughs with a grin.

He's always taken by how much I get such a kick outta talking to him... so today I shared that it's just that he is such a "great channel"... that it's like "whatever God needs to say to me, it just starts comin' right out of Twigg's mouth" when he walks in the door!

It is a gift to have people like this around... I don't need much... in fact most of why I'm presently in the back woods of Alaska is because I need quite stillness to write and produce... But I sometimes need a bouncing board... and that is often best when the person can "stay outta the way" and allow "the flow" to spill forth through them... Certain people are really good at this, seems like they "check themselves at the door" when they come to see me, and all that comes out of them in my presence is just pure gold! The perfect reflection I need in that moment... to move things along, get the right clarity, or spark a new idea.

So I am very grateful for this time and space... to be here in this place where I have great friends like Twigg and his dear wife Connie, to nudge me along on my way!

It's all good fun out here in the shadows of Mt.McKinley... where people are people and good instincts are the good fruit that is grown!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Let Truth do the Selling

2009-03-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm having a moment here... Been working on the new book... during which the whole marketing thing swirls around in my head, as I desperately attempt staying focused... But I keep wandering into wondering how the pieces of the whole are going to fall out in real time, real life!

I have an old background in marketing... communications is really my core. But in the years of my growth and development, I unearthed a deeper knowing and the study of change and creativity became my life's work... So while I've got some healthy know-how in the marketing/communications world, that is coupled with a pretty sensitive know-how for how the creative works, how the energy behind our words and actions actually makes it all happen as the "stuff" that drives everything... and that is what I share nowadays.

Well, being true to my own stuff... skill and deeper knowing has cropped up a new thought on the whole "content marketing" thing... With heaps of internet marketing and heavy sales pitches swarming around... Today I had a refreshing new thought on all this that's far more aligned with me and my own work...

I thought... What IF we just did what is Right?! Hm... seems like the right thing to do... I mean...

What IF we just focused on staying pure and clean in our intentions, our words and our actions... all the way through every step of what we're doing?To share our work - whatever it is - from a knowing that the solidness of "what we stand on" and what we are "selling" is absolutely the very best - it is worthy, it is right and it is good... and it simply deserves to be shared... shared for a reasonable price - but shared, just purely...

Leading me to ask...
If we are doing what is pure and right... does it really need a big "sales job?" Like the days of old... when folks held integrity in their word and honesty in what they shared and the absolute expectation on all sides - from buyer to seller - was straight up above board - as the way to be.

My suspicion is that when someone's product or service really IS the best, really IS something new, helpful and worthy of being purchased... it stands on its own power, its energy speaks volumes... Because truth be known ~ whether we feel it, believe it, know it or not ~ energy is the stuff behind everything. And the energy of the intentions behind any action - any sales job - comes pouring forth, whether the visible words and actions match the intention, or not!

So I reach a knowing... my job as the keeper of what I share - just as is true for each of us in whatever we share - is to not be swayed by the competition... To not start thinking I need to schlep my stuff around because that's what everyone else is doing. But instead, to consider... what if I just know the power of what I share and simply stand by that with integrity, trust my knowing that it really IS what's right... and let IT speak for itself?!

Hm....

Perhaps the test for us all to find our truth and integrity would be to ask... "If I feel I need to do a big sales pitch for whatever I'm doing... is it really the right thing to be doing?!"

If in asking that I find I DO stand by what I'm doing - down to my core - then does it really need the big sales pitch? Maybe instead, it simply needs me to open the sharing - and let "my stuff" speak for itself. Perhaps its energy is rich enough because it is right and good - and it really just needs me to "open the door"... instead of falling in line with the crowd and doing a bunch of heavy lifting...

So I settle as I see that perhaps instead of worrying about the process for all this - I need to just honor the integrity of what wants to be said, written, shared, empowered and promoted through me - and trust IT to allow IT to be known - without worrying over a big sales job...

Translated for us all, I say what if each of us were to simply find and allow what is waiting inside - the passion that is your job to share with the world - and let that come forth as the great living gold that it is?! Wouldn't that be much easier?

People feel what is right... it cuts to the core whether consciously realized or not - it is felt, recognized and known... When we are strong, when we are present and when we have something good to say - people feel it before anything is said. And they're waiting to hear what comes out, before we or they even know it!

When we hear, see, feel integrity without a word, we recognize it!

I dare to say, maybe we are ready to resurrect the times of old, when a man's word was as good as gold! Perhaps that is my aim with this writing... to help us all, head back to that?!

I say - let's go!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Staying in the Present

2009-03-11T16:09:00.001-07:00

An excerpt from my writing in progress ~

I just had an epiphany… I’m reading this small little book that was written nearly 100 years ago – The Science of Getting Rich – which I find is more about the science of creating – very similar to my own work – than it is really about ‘getting rich.’ That said, I had an interesting epiphany of my own while reading - about the nature of “staying present.”

I realized that when I start getting ahead of myself – as often can happen – I am actually stepping out of the present moment, out of fear… it doesn't feel like fear when it happens for I think that I'm being proactive... but indeed fear it is... Fear that I won’t know "what to do next” when the next step comes, fear that I am behind, fear that I just don’t know enough for how I'm going to "get there"... fears that simply are not true and when acted upon do more for causing a lapse of time without productivity, than contributing to the present creation I’m working on.

I don’t need to step ahead of myself and “make sure” I know what to do next - for “the next” will be far easier and dramatically more efficient, when I allow it to come in its due time! What an amazing thought that would seem SO obvious… yet we ALL do it ALL the time… We’re working on something new and we spend way too much time trying to figure out how to do all the pieces, instead of just taking steps to actually do the pieces!

What I know from my study of the creative process, is that each step needs to be done in its own time… take step one, and when appropriate, step nine will be obvious and will smoothly unveil itself and flow forward at just the right pace, at just the right time with ease – when we are in sync taking it all, one step at a time! The whole nature of creating, is that each step builds upon the others...

Yet, like many of us, while in the midst of doing step one, sometimes my mind will drift forward in time, and start anticipating all the things I will need to do later, or worse, what I will need to know how to do later that I don’t know yet. For me, my clarity of vision is phenomenal however seeing ahead can also be a distraction that moves things much faster than my physical person can handle, creating even more distraction as I wander forward in time and lose my place from the present – and worse, start collecting information, tools and data that I suspect I will need down the road (but don't know for sure) – instead of staying on task to allow what is perfectly aligned and flowing with me in the present, to bring forth the right things at the right time!

More times than not (I suspect I'm not alone here), when I get ahead of myself, I quickly become overwhelmed with “too much information” because not only am I distracting away from what I really need to be focused on at the moment, I am also collecting information that is not ready to be processed through me yet… its not time for that information to be “on my plate” yet - a perfect analogy that makes this crystal clear!

If information were like food on my plate, it would be obvious that when I already have one meal on my plate or processing through my body (i.e., I’m working on step one for instance) there’s obviously no space yet for another meal, no space yet for digesting new information - or the needs of step nine - when my body and system are occupied doing or digesting the needs of step one. When the time is right for later steps and new information, things will flow with ease because there is an open channel, there is digesting space available for new information, there is space for giving my full attention to receive and efficiently process new information.

If I get too far ahead of myself and out of sync with time - out of the present - new information has no place to go, it simply does not have a clear channel to flow through me and that being said, it can create more disruption, havoc, confusion and ultimately overwhelm than if I allowed things to come at the right time, flowing when exactly needed.

And this brings me home to a very real truth that drastically contrasts with the fear that gets me out of whack. And I know this truth... I have witnessed and experienced for so long that my process – the natural process when allowed – is always best when I don’t go looking for anything and instead allow what's right to “show up” in just the right time… When I remember with confidence that what I need literally "lands in my lap” all the time by the shear magnetic nature of my energy, the process itself, the clarity of my vision, and the propelling force of the forward motion I create in the doing... all of these factors bring to bare... that I attract precisely what I need, at just the right time and pace.

Being grounded in this truth, I can pay more attention to catch the old habit of "jumping ahead" if it creeps up and dispel that urge, to instead stay right on task in the present moment, knowing with confidence that the very nature of the process I'm engaging – not to mention my own experience over and over again – is that I attract exactly what I need, when I need it.

When I need to know “how to do the next step” ~ I will know! The right people and information will have shown up at just the right time when I could process the new, and I always have all that I need!

Attracting the right information at the right time is simply nature's truth! Staying present with “the meal that’s on my plate” is my job, and perhaps the best medicine for keeping me on track!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Imagine how much power!

2009-03-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

Imagine how much creative energy there is in all the people who are oppressed! How much they hold power, solutions, creative thoughts, ideas and more?! Imagine how much power is held in all the people!

I just posted an article I wrote back in January (see: "The Power of Freedom" in Jan 2009 archive) - and just editing that piece really got me thinking... It's also part of the material I'm writing about in my book... so this is all good germinating!

Creativity flourishes when we are free, nurtured, empowered, embraced and allowed. Creativity is also the fuel that lights every fire... it is the source of all great ideas, inventions, new thinking, processes, new products, services, government solutions... I could go on and on...

Creativity is the heart of everything...

So what happens when we understand it?! What happens when we unleash all that power? All those creative solutions held up in all the people... What happens when we really learn how to get at the heart of creativity?!

This is the heart of what I'm sharing... the very content I'm here to talk about! And so, I am very excited... for as I write, my knowing comes blazing forth... that this is it! I've got to get these words out... I've got to share much more!

I'm still figuring out just how to share it all... but this much I know... there is a river gushing forward in me, for there is vast and profound importance to understanding creativity - It is critical to everything! And so, I am humbled... and determined... to share this content further!

Much more to come... I am certain!

Stay tuned!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Getting the Ball Rolling!

2009-03-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Feels amazing to get things rolling...

I got out of LA for a much needed break - and funny, the place that I ended up getting to is a tiny little frozen village of about 400 people in a place I once lived in Alaska. When I arrived the first time many years back not knowing a soul, it was dead of winter in 40 below cold - and so this time again, I arrived in deep winter.

Early this year, a funny set of circumstances created a beautiful opening that allowed me the time and space to come here for awhile to create... by the Grace of God (and some great old friends) the trip has been a miraculous gift of freedom to write! And so, I am pulling it out now... with GREAT relief as it feels so good to finally do just that!

Somehow back in LA I just could not muster enough calm that was needed to be quiet long enough, to get this all out of me... So, thank you God, I am here - and it's all unfolding with grace!

Feels like it's been two months that I've been here though it's actually been much less.

It was about the first of January when this New Year started with a bang for me – and I suddenly knew I could not hold on anymore, and I really really really needed to get out of LA for awhile! Not for good... but "please" I thought, “just give me some time and space to quiet”... Within just days of that thought, I was putting my life in order to allow for the shift I sensed would come... then finally the doors swung open and just after our new President was sworn in - perhaps in the vein of new freedom - I was off on a plane to the cold barren north, to the top of the world, to create and produce what had been waiting inside for too long...

Unexpected Twists...
Ever so strange as often occurs, I showed up at precisely the right time as, though I may try, the eternal healer in me never ceases... Turns out I arrived to be present for someone's death... and not just one, but two. While showing up almost unannounced as the trip happened so fast, it turns out that Divine Timing was right in line, as I got here within a day of some dear old friends needing support as they struggled to walk through the very painful and unexpected deaths of two very special people... Strange for me indeed, but actually not surprising, for in times like these, I am reminded how much I live by a deep inner "different drummer" that always puts me in the right place at the right time – to be of service to something much bigger, as this great mystery continues, and the journey widens ever deeper.

The experience of death - especially unexpected and quick death - is a powerful thing to witness... I was at a distance in both cases being support to those who were much closer... but in any proximity, death puts in my face the truth of my own sensitivity to feel well beyond the seen and spoken world - reminding me how grateful I am for the ability to see, feel, sense and listen to the presence that guides me ever diligently through the unseen parts of this world.

Back to writing?
So a good chunk of my time here was for a reason I could have never known before coming... and now, I am gifted with the grace of time while for the last week or so I’ve been devoted to writing - with some excellent unfolding occurring!

In being true to my own teaching – I must acknowledge that even while being distracted without time to write for a good chunk of my time here, I'd have to say that the whole time I've been here it's all been brewing – as I've slowed down, rested and helped my friends – so that now, the writing spills out with much greater ease!

Fruits of my labor...
I am working on a book to encapsulate the work I've developed for many years – about creativity, the process of change and creative problem solving for any arena... the "how to" for empowering the process of change for much greater ease in life, work and all points in between! I wrote a first draft of this book more than two years ago, but it just wasn't quite time and it wasn’t quite ready... And NOW – it IS time and I am ready! So I’ve let go of the old and I'm allowing fresh material to pour forth on the page - as it wants to NOW - appropriate and aligned with the times... and this is all very good!

I'm very excited to share more systematically this work that’s been building for many years... the "artistry" I've developed for approaching life and work from a very different perspective, a very creative perspective, to empower the process of change that is naturally inherent in everything we know ~ to work with the process for endlessly creative solutions!

I hope you will stand by ~ to watch, witness and partake, in this awesome and beautiful unfolding...

I’ll be sharing much more very soon!

Blessings Abound ~ May Grace be our Guide Everyday!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

Change on the Brain

2009-02-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

I'm working on this new book right now on creativity and change... and interestingly, I rarely look into what others are saying on a subject for I want to maintain the purity of my own voice, my own work and content so I tend to limit how much I'll search out other experts until I'm ready.

Well a funny thing happened this morning as I was ready to start writing. First, a piece of admin, I needed to find some information about a Teleseminar I had put on my calendar without enough detail... So I went about doing that, when in the process, I literally by shear accident of a computer glitch, stumbled onto the website of a very interesting expert on Leadership and Change - a woman I'd not known before. So I took some time to review her work and I really liked her energy and presentation style, so I thought I would share...

Sheila Murray Bethel, PhD, works with global organizations and audiences on leadership and change ~ She has a new book coming out very soon called "A New Breed of Leader" that looks like it might be very interesting for some folks ~ If you're interested, check her out at www.bethelinstitute.com.

And now... back to my writing!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Free

2009-02-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

Sharing this little something that came spilling out when I sat down to write on the book yesterday... Funny, as I read this again now and get to the bottom, it makes me think of a news clip I saw the other day, where people were talking about the economy, and one young man said something like "well, I'm just having more sex, cuz, it's free and what else is there to do anyway?"... I'm thinking... he just might have a point there!

Being scared

Running cold

Fast

Moving so fast

Slow down

Just slow down

Turn so quickly

Don’t forget

The good things in life

ARE

Free

When I wrote the above, it came out of nowhere and actually made me think - really it's true... the good things in life ARE free... like nature's beauty, smiles on the street, a friendly gesture, love from above... and perhaps it's time to realize that truth! The funny clip about the young man on the news came to me as I was posting this here... cuz ya know... there's always that too!

Hm....

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

Into the Ice Box?

2009-02-23T22:44:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a good deep freeze to get the creative juices flowing...

"Huh?" you say... "isn't that a bit counter intuitive?"

Yes! Though “flow” might seem more likely in warm waters, for me, it is different. I love the cold far north... So I am off to get some work done! Working away on the new book, recordings to come and even more interactive fun... and all that coming from the frozen north!

There’s something strangely comforting and productive for me in tucking away in a barren place where there’s almost NO people… for deep connection to the land, the spirit of place and far reaching roots that seem able to stretch round the globe if I choose. It’s the spirit of Denali this time… the mighty largest of mountains in North America feels just a stone’s throw away as I write this piece, sitting just 50 miles north as the crow flies with 20,000 feet of rising to her peak! Frozen, barren, desolate… and PERFECT for my creative flow!

So I share with you now that I am tucked into the north – writing and producing like a mad scientist… for what will be shared much more widely when I come out!

And with the brilliance of the internet and cell phones, I'm still just an ear shot away by phone and email – even better than in LA – I’m always eager to connect! I’ll be here for a time 'til the work is done, before the great spring melt comes, so please feel free to reach out anytime ~ even to just say hello!

We’re in some crazy times these days… and somehow I know I am always in the exact right spot all the time… I trust and pray the same is true for you!

Signing off for the moment, with blessings from the shadows of Mt McKinley in the Great White North where the night sky lights up like a Christmas tree when the spirit of the north sings her praises!

Much more to come...

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

No Going Back

2009-02-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

(an excerpt on witnessing the "changing tides in life")

I realize today as I revisit this place that I lived a full seven years ago – that there really is no going back.

What is here now is a different set of circumstances, different relationships, different perspectives, hopes and dreams, different people… And even if they were the very same individuals - taken like a snap shot seven years later - there still are so many life circumstances – heaps of life experience – that shape us continually into being the "who and what we are" that the passage of time itself simply creates new waves, new wrinkles in the fabric of our persons… and so if only for that, it would seem that simply the passage of time itself creates change.

We each change over time, and therefore the collective of "the we" also changes. We cannot go back when we have passed through time… we can revisit the same physical place, even with the same physical people, but still, there can be no going back.

Which leads me to appreciating the precious times we have - the eras in our lives - when we have certain relationships in place, nice routines, or rhythm - and that when we have a good rhythm going on in our lives, in our circles, surroundings, circumstances - when things are humming along – it is in those times that we might rejoice... for there is a harmony occurring...

There is a rhythm that has come into our time… a synchronicity, a beauty, a fluid flow for what’s going on that is a good thing… that is smooth and sweet… and should be honored, acknowledged, recognized for its beauty - like noticing a lovely rose or beautiful sunset…

There are times in our lives, when it is simply right to notice… the beauty of the era… the "moment" of life we are living… for the grace it presents… for the flow it presents… for the ease that is present... perhaps in simply knowing we are loved, joyful, harnessed with food and housing and all needs met… There is a time to acknowledge… the beauty, the rhythm, to honor when we find it is present. Even when we do not know how things will go next… for we never really know how things will go next at any time, as things are always changing.

There are times when it's appropriate to honor and recognize the beauty of our life… the greatness of the people and times… even if we always think it should be better, for the times will always change… things will be different again, as the ebs and flows of a lifetime always move on... and things just won’t be the same anymore.

Things are always in the midst of change… and so - we've got to see when it is good – and say Thanks!

I'm grateful for the times of ease... and more than anything, for the times of peaceful people!

Thanks!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Only in Alaska...

2009-02-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

(this one actually has a tune to it... so you can use your imagination!)

Shared my life with a friend today…
Told him a moose came to say hello,
She had a baby and they both were good
Then they wandered away in the dark…

I shared my life with a friend today,
Found that he also didn’t know
That the owl that came by just to say hello
Brought a friend - and he said,
They were two

I shared my life with a friend today,
And I told him that I’d found a place
Where the weather would drop into freezing cold
20 below last time I had looked

I shared my life with a friend today and he told me
I have to take pictures too...
I said hadn’t thought of it, too absorbed in the moment…
He said better think of it YOU.

I shared my life with a friend today,
We talked and we laughed at what wildness grew
In the lands of Alaska
Where volcanoes swell to a rumble, just down the road…
Earth shook the first morning I woke in her hands…
When later I saw a wolf walking cross the land…

I shared my life with a friend today…
We laughed and we grew to know more…

I shared my life with a friend today,
And there,
We decided
To stay.
And there we decided…. To stay.

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

The Power of Freedom

2009-01-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Let freedom ring... the message blazing so strong, as I witness the unfolding events of this week... The interesting alignment between our new President Obama and his allegiance to our very old President Lincoln – the man who was responsible for freeing the slaves (a most profound statement for Freedom) and the man who stands as evidence of that freedom, as first black President of the United States.

Freedom... what a powerful topic... The power of freedom is the power to create – to be FREE in your environs such that you are FREE in your mind... FREE in your thoughts and ideas, FREE to dream... FREE to believe, FREE to have faith that despite the worst of circumstances, you will prevail... Free to have Hope.

Freedom is a most profound ideal, particularly in its most primal sense when it has been taken away... Yet what I see right now is that even the most subtle sense of freedom is an enormously powerful tool - realizing that even the smallest threat to one’s freedom can have dramatic affect upon one's sense of power and ability to act, respond and behave in alignment with their human dignity, their wisdom, their creativity and their true personal power.

I realize as I ponder that even the slightest impingement upon a person’s personal freedom can drastically affect their capacity to produce. And for me, this comes straight down to the flow of creative energy, and the nature of creativity... the manner in which creativity itself actually works - a vastly important realm for us all to understand, for creating new solutions - to anything!

Innovation comes through creativity... and creativity needs a nurturing space – it needs space - quite the opposite of restricted freedom. Creativity needs openness that can allow it the ability to unfold. Like a delicate flower blooming – in a restricted demanding space, a flower may not be as easy to expand, as it would in a loving environment where there is ample support.

Creativity needs openness, in truth, it needs love. Or rather, in a space of love, creativity can thrive with ability to do much less in a space of stress, constriction, limited beliefs or attitudes - and a lack of freedom where personal power is reduced.

Which brings me to my own sense of freedom on very subtle levels... I see with crisp clarity that of course I needed to break free of restriction for very real and important reasons. In a restricted environment my own most powerful creative force and creative capacity was being hindered, and worse, actually blocked - a tragic thing indeed! So I feel and say thank God, I found a way to break free! For even when restrictions seem quite subtle... there is clearly impact, there is a limitation imposed, and those limits can drastically reduce the overall creative capacity...

When we are building something new, expanding new ideas or concepts, creating new structure for a business, book, or anything new... we need space, we need creative flow, we need the freedom to create!

So I say thank you, for I am profoundly grateful that I was given a bridge, for the hand that lifted me out of a place that was oppressing me to arrive instead in a place of deep Grace - where the love that surrounds me – the love that IS me – is able to flourish, come forth and come out – because I am allowed... because I am set FREE.

The power of Freedom is a mighty force that all together fully relates to the power to create... the power to flourish, the power to unite and allow great things to come forth...

I am grateful as I sing to this day - that I was set Free.

Thank you!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Thoughts Grow Our World?

2009-01-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

[A sweet little Tid Bit I've shared along the way, this piece I wrote in March 2008 feels like a good New Year start - So I share...]

Ever think about what you’re thinking? Well you should! For creating – or growing – the world around us, really does start with our thinking!

I've been helping others navigate change creatively for something like two decades or more - and having studied the creative process extensively throughout - I've learned a thing or two along the way... In fact, I'm writing a book to encapsulate the systems I've developed over all these years for navigating the process! One of the sweet little morsels I like to share, is that truth be known - creating or changing anything - really does start with “what we think!” With this in mind, I once was inspired with a fun and easy analogy and great teaching tool - for getting us back on track to "monitor" our thinking. Simply put, it goes like this...

Consider “your thoughts” are like water... your thoughts are the energy (like water) that grows the “garden” of your life - and world! Like in a garden, when seeds are fed lots of water, they grow! So consider “your thoughts” as the water that grows your “garden.” Digest the power of this simple little notion... and you realize you can become extra aware of what you are "watering" – where you give your thoughts and energy – to better ensure you are “watering” what you want to grow - not over indulging "too much water" to drown a new plant (idea or project) and "not" watering, that is, allowing “to go dry” that which no longer serves you (old stuff, relationships, anger, fear...etc.)!

So go out and prosper in the New Year... and watch what you're thinking! Pull out some weeds, don't over water, feed your new seeds... and grow a good garden this year - one that's like gold!

...Just the tip of the iceberg ~ with mountains more to share! See you on the next one...

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

Go with the Flow

2008-11-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Just "go with the flow" she said. With a turned head every which way I thought "who said that?" for there was no one present...

"Go with the flow"...it came again... this time with a picture, a stream of thought in the form of "like the current of a river" as the advice continued, now in my mind's eye, as she continued by showing...

Life is like water you know... you are the vessel, encapsulated by the power of God and all the ones that love and protect you, held inside a golden vessel. The vibration of you, of your heart, of your love - and that which stays with you - it has the power to carry you... always carving the way ahead of you, as it buffers you - like a vessel riding down a river... In a river, you would ride easily with the current - the ride of the water - the passage of water - upon the path of least resistance...

As the story and visual continues, I ponder the beauty of the concept shown in this way... Ease. Just allow ease... thinking to myself, "allow the vessel that is created by me and that which surrounds me in protection - allow this 'golden vessel' as it were - to ride like a boat along the river of life..." As I continue to envision this analogy to life, the visual continues...

Like water and boat, you are riding along the current of life. Don't ever resist. Know that the power of your presence is in sync with all that surrounds you and all pieces are aligned... so when something is occurring, allow, don't ever push or resist, for there is a force so much greater, and it is the river... it knows how to move and it knows what you need - you make that clear all the time - with your thoughts, words and your heart - so your job is to receive all the parts that are put into place around you - the strangers you pass on the street, the encounters you have in a meeting, words exchanged, the timing of a phone call or email - all are in sync... Be the vessel riding down the river alongside every perfect particle that has been created around you... Everything is happening with reason, as an orchestra, harmonized with your desires and your purpose... So simply, allow. Be the vessel that rides the river of life...

I reflect on events of the day knowing that all things are occurring this way. Divine Timing is very, very real - in every moment! When we really truly - in every thought, action and word - "go with the flow" and follow our instincts, we are as one with the grace of this amazing harmony that has aligned all around us to create the given moment's encounters. In doing that, we allow the river, the water, the current and flow, to carry, to go where it is easy to unfold and flow with greatest harmony.

Truly without doubt, there is an enormous Divine force at work - always in every moment and every action - and it has amazing power, grace and promise to unfold everything in just the right way, at just the right time - It is only our job to simply allow that!

Be the vessel riding down the river of life - and allow this magnificent current to carry. Allow the encounters to come and go with ease - let water roll where it should and move as it naturally would. Allow the current, to carry.

As I come forth from this reflection, I know that everyday life is filled - brimming - with moments of ease and it is merely our choice to embrace them!

So, I share the "voice" of this vision - that you too may feel the presence that came to me - with love and clarity to help us all find life's greater ease ~ by allowing the river to carry!

by Sharon L. Corsaro online at growing-gold.com

Sharon Corsaro is a writer, creative coach and creative facilitator sharing tools for empowering the process of change and creative development in life, business, community and more. She shares "morsels of gold" from everyday life right here at Tid Bits of Gold, while continuing to work on her first book to share these tools more widely. For more information on Sharon's coaching or other services, please visit growing-gold.com.

How We Believe

2008-11-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

How we believe makes all the difference in the world. It dictates what we say, how we behave, who we will talk to, where we go. It dictates how our children are raised, how our companies are run, what officials we elect, and in the most bare bones form, it dictates what we say and do, on a constant daily basis.

So why would we not take a deeper look – deeply ponder and consider – what we believe. Funny thing is, beliefs can sometimes be so inherently rooted inside us that we may not even recognize them as “belief” – so woven into our very fabric – that we think the belief itself IS the fabric, when it is really only “what we believe.” Ancient wise men pondered this to no end with the art and science of philosophy – in truth, the analysis of “belief.”

“How a man thinketh in his heart, so he is” ~ the famous words of James Allen could not be more solidly true.

A story I learned just last night demonstrates a profound example of how "what we believe" makes all the difference in the world, for profound impact on us all...

Based on a true story, I watched a film that shared the story of William Wilbersforce, an Englishman of the 1800s who fought to end slavery in a world where commerce was built upon this "resource." He eventually won the war and abolished the slave trade across the entire globe - an astonishing feat - in what I see as one man’s "belief" literally changing the world.

Wilbersforce had spent a lifetime fighting the system when at a certain point, he felt defeated, his work had been powerful and strong in the British Parliament, but it had not reached the crescendo he needed – he became worn, and stopped the fight. He had given up and his health was drastically taking him down. It was at this point that a woman he met saw a fire of passion inside him, and pushed him to speak up again - to reignite the fight, and carry out his "war on slavery" - for which he had nearly lost all hope. She warned, it was time to push forward - and fight again - for the fire inside him around this one cause was in fact the only spark of "life" she could see in him. To her challenge, he could have said no – his health was very bad, he had fought long and hard and not won - he could have chosen to leave it alone, and give up. But something deep inside him – something in the passion of what he believed said DO IT. And with that decision – he set out to change the world, literally and dramatically – and he did!

One man's belief literally transformed a global condition, to set the stage for severe changes across the entire world... that affected millions upon millions of lives.

It was with this last stroke of energy that he came forth with new ambition, new charge, and in the end, new persons for his team emerged - with the brilliant ‘back-door’ solution that finally tipped the case to his side, and he won – slavery was abolished across the globe. An astonishing triumph - after years of long hard hours, passion all but spent - finally, an enormous victory!

I ponder this story, as I think to myself and pray others will too... "my goodness, what do I believe, that is waiting to come forth from inside me? What fire is inside me... what do I need to be doing with my beliefs – that also could be dramatically important to this world? ...heaven forbid I should not do what is burning to be done by me in this world?!"

I ponder the power of one man’s belief that unequal treatment was wrong - coupled with a willingness to stand up against the masses in conviction with courage - to literally change the entire landscape of the world. When he took on his crusade, 11 million Africans had been been affected by slavery – we can only imagine the thousands and millions of lives that were saved, once the trade was abolished.

All this to confirm my own conviction... There is purpose to our passion. Passion fires up inside us as a sign of strong beliefs – as the evidence for “what we believe” – and in many ways, it is a sign of hope, that we will take action, we will carry out our purpose.

When we feel with drive, when we fight with strength, when we know with depth, that something is wrong or must be changed – it could take a lifetime to correct - but we must still fight... take those steps, and keep going – go with what we believe - because it is there that we will win... we will unearth and uncover the final stones that carry out the grand plan "our beliefs" have had us fighting for, all along.

There is a reason for our passion – and truth is, it’s our job to listen! To hear the voice inside that burns a fire, to be spoken.

I pray today, that we may each live with passion and act with conviction, that the ones among us who are to stand - will do so with grace, with courage and with ease ~ and the strength to carry on!

I can only hope that I will do my job - too!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

A New Day Has Dawned

2008-11-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Our world and our country finds a new voice… one of youth, courage and strength. We found a way to break through enormous old barriers and elect to office a man of different race. One of color. One that’s different than ever before. Change it's true, is the sound of this voice.

"Newness" is here and perhaps with it we find the strength to say no to the past and yes to our future. To create the means and ability to look beyond our differences and reach into our souls – our collective – to find the new dawn of beginnings. New beginnings. Newness. The possibility of change, the possibility of something new.

Here today, we have the time and place to make a difference in our world. To find inside us, the strength that has waited a century or more, to come forth. The power of greed, corruption and disempowerment shed to the wayside, as we allow and embrace, something new. The hope of possibility. The hope of new ways. The hope of something new that has come to embrace us, come to engulf us, come to BE us, as we allow and embody, the new.

It's time, I say, to be that which we came here to be. To BE the spirit of our hearts and souls, to BE the spirit of newness. For in all things, there is an end and in the next breath, there is something new. It’s time that we, as a people, rise above and beyond, to know our power, our strength, and know that in truth, we have enormous ability to prevail beyond all indifferences, all question, all doubt – to BE the strength – as we unite.

In unity, we gain power, we build on our strengths, we grow with grace and dignity, to embrace and embody the truth that we are. In unity, we become whole. In all ways, in many ways, in the ways we were meant to be from the beginning of time. We've had this potential inside us, and now – today – we take a chance on something new. To become and go beyond - taking the peace of our world into the palms of our hands. For we have the power to rein. To allow and let go, let God be our force. The power within joined with the power without, to unite, in our souls, and be all that we can. To be the strength of our world, to be the strength we were meant to behold.

Thank God for our strength, Thank God for our souls ~

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Get Outta the Well!

2008-10-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

I didn’t even know Theo before that phone call… But from the moment he said “What are you, like Baby Jessica fallen in the well?” we laughed incessantly, after I vanished from the return call promise, letting “I can’t hear you, let me call back from the landline” turn into Theo calling me back 10 minutes later - with the now infamous question. So the joke fit, but what got even better, was the prophetic nature of it all, as our instant chemistry grew into a heartfelt and very funny connection that had us both rolling – one line after another – as Theo proceeded, to throw me the rope!

You see, I think when we laugh at ourselves we soften an edge that makes it much easier to say “yeah, you’re right” when we’ve screwed up, or in my case, just been sitting on “it” for far too long. I needed a tug that day – actually, I needed a big kick in the ass – to get me out of “waiting” or "being too busy” – and instead, just DO IT!

The way I see it, Theo completely did his job that day, playing his role in my life to a tee – as the mighty creative force did its job of always finding a voice – this time, with some great humor from a complete stranger!

Theo’s words could not have come at a better time. The night before his call, when I found myself ready to offer too much time to someone else's project – I stopped myself, thinking “wait a minute, I have many of my own projects to tend to,” as I proceeded to say to myself, “Okay then, its time to get this stuff done – just DO IT.”

And so, it would seem amazingly Divinely orchestrated when Theo came along – perfectly on cue – completely unbeknownst to him – to do his job with me! I didn’t even know him, but I needed his call exactly when he took action. So in the grand scheme of this great cosmic play, Theo came along right on cue for me – of all things, to humor me into saying “YES, I know, I gotta get this stuff DONE – OK!!! I’ll DO IT!”

In the funniest way, he was there to hold me to my word – the “word” mind you that I had only thought to myself no less, just a few hours earlier! So really, all I had to do was decide… and there was Theo – a total stranger – knocking on my phone’s door, to say “Sharon!?… are you stuck in the well? Or are you gonna do it?!” Quite literally, kicking me in the ass – because I needed it!

So as the story goes, this is really how it works – all the time! Decide… and God and the Universe will respond… Dare to actually put words behind your decision – and watch out, there ain’t no turnin’ back!

Truth is, we really don’t even need to “know” each other, we really don’t even need to “know” the circumstances or “know” much of anything actually…

What we really need is to just show up, be present, make the call, say the words that want to spill out – and quite literally, just BE – to do “our job” of being in the right place at the right time, to let it all happen! When we do that, magical things unfold… as we help ourselves and each other – get exactly what we need – all the time!

So I say – DO IT! Whatever “it” is that’s calling in the moment – say the words, turn the corner, write the book, be the stranger… because more likely than not, you're onto something good!

Holiness

2008-10-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

So much in a word... Holiness. Conjures many thoughts, images, feelings - and truthfully I think for me, the whole.

I share this today, as the Holiness of me has been brought glaringly to my attention. Who am I to hold back, who am I to not honor this, who am I to underestimate, the Holiness, in ME? I believe that we all - truly in the whole - are Holy. The spirit that makes all things alive, is the Holy Spirit, in truth - and that spirit is - wants to be at least - really alive, in all things - including us!

It is only my humanness, that forgets, feels badly, gets sad or regrets. It is my humanness, that worries. It is my human, that feels separate. And from that place, today, I am reminded, allow and be the Holiness of me... Allow the Holiness to shine, to be bright, to reveal to me - Allow the Holiness of me and through me, to be the guiding light - that has immense knowing, all powerful presence and magnificent plans, for me.

Allow the Holiness, to Be.

These are the words, that come to me today. And once they did, I realized it was time to share.

So in my times of loneliness, wonder, worry or despair - I am reminded that really my only job is, to Allow the Holy, to be - in me.

May this find peace with you - and may we all be blessed - in a world that remembers... above all else, we are Holy, indeed.

With love in the Spirit of Kindness,
slc

Collaboration: What is that anyway?

2008-09-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

As I set out to write on collaboration, I realize very quickly that while the concept may seem new to many - it actually is very old…

I just happened to catch a news program the other night that revealed an ancient civilization found living independently deep in the Amazon – strongly alive today in their old ways… Having just seen that piece, my awareness of indigenous ways, belief systems and practices comes top of mind, as I ponder this concept of collaboration - as I'm surprisingly, quickly taken back to our ancient times...

Just imagine… in the beginning, we always worked together... in community we coordinated our efforts to hunt and gather, then to farm, raise families, protect us from harm... the list goes on and on... We always - in our ancient times - collaborated with one and other for our greater good.

So it's funny that when I wanted to write about collaboration as related to our modern world - I was taken back to our old world - back to our ancestors - when I imagine working in collaboration was deeply ingrained in our bones.

I venture to say, collaboration is truly, very old... and perhaps it is only our time to recycle the old idea - and remember its value as a strong ideal to strive toward – where we work together for the benefit of many...

As I started this writing, I was remembering my early experience with collaboration and its strong impression upon me...

Professionally, I'd been deeply doused in business competition working for a maverick New York marketing group in the highly competitive world of high-end corporate communications and advertising - pretty dog-eat-dog for sure. Though years earlier I had run youth programs, my business mindset was firmly planted in the world of competition - cross promotions, selling, consumers, products, mass media, corporate sponsorships. After a refreshing break from that competitive life, I somehow landed in public service work and the world of government where I absorbed like a sponge a whole new mindset quite foreign to my 'private sector' self...

I had been hired by a rural county in California to create an evaluation system that would somehow monitor effectiveness of public human services for children and families in the region. Now this was foreign ground - not only for me, but for the entire system! A daunting task as something that had not only not been done before, but far worse, had never even been dreamed of being done...

So, the mystery stood before me... and as I looked for clues and happily welcomed the challenge, my boss who was a doctor of psychology and lifelong public servant, immediately suggested I learn from others - literally and directly. I clearly remember the reaction I felt when she suggested I actually phone professionals in other counties to ask for their tools and information on how they were doing the job - as I immediately said something like “you mean they’ll share that stuff?”

Much to my surprise, while very foreign to my competitive business self, thinking this way was entirely the norm in public service. You see, my business-orientation was from the competitive world - I wouldn't have ever dreamed of calling another professional doing my same job in another marketing firm to ask "how are you doing it?" - that would have been preposterous in a competitive marketplace. But in this world of public service, where taxpayer is customer, whatever we did – anywhere – was essentially for the same "customer" - from one county or state to another and even to the Feds. So I learned quickly, that in government it’s seemingly quite common for persons to share "how to" information across “divisional” lines... for they have no reason not to. If one person created a system, process or data grid that worked - why not share it with others to help the whole do its job better?! Amazing to me now to realize this progressive turnaround in my own thinking came from my time working for the government?!

Well, it was this way of thinking that opened a whole new world for me... Soon I was participating in all kinds of statewide meetings based on sharing information across all kinds of lines - with community collaboration trainings in my local area promoting local sharing too - to the point where I was quickly facilitating the collaborations myself, because I fully understood the power of sharing - the concept was entirely in line with my soul - as though the project itself gave water to a very deep “seed” planted inside me.

It didn't take long for me to get it – when we help each other, we all are faster to grow and improve - and we're all better off! To this day - as I share this writing - I am well aware that in that open-thinking-sharing system, we were able to be much more creative to more truly find solutions - when competitive barriers were removed, because there was openness...

So, on that day many years ago, in a dank rural county office in the middle-of-nowhere-California, my boss and now dear friend, opened a new world to me - as she unknowingly helped awaken a deeper knowing inside me - one that said reaching out for help - seeking those who share similar struggles in business - reaching over to share my solutions - is far more than okay - it is what makes the most sense, and even more, it's actually quite efficient!

And with that nudge, was born in me what I will now call an ancestral memory for what we call collaboration. As my own path has unfolded over the years since then, it's funny to realize that it was in government, of all places, that I found people collaborating - because they could! In working for the public, not selling product or service, there was little threat - and all to gain - in sharing information across what would otherwise be considered “competitive” lines.

It's true in our competitive business world, there's only so far we can go with this because we are in competition - but it causes me to think - what if... we actually took the initiative to help the next guy out – just to find out what it’s like. Perhaps we might simply decide in our knowing, that when we need help, we'll get it too - because we have given it out?

What if we aimed to collaborate a lot more, and compete a lot less - to see what can occur when we join our energies for greater power, greater volume, greater mass... while helping one and other change our individual ways, as we collectively change, our whole?

What if we remembered our ancestral roots, and considered how they did it in their villages... when they would pass someone on the road, encounter a stranger for the first time, celebrate new solutions for channeling the community water system or getting a new crop of food.

What if we considered our differences - and honored our paths - as individuals and as a whole...

What if we connected with one and other with sincerity and hope, for our collective potential, to do much greater good for the whole?

These I ponder - all the time - and still, I am human. I get angry, frustrated and upset... as we all do... So today, I hold hope that I will pull myself back faster and more often, to remember - we're all in this together. If I can help someone else, if I can perhaps in fact teach them so they can bridge a change within themselves, then perhaps I have done more service to more people - in just the blink of an eye - than all my anger would have done - had I just walked away.

Collaboration goes down to our roots - Perhaps it is time, we remember!

God Bless and Good Night!

By Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Why Focus on "The Gold?"

2008-09-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Funny - or not - I write this as I check the news on our nation's latest apparent cleansing - this time of our banks, in addition to our land.

As I catch the news, I hear a U.S. Senator expressing the enormous importance of Congress working together to expeditiously process a piece of Legislation necessary by next week, to save us... As I witness our state of affairs, in preparation for writing this piece, I know that this Senator's call to putting aside partisanship in order to take care of us all, is an amazing example of the power we hold - as a whole - to look beyond the polarity of our differences, and come into greater ease, through unity for our overall greater good.

Turning this to the personal level, it is true that we always have the option to get upset at the way things are going, complain and be frustrated - or not. I can attest to my own experience of that very thing, just earlier today in fact. And yet, as the master of growing-gold that I am - I always know down to my core that I must focus on "The Gold" for the immense power and importance that our very focus, holds!

"Gold" is the precious metal not only in ore, but truly, in our invisible world - the world of our emotions, friendships, business partners, decisions and much more. Gold is the spark, the light, the creative force in its purest sense really - and Gold makes itself known, all the time, when we focus on seeing it.

The light of a sparkling smile - the beauty of a flower - the power of love in our chest when greeting a person we care for. Gold is happening all around us, all the time... and I propose, that when we focus on "The Gold," we actually help it grow. It shows up more when we put our attention to it... It shows up in bigger ways, in solutions to new problems, in the ease of a relationship, in joint ventures with new business associates. Gold is everywhere - all around us - and when we focus on it, we give it more power, and in truth, it really grows because it magnetizes more Gold.

So today I propose - to myself - and to you - that we focus our sights on the Gold all around us. That even if only a brief moment - hopefully much more - we try it and see what happens, when we collectively give attention to the positive potential for things in our world. And in particular, at this moment of need for our country, that we collectively focus attention on the positive potential of our Lawmakers' efforts this coming week - of our Presidential Election this month - for unearthing new positive solutions - new Gold - as we help them by collectively coming together in our attention and focus, to know that this (storm) too shall pass... and we together have the power - to grow more Gold. To focus our attention on the Gold in our presence, in each moment, knowing that our power is enormous - as we unite our collective creative potential - that we can prevail in supporting our Lawmakers to successfully reach across polarity to collectively grow more positive Gold for us all as they create positive solutions, and find resolve.

What a time to speak of Gold? As our financial markets falter... Perhaps it is time that our immense natural resource of inner Gold - that which is available inside us all individually and collectively - find its way to the forefront of our boardrooms, town halls, families, small businesses and Congress too - as we give more attention - more power - to truly growing-gold!

I'm holding the vision that this latest storm of cleansing - not of the land but of our very financial institutions - will be swift, without undue harm, and that all things come clean, as we grow toward greater goodness for the world we are destined to become - as greater balance and harmony find their way into our lives.

I met the most amazing dog yesterday...

2008-09-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

People don’t often refer to “meeting a dog” – but it’s true – I met an amazing dog…

I was leaving the Hilton Hotel at LAX somewhere near midnight on the close of a powerful three-day seminar when, despite big exhaustion, I could not help but stop as I saw this beautiful ball of life tugging her keeper across the lobby floor… I just had to “talk with” Gracie, whom I found immediately melting in my arms with precious love.

And then I learned that Gracie is one very special dog. It seems that she is professionally trained to literally monitor the health of her owner. Yep, it’s true!

This amazing dog was trained to “sense” and somehow know the blood sugar level of her owner! You see, her owner has diabetes and I was told that when his blood sugar starts getting too low, in a truly amazing act of Grace, this amazing dog senses the man’s blood sugar risk, and motions to alert him through specifically trained “cues” that let him know, it’s time to make a change in order to avoid trouble.

A potent tid bit of gold – from none other than a Golden Retriever – this one shows us that a “working dog” can mean many things, as Gracie taps into the amazing power of sensitivity to save a man’s life each time she lets him know, “it’s time to eat!”

And what can we learn? Hmmm.... what if WE listened to our own sensitivity, to monitor ourselves - not only physically - but truly, in everyway, to let our inner cues tell us clearly everytime when it's time to make a change to avoid the risk of trouble!

Lessons from a dog?! ... That's right!
Thank you dear Gracie - for your love and your very bright, light ~

At the heart of the matter...A Blog is Born!

2008-09-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

[Writer's Note... While actually born on New Year's Day 2008, this blog did not come out for public viewing until THIS posting September 2008... Original articles of 1/1/08 and 2/8/08 now published, it's all official - and she is born!]

Years in the waiting... this blog is finally born!

With gold always at the heart of the matter, this posting brings to life the new blog “Tid Bits of Gold” - interactive sister to my virtual home at http://www.growing-gold.com/ - sharing “sightings of gold” experienced everyday!

Gold, of course going well beyond high finance, speaks in this case of the true gold that lies at the heart of the matter – within – all things… the invisible “stuff” that makes everything tick!

From the heart of a person, to the heart of a project, business, community and even government – gold is the blood that pumps through our collective veins, as society’s invisible heart beat~ And so with this posting, I bring to life, Sharon’s Musings on Gold… with an invitation to you... to ponder and grow, some gold from within!

Much more to come ~ I thank you for sharing!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

Watch out for Sparks of Gold!

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[A sneak-peaking blog that came out before it was born... this the second article written before the "house was built"... while "under construction"...]

Sparks of gold are flying all around us! All the time… it's just up to us to find them, to see them… and in the seeing - to grow them...

The light that sparks when we have a great conversation – when a flash of an idea sparks alive while talking to a friend... Sparks of gold are the glittering moments of inspiration that come when we least expect – in the shower, walking down the road, talking to an old friend. Sparks of gold are like particles of God, waiting to be grown and fostered, waiting to be known.

When we see the golden moments, it's our job to say “hey, wait, there’s something good here” and even without thinking, to run down the path that's invisibly laying itself before us. To allow the innocent wander for something intriguing that's being revealed. For it is when we do that… that lo and behold, we uncover an entirely new walkway - filled with gold! Like the yellow brick road, but a lot better! For this one's unfolding something new and fresh that we've been brewing - perhaps something different than the norm we've been living…This golden path is the light of our soul pouring itself forward, to show us the way to something new. The way to a great new invention, idea, new solution to a problem we've puzzled over... The gold that is sparking, carries the answers... all around us... flickering in the moments we least expect.

So watch out for sparks of gold in your daily conversations… they’re flying all around us, just waiting to be known - and grown!

Have some fun... growing gold today!

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at www.growing-gold.com

2008 - A New Year is Here!

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[This article was the start of this blog, born on New Year's Day 2008, however the blog home itself was not physically built for posting until September 2008... Some births take little while... however, now that I think of it, that is 9 months! hmmmm.....]

Happy New Year, One and All!

The line of a song runs through my head for days now, “one without fear” referring to a new year starting - along with “the war is over, if you want it...”

An interesting theme starts the new year for me… no fear. To really truly live without fear. Sure to still have the healthy fear that tells me not to jump into a burning car, but without the other fear, the one that holds me back from good things. The fear that gives me doubt when my intuition says to do a certain thing…

A year without fear – what a wonderful, spectacular notion...

“The war is over, if you want it” – this line has particular meaning, too. I believe we engage in our own personal wars in away - and so in truth, it's not a wonder there's outward war in our world. For me personally, I've been well aware of the war I have waged with myself at times. And I’m ready, I guess I sort of dare myself, to let the war be over… just let it end. No more fight. Maybe I could try harder to love the part of me that I war with… and maybe in that loving, I would become more free, maybe if I loved the part I battle with, that part of me would find some peace, and if that occurred, perhaps, I would be more free, more whole, more at ease, and far more present in any moment, present with what is now in front of me, as opposed to the past, and the battle inside… the war between good and evil clearly reigns, in the hearts of man first, and from there it finds its way into our physical world. So what if... what if we tried to let it go. Give the fight a rest. Allow balance to find its place, allow those two opposing forces to no longer oppose, allow grace to equalize the oppositions and harmonize all sides into one level plane… No fight. No tug of war. No war.

There is so much energy waiting to be alive, fresh, new and vibrant in our world, starting with our own very hearts… the spark of light that gives us life wants to be stoked, wants to become a roaring fire in us. And that fire has a way of catching… light the fire inside me, and next thing I know, wherever I go, my presence, the presence of that fire in me, is lighting fires all around me… sparking alive the light that lives in others, sparking brighter and stronger light to be more alive all around me.

And so on this day, New Year’s Day, I hope and I pray, that we may find greater peace, inside... That the heart of the Mother, the heart of the Holy One, the heart of the Light of Christ and our Maker may be sparked alive, more vibrant and awake, in each and every one of us… That the heart of the Mother be alive in every man… That the heart of the Mother, the Love of Divine, be what we remember when we look in the eyes of our “enemy,” when we seek to find revenge against our oppressor, when we scream out in fear, anger or resentment... I pray today, that perhaps in those moments, a bell will ring inside the hearts of men, a bell will ring inside, to remind us, of love. The love that created us, the love that surrounds us, the love that is our lifeblood, the love that truly, reins over this world. I pray today, that the Heart of the Mother be alive and growing stronger, pouring forth ever more to awaken more light, remember our bonds and bring us more love in our moments of doubt, in our moments of worry, in our moments of fear.

I pray for the world, that we all may find peace. Peace inside, reconciled by God, all worries resolved, by our maker, in love.

I pray for this most, biggest blessings of all ~ for a New Year that is greater, than ever before!

God Bless Us!

January 1, 2008 ~ Hermosa Beach, California

by Sharon L. Corsaro
Learn more at http://www.growing-gold.com/

Archived Announcements, Sharon Corsaro Pre-Blog, 2006-2009

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Posting here "pre-blog" News Page from old home website. Archived announcements made from 2006-2009. Posting here May, 2011.

2009

Time to Reflect Anew ~ news postings have moved to the Blog (below)

Sharon's Blog! Sharing the gold found in everyday life with stories, insights and interesting Tid Bits ~ join in and follow Sharon's Blog at www.TidBitsofGold.com ~ And if you're on Twitter... catch her tweeting a morsel or two from @growinggold

Incubation! 2009 brought a big bang of change for Sharon with a much desired "time out" from Los Angeles to incubate and recalibrate in the snowy winter woods. Soon she'll be ready to launch a new web portal, writings, teaching and more! In the meantime, find Sharon's latest writings/articles at www.TidBitsofGold.com.

2008

Oct 2008: Sharon's Latest Publishing: Check out GodBlessHumanity.com to find Sharon's latest published article, a fun little story called Get Outta the Well!

For more articles...visit Sharon's blog at Tid Bits of Gold - and sign-up for the FREE feed so you can catch the new words as they flow... Find more at

www.growing-gold.blogspot.com or www.TidBitsofGold.com.

Oct 2008: Creative Coaching & Consulting Brochure - Sharon's Creative Coaching now available in two easy access options. The great value "UnLimited GoldTM" monthly coaching blocks OR the "Quick-Help" one-time or periodic coaching option... Get the skinny on Sharon's info, her Coaching service and her professional services Consulting with this easy reference two-page brochure - click here to view, save or print... And give a call to schedule your appt today - or visit our shopping cart!

Sept 2008: Sightings of Gold - A Blog is Born! Catch the growing-gold wave and share in Sharon's new BLOG Tid Bits of Gold! Visit now and subscribe to the feed at the bottom of the page to get updates whenever new stuff posts!

Visit Tid Bits of Gold at www.growing-gold.blogspot.com - today!

August 2008: Performing Live! Sharon is invited once again to share on stage during the "Be Happy Seminar." Sharon presents "Jump on the Train to Change" with her unique brand of audience-engaging interactive music-making! August 9, 2008, Noon to 5 pm at the Radisson Hotel, Newport Beach. See www.mjtlcollection.com for more details.

July 2008: Growth! Sharon graduates from the powerful business training/hyper growth program, CEOSpace, to grow and expand her creative works! Visit CEOSpace at www.CEOspace.net to learn more about this powerful network of entrepreneurs doing business in cooperation with others to create innovative solutions, products and services! Sound interesting? Ask Sharon, to learn more...

June 2008: Announcing Sharon's SUMMER GIVE! Help Sharon Help Many ~

GIVE the GIFT of CREATIVE COACHING to Yourself or Another! Plus, contribute to Sharon's "Giving Pool" to share Creative Coaching & Consulting with no/low-budget projects, non-profits, unique start-ups and/or individuals who need vision and creativity the most! See details for Sharon's Summer Give and "3 Ways to Play" at www.CreativeCoachingForChange.com and visit our Shopping Cart to GIVE!

May 2008: Sharon shares Spontaneous Song at YouPublish.com Event:

Sharon Corsaro invited by best-selling author and speaker Mark Victor Hansen to share Spontaneous VocalArt in coordination with full audience participation to

engage creativity at the inaugural YouPublish.com Training Event, May 19 at the Marriott Hotel, Irvine, Calif. Check out photos here (that's Sharon with the red scarf) and video coming soon!

May 2008: Creative Coaching in the Round! Leveraging group dynamics to empower many ~ for new solutions, change and forward motion ~ Sharon Corsaro hosts Creative Coaching groups to mobilize! New groups forming now! Click Here for Flier/Details ~ Interested in Hosting? Give us a shout! Don't miss the Spring Coaching Special... below!

April 2008: "Empowering Your Communications" Motivational Talk and Communications Training: Sharon Corsaro will be the motivational communications trainer and opening speaker for the HelloWorld Spring Training Event at REMAX Offices in Torrance, Calif., Sat., April 26 - 10 am to 2 pm. Presenting "tips for talk" to energize and empower communications on every level - amazingly, this event is FREE to guests! Sharon opens the program ahead of HelloWorld leading sales person, Todd Duncan - so be early! Guests are welcome! Click here for location - Click here to ask for more information.

April 2008: Kick-Start your Life or Business with Creative Coaching - and this SPRING 2008 SPECIAL! Spring is here with New Life abounding - why not spark some for YOU?! Click here to get the skinny on Sharon's Spring 2008 Coaching Special! Limited Space - Get YOUR's NOW!

April 2008: New story/song "Thank You Comes in the Thousands" - In an amazingly simple yet perfectly potent story, a true morsel of gold comes forth in conversation with a new friend... Song produced in 2007, shared here for first time - Click to have a listen

April 2008: New VocalArt SAMPLING Video posted online - In a brief compilation of various short clips, look for never-yet-shared footage from a very special truly spontaneous performance at Women in the Wilderness multi-media art show from 2005, plus other tid bits of group work and dialogue/demonstration that express the heart of Sharon's VocalArt - Click here to view video

Mar 2008: Sharon shares "Dipping into the Well" - Her first documentary-style short film shares the nature of Sharon's VocalArt and Creative Energy - Click here to view.

Mar 2008: Sharon's VOICE-OVER DEMO Goes Online: Sharing 4 examples of Sharon's speaking voice for news, narration, film, radio, TV - Click to have a look/listen!

Mar 2008: Sharon's First NARRATIVE Short Film Goes Online! "Treasures Beheld" written, produced and directed by Sharon Corsaro, is a short story about a guy who wanders bored and alone, only to learn that in the end, surprises come and all is good! A true trial run at the narrative format... story fully changed in the middle of production ~ but that's art! Have a peak here ~~

Mar 2008: "Giving Voice to Vision" Video Goes Online - Finally sharing video clips of the breakthrough Visual & VocalArt collaborative artistic endeavor! Please visit www.TheVoicesofVision.com to learn more about the program. Look for: the full spontaneous song (The Last Dance) in which Sharon shares "the voice of" 'Cinderella's Dream' while engaging with a dramatic 9x22 foot charcoal drawing by Uran Snyder; the Video Trailer for the Documentary Film; and finally, the Talk with the Artists just days before the show opened...

Feb 2008: New Office Hours - Sunday afternoons. Making way for easier access, Sharon takes up Sunday afternoon office hours - beach front at Manhattan Beach Pier. Book a Creative Coaching appointment with Sharon and watch the waves as you spark new juice for creative change to come into your life or project...

Feb 2008: Visit growinggold on YouTube! Taking advantage of the world stage, Sharon joins YouTube with the new channel -growinggold. Sharing a number of short films, video interviews and spontaneous songs with video montage, now her work can be seen and heard, much more easily! To see all video/song postings you can go directly to www.youtube.com/growinggold - and subscribe with the click of a button to stay abreast of Sharon's film and voice postings as they go live online!

Feb 2008: Sharon's VocalArt VOICE DEMO Goes Online! Get a taste of Sharon's creative voice with this sample of 7 varied audio takes "VocalArt VOICE DEMO" - plus find a number of spontaneous songs on too.

Feb 2008: Story of Sharon's VocalArt - Video online, alas! Long-awaited, Sharon shares a short personal video telling the story of her voice with interview & demonstration. Click here to have a look at "Finding Voice" by Sharon.

Jan 2008: New Year Arrives with Grace!

Sharon's writing hits the page! The New Year kicks off with a new article written by Sharon Corsaro published in the Jan/2008 "Celebration" issue of the tri-annual magazine, The RAY (a beautiful glossy print magazine available by subscription and at retailers across So Cal). Staying true to hardcopy, this one's a great read for the sofa or coffee house. Click here to see Sharon's article and check out The RAY at www.TheRAY.org for great stuff on "Reality And You" (RAY).

Jan 2008: Can You Hear Sharon's Voice? Check out the finalist TV Public Service Announcement for Tobacco Free California - called "Preserve Life, Don't Smoke" - Listen for Sharon's Voice in the dialogue ("kills thousands everyday..." and... "take good care of it")

2008... almost here...

Can't wait for 2008 to arrive! Something like the end of a great book... when it's time to start all new! Looking forward to 2008 with the final breaths of 2007 basking in the unbelievably sun-drenched Southern California... getting ready for a great new year - writing a book, recording voice, working on film projects, sharing creative coaching and - God willing - a whole lot of life in 2008!

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2007 - News/Highlights

Dec 2007: Sharon's Voice coming to the Airwaves... Expanding her Vocal work into film and other more "conventional" voice formats, Sharon makes herself available for Voice Over and Narrative work in addition continuing to share her unique VocalArt - Look for samples of Sharon's voice to be posted online soon! Check out the to find many samples NOW!

Oct 2007: The Book ~ Documenting the unique system Sharon's developed over many years of "doing change" - Sharon's 'Tools for Change' in the works now...

Aug 2007: Sharon joins beach-front Manhattan Beach Office... Book an appointment to see Sharon and you'll enjoy a wonderful ocean view next to the Pier of Manhattan Beach! New client office hours open on Fridays. Click here for map.

Aug 2007: Documentary Film... Sharon directs and produces a mini-documentary: "Giving Voice to Vision: The Making of an Artistic Experiment" to tell the story behind the story of this unique joint art program she co-produced in 2006 with visual artist and friend, Uran Snyder. The new film (made possible by diligent camera work from Mark Meyers and others during the event) - will be availalbe soon!

The making of a breakthrough engaging program that brought VocalArt together with Visual Art for a new and unique experience.Watch the Trailer now - click here!

July 2007: July 4th Independence, Deepens Commitment ~ When there's an opening the road calls... nothing like the great internal movement that comes with spontaneous external movement... windows down, car rollin' cross the open road, clearing the senses, deepening clarity... A brief holiday break provokes a road trip to Arizona with impeccable timing for a most amazing "coincidental" encounter with "The Grandmothers," a council of 13 native elders from across the world who travel to distant corners sharing their message to sustain our world for future generations... A powerful moment with a clear message... provoking deeper commitment to purpose...

Jan 2007 - A New Year! Despite a diligent effort to find a nice quite tuck-away for writing somewhere in the Deep South of the USA... the bigger picture took over yet once again... 2007 starts with a bang of new opportunity and a whole new regimen, in none other than, her original roots of Los Angeles... Instead of leaving LA, Sharon digs in deeper, committing to a new learning venture that's all about this very land of angels, as she dives into learning the art of filmmaking to greatly expand her creative and communication capabilities, hyper-mode fast, for immediate production! Stay tuned to see what comes popping out next!

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Twin Angels, acrylic on paper, by Sharon L Corsaro, 2005

2006 - News/Highlights

Creative Coaching... powerful, fun and highly creative ~ Read all about it! If this looks interesting, give a shout if you'd like some help - moving just about anything in your life or work into forward motion - creative projects, embarking new changes, clearing the clutter inside... Consider bringing this work to your town for group or community work, or just tap-in yourself with some local or long distance coaching by phone. Check out the to learn more about Creative Coaching for groups and individuals ~ **Coaching is available in-person at Manhattan Beach, Calif., workshop locations afar, and via phone from nearly anywhere**

Oct 2006: Sharon hits the Stage...

Creative team in Haines, Alaska hosts Sharon for an October 2006 visit to perform the Aurora Goddess in a 12-member live production "The Return of The Goddess," a first-time production portraying a mythical story for healing mother earth. Sharon plays the mother of all the goddesses, as her voice becomes tool for teaching the journeying humans how to bring balance and harmony back to life in the world through their own hearts... a role made for Sharon and her VocalArt!Sharon Narrates all characters while sharing live Vocal performance throughout.

Fall 2006: Creative Retreat

Late Summer/Fall 2006 - Sharon takes personal creative retreat... letting go for big new beginnings... movement is in the air...

Mar 2006: News Media: Featured News on "Giving Voice to Vision" and Sharon's creative work - Click to Read:

Daily Breeze, page 1, page 2 - Sunday Feature, March 12, 2006

More of San Pedro - Feb 25, 2006

Palos Verdes News - March 9, 2006

More Art Reviews on "Giving Voice to Vision" under Media Coverage at www.TheVoicesofVision.com

Feb 2006: Sharon's VocalArt is Alive!

Sharon's voice is back and the artist is alive and well...

A Breakthrough Artistic Endeavor ~ VocalArt joins Visual Art!

As founding partner and performer, Sharon offers herself as "the voice of vision" in "Giving Voice to Vision" with visual artist Uran Snyder. An experimental artistic endeavor with new breakthroughs for engaging with art in multiple formats... Read all about it...Great Media Art Reviews... Video clips... And What IS VocalArt? Get the whole story at the project's website www.TheVoicesofVision.com ...

Jan 2006: Creativity Classes & Voice Coaching

Class formats developed for the City of Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Department to offer creativity and expressive exploration for teens, parent/tots and adults with classes in: Finding Your Voice (Adults), Understanding Your Child's Creativity (Parent/Tots) and Got Creativity? (Teens). Ask for more details here.

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