creativity

Watch Your Breath to Boost Creativity & Heighten Your Intuition

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woman sitting on brown stone near green leaf trees at daytime

When it comes to enhancing your creativity or intuition—because the two work together synergistically—you don’t need elaborate rituals or fancy tools to tune into these natural abilities you have available to you.

Here’s all I want you to do to boost your creativity… Simply watch your breath.

Sounds silly or too simple, right?

Watch your breath. It’s such a natural body behavior that often we don’t stop to think about how we are breathing.

Did you know that your breath indicates what’s happening in your body?

When your breath is deep and flowing naturally, do you think your creativity and intuition might flow more easily to you? It most certainly does!

When we are stressed or scared, how we breathe directly reflects that—by showing up as rapid, shallow, or inconsistent—and also reinforces those feelings.

So, this practical action step is to stop and observe how you are breathing—to see how the flow of energy is coming to and through you.

So, I challenge you to set a reminder on your phone every 3-4 hours to check on the state of your breath. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.

Silently observe and notice how each breath feels as it enters your nose or mouth, how it travels down your throat and into your chest and lungs, and how your body opens up to receive that life-giving oxygen. Feel every step of your breath through your body. How does it feel for you at that very moment?

And assess… How is your breathing?

  • Where does your breath go: into your belly, expanding your chest, or raising your shoulders?
  • Are you restricting your breath somewhere—not breathing as deeply or in short bursts?
  • Does your body feel stiff? Are you holding your belly in?
  • Do you find yourself actually holding your breath sometimes? I have!

Then, take a few deep breaths until your body relaxes into its natural breathing rhythm again.

Air, just like creativity and intuition, is energy. And it’s abundant and available to you.

Everything is energy. How you let it flow into you will directly reflect how you breathe. So, pay attention.

Return to your breath as often as you can. Simply bringing awareness to your breathing can help you develop more of an awareness of how your body feels throughout the day, how your intuition is speaking to you, and how your creativity wants to move through you.

When you remember to focus on the breath, you focus on the energy flow in and out of your body.

Now, imagine when you breathe in, you breathe in creativity and intuitive connection to the greater divine.

And that’s when your abilities open up more… Give this exercise a try and see how it opens up your capacity for creativity and intuition.

***

If you like this exercise, I have a gift for you! Get your free guidebook of 9 Ways to Romance Your Creative Muse here to amplify your self-care routines to court your creative muse into working with you more consistently.

Lesson on Perspective From a Ladybug

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We had a strange visitor the other day. A visitor that made me immediately grab for a swatter.

It flew like nothing else we had seen in the apartment. We’ve had moths, mosquitos, flies… But this looked different. Like a small beetle or something. Since it decided to camp out so high on our wall, we couldn’t get a really good look at it.

And our evening quickly turned into a bug-watching night.

“I’ll grab the binoculars,” my love said before disappearing into the bedroom.

“Will we be able to see it since we are already so close?” I asked, glancing up at the little bug on the lime green wall above our LED upright lamp.

“One way to find out!”

After going back and forth, getting dust from the unused binoculars caught in my eyelashes, seeing wobbly views from shaking hands from trying to adjust the knobs and dials on the little seeing contraption, changing positions all over the room, my love announces from the couch that he can see it! I take the binoculars and continue to stand in the middle of the room.

All I can see is a blurry green wall and a fuzzy little brown dot. Still I couldn’t make out what the little bugger was. “Why can’t I see this thing?” I ask, needing to brush more dust from my eyelash, because I’m sure that wasn’t helping either.

Again, another back-and-forth dance resumed with my love and I continuing to change the dials and knobs until he says he can see the little thing crystal clear. I take a look through the binoculars, still to no avail.

I try to change my position, from across the little bug, from right beneath it at a funky angle so I can sit on the couch (but then subsequently tweak my neck), to lying down on the pillows next to me before I can see. Closing one eye, leaving the other open…. Just trying to see.

What my love hadn’t told me was that the dial only affected the right eye, so I started believing my astigmatism was at work and why I couldn’t see the critter clearly since the right lens is zoomed in about twice the size of the left.

(I felt like a real dork when I realized it was the binoculars doing that, and not my “everything-looks-bigger-over-here” astigmatism in my right eye.)

“Aha!” I finally yell, triumphant!

A lady bug! A little yellow lady bug was our unexpected guest. Still, it was hard to see her, and my massive hands were shaking around the tiny binoculars they dwarfed.

We even debated what color the lady bug looked like because it certainly wasn’t red. Yellow? Brown? Tan? We landed on yellow; I had thought it was a hornet at first since I had caught a flash of yellow when it flew away from the wall only to land two feet away from it’s original spot.

Want to know why I finally saw the lady bug clearly?

I had to sit in the exact position, in the same spot on the couch, that my love was sitting in. Any other position or perspective from the room could not provide the clarity of sight with the binoculars that that singular spot could.

Then, of course, I refused to move from that space as I observed the uncommonly colored lady bug as it perched on our wall for a while. We both decided to see what spiritual messages the yellow lady bug might carry (you can discover that here).

And, as I got to thinking—whilst trying to make a little spa for the lady bug to play in, have a drink or a fruity snack from—this was an incredible example of perspective and how no one will see things the way you do. They can wear your clothes, they can learn to move like you, work in a similar job as you…

But they cannot see what you see or the way that you see it.

Your perspective is uniquely your perspective. No one else will see the world as you do. No one else will experience the same things as you even if you’re doing the same activities. Because they are simply not you.

Your perspective is unique. Your thoughts, your feelings, your experiences, your upbringing, how you view things, what triggers you, what makes you smile… So many fractals that just make up pieces of you will effect your perspective.

And with that in mind…

With your perspective, you get to see the world through your own personal lens. And that means no one will communicate the things you yearn to express in the way you do (and will).

So, why (if you ever doubt yourself because other people might be doing what you desire to do) would you ever worry about not stepping into your light and sharing your perspective and being concerned about sounding like someone else? Because you won’t!

The entire make up of your life experiences make you you. Just like someone else’s experience will determine their own perspective.

Just like my upbringing in Utah in a very religious family-centric community colors my perspective, your own experiences will provide a certain type of lens for your perspective.

This is why your voice matters, why each voice matters. This is why your unique story matters. Only you can tell your story in a way that no one else can.

You may think other people have done it before, but they haven’t. They haven’t done it as only you could do it. Only you can.

We all have our own personalities, paths, and yes, perspectives, too.

And when you share your perspective—your voice and stories—then others can relate to and understand you better. It’s when you share the details that make you you that people can also see themselves. How we are alike. How we are different. And how our differences create the kaleidoscope that makes life so interesting and dynamic.

It’s when we share our perspectives that we can more easily step into each other’s shoes, even if just for a moment… For a little perspective. 😉

Now that’s quite the connection to make.

So, I challenge you to embrace your unique perspective, insights, and stories…

You never know what your light can do in this world when you express your unique perspective, or who you might inspire through the stories that only you can share.

Who knows… A lady bug, or other creature, might visit to share their wisdom with you too.

Have a wonderful week, lovely.

(The lady bug ended up staying for almost three days… I hope they liked the snack and water I left for them.)

Doing An Editing Business Differently

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I am here to do things differently. I feel like I have known that for a long time.

When it came to starting an editing business, I did a bit of research into what other editing and proofreading professionals were doing to promote their work—from their websites, to their social media, etc. I saw editors sharing their tips and tricks to catch errors as you write. Things they catch all the time as an editor/proofreader. Providing tools to help others edit or proofread their work better.

And as I looked around, I realized that’s not at all what I wanted to do with my editing business. I see the formula, and I don’t want to use it.

I believe through inspired actions on a new path, I can still find success with my editing business.

(In fact, that’s a common thread in my life… If I see one path, you can bet I’ll want to do it my way. And hopefully show you that you can do things your way too. )

I’m pulling back the curtain a bit on this since I want to be transparent.

My editing business is different.

I have no interest in teaching you how to write. Or how to proofread your work. At least, not at this point in time.

Of course, I could make resources for that, but that’s not the way I want my editing business to work or even how I want to promote it. (UPDATE: Now I have a Self-Revision Checklist & a mini-course email series, From First Draft to Publish Ready available for free!)

My goal is to inspire more creative flow & freedom.

To unlock the treasure trove of stories within you so they can pour out with fewer obstacles and challenges.

To encourage a healthy, harmonious relationship with your creativity.

To help you seek more joy, beauty, and nurturing in your life—to ultimately take care of yourself, and thus the insightful creative within you.

That way you can write what you’re meant to write from a more balanced and healthy space.

I care about the creator within, much more than trying to teach you how to edit your work.

I’m not knocking that as a valuable skill, because it most definitely is. (Ideally, you would revise your book before sending it off to an editor, for example.)

But I care more about you getting to tell your story. Period.

I want you to find the joyful flow that sparks your creativity and sends you flying down the path of writing the book and telling the stories you’ve always dreamed of sharing with the world.

I want the words to flow out of you with ease.

You have a voice, and you have a story to tell.

And I want to see you use it for the highest and best good.

I want you to find the balance in your life, so you’re not struggling to survive while also trying to sustain a creative routine. Because that’s not sustainable.

I’m a firm believer that when you take care of you, your creativity will come.

That’s what matters to me.

When you take care of you,
the creativity will come.

Editing and proofreading have been the heartbeat of my adult career.

And then, if you so choose, I can help you with the more technical editing know-how to help you clean it up, so it’s clear, easy to read and understand, and free from discrediting errors and mistakes. Because that’s another way of how I love to help support creatives and writers. Whether you hire me as your editor when you’re done getting your story onto the page, that’s up to you!

(Does this mean I’m turning into a creativity/book coach as well as a book editor? I don’t know, but I’m open to it. The downloads and inspired actions I’m getting for The Intuitive Editor are taking me in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and I’m loving the journey.)

So, while you may not find “can you find the mistake” posts on my Instagram page, my hope is that you will feel inspired to pick up that pen or get out your keyboard… And get writing. Get working on your creative dreams. Show up for them like they want to show up for you.

And do it for you first. Create what you want first.

And keep it fun. Try not to force it from a painful place.

My hope is that by enjoying your life more and engaging your creativity, you start to create a life you’ve dreamed of (or something even better!).

Just like I’m creating a business that feels good to me.

Let’s start to see creativity differently together.

Do Expectations Serve Your Creative Process?

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blank paper with pen and coffee cup on wood table


Did I tell you I’m writing a book?

It’s a story that’s been brewing within me since high school, but somehow now is the time that it feels right to get it all fleshed out. It’s taking directions I don’t think I was expecting when I first started envisioning it 15 years ago, and I find that exciting. I have a general map of where it’s going but also releasing the reins to see how the story wants to be told…

I’ve always loved writing. As a little kid, I was the kid sitting in the shadows of the big brick building, notebook in hand and just jotting down story ideas as they came to me. I can’t count how many stories I’ve written, but just writing stories alone has always felt natural—creating characters and new worlds to explore as I wrote them down.

It came as no surprise when a healer in NYC told me that my sacral chakra was thumping and bumping with stories that wanted to be born, like warriors yearning to burst through into the world. 

When the pandemic began, it felt important to return to my creative writing practice. As something to create, keep myself engaged, and to give myself permission to work on something I really wanted to work on.

My mermaid novel, the one I’m presently working on, practically danced onto the stage of my mind and said, “It’s my turn!” 

While I previously self-published my first novel in 2015, I cannot say I have any expectations for this mermaid book… Kind of like I have no expectations as for how the nitty-gritties of the storyline will work out, as I let the inspirations come as I go. I’m typically a pantser (writing by the seat of your pants, a NaNoWriMo term), not a plotter, though I do believe an outline can be helpful. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this book yet, how I want it to be published, if I want to go self-publishing again, or if I think I’d like to shop it to agents or to a traditional publishing house.

I’m finding that I love just being in the process of writing it, without any expectation of what will come of it once the book is fully written—though I can already tell it’s a book of epic proportions. Somehow, this book has been transforming into an epic environmentalist fantasy mermaid rescue tale (or tail?), and it’s quite a thrill of a ride to see how it all unfolds. 

Which leads me to what I’m musing on today… 

Expectations.

Where, how, and why we have them, and how they ultimately serve us and our creativity. Particularly in regards to our dreams or what we want to accomplish. 

This morning, in my reading time, I kept coming across the idea that God/the Universe/Source experiences life and itself through us as human beings. That expectations can get in the way of truly experiencing life to the fullest and essentially separates us from what IS by focusing on the future rather than the present. It does harken back to the whole “focus on the journey, not the end result” concept. How you can never truly know how something will work out and how expectations can set you up for disappointment, resentment, or even anger. (From Conversations with God, Vol. I)

The idea of releasing expectations to allow yourself to immerse into the experience you feel inspired to take, from my understanding, is how things can turn out even more magical than you plan for. Allowing yourself to do something for the joy and pleasure of it without having to think about the end result can open up universal possibilities to fill in the gaps and create something more than you imagine. 

Why not take a passionate step forward even if you can’t see the way ahead
or what’s at the end of the road?
Why not enjoy the journey toward something you want,
but also allow yourself to be open to something even greater if you take inspired action?

Life wants to be fulfilled through us. Life yearns to be experienced just as we as humans yearn to experience life. If we put expectations on everything that will happen to us or how things will turn out, we could cut ourselves off from the universal flow that wants to work with us. We cut ourselves off by focusing on the future outcomes rather than staying present in the moment to our needs and inspirations as they come.

By staying open, by releasing attachment to outcomes or results, we open the doors to be surprised by life, by the universe, by the greater power present in every creation in this world… 

So, I invite you to take a look at where you may be harboring expectations when it comes to your dreams, how you can release your hold on them, and how you can start taking inspired action just because that’s what feels right to you in the present moment.

Do something just to do it, because you love it. Not because it will get you something, somewhere, or someone. Focus on how it feels to do it in the moment so you can carry that feeling with you—because, ultimately, it’s the feeling of what we desire that we are chasing. 

Stay present. Take a breath. Release expectations for how it will go or end.

And go write that book.* Just to do it. 

***

* – Or any other activity you feel lit up by. 😉

As a writer, I’ve been through the editorial process with my own editor (and plan to again—even editors have editors). It’s not as scary as you might think! I credit my editor with helping my story to truly come out how it was meant to… And I want to help you do that too!

If you’re in the market for an editor who also knows what it’s like to be in the writer’s shoes (thus knows how to make it more fun and easeful), check out my editorial services here. I look forward to hearing from you!

Joy Challenge #4 ~ Unexpected Delights

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surprised ethnic girl picking apples on tree

This week for your Joy Challenge, let’s keep it extremely simple…

surprised ethnic girl picking apples on tree

Unexpected Delights

I’d love for you to keep your eyes open for this Joy Challenge.

Set the intention before you leave the house to be delighted by what you see. Then, let yourself be delighted by what’s around you.

Let the unexpected things grab your attention. It could be an animal (or more!), an insect, a child, the shift of colors in the leaves, or a lovely exchange between strangers that you observe.

Be open to being delighted by the random happenings and nature around you!

How this challenge went for me…

I saw school of fish, flashing their silvery bodies as they crossed the Hudson on my usual visit to Riverbank State Park for my morning walk. I hadn’t seen that before! The Hudson usually has pretty cloudy waters, so to actually see the shape and form of the school topped with the flashing and splashing of their swim brought me a fresh joy.

Also, seeing a cute Pez dispenser at the store gave me a tickle of delight, so I had to pick that up too.

I’d be tickled to know what ends up delighting you in your observations this week! Leave a comment below and let me know!

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

Sign up to receive the weekly Joy Challenge and regular updates
from The Intuitive Editor in your inbox today!

Photo by Zen Chung on Pexels.com

Joy Challenge #3 ~ Song from Your Youth

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boy tuning transistor radio

Our joy is found only in the present, so we are going to create some joy from a past love for a twist today..

And when I say a past love, I mean a song you loved in the past.

boy tuning transistor radio

A Song From Your Youth

Identify a song that brought you joy as a kid. And then go find it. If you can, find it in the original rendition you first heard all those years ago (same artist, same album, etc).

Let it be a song you haven’t heard in who knows how long.
Let it be a song that whenever it was on the radio in the car, you yelled out to let it keep playing.
Perhaps it’s a song from a movie or from a TV show you particularly enjoyed.
Or a song that your dad used to play when he got ready in the morning,
or the song your grandmother used to hum to herself as she went about her day.
It could be any song, as long as it was one that made you smile as a child.

Then it’s time to get present with a song that delighted you as a child to see how it brings you joy now.

Plug in your headphones and turn it on with whatever source you can find it on. Hear the song with your adult ears.

The goal this week is to bring a new sense of joy to an old love of music.

Most songs are only 3-5 minutes long, so I challenge you to sit and listen without any other distractions. Just sit. Close your eyes. Focus on just the sounds coming into your ears and the how the vibrations make your body feel. And listen to your song.

What emotions does it bring up for you?
Did you find new meaning in it?
Does it make more sense now or does it confuse you even more?

A bonus challenge:

If you want, choose more than one song of your childhood to return to to re-enjoy! Maybe make yourself a playlist of your favorite tunes from your youth that you can return to anytime you like.

How this challenge went for me…

A few songs I love from my childhood that immediately came to mind include:

“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips
“Dreams to Dream” from Fievel Goes West
“Whatever You Imagine” from The Pagemaster
“Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks (why this was a 3-year old’s favorite song, I’ll never know!).

I loved rediscovering the harmonies in “Hold On”…
Hearing “Dreams to Dream” replays the animated sequence with Tanya from the movie. “Whatever You Imagine” is one of my favorite songs ever so it’s always been in my playlists. And “Thunder Roles” returns me to the living room in my grandparents’ house with my little black tape player.

Music carries memory and history… See where your childhood favorites return you to.

Maybe these will spark further memories of songs you love from your childhood!

Did one song in particular come to mind at reading this post?
Does it carry significant meaning or a special message that’s relevant to you now?

I’d be tickled to know if your chosen song brings a needed salve or message to you right now. If you feel like sharing, let me know which song you chose to return to in the comments below. You may remind someone of a song they loved too!

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

Sign up to receive the weekly Joy Challenge and regular updates
from The Intuitive Editor in your inbox today!

Photo by Victoria Borodinova on Pexels.com

Self-Care Practice: A Walking Meditation

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Did you know that movement can also be meditative? If trying to sit down to quiet your mind for meditation is difficult for you, this is one meditative practice I love to return to.

woman walking in forest

Take a mindful walk.

Plan it in your calendar for at least 10-15 minutes a day (up to an hour if you feel like it!).
No distractions, no earphones. Be fully present to the nature around you.

Begin walking slowly and intentionally, breathing in your natural rhythm.

Feel every step you take, how your feet hit the pavement or ground. Feel every sensation in your body, from the inside out to your skin. Connect with your inner self with each sensation that you feel.

Without losing that connection to your inner presence, start to stretch your awareness to your surroundings: what do you hear, smell, and see? Observe with no attachment.

If you get lost in thoughts, simply bring yourself back to your experience–the sensations, sights, sounds, and the feeling of your inner being within you enjoying the walk that you’re on.

Afterward, if you feel so inclined, journal out your experience and see what pours from you.

This is a time to return to your senses, clear your mind, and ground yourself into your body and spirit. This will help to keep you present while also treating your body to some conscientious movement. Good for mind, body, and spirit and for fueling your intuition and creativity as well.

This is here for you whenever you need it. Take care of you.

This is an excerpt from The Intuitive Creativity Forecast, a weekly email subscription that offers cosmic and energetic guidance for the week, including an intuitive pulse for the week, a peek at the astrological atmosphere, and ways to spark your creativity and intuition, and more. It’s a suggested $8/month exchange to keep the magic of the Forecast supported (about $2/email!). Sign up for the weekly Forecast today!

Joy Challenge #2 ~ A Moment Outside

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blonde haired girl wearing pink sweater

This Joy Challenge will require you stepping beyond your doorway this week. This might be a change for you or it might not be, depending on your routines. Either way, take a moment to breathe everything in for this challenge.

blonde haired girl wearing pink sweater

What’s Outside is Inside

Go outside with minimal belongings with you. If you must have items, keep them in a bag or in pockets and not in your hands. No earphones or added noisemakers. No mask (give yourself the space to feel safe doing so). Time to bask in being outside with no distractions.

Find a sunny spot that feels good to you or a favorite place you like to visit, sitting or standing. Let the sun beam down on your face with your eyes closed. Hold your hands out to your sides with your palms facing up or forward in receptivity.

Use your senses. Feel the warmth of the sun or the sweep of the breeze on your skin. Breathe in the air and taste it. Smell it. Listen to the sounds around you, first in your immediate surroundings, then extend your hearing beyond what’s closest to you. What do you hear? Feel your feet on the ground and let Mother Earth nourish you as you breathe in and Be. What do you taste, smell, hear, and feel?

Keep breathing in the outside air for a couple of minutes or more. See how your body feels.

Then open your eyes and smile at the sun and thank it for its light and warmth. Thank the earth for supporting you and your health. Let that gratitude wash over you as you take in another deep breath from the world around you.

For a bonus challenge:

Stand with your back against a tree, on the ground beneath a tree, or go barefoot in some grass to truly sink into mother nature’s healing energies. If you feel so inspired, frolic and play in the grass! Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Be a kid again and relish in what you used to do as a child when you got to play outside. Roll down a hillside if it’s available to you!

Nothing heals and brings more balance to our bodies than being outside, in the sun, and connecting with nature and the earth.

Being outside as The Intuitive Editor

What has surprised me most about The Intuitive Editor brand is how much of the natural world is in its core energy. Trees in particular have come through quite strongly in what I create and intuit for content… Perhaps because books are made up of trees, and being a book editor is my absolute favorite job in the world?

Personally, I love touching the branches of trees as I walk by, standing with my back against a tree with my feet among the roots, or just resting my hand on their thick trunks. It always brings me such peace… and Peace is the sister of Joy.

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know how being present with your nature outing goes for you. I look forward to hearing about it.

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

Sign up to receive the weekly Joy Challenge and regular updates
from The Intuitive Editor in your inbox today!

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

Joy Challenge #1 ~ Journey of a Sip

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breakfast close up coffee coffee cup

Do you want to know the secret to being in alignment? To be in tune with your natural intuition and thus your muse of creativity?

Following your joy.

That’s right. It may be more simply said than done, but that’s why I’ve decided to start this Joy Challenge as a weekly prompt and reminder to you to find moments of joy in your day.

To quote one of my favorite teachers from my youth, D. Kim Clayton, “The simplest of things bring the greatest of joys.” And I’m here to remind you of ways to breathe in more joy into your life.

For these challenges, I encourage you to partake in the exercise at least once or as often as you like. Daily if it feels supportive for your personal joy!

Read on for your first challenge…

close up coffee coffee cup tea

The Journey of a Sip

Before you get too far into your day, I challenge you to take your time with your morning beverage of choice—tea, coffee, cacao, whatever it is you sup first thing. This can be a practice you do every day, or something you do when you remember.

Turn off any other sensory distractions. The entire experience should be focused upon only the body parts that come into contact with your drink. No music or podcasts, no TV, no reading material. Sit down and relax if you can. If standing, rest your hips against something to stabilize yourself if needed.

Give yourself a moment with your cup before your first sip. Hold the mug or cup gently yet securely in your hands. Give it a swirl if you want. Enjoy the aromas that emerge from the lip of the cup. Breathe it in. Exhale it out through your mouth. If it’s a hot drink, watch how the steam dances with and away from your breath.

Now close your eyes.

Slowly tip the cup onto your lips, letting the liquid tread its way to your mouth. Pour in just enough that your whole tongue is embraced by your morning drink for few moments.

Note how the flavor hits your tongue. Does it taste different on the tip of your tongue versus the left side, then the right side, then the middle, and the back? Refrain from swallowing just yet and let the flavors settle in your mouth.

Let your morning beverage tell you a story of what’s within it. Focus on the sensations, the flavor and aromatic notes. And once you swallow, what flavors remain? How does your tongue feel now? Observe.

Now open your eyes.

Then, thank your morning brew for the journey.

How this challenge went for me…

This morning, the coffee I drank struck me with an initial cinnamon sweetness on the tip of my tongue, making it tingle in glee. As the coffee made its way back on my tongue, a new richness took over, almost like the coffee bean centered itself on my tastebuds, freshly roasted. Then a slight tinge of cocoa emerged. Along the sides, my tongue tingled like the tip of my tongue had, thanks to the dance of liquid on the edge. I’m left with a slightly smoky flavor with the spice of the cinnamon lingering all over my tastebuds.

Now… that was an incredible journey for me this morning. Savoring my first sip of coffee, particularly if it inspires me to keep savoring each sip after like that one did.

For a bonus challenge:

If brewing your morning potion is a part of your morning routine, look for ways you can draw it out and find joy in the process. If you infuse your brewing experience with your own joy, imagine how that journey will go!

You don’t have to write down your experience like I have here, but this is my example hopefully to inspire you. Whatever your art is, perhaps this exercise will spark something for you to create or muse on!

Feel free to comment below and let me know how being present with your morning brew goes for you. I look forward to hearing about it.

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

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The Woman Behind the Editing Curtain

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In case you’re wondering who is behind The Intuitive Editor, look no further.

My name is Mikael (pronounced Mih-kehl, she/her), and I am the editor & writer behind this purple curtain.

And I cannot wait to help you make your content shine. Whether it’s a book, a website, articles or blogs, your resume or cover letters, I’ve literally done it all! With more than 12 years under my belt as a professional writer and editor, I have a plethora of experience writing and editing that spans a number of industries and styles.

Not only that, but I’ve spent the last six years honing my intuitive abilities since they came roaring onto the scene with my Saturn return—my most attuned psychic abilities include clairvoyance (clear seeing), clairsentience (clear feeling), and claircognizance (clear knowing).

This means I can see straight into the heart of the matter and channel what’s there—whether its your business, book, or message—so we can strip away what’s unnecessary, clarify what’s there for more impact, and proof & polish it all to how it’s best meant to serve you and your audience.

With the technical editorial experience combined with crystal clear intuitive insights, I help you to elevate your writing to new heights while also offering suggestions to further improve your writing skills. And because I enjoy this work so much, I aim to make it an enjoyable experience for you as an author too. (I, too, am a writer and understand how scary it can be to hire an editor in the first place.)

What matters is that I help your words shine through in your own voice so you can make the impact that you desire to make and reach the people that resonate most with your message. I’m here to help make your writing sing with confidence & heart while also keeping away those distracting grammar/punctuation/spelling mistakes that make you look unprofessional.

Your words are what represent you… And I can help you to make them sparkle and shine from the inside out. Let’s talk.