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LifeRhyme Notes
March 2007
By Rochelle Melander, Coach
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IN THIS ISSUE...
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Get Out the Map
Write Now! Retreat
A Generous Presence: Read a New Excerpt FREE!


Get Out the Map
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Get out the map and lay your finger anywhere down We'll leave the figuring to those we pass on our way out of town Dont drink the water there seems to be something ailing everyone I'm gonna clear my head I'm gonna drink that sun —Emily Saliers, Get Out the Map on the Indigo Girls' CD Shaming of the Sun

We've been talking about how to get big things done--projects, life changes--stuff like that. Here's another tip: get out the map. Or better yet, just get out ...
get out of your routine, get out of your house, get out of town.

I've found that when I shift my external environment, my work improves. Ideas come. I work faster. My mood lifts.
In the midst of getting the big projects done, we sometimes need to get away, get more information, or simply free up our psychic and emotional space.

Last weekend I attended a writing workshop. One of the writers spoke about his new project, a graphic memoir. He had been stuck for months on how to execute the project-- until this trip to Milwaukee. What moved him forward? He visited the art museum, and something he saw gave him the breakthrough he needed to move forward on his book.

Here are some other ways to get out, get away, get renewed:

1. Shift your routine. Eat in a new place. Exercise at a different time of day. Exercise differently. If you tend to open e-mail first thing in the morning, wait until lunch time. If you are a 'hide-in-your-office' worker, try getting out once or twice.
Do something different!

2. Shift your connections. Have lunch or coffee with a new person this week. Make it a point to make a positive connection with three strangers today. Or, do something unusual with someone you know well. Go bowling. Visit a candy factory.
Take dance lessons.

3. Shift your environment. Move to a bed and breakfast, hotel, or retreat center for a few days. Many of my clients escape their daily life to get their books done. How would getting out of your office--even to a coffee shop or library--shift your relationship to your work?

4. Shift your focus. Drop your work for a few days and do something else. Herbert Benson, author of The Breakout Principle, suggests that repetitive activities actually help your brain solve problems. I've found that cleaning out closets or going to a seminar on something unusual can give my work the boost it needs.

5. Shift your attitude. Yesterday my five-year-old daughter and I giddy- upped around the block--twice--while chanting, "giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up now!"
I'd been feeling sad and grumpy before our adventure. I dare you to try to giddy-up in public and be sad. Impossible. Do something to support yourself i n feeling differently. Watch a movie. Listen to music. Light scented candles.
Be goofy.

Treat yourself this week by GETTING OUT and doing something new. If you're a writer looking for a place to get a project done, try my spring retreat.
You'll need to sign up by March 26th to guarantee a place. If you're not a writer, take Emily's advice above and just get out the map, put your finger down anywhere, and go find an adventure!

Enjoy your day! Rochelle


ANNOUNCING:
LifeRhyme Coaching's
WRITE NOW! Weekend
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•Do you have trouble finding TIME to write?
•Do you struggle with writer's block or procrastination?
•Do you need tools to help you structure your writing time?

The WRITE NOW! Writing Weekend
is back and better than ever!!!
The Spring Retreat:
April 26-29, 2007
Milwaukee, WI

The WRITE NOW! Weekend Retreat package will give you:
•A pre-retreat coaching conversation to set weekend goals and create a plan to achieve them!
•Three writing seminars during the retreat:
•Getting Started. This seminar will give you the tools to organize
your weekend writing time and overcome writer's block
and procrastination.
•The Writing Habit. This seminar will give you the practical tips and
tools that successful working writers use to get writing done.
•Celebrating Success and Setting Goals. This seminar will give you
an opportunity to celebrate your weekend achievements and teach
you how to set and KEEP writing goals at home.
•A 30-minute coaching conversation during the retreat to support
you in writing now.
•The opportunity to connect with other writers.
•20-plus hours of writing time.
•A 30-minute coaching conversation after the retreat to keep you
accountable to your writing goals.
•An opportunity to participate in an ongoing writing coaching group at a discounted rate.

The Write Now! retreat will be held at the beautiful Residence Inn in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(http://www.ResidenceInnMilwaukee.com)
The hotel is located on the Milwaukee River and in walking distance to many restaurants, entertainment venues, city parks, and Lake Michigan.

Retreat Details:
When and Where
The Spring Retreat:
April 26-29, 2007
The Residence Inn
Milwaukee, WI
Registration Fee
The cost of the retreat, separate
from hotel, meals, and travel, is:
$500.00 check, cash, or money order
$600.00 credit card
Registration Deadlines
The retreat is limited to TEN participants.
To guarantee a spot and the special hotel
rate, participants must register by
Spring Retreat: March 26, 2007

For more information and a registration form, contact Rochelle Melander at:
rochelle@LifeRhymeCoaching.com
414-963-1222
For more information about Rochelle's coaching, visit:
http://www.LifeRhymeCoaching.com


Meet the Write Now! retreat leader, Rochelle Melander:
I've written nine published books, a master's thesis, and more than one hundred articles. I've been editing books and articles since 1994.
And I have coached many writers through their own writing projects since 2000. At the same time, I've been busy having a life--working, maintaining relationships, and parenting children. People often ask me, "How do you do it?" They mean, "How do you manage to write and have a life?"
I've been doing it for a long time. I wrote my master's thesis in one year, while doing the graduate coursework, teaching, babysitting, cleaning houses, and trying to have a life. Nearly every book I wrote with my husband was completed in less than three months, often in as little time as six weeks. In the fall of 2004, my friend Sue Lang and I wrote a book in nine days. This past year, I wrote my first solo book--a 500-pager--in just over five months.
In this weekend retreat and the coaching sessions that come with it, I'll be teaching you the tools I have used for more than 15 years to envision, structure, and complete writing projects. Listen to what participants and clients say about my work:

Rochelle Melander is not only a gifted writer developing her own ideas, she is also someone with skill to help other writers find their voice.
As a University faculty member with a Ph.D, I have learned that I need someone who can understand the spirit and content of what I want to write about in my particular field. Rochelle’s coaching style and skills attended to my voice and ideas and worked to clarify and develop these ideas. The retreat also offered practical steps in overcoming some of the roadblocks that keep me from writing.
—Jan Ewing, PhD
http://www.ctcsd.org/ 

[The retreat] gave me inspiration in several forms: this included you, Rochelle, reminding us that if we write three pages a day, at the end of year, we'll have a book! That was the kind of "bite-able bite" that I needed to hear. It put perspective on my feeling of hopelessness that I would EVER get a book done. That it seems "do-able" is a great mental leap for me, and I thank you for pointing that out.
—Ingrid Huebner, Fall 2006 Write Now! Participant

I LOVED having time to myself and time to write. It was wonderful to have a coach affirm my dream and the next phase in life. I wrote quite a bit, and it made me realize that I can eventually finish this book if I just give myself the time and permission to write.
—Anne Noyes, Fall 2006 Write Now! Participant

Well, where do I begin? I appreciated having a weekend committed to writing. The setting was great! And the conversation even better!
I learned great skills to assist me in making writing a daily habit.
I look forward to the next event!
—Sarah Lutter, Fall 2006 Write Now! Participant
http://dissidentdaughter.blogspot.com/

Rochelle Melander's book coaching dropped into my life at the perfect time! As the published author of four books, with two more underway, I know firsthand how critical it is to spend high-quality time alone with one’s writing project if you really want to make headway on your work.
Rochelle’s workshops contain the finest ingredients all writers know they need to get going, or make progress, on a project, and the fact that it’s affordable is an amazing plus! Every writer needs the thoughtful questions, editing help, and accountability and Rochelle provides all of that and more.
—Caroline Adams Miller, author and coach
http://www.CarolineMiller.com

Rochelle Melander has been an asset to me as a writing coach. Rochelle helped me complete my outline and organizational structure for my book.
Her coaching style is persuasive and enthusiastic, yet her critical eye is crucial to making the changes necessary for my book to be a seller.
—Wendy J. Terwelp, CEIP, JCTC, CCMC, CPBS
Internationally Certified Career Coach & Personal Branding Strategist Opportunity Knocks (tm) http://www.knocks.com


A Generous Presence: Check out the New Excerpt Link
------------------------------------------
My new book, A Generous Presence:
Spiritual Leadership and The Art of Coaching,
was named by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
to be one of The 50 Best Spiritual Books of 2006!
The Brussats select these books from the over 300
books they review each year.

See the book under "coaching" on the list:
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/features.php?id=16408

Get the book here:
http://www.alban.org/BookDetails.asp?ID=1911

Read an excerpt here:
http://www.alban.org/weekly/web/109_060821.html

HERE IS THE NEW EXCERPT:
http://www.alban.org/weekly/2007/070305_Generosity.asp

Read a review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat here:
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=15999


Inspired?
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Are you inspired by what you read here?
Then pass it on!

Interested in connecting around the
important issues of life?
Give me a call at 414-963-1222 or
send me an e-mail
(rochelle@liferhymecoaching.com)
to set up a free coaching consultation!


SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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LIFERHYME NOTES 2007 is a free
monthly e-mail newsletter designed to
consider how we can integrate spirituality
and creativity into our daily lives. It is written and
produced by Rochelle Melander, personal and
professional coach. If you have any questions
or comments, please send them to:
rochelle@liferhymecoaching.com.
I would love to hear from you.

Feel free to forward your copy of
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This newsletter is COPYRIGHT 2007
by ROCHELLE MELANDER,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Do not quote without the
written permission of the author.