Living a creative life, and being quietly confident about the way your feelings talk to you, has become an art. It promotes vibrant health, happiness in one’s personal life and successful business in the working world.

Father Thomas Keating writes: ‘Silence is the language God speaks. Everything else is a broad translation.’

We need to have more silent moments. I am convinced that God prefers to speak to our hearts, instead of our brains. Our brains are simply too trained to be analytical and criticise and evaluate! Today’s woman can embrace the latest findings on feelings and emotional intelligence. These tell us that feelings spark a lot of creativity and innovation when we have learned about the meaning of our feelings – and how to manage them well.

When we acknowledge our feelings and guide them constructively, they will enhance our intellectual performance – and yes – for those who need to ‘feel’ more brain in business matters, your heart (I’m serious: your physical heart) will be more contented when it knows you recognise its feelings! You’ll discover that your brain and heart make a formidable team!

Michael Eisner, Chairperson and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said in 1997: ‘Being in connection with our emotional depths is critical to release our most powerful and creative forces. Denying this deeper level leads to disconnection. In effect, we lose touch with aspects of who we are!’

Why don’t we express our feelings?
There are many reasons. Some of the important ones are:

• They have been hurt before (emotionally) and the pain has left its memory in the heart, mind and body cells;
• Due to former disappointments, they don’t trust their world enough to show what they feel;
• Due to expectations that have never been met, they have decided NOT to feel anymore;
• Their self-worth (including self-esteem) is low and they fear what their feelings may encounter from others;
• They doubt their personal identity and are unsure of the world’s reaction to their feelings;
• They don’t know how to ‘let the feeling out.’

Our Western mindset is so dominant, and we are so used to doing things, or complying with advertising campaigns that tell us to ‘just do It’ that living by our inner thoughts and aspirations of ‘just being’ makes us feel like we are ‘doing nothing at all!’

Inner wisdom, intuitive feelings and emotional intelligence are creatively luminous ways of living - and believe me, they are far from ‘doing nothing at all.’

It’s sad when people have shut down their feelings. With that, they have also shut out many opportunities and blessings. Life Coaches can help you! A true friend can! Ask around, you will be guided to someone who has been trained to do it and is a real person too!

Where do we start?
Let’s begin with our aim: It should be to sense, understand and creatively apply the energy and message of a feeling, as a source of human power, influence and wisdom. Feelings are always creating movement (energy) in your physical body. Your body is a playground for emotional feelings!

Stay open to the feelings and vibrations in yourself and your environment; Acknowledge what you feel – and simply feel the emotion. It will only be real if you don’t deny or belittle it – and please don’t ignore it; Give the feeling a name, such as guilt, disgust, excitement. Listen to the message of the emotion. This refers to you knowing your body and the possible symptoms you may develop when you feel nervous, anxious and/or fearful. For example: many people get cramps when they are nervous. Others start to itch. Others get palpitations. Others feel sudden fatigue.

Take a minute (in the beginning it may take longer) and consider how you are going to manage this feeling. For example: when you feel insecure in the presence of someone ‘stronger’ than you, what are you going to do about it?

All feelings are, in essence, impulses to act. The tendency to act is implicit in every feeling. The challenge is: ‘Are we going to develop this ever-important, ever-growing intelligence? Are we willing to take life’s lessons (the disappointments, the lies, the unfaithfulness) and use them to build us, mould us and create in us a more stable, strong and emotionally intelligent woman?’

Believe me: The world really needs emotionally bright and stable people. Exploring the wealth of feelings will guide us in how to move, when to move, where to move and why we should move. When you are committed to grow, you will be tested. Life’s journey will remain a challenge. There will always be another incident, person or reason to try you – to see if you are able to respond with creative energy.

It actually becomes quite an interesting game! In my world of corporate training and speaking, there are frequent negatives. An example would be the manager’s team of an International IT Company who told me, after a number of serious boardroom meetings and negotiations, that they do not need Emotional Intelligence in their work. They work with money and computers. And that was after several of the employees begged for training on human development!

What can you do?
You hope and pray they will ‘wake up’ before some of the employees get very sick and/or leave for greener pastures! On a very positive note, I have some brilliant suggestions for you to start with today:

Discover an investment that is worth more than tons of money, holiday homes and overseas savings-accounts!

Start to invest in positive emotions! Consider their value: When you deliberately invest in positive feelings and emotions, by applying them in your daily life, you are the beneficiary and winner all the way! Your health will improve! Your relationships will be steadfast and happy! Your creativity in the workplace will be unbeatable! And yes you will make more money, because your energy levels will be soaring. So: You can enjoy that holiday home in a healthy body and with loved ones.

How do you invest in positive emotions?
You may wake up one morning feeling very happy. Have you ever thought about doing something about your happiness? The ideal situation would be to invest gratitude into someone’s life – perhaps that someone who is making you so happy.

Pick up the phone, or go to him or her! Tell them how special they are. Share your feeling of gratitude and happiness – give it to this person. Don’t worry about how this will grow in your own life! Trust the principle. Trust the energy. Trust creation. Trust the laws of nature!

It has been medically proven that emotionally bright people are healthier and happier. The main reason is that they do not store negative energy in their bodies. Living like this helps the body to be free of acids that give rise to diseases in your blood. Being all the above creates harmony and balance throughout your whole body!

Never forget: Every cell in your body (you’ve got +/- 120 trillion) is working to move you forward effortlessly into your new identity. They do need positive energy. They need you to create moments of peace and tranquillity. Peace and harmony are two of the most potent positive emotions one can invest in!

About the author: Annie Coetzee is an International Speaker, trainer and author on Self-Empowerment. Her latest book, ‘The POWER of a creative Life!’ is highly rated as one of the best ever written on self-empowerment. She can be contacted via email or phone, or you can visit her website to learn more about her passion in the corporate environment: (083) 270 1995 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / www.anniecoetzee.co.za

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