Giving Thanks

We seldom give thanks, really. We shuffle through our days, our weeks and months in the act of doing. Rarely do we take time to stop and smell the roses, and give thanks except for the one Holiday a year, Thanksgiving. But we shouldn't have to wait for that day to be thankful. Every day can be filled with thanks.
Not only should we thank others, but we should thank ourselves. We should take stock of who we are and who we've become and celebrate our victories, even the small ones. Appreciation of where we've come, along the long path of self-discovery, is so important.
It's easy to give thanks, once we understand how easy it is. It can be for 1 minute a day. Hug yourself, look up to the heavens and say, "thank you universe for giving me permission to be who I want to be, and discover new things, today. Thank you for my growth, and my own self-awareness. Thank you for all the little miracles that add up to one big whole awesome ride, called life."
Whether you believe in God, or Mother Nature, or the Universe, or none of it, there is every reason to give thanks.
Start today, with just a minute, to show your gratitude of YOU, the awesome being that you are.
Now, that I've taken that moment, feeling warm and fuzzy and wonderful as a human being, I want to give thanks to everyone around me. On a personal note, I feel a great sense of achievement today. Fourteen years ago today I moved to the United States from Australia to pursue my dreams as a music recording artist. Since that day I have released 6 albums, on my own label I created; built a worldwide non-profit songwriters organization, Songsalive!; written and published 2 books; toured the States 3 times and all across Europe; and found the man of my dreams and married him.
I am very thankful of the blessings in my life, and the successes that have come to me and that I have created. I am living my dream.
I couldn't have achieved any of that without people. There have been numerous angels in my corner to support and nurture my growth and path and I thank each and every one of them for their guidance and opportunities. I hope I have also assisted their dreams too, even a little bit, for this life is all about the give and the give.

Most of all, I couldn't have achieved any of that without my own sense of purpose, inner confidence and trust that it will all be ok. And it is.
Thank you world.
~ gilli moon

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Australia’s Hollywood based Gilli Moon is an Artist, Author, Motivational Speaker Author and Artist Entrepreneur.

JUST GET OUT THERE, Gilli Moon’s 2nd book, is the Artist's bible to achieving abundance, self-empowerment and professional success as an Artist entrepreneur. 300+ pages filled with in-depth tips, tools, steps and resources on getting out there as an Artist, all the while achieving personal, financial and professional success and joy. The book covers topics such as defining your uniqueness; building your dream and creating a plan around your goals; balancing the art with the 'business' through time management and prioritization techniques; fundamentals in producing, releasing, marketing, promotion, performing and touring; using the Internet; and a plethora of in-depth tips, tools, steps and resources on getting out there as an Artist. Throughout this book, Gilli is guiding you, asking you questions, giving you exercises, and making you think and act  the way a strong business savvy Artist should, leading you to the Artist you ultimately want to become. JUST GET OUT THERE provides Artists inspiration: a sense of hope and assurance through anecdotal stories (some about Gilli’s personal life), motivational messages and real, practical, tried and tested strategies.  Ultimately it’s about enjoying the journey along your path to creative success.

Grab your copy at www.justgetoutthere.net

More about Gilli Moon at www.gillimoon.com

What’s money got to do with it?

Today I coached one of my favorite Artist Clients (we work together every month on her music career goals), and the subject of money came up. It came about after she did my Circle of Personal Perspective Exercise (you can find that in my book, Just Get Out There), whereby she perceived her professional goals at a 4 out of 10, less than half. I asked her why she put such a low number, especially after all the work she has been doing in fulfilling her dreams and working on her goals. She replied that it was because even though she has been doing a lot, she isn't making any money from it, and so therefore didn't value her progress.

I  reminded her about the chapter I have in my book Just Get Out There, as well as the whole ethos about being a professional artist, in my first book I AM A Professional Artist.

Simply put, I have come to the conclusion from my writings and interviewing other artists, and also how I live my life as an artist, that being a Professional Artist does not mean you have to be making money from your Art. It's a hard pill to swallow even in our enlightened culture, because as a child we and even our parents have been taught that self-value comes from a "good ol' fashioned" job that pays well and affords you all the things you need in this life. I don't want to get into politics in this blog, but I will say that our Western culture emphasizes a definite lenience to "living to work" in our capitalist society, where schools push subjects based on what jobs you can get, and the Arts are pushed aside as electives only, and not mandatory, because it doesn't feed into our "jobs society".

 But what if we were brought up to enjoy the Arts, where music, art and dance were encouraged, and where careers in the Arts were respected. Imagine our own self-esteem about following our artistic passions? It would create an entirely different society.

Ask for clarity

Asking for clarity opens the way for the universe to provide you everything you want. Sometimes we stay in a fog because we don't know how to resolve it or we are confused because we get bogged down in the day to day, and too many decisions and directions to choose from.

This is where the "asking" comes in. Take a moment to find some solitude and quiet. Think about all the things you are confused about, or the decisions and directions that are on your plate, and visualize an opening, a space. If you like to meditate, use those practices to concentrate just on your breath and the silence.

Open the well. Empty your thought. Allow emptiness and silence to be with you for a moment.

Then, when you are ready, ask for clarity. Put it out to the universe.

"Universe, release me from my confusion of the past. Give me clarity in my heart. Allow me to look at life from the beginning of the road, as if I have a whole new future in front of me, not weighed down from my past. I want to see everything as if for the first time. I am ready for joy. I am ready for abundance. I am ready to re-invent myself. I am ready for space to be who I want to be and who I want to become, anew."

Take a deep breath and let it come.

~ gilli moon

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#Inspiration - the silent warrior

The silent warrior is in all of us. it's not about war, nor fight and definitely not about struggle.  it's about an inner peace and a whole lot of courage to face all fears in unchartered waters, finding the path least traveled and at the same time, finding the path of least resistance. I am a warrior girl and I encourage everyone to tap into their warrior within.

~ gilli moon

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Where's your focus?

Recently I attended a workshop on Goal Making, thinking I'd know a lot of the subject matter, but I went anyway as it was free. It ended up changing my whole perspective on not only my goals, but how I communicated my commitment of them. In addition, it allowed me to really take a strong, hard look at what I'm focusing on, and what is important in my life.

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST ENTREPRENEUR

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST ENTREPRENEUR

Excerpt from Gilli Moon’s book, JUST GET OUT THERE (see end for details)

If you caught this in April's Music Connection, then I hope your creative juices are all flowing :) If you didn't, or even if you did, here's my full article I wrote, and some additions that didn't make the magazine cut. Enjoy!

#Rant #solar

I'm so thankful I grew up on solar power, to understand how to respect commodities and mother earth. Nuclear is not the answer.

Waiting for the waves

Have you ever surfed? I’ve body surfed since I was a kid living on the Sydney beaches. But I never actually surfed with a board, though I have often watched, for hours, those who did. Now living in California, I have gone from one surf heaven to another.

It’s an interesting concept, surfing. You might be wondering why I chose the word “concept” over the word “sport”. For the sake of this chapter, I’m going to call it a “concept” because the Art of surfing could almost reveal one of the secrets to life: the ability to wait.

An Artist Led Business: The Realities of the Music Business - by Gilli Moon

An Artist led business

The realities of the music business

A chapter excerpt from Gilli Moon's book Just Get Out There.

If you are interested in re-printing this chapter/article/blog, please email for permission and conditions. 

 Gilli Moon, a multiple award-winning Australian singer, songwriter, producer, global artist community builder, and author is an unprecedented DIY Indie Music success, role model, educator and inspiration for thousands of artists worldwide. In her new book, Just Get Out There, she has created the Artist's bible to achieving abundance, self-empowerment and professional success as an Artist entrepreneur. 300+ pages filled with in-depth tips, tools, steps and resources on getting out there as an Artist, all the while achieving personal, financial and professional success and joy.  The following article is a chapter in her book, called "An Artist Led Business", describing the realities of the music business. All artists need to read this!

New warriorgirl vision for 2011 - release, renewal and blossom

It's going to be an incredible year. I can feel it already. I see it unfolding in two ways. The first I see a great opportunity for renewal. I plan on cleansing, releasing, eliminating and de-cluttering everything that doesn't serve me, and bring my life and my work down to the few things that are important. Secondly, I see it as an opportunity to blossom into creative arenas in uncharted waters, arenas that I have not had time for or had put on the back burner until now, but have always wanted to realize.