How is your self-expression going? Are you able to set and keep your boundaries? Are you asking for what you want? Are you letting people know if they are meeting your needs? And where are you having difficulty carrying out your self-expression?

Better yet, why is it so important to do all this self-expression stuff?

I think you know the answer to that: If you dont express yourself, youll not get what you want, need or desire in life AND you will get much of what you dont want. Make sense'

So here are some creative ways to better express yourself:

Tell a story that parallels what you are expressing to someone. This works well if someone doesnt seem to be getting what you are expressing.

Use a metaphor. Metaphors speak to a different part of the brain and can be helpful for some people who relate better on that level.

Demonstrate what you are expressing. This can be as simple as using your hands as examples of you and the other person. Some people need the visual stimulus.

Draw a picture. I use a white board in my office and a flip chart for most presentations I do. You can write what you are expressing and (for some strange reason) some people get this more than the spoken word.

Do a role reversal. Not everyone will be open to this, but if they are they can get a better understanding of the way they are coming across to you and blocking your message.

Be the other persons alter-ego. Stand behind them and say what you think is really going on inside them on an emotional level that may be blocking the conversation.

Do you have other methods? Shoot me an e-mail and let me know what you are doing to express yourself more powerfully.

The bottom-line is this: Not everyone speaks the same language. The way that you express yourself may not be the same way that others express themselves. Some people are visual, some are auditory, some are kinesthetic, some are problem sorters, some are solution sortersshall I go on?

The more creative and flexible YOU can be, the better the chances youll have of getting your message delivered, understood and respected.

So do some experimenting and let me know how it goes.

And never give up!