I am curious about human behavior. When I was a kid, I wondered what made people do the things they do. Combine that with my early penchant for creating imaginary friends, and you have a fiction writer in the making. When it comes to making up stories, I never grew up. And I'm still asking questions. As a coach and a writer, I'm convinced the open-ended question is the most powerful collection of words possible.I am absolutely passionate about the human brain. What's going on in there? What are all the parts, what do they do and how do they work together? What makes one person creative with words and another person creative with movement and music? How does the brain relate to the mind and the spirit? Is our brain the primary thing that makes us who we are? (See why I got one of my two undergraduate degrees in Philosophy?) And that leads to the driving question of my professional life: What is going on in there that makes it so hard for so many of us to do what we really want to do?I used to think I was the only one who met resistance when pursuing my creativity. When I started reading everything I could get my hands on about writing and creativity, I discovered it's not just me; nearly all creative people have this approach-avoidance pattern going on.The reading I did for Around the Writer's Block and continue to do explains the neurological sources of struggle, which I find fascinating. But frankly, sometimes knowing why I'm resistant doesn't change that resistance one bit.Knowledge prepares me and gives me tools, but I still have to find ways to motivate myself through the resistance. That's why I'm good at helping others find their way through their resistance: I've had years of practice on myself.The funny thing is that I learned a tremendous amount about motivation from a completely unexpected source: my dog, Blue. For the fun and the physical and mental challenge for both of us, Blue and I play agility together. Blue has been in training since she was four months old. We go to class once a week and compete in trials four or five times a year.When I talk with clients and students about how to motivate yourself to write or create, I draw on my experiences in agility to explain concepts like "rewarding approximate behavior," "learned industriousness" and "oppositional reflex." To reassure my clients and students that I know the differences between motivating people and motivating dogs, I include the latest cool things I've found in my never-ending reading in human neurology and then connect the dots between the theory and how to keep writing and creating.Another wellspring of information is my partner, Claudia, who has a degree in Organizational Development and is Manager of Training and Development. In her professional development, Claudia gets certified in all kinds of fascinating techniques like Motivational Interviewing, Polarity Management, MBTI, corporate coaching, strategic planning, and leadership development. When explains how it works in large organizations, I'm busy figuring out how it applies to creative individuals and how I can use those tools for my clients, students and myself.Of course, my coaching clients and students are also my teachers. Their willingness to share their struggles and successes and to trust me with their process has expanded my awareness and appreciation of human creativity. It has been my pleasure and privilege to guide, encourage, challenge and support a fascinating group of creative people over the past eighteen years.I am so lucky to be able to read, talk and write about things I'm passionate about, and to talk with, encourage and support fascinating, talented people. And, on top of that, I get to call this 'work.' What a great gift - what a great gig!