Tuesday afternoon at 3:00pm and my energy was starting to plunge. The last thing on my “To Love’ list (I prefer that over a “To Do” list) was my weekly Mindful Moment’s newsletter (this one that I'm writing right now ...). Usually, it's something I enjoy doing, but this week - I felt the resistance creeping up. Writing is something I truly love to do. It helps me understand my thoughts better, cutting through all the noise to provide clarity and balance. I love the feeling of the pen sliding across the blank page when I enter "flow state" and the words just pour out of me without hesitation. I love the quiet place I go inside. it's a spiritual experience, really - like I'm talking to my soul.
But today, when I felt my energy dipping, suddenly this beautiful ritual became just another task that needed checking off the list. It had turned into something I was obliged to do, rather than something I was called to do. I know myself well enough to recognize that if I write from a place of obligation rather than desire, my words simply wont have the same effect. And, let's get real - what is the point of writing if it's not going to be full of truth, soul, and divine wisdom? It was time to get real with the struggle of Bronwyn vs the To Do List. If the whole intention of this weekly sharing of words is for it to be a "Mindful Moment," shouldn't these words come from a place of presence and joy? My inner wisdom won this one -"Yes, Bronwyn. It should!"
So the laptop was closed, the running shoes were laced up, my notebook and pen were placed in my running backpack, and I hit the trail - my happy place.
In my years of experience in working with empowered women, I've discovered that the simplest way to get back to our creative joy is to be somewhere that brings us joy. For me that is out on the trail, with my running shoes on.
So here I sit on the side of the trail, writing on a rock as a spider crawls across the dirt path in front of me and the wind rustles the branches of the trees. It's not a desk, I don't have my laptop or my inbox nearby, it's raw - and that's how I like it.
It’s important for us to know two things about ourselves when it comes to creativity:
When is the best time of day or of the week for creative time? It could be a power point, a marketing piece, an important email but one way or another the energy we carry will come through.
Where is your happy creative space? There is no right or wrong here. We all have our own place where we can be in flow (like losing track of time) and we need to know where that is for us…without judgement
So next time you're feeling like your need to accomplish is taking the drivers seat, sit back and think about how to stoke your creative fire and create the space for something truly magical to come out. Let inspiration come to you, don't force it. And, most importantly:
When you feel inspiration call- Stop, Listen and ACT.
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