Accessing creativity in the now
My Mum used to say, ‘If I can just get myself right, I’ll be OK,’ and I hear myself echoing her words sometimes. Humans are obsessed with needing to be fully healed (whatever this even means) … a constant need to improve and be fixed. An obsession with, ‘Something is wrong with me, and I must heal it now, and forevermore.’ Ummm…there is no ultimate utopian, fully healed land of perfection and harmony, with no conflict – It.Does.Not.Exist.
Rather than the need to be fully fixed, can we just try to be fully here? Which is the authentic antidote for healing and wellness. Healing means being OK with ourselves wherever and whatever we are, in each moment. Not blaming, shaming or guilting ourselves.
Healing doesn’t mean the absence of pain or discomfort or difficulty or moments of confusion or doubt. Or ignoring our feelings or lying about them to ourselves, or slathering them in some kind of spiritual mumbo jumbo weirdness. It does not mean forgetting, not being triggered, or all is perfectly comfortable all the time. Trying to deny the discomfort of dark and murky spots in life will get us a one-way ticket to misery, confusion, and constant exhaustion. Welcome every emotion as an old friend. Creativity happens in the moment of acceptance. Not in shame or blame. Pure kindness to self, creates unlimited creativity.
It means being OK with yourself wherever and whatever you are in each moment. Not needing to change it, willing to face it, and feel it. Healing does not mean instant forgiveness, or clarity or even feeling better. It is the willingness to wade through the mud, no expectations, the only goal being … presence to it all. Not turning our back on any part of ourselves … that is our healing.
What’s in your cup?
I love this analogy about the choices we have for engaging with others on planet earth … Imagine you are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee?
“Because someone bumped into me!”
Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. Whatever is inside
the cup is what will spill out.
Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you, which will happen, whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled.
So, we have to ask ourselves … “what’s in my cup?”
When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, gratitude, peace and humility?
Anger, bitterness, victim mentality, and quitting-tendencies? Life provides the cup, you choose how to fill it.
Let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, resilience, positivity, kindness, gentleness and love for others.
My most treasured life tool is gratitude but it needs to be explored and used every day. Here are some ways to bring gratitude into our daily practice:
- Slow everything down by walking in gratitude; appreciate your surroundings.
- Soften towards your family, friends and colleagues.
- Thank others for the smallest kindness.
- Forgive yourself, be gentle on yourself.
- Give people the benefit of the doubt; don’t take things personally.
- Actively notice new things to feel grateful about.
- Show compassion to self and others.
Credit to: Austin Tang for the analogy
