I realize a lot of the time when I get a bit stuck in my daily routine – don’t get me wrong, there is good routine for creativity, and there is just getting stuck in routine, which is not so great for creativity. So, whenever I feel like I’m a little bit stuck, the best way for me to get back into flow is to get out into nature into whatever is available, whatever is close.
What was close yesterday was to come back to the ocean, to sit on my bike for about an hour and just pedal out there. Against the wind, and have it blow me all over the place, and I really had to work to make my way out there. Then, there was a profound piece just watching the waves and sitting there for a while. Looking at the waves, looking at the clouds, and when I got lucky every once in a while the sun peeked through, which was even more beautiful.
Until I needed to find a big cup of tea to warm up 😉
As the waves were splashing, as I looked at those wave patterns, I reminded myself that everything is continuous flow and change, and the more I can just roll with that change, the easier it is to first of all feel a continuous sense of contentment. For example, when the sun was coming through it was beautiful. Second, it helps me to go towards the things that I want to create in my life if I can be truly at the happy at the place where I am. That’s because it gives me such a big amount of positive energy to work towards the things that I want to invite into my life and that I want to amplify in my life. This is another example of “where focus goes energy flows”, so if I focus on the things that I love and that are good and that way bring more energy towards them, then they can amplify in my life.
I found that to be true over and over again. That doesn’t mean I don’t have those days when I wake up and everything feels a little dull or I just am not in a good place. I do have those. I just know deep down in my heart that if I can love, it if I can pull myself out of that, if I can find the tiny moments of joy, if I can appreciate whatever is there in the moment, if I can relish in the fact that I have a body that I live in, then I can breathe deeply. I can put a smile on my face and within a matter of half a minute it is going to make me feel a little better, even if I didn’t quite feel it at the start. If I can look outside no matter what weather it is and be grateful that there is a world out there that wants to be explored.
That morning I had a few minutes of this slumped feeling, and then instead of buying into it, I reminded myself that no matter what was going to happen today I could turn it into a great adventure. Just by being up for it, by being willing to step into it, to embrace my aliveness. So I asked, “Well, what’s going to make me feel alive today?” and I knew that was being out at the ocean, getting on my bicycle, moving my body and being in the elements of nature in whichever way. It doesn’t matter if it were just the park around the corner, which it is for most days during the week by the way. Being out in nature works wonders for me, and it helps most of us to connect really deeply to our aliveness. I would like for you to explore what makes you come alive. What is that sense of aliveness that you can wake up in yourself? Maybe it doesn’t have to do with a lot of wind and waves and bike riding. Maybe for you it is finding a very quiet space, or maybe it is in a crowd of people that makes you come alive. Maybe for you it is dancing, or writing, or painting, or cooking, or playing – what is it?
Do a little bit of that today, and do a little bit of it every day. Let’s make a commitment to be fully alive and live into that aliveness. That aliveness is the main trigger to get into a flow state, to be fully submerged into whatever you are doing, and that’s when your creativity surges to its best.
Sending you much love for this week.
PS: If you would like some more specific guidance and exercises to get your inner creative to come out of the shell, maybe take a look at Julia Cameron’s “The Artists Way”, or Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones”. I love both of those books.