My life has been filled with wonder and awe, at least so far. Almost daily I think about how fortunate I am to be having the moment by moment experiences, relationships, and struggles that continue to meld me into the person I am. I’m also keenly aware that I am still in the process of becoming that person, and that we are all on a journey with no true destination except for our death at some point in the future.
In the meantime, we all get to have adventures and go on explorations, mostly of our choosing and all of our own beliefs and manifestations. Having it all is simply an energy that I exude in everything I say and do in my life, as well as in my business.
Then there’s the concept of “having it all” and this is where it gets tricky, in my opinion. It’s all in how you think of and define this concept. I believe I’m only four awards away from an EGOT (either energy, growth, opportunity, and talent or Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) but fate may be on my side after all during this time of my life. I’m on top of the world and nothing, no nothing can knock me down or even slightly deter me from moving forward with gisto, joy, and determination.
In order to better understand how to come to the point where you know exactly what IT is, you may wish to take a look at Tolstoy’s Three Questions to define your truth. Spoiler Alert… the three questions asked by the King were:
- When is the right time to begin?
- Who are the right people to listen to?
- What’s the most important thing to do first?
I’ve paraphrased the questions and hope you can see their relevance to everything we will encounter throughout our lifetimes. When I think about them in terms of starting my online business back in 2006, the right time to begin was five years earlier, but the second best time was right then. I answered the second question incorrectly at the time and it cost me five thousand dollars (paid to a coach who was definitely not a good fit for me) and a few months of my precious time until I did find the right people to listen to for my needs and goals. The most important thing to do first was to make a commitment to sticking with it and striving for excellence, not perfection.
Next, understand that creativity is the key to the kingdom when it comes to having it all.
“Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.” ~ Dee Hock
“How to unlock creativity: slow down, study another field, get into nature, get out of office, music (lots), sketch, cardio before/after, nibble on small ideas, throw stuff away, atomize the work, look for orthogonal inspiration, breathe, learn about circadian rhythm, paint.” ~ Brian Norgard
We are all born with creativity but as we grow to adulthood many push that to the back of our mind, thinking creativity won’t help them become successful citizens. But using your creative abilities is a way to be more fulfilled and successful in your life and career. As children we often played make-believe or played games that we made up the rules for. We dreamed up characters and talked to our stuffed animals like they were alive. But as adults we obsess over what others will think of us and our ideas. This can kill our creativity, causing us to keep it hidden.
You can learn how to tap into your creativity in many ways. It can be brought up to the surface when you need it and should be used often. It doesn’t have to be creating art or building something, although that is certainly a part of being creative. Here are some strategies to try to tap into your creativity…
Walk aimlessly. Leave your phone at home and just walk. Pay attention to where you are and where you’re going. Otherwise just walk. If you get lost, ask someone for directions. This leaves you open to the unknown and builds a connection being okay with uncertainty.
Create a list of 10 bad ideas. You must be willing to fail or look bad to tap into your creativity. Stretch your creative thinking skills by coming up with 10 original ideas.
Connect with your inner child. What did you like to do for fun? Did you jump rope or ride bikes? See animals in the clouds or build rocket ships to the moon? Hold space for your inner child to run wild by swinging on a swing set, playing checkers or lying in the grass looking at the clouds.
Create a unique solution to a problem you’re having. Make a list of problems you’re having in one column. Then make a list of creative ways you could attack each one. Think outside the normal solutions.
Dance by yourself alone in the dark. Let your mind relax and enjoy the feeling of movement. Your body and mind are connected. Dancing lets your body have a creative outlet. Doing so in the dark allows you to dance freely without having to see how you look doing so. This lets you be more open and release creative blocks.
Take a break. When you are in the middle of your problem, you often don’t see but one solution. Changing what you’re doing helps your brain break free of the pattern. Take a few minutes to take a short nap or go for a short walk. The moment right before or right after a nap are especially fertile in bringing in creativity. Walking as well frees up your brain to allow creativity to flow.
Go to a different location when you’re in a mental rut. Go to a place that makes you happy, such as a nature preserve. Go somewhere where you can relax and just lose yourself without thought.
Color. Coloring isn’t just for kids. It’s a great way to boost your creativity while relaxing you. Grab an adult coloring book and some colored pencils. Find a quiet place and let your creativity flow. The act of coloring is calming and meditative and gets your mind moving in an imaginative way.
Meditate and do yoga. Tap into your creative energy that is naturally flowing through you by practicing yoga and meditating. Yoga opens up your chakras and gets the life-force energy flowing as it strengthens your body. Meditation, even for just 10 minutes, calms your “monkey brain” that gets in the way of the creative muse within you.
Try a new skill. Your creativity is sparked when you learn a new skill. You have to be open to learning and trying, which is a part of being creative. Sign up to learn how to paint or take up voice lessons. Try a weekend of snowboarding or spend some time learning how to fly-fish. You’ll enjoy yourself learning a new skill as you expand your creative.
Try Feng Shui to allow creativity to flow. Feng Shui is about creating balanced areas of your home or office. For example, place whimsical and playful items in certain areas to overcome creative blocks.
Take a different route to work. This shakes up your routine, activating different parts of your brain. A different route gives you a different perspective and you start to see things differently.
Read different types of books that you normally wouldn’t read and varying them. Read a self-help book followed by a political memoir, for example. This opens up your mind and inspiration.
Changing how you do things or by spending time alone is a surefire way to tap into your creativity. Whether you try one of these strategies or others that help to boost your creativity, you are sure to find the ones that work best for you. The bottom line is that we all choose to do what serves us in every moment of each day. Writing makes me happy, so I include lots of writing in my daily life experience. Sometimes I’m writing in the “Seinfeld” style, where it almost feels like I’m writing about nothing at on. But on closer examination, it turns out I am writing about the people, places, and events that continue to shape my life.
The question is… What can you do throughout every day to move closer to defining what having it all looks like for you? How may I serve you in this quest?
I’m Connie Ragen Green, living the dream and having it all in my own interpretation of paradise. Come along with me, if you will and let’s explore the universe together.
Leave a Reply