Creativity= dancing with the holidays.

Every year at this time, I feel as though I’ve been caught up in the “holiday vortex”…  it seems that as soon as Halloween hits, the days get shorter, time flies by so fast it makes me dizzy, and my studio begins to look like Santa’s workshop with the wrapping paper and bows and presents hidden in every crevice where I assume little peeping eyes won’t look.   And then there’s the strange paradox of bringing yet another year to a close, looking back and re-evaluating everything, while simultaneously promising to myself that next year, I’ll do even better, that I’ll accomplish more.

Sound familiar?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a clean slate…  the new year is a perfect time to gesso over all of our old patterns and begin again in painting a rich landscape of a meaningful and purposeful life.  But the problem is that many of us get so caught up in perfection that we make ourselves crazy and overwhelmed, doomed for what we perceive as failure.  We write lengthy lists of resolutions and get swept up in gigantic expectations of ourselves…  and are often left disappointed when we don’t uphold all of our promises.  We move onto the sparkling white canvas and load it with so much stuff that it creates a big blob of mud.

I invite you to dance with the holidays a bit differently this year…

The Creative’s Holiday To-Do List:

~Tune in to the sacred.  I don’t mean this in any woo woo or religious kind of way (although if that strikes your fancy, do for it!)…  I mean it quite simply in fact.  Take notice of the way your child wraps his arms around you, or the sweetness of a dog smooch, or the smile that comes to your lips as you gaze upon holiday lights or candles.  Feel these things deep down in the rawness of who you are, with such profound gratitude that it makes you sigh, or might even bring a tear to your eye.  Be mindful of each passing moment, knowing that you will never again have the opportunity to re-experience it in exactly the same away.

~Celebrate.   Instead of making a list of resolutions or thinking of things you could have done better, create a list of all of the things you are proud of doing in 2009.  They could be small things or big things…  it doesn’t matter.  Dare to recognize and give importance even to the things you do on a daily basis that may have become somewhat mundane, especially if they bring you the slightest bit of joy…  like flossing your teeth or braiding your daughter’s hair.

~Empty your vessel.  Take some time to step into the moments of in-between and cleanse.  Go through your clothes and take whatever doesn’t fit or isn’t congruent with your style anymore to Goodwill.  Give or throw away the food in your kitchen cabinets that you wish you wouldn’t eat.  Organize that pile of papers on your desk.  Drink smoothies.  Don’t keep anything out of obligation or guilt.  Make room for endless possibilities, for joy, for wonder.

~Give from your heart.  Take every opportunity to give someone you love a hug, to smile at a stranger, to wink at your children, to share gifts that are simple and meaningful or homemade- ones that reflect who you are, not what you assume someone else wants.  The gift is YOU in all of your unique and marvelous splendor!

~Hibernate.  Give yourself permission to take some quiet time for staring into space, sitting in your favorite chair and reading, meditating.   Turn off the television and listen to music instead.  Incorporate a few moments of silence before you have a meal.    If you’re inundated with holiday visitors, treat them to a movie or a tour of your city while you stay home and enjoy a warm bath.

~Create imperfect intention.   Think about next year as an opportunity to expand, not to fix where you think of yourself as broken.  My friend and mentor, Christine Kane, inspires me every year to come up with one word to embrace in 2010.  Try it! Write it down in big, bold, letters with a permanent marker on your calendar, or on a piece of paper to put on your fridge.   Rather than thinking about it as a promise, think of it as a declaration or an invitation…

(If you haven’t downloaded my free e-book, The Flight of Fancy Dreamwheel Manual, now would be a splendid time, as creating a Dreamwheel can be a powerful and fun way to soak in your intention for the coming year~  or if you live closeby, join me for a special New Years Dreamwheel Circle on January 3rd!)

Many warm wintertime wishes to you!!!

Categories: Creativity, Living Mindfully, dreamwheels, gratitude, inside out, life purpose   |   Tags: authenticity, Christine Kane, Creativity, dreamwheels, gratitude, Lisa Rough  |  6 Comments »

6 comments