Creativity= going barefoot.

I have lots of BIG ideas.

Lately, though, I’ve been feeling like I’m tiptoeing around them, worried that if I make too much of a ruckus, or if I get too excited about them, they’ll let me down.  Kind of like a soufflé on the verge of collapsing, or plans that are jinxed.  It didn’t help that this morning’s horoscope advised me to pick fruit from a shorter tree rather than waste time going after the apples that might be beyond my reach.

Maybe it’s simply that the universe is throwing a few curveballs my way to see how I respond.  However, I think it’s much more likely that my old patterns and mindsets are kicking in and showing me how when things are moving right along, I tend to wait for the bomb to drop.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Even the clearest and most successful of us have those moments.  Luckily, with a little awareness and a lot of playfulness, we can walk those old mindsets out the door and bid them farewell…

Start from wherever you are.  Jump in with the innocence of a child, and the grace of beginner’s mind, knowing that no matter how much you know your stuff, there is always more to learn, more to explore, more to be blown away by.   If that first jump intimidates you because you don’t feel “enough” (educated enough, rich enough, thin enough, artistic enough, etc.), remember that we all start somewhere.  If it weren’t for that first daring step, you wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Play the what-if game.  My son, Noah, LOVES this game.  We often play it in the car on the way to school.  First, he comes up with the most catastrophic, horrible thing that could happen…  like, “what if all of the hamsters in the world escaped from their cages?”  Then when it’s my turn, my job is to turn it around, usually in a rather absurd way…  “What if the hamsters escaped but then realized how much they needed their people, and so they collected all of the lite-brites from all over the world and created a sign as big as the state of Texas that said, “We wanna come home!”  You get the gist, don’t you?  The point is that many of us tend to focus on the what-ifs in a negative light…  we’re conditioned to prepare for the worst rather than expect the best.  Try shifting your what-ifs into something more positive and see what happens…  What if I am successful in my business?  What if I meet the love of my dreams?  What if I win the lottery?  Even if your what-ifs feel far out or absurd, allow yourself to wonder…

Take a time out.  We can all get a little whiney from time to time.  That’s when it’s time for a time-out, or what we call in our house, “peace time.”  When you are ruled by emotions that don’t reflect your truths, sometimes you need to give those emotions some distance to find some objective space and clarity.  Writing in a journal, drawing, breaking out the disco music and dancing- these things can help you move out of the emotions and into calm.  Intend to come back and explore the reasons for your whininess after you’ve had some time to let it go.

Experience the mud.  There’s a huge difference between the “whinies” and authentic sadness or grief.  On the flip side of time out is a genuine need to squeeze mud between your fingers, get a little messy, and allow yourself to weep from time to time.   I realize that this can be rather uncomfortable for some.  But if you completely avoid the dark side, you are also protecting yourself from your own potential within the deep well of who you are.   That doesn’t mean you have to sink into old stories and old traumas…  drawing boundaries around your mud can be helpful, as well as asking for help and guidance when needed.

Play dress-up.  When I was a little girl, I used to love dressing up in clothing that once belonged to my grandmother…  her fancy silk nightgowns and robes were my favorites, along with a pair of sparkly silver slippers that I called my “Dorothy shoes.”  When you have those big ideas of who you want to be or what you want to do, allow yourself some time to pretend that you’re already there.  If you do, I am willing to bet that you will eventually start to grow into those big-girl or big-boy clothes until they fit you just right.

Do-over.  Do you remember playing ring-around-the-rosey as a kid, and after you’d all fall down, you’d get right back up and do it again, over and over and over?  Well, the thing is, we all fall down.  All the time.  But as grown-ups, we hardly ever find pleasure in getting back up again and repeating the same mistakes.  We call it a failure, give up all too soon, and move onto something else.   I invite you to look at your foibles as necessary steps toward becoming all that you have the potential of being.  Allow yourself lots of do-overs.  Find the rhythm and excitement in getting back up again.  It’s there, I promise.

Never say never.  Really.  Erase that word from your vocabulary.  If your juiciest ideas are way up at the very tippy top of the tree, start climbing.  Swing from the branches, howl like a monkey, and boost yourself up there.  It might take one good hoist and you’re there, or it may take some time, but either way, you’ve really got nothing to lose.

Hmmm…   Instead of waiting for the other shoe to fall, I think I’ll just go barefoot….  wanna join me?

Categories: Creativity, Living Mindfully, inside out, life purpose   |   Tags: authenticity, Creativity, Lisa Rough, risk, trust, truth  |  8 Comments »

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