We had a winter storm the other day here in Toronto. And while driving, I began to think about what my winter driving had in common with my creative dreams. This is what I came up with.
1. Be grateful to be in my car, point in the right direction, and move (even slowly). Some days I don’t get as much work towards my creative dream as I set out to do. Other days it seems like I’m moving backwards.
And I know it as I do:
~ Get in the car (show up every day),
~ Point in the right direction (have positive intentions and goals that I have expressed, written and shared with someone), and
~ Keep moving (spending time on my creative dream every day, even just five minutes),
I am doing the right thing to protect my creative dreams and keep them alive.
2. There will always be someone in front of me and there will always be someone behind me, and where I am is just perfect.
When I meet a person who is living a version of my creative dream, only that it seems to be further away than I am, I need to put aside any feelings of jealousy, fear or discouragement that may arise.
I need to learn from them, admire them, connect with them, and offer my support. And I can do the same for the person just starting out and for whom my nearly two and a half years in the business seem like a lifetime.
I need to accept that my destiny is already happening, and it is happening at the perfect speed, even if I don’t always see it right now.
3. If I try to do more than one thing at a time, I run the risk of derailing myself and my own survival. A stormy winter day is not the time to open a bottle of water, make a phone call, or jot down my shopping list while driving.
I have many creative dreams and many things that I want to achieve every day, every week and throughout my life. I can do them all. And I can only do one at a time. Spreading myself makes it more difficult to be effective and I risk giving up one of my projects.
One concern is that I will “lose something”, completely forget about a project or my enthusiasm for it. I have to have faith that really special projects will not be forgotten.
And if something jumps in front of me and distracts me from the task at hand, perhaps what is really exciting is that it is taking me away from the “monotony” of completing what is in front of me. I need to complete what I have in front of me.
4. I have to keep my tank full. By practicing healthy self-care habits every day, my energy reserve – adequate nutrition and enough sleep, rest, and activity – will recharge.
It is when my tank is full that I will be most creative and most open to my muse and spirit guide.
And as I use it, I need to constantly replace it.
Because any change we make needs to be reinforced with our actions every day. And every morning is a new beginning and the beginning of an entire election day to be done.
5. God is in charge (and I am not). I can make all the plans in the world, and as we were all reminded on December 26, 2004, plans (and lives) can disappear in an instant.
So while I am setting positive intentions, creating goals, and practicing a positive vision of what the future holds, I also pretend to be open and accept whatever God’s plan is for me and my creative dreams.
Prayer, meditation, talking to someone I trust, all of this helps me separate * my * plans from what God seems to be telling me.
And this past Wednesday God planted the seeds for this article by providing a winter storm, extra time in the car, a good dose of inspiration from my muse, and the willingness to listen to him.
(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.