Creativity Wanted...
When I undertook this challenge, and for me it has been a challenge, I think I tried very hard to put all my ducks in a row. How do you start one of these things? Do I have what it takes? Am I creative enough? Am I witty enough? Am I serious enough? And for so much of my life, having the plan, having my ducks in a row, having all the skills polished up were a requirement to even begin to think of taking action. I mean, after all, I was raised as a Girl Scout and by gosh I am going to be prepared! And yet still had the urge to try this and take the leap of faith into the unknown.
I found that being prepared every moment, every project, and or every task really stifles the creative side of me. The ‘let’s go with the flow’ side of me is the creative side of me. But this creative side very much conflicts with the ‘be prepared’ side of me. And I’m guessing this may impact many as it does me.
I would hide behind the ‘be prepared’ when ‘go with the flow’ was a bit too scary & unfamiliar. And I would hide behind the ‘go with the flow’ when the attempts to ‘be prepared’ became to challenging. And as I have been in the waiting line of preparedness and the roller coaster of creativity, I’m starting to find the right balance between both.
I like to spend part of my day thinking about the tasks I need to deal with and address so I can keep that sense of preparedness in close proximity to me even tracking those items in my trusty notebook. Even being prepared enough to keep that notebook with me always – how’s that for being prepared.
And when I can just wing it or start let the ideas flowing, I allow myself to do that and I think of some crazy ideas, dreams, and possibilities and I jot those down in the same notebook. I don’t want those precious ideas to slip away so I want them close by as well.
For many years, I kept separate notebooks. I had one notebook for the tasks and one for the dreams. No so long ago, I allowed myself to combine them – in both an emotional and literal way. By combining those sides of myself into one actual notebook, I finally accepted that I have these two sides, each needing attention equally. And the two of them separated are only part of me but the two of them together is me.
I’m a work in progress and still figure out how to manage the two sides now and manage my ideas and thoughts in a single notebook. It’s not perfect, and once again I allowed myself to not be perfect, but I have allowed myself to be me, sometimes with ducks in a row, most often not.
So think about the different side of your life and be sure you allow yourself to be the real you, not just a part of you. You have what it takes to be both prepared and creative – just have to allow yourself to let those grow and take the leap of faith – you never know what’s on the other side and you'll most likely be prepared for it anyway. ~ChaCha
