After the project…

I just came off a large project in which I felt engaged body and soul for over a year. Finally some time to think and create something else. Finally, here is the time to skip and jump and let my imagination take over.

 

It is difficult nevertheless, once the commitment to complete a project is no longer there, to recuperate the wealth of ideas that entered my mind during that time. When you are blessed with a fertile imagination or an affluence of ideas and you are limited in their expression either by convention or because you are fulfilling a contract or because of lack time, the release of all these ideas can be quite mind boggling. Several opportunities and routes suddenly open up and choosing between all these alternatives can be quite paralyzing and cause much anxiety.

 

I find myself in such a period right now. Although I am so so happy to be free to starts a multitude of new projects, I am not sure which one to pick, which one to concentrate on. The easiest way out is to not paint and use the lack of time as the perfect excuse.

Instead I choose to meditate and try to choose instinctively, intuitively between options and especially, to keep on painting and writing everyday.  I am trying, as best I can, not to let other people influence my artistic journey. I like to work on several projects at the same time which permits me to work on what I feel like doing every day and lets my mind resolve problems without overload. The challenge is to complete projects. I think a lot of artists are in this predicament.

 

After having this large project occupy my mind, literally squatting in my mind for over a year, I feel very excited at the freedom to create right now. As I tried, over the past several months to complete small projects as a distraction from the famous mural, my mind kept on wrestling subconsciously with ideas and dilemmas, with artistic questions, with technical problems. Now that I have some time to find answers or to experiment on paper, I find myself frustrated with the lack of time and the lack of energy that I am experiencing, by the choices that must be made, by the limits that are imposed on me.

 

So many ideas and concepts that want to explode on canvas. At the same time, fear of failure must be conquered. Since all these ideas and concepts seem quite perfect in my mind, it is a real challenge to put it to canvas and see it come together. The process, while being very exciting is also anxiety ridden.  We must fight this anxiety every day if we want to continue on our journey and see at least a portion of what we imagine become reality.

Dualistic Thinking

The idea of dualistic thinking, that there is a good and evil way to be, that people and things should be categorized according to certain standards meets the idea of toxicity and purety of thoughts.  Dualistic thinking is the way most people think and act, it is the “us vs. them” syndrome. It brings to some the internal comfort to know that they are part of the inner circle. They then feel reassured that their thoughts are the correct ones and feel vindicated that they are right and others are wrong.

 

Dualistic thinking is a toxic way of thinking because it does not take into account the fact that there are two sides to each of us whether we like it or not and that we cannot deny one over the other completely. It does not take into account the fact that between these two sides there is an enormous range of grays and that some thoughts or beliefs can be changed instantly according to the perspective of the moment. How can we become more aware of the way we use our mind and be conscious of when dualistic thinking takes over and we are in a mode of not seeing anything realistic, all the while thinking we see the truth?

 

Dualistic thinking spells judgment; judgment that we are better than the other, that we know better. Yet, once you decide to suspend judgment and really look at what is around us, we see that everything is the way it should be, and that life is unfolding one moment , one minute at the time. We see that the flow of it is perfect and that we don’t need to interfere. There is no reason to judge or assume anything. It is when we doubt, when we want to control everything that things fall apart.

 

Prejudging people and events is a very toxic way of thinking because it does not allow you to see the truth. I really like Wayne Dyer’s analogy when he says: ”Prejudging thinking is treating your mind like a rental space for the thoughts and beliefs of others”. What a way to put it! It really brings it home that we don’t want to let other people control our thinking. We should be the masters of our domain like they say. So why is it so easy to let others take over our mind this way? Society sometimes put us in situations where we feel we need to be “part of the gang”. Usually, when we grow up, this dualistic way of thinking is stronger, especially in the teen years where you must feel like you are part of the group, whether the popular ones, the intellectuals, or the smart ones, etc. It is again the “Us vs. them” attitude, pushed to the extreme when bullying enters the picture. But as adults, why is there still some lingering feeling that you must act this way? Why does the bullying take on a different form but is still present?

 

I have observed a group of people demonstrating that dualistic way of thinking very clearly for the past few months. Their outlook is dualistic and judgmental… toxic. In their minds, there is a clear right and a clear wrong, a good and evil. I am looking at all of this with surprise and sadness. Not only is this way of thinking using a lot of energy that could be used to create and work, but this way of thinking does not lead to deep living either. All that energy used to protect, consolidate and condemn is no longer available to observe, to live, to enjoy, to love and to give.

 

This way of thinking only separates people, making them feel like they belong to different camps when each individual should only try to do their best without being judged. Dualistic thinking results in groups that try to eliminate and banish everyone and everything they deem is not acceptable or part of their vision. This expands into societies that are intolerant towards the weak, the sick, the unproductive, and the simply different. And this also creates self hatred when one recognizes a trait associated with the other group within themselves, as they will, inevitably.

 

How much time and energy are being utilized towards this end, attacking others, trying to protect a virtual territory. When we put energy into fighting, trying to feel like we are better than others, it is ourselves that we destroy. What pushes some people to act this way? Is it insecurity, is it unhappiness, is it greed?

 

When dualistic thinking has become your habitual way of thinking and you become aware of it, it is not too late to change. It is never too late to re-assess our way of thinking and listen to our inner voice. What we need to do is shut down the external noise and listen to this inner voice. Let it guide you and be aware of the fact that you are not your thoughts. You can change them according to your own inner truth.

Decision making

I read and kept on reading yesterday on decision making, What makes for a good decision, one that one will not regret? What makes a real decision, one we will commit to?  Two things really are important about decisions: long term vision and action. A real decision triggers an action that brings someone closer to the goal. For example: If you want to lose weight or stop smoking, a real decision means that you will not take that cupcake, that you will not have that one puff that would bring you back down the path you don’t want to go.  A commitment from body and soul is what makes a real decision.

 

I now have some decisions to make or I should say, I forgot my last decisions and am now going down a path I don’t want to be on. Adjustment: it is easy enough when we realize we deviate from our target. We can very well get back on track. What is sometimes difficult is to figure out what path to take to get to our goal when we are faced with two options. It is also difficult sometimes to ensure a decision is good or bad until you see the results.

 

And it is also important to remember is that it is OK to make mistakes and we must be open enough to learn from them in all humility. Mistakes are the way life has to teach us. We are not born with all the skills necessary to succeed in all spheres. It is often by making mistakes that you go forward. Not acting ensures you won’t make a mistake but isn’t it the greatest mistake after all? When you commit or promise yourself to look at long-term results rather than short-term gratification, you have made one of the most important decision of your life. Not making that decision will ensure that everyday ups and downs will get to you and you’ll feel you are forever dissatisfied with yourself and your life.

 

Make the decision to commit to yourself. Create a vision of yourself in your future that is not dependant on other people but that translates your own values and qualities and then think of ways to transform this into action.

 

Remember: Life’s delays are not Life’s denials. Sometimes, the path seems sinuous and long but, along the way, experiences add up that make you who you are and who you will become. If you believe in your dream, you must take action to carry yourself towards it even if it seems impossible in the short term. Nothing is impossible unless you decide it is impossible.

Just be.

It is possible to make each moment, each minute in our lives a work of art. It is possible to take the time to just be without any artifice, without trying to influence anything. It is possible to live to the best of our ability without scheming or trying to influence anyone or any situation. I feel this detachment right now about things, others, projects. Not detached meaning I don’t care, but detached meaning I care enough to let it happen. Detached, as in curious about the unfolding of events, excited about the wonder of it.

 

Let life happen, follow your instincts and be. If you live with mindfulness and are trying to be aware of yourself as a part of the universe, if you are capable to be in touch with yourself and just be, it is the source of much happiness and calm and creativity. Feeling free from what surrounds you, you can observe the world and yourself as part of it, without judgment and decide what is good for you as a person, as a part of a family, of a circle of friends, of a society, of the world. Just be and let others be.

Appointment with life

Did you realize that your appointment with life is now, in the present moment? We have to realize that if we cannot have peace and joy right now, nothing guarantees it will be there tomorrow. We must find a way to be and stay in touch right here, right now with our life, with our self. We have to find a way to empty our head of thoughts and just breathe and be aware of our life, our chance to be alive.

 

Let go of all negativity around you, do not let it touch you. Actually, it has nothing to do with you. You don’t have to let negative and scheming people and situations touch you. Stay away at least mentally. Don’t let this buzzing at the back of our mind start to take over.

Make a decision, right here, right now, to not let all what is exterior to you and that you cannot influence bother you. Don’t let your environment (including negative or toxic people around you) dictate or direct your life. Choose to be the master of your own life, of your own destiny. You can change your whole life in a blink, the day that you truly decide which direction you want to take, what you want to be. The day that you commit to your decision to change, to be someone different, to feel differently, to bee happy, you can do it. You might need a bit of practice but it can and it is being done every day.

 

Decision making is a powerful tool to change your life, to change our mindset, to shift the pieces of your consciousness in your head and realign the pieces the way you want them to be. It is extremely important to realize that when people are upset with you for some reason or another, it is often their own attitude they blame, their own integrity they question, their own insecurity they project. Things are not necessarily how they appear, and people see what they want to see.

 

Decision is about commitment. If you want to stop smoking for example and you think “I’d like to stop smoking”, you can safely say you have not made the decision until you are committed to not take another cigarette again, you have not made the decision.

 

The same goes for our mental stability, for our happiness and what we decide to look at and disregard in our lives. When you are engaged in an action and think to your self: Why am I doing this? And your answer is “Because I have to”, Stop and think for a moment; Why do you feel you “have to”. You have to realize that “You don’t have to do anything”. You can choose another option. Whenever you feel stuck in a situation, think about the other options available and make the conscious decision to either continue down that road you chose with renewed peace of mind or get out by any way you can.

 

I find myself in a situation right now where I am being manipulated, misinterpreted on purpose, where goodwill has become absent because of personal agendas and greed. It is a jungle out there and I had not realized this. I am surprised and hurt by what I am going through right now. I am in the middle of a social experiment and I am learning a lot. This has become a major learning experience in my life, one that has taken its toll on my health, on my self confidence, on my illusions about the goodness of people. Maybe I was too idealistic but I perceived this project I am involved in right now as a challenge where I would practice my art intensively and get to know some fun people. I find myself in the middle of something else altogether. I have learned that I don’t have the type of personality that can walk over people and I have learned that I can easily be manipulated, which actually surprised me. I have learned a lot about myself through this, what I like, what I don‘t like, what I won’t put up with, what I can endure.

 

I have learned I am stronger than I thought. I have learned that people are insecure and struggling to gain something even when they say they are not. I have learned that I am capable to see the good even in people that are schemers and acting like enemies. They simply don’t understand yet what life is all about and that what they do to someone else or how they are with someone else only reflects on themselves, on who they are as individuals, on where they are on the road to wellness. They don’t see they are doing it to themselves.

 

I truly feel that I am and have been but an instrument at this point. I put some factors together and I am watching the adventure unfold. To come back to the power of decision, I realize I got caught up emotionally in something from which I should have stayed detached. I was full of illusions and optimism but the people I am presently working with turned out exactly how I had been told they would be. I had been warned at the beginning of the project. So at this point, since I don’t like the way I am feeling about this, I must decide to change my mindset and free myself from all the negativity that is surrounding me. I can just let it bounce off me to them, be a mirror and do not let it touch me. After all it is their problem. They are trying to manipulate the situation to their advantage. It is obvious to all that there is dishonesty and manipulation on the part of one particular individual and I must not let it get to me.

 

Karma always catches up to these people when they least expect it. Everything is as it should and life will take care of it. So, to conclude, I am immediately deciding and committing to enjoy and cultivate the most positive emotions right now, today. It is possible and feasible to choose more joy, more fun, more peace of mind.

 

Remember, you can change your life the minute you make a new decision and you commit to it. Decide today to change that something in your life that is keeping you from experiencing joy and happiness. Life can be changed one decision at the time.

Precious present moment

Already, November 28^th!! In less than one month, it will be after Christmas already. I have been really busy lately, hence, my staying away from writing and I really miss it. My mind has been going in circle trying to find solutions to problems that should not be complicated but it seems that people around me insist on making them complex.

 

I have then been trying to meditate more and thinking less. Have you ever noticed that we think way too much and that it is by taking a break from thinking that we find solutions? Most of the time, we do think too much on the premise that thinking will bring an answer, will relieve the anxiety that inhabits some of us.

 

A good way I found to stop, or at least slow down my thinking and get a beak is by the practice of mindful breathing. If we can find some time, even only a few minutes to stop, sit and just breathe, we feel a sense of calm and peacefulness descend upon us. We feel restored and relaxed. The practice of mindful breathing helps us with the realization that we are alive now, in the present moment, and that we cannot change the past or stay focused on something that happened earlier in our journey. It is not better to spend our time worrying about the future. It will be what it will be. Once you know you have done your best, you have to be confident that everything is as it should be, right now, and the future will take care of itself. Right now is the only moment. Mindful breathing helps us get in touch with our life with the here and now, with the present moment.

 

This is not to say that thinking is not important but quite a large amount of it is useless. All these thoughts that are filling our heads block our creativity. By thinking and trying not to forget anything, we create a sometimes subtle but constant anxiety that impedes clear thinking and the flow of inspiration. Do you hear that tape running in your head constantly? These words, these thoughts, these feelings and opinions, that are so difficult to stop… Whether day or night, we think and think and it is difficult to stop. We cannot only press a button to bring  them to a halt. Going back to mindful breathing and slowing down the thinking, observing our thoughts, all help to bring the pressure down and to get back to living today in the here and now.

 

It is unnecessary to worry about the future and useless to regret the past. We must find a way to enjoy the present moment. It is the only reality. We must smell the air, feel the tickle of the wind on our skin, enjoy the beauty of the flower, develop our awareness of our physical being as well as our spiritual being.

 

There is a way to breathe consciously and be in the present moment. We can say “In” when we inhale and “Out” when we exhale. The fact that we are using words to ground us helps us to be aware of our breathing and slow the thinking, since saying these words are not thinking. When you start to practice this conscious breathing on a regular basis, you are able to calm down is any situation and you are able to see what is going on around you without getting upset about it. After a  “conscious breathing session” , even a short 5 minutes sometimes, we feel refreshed, we feel like ourselves again we are in touch with ourselves and see the world for what it is. We can then experience the peace and pleasure of knowing that we are breathing, we can see and feel what is around us with a fresh look, with a fresh awareness.  We can face the world without fear and with openness, ready for new experiences. The past is gone, the future is not here yet. Now is the only moment.

 

If we are not able to go back to ourselves and be in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life. I strongly believe that most people live that way, running through their lives, anticipating the future, thinking about the past, wanting to be where they are not.

 

We must try to experience this kind of awareness every day. The more we practice this slowing down, breathing and awareness, the calmer we will become, the more we will be able to enjoy life and experience our great adventure, the pleasure to be alive.

Each moment is precious. We have to try to live each moment in awareness.

 

Fear (2)

I spoke of fear before: the raw feeling in the pit of the stomach, the cramps, the heart that starts racing without control.  But what do we do when we have these feelings and we don’t feel like we are afraid of anything tangible, what to do with the diffuse anxiety that cannot be identified and that just sits there, inside … There are some steps to help relieve the feeling. First of all, we have to come to the realization that the feeling is fear. This could take a while especially if the feeling is diffused and it just sits there like a lump, like a ghost inhabiting you. You don’t even know it is there. You just don’t feel good and you cannot identify why.

 

And then it clicks. It feels like fear. What am I afraid of? Once you realize you are afraid, it becomes easier to deal with the fear.

The first thing to ask is: What am I afraid of? Am afraid of someone, something, of failure, of success, of a situation? I find it useful to take pen to paper to write down the answers that pop up when I ask the question.

 

Once you’ve acknowledged what scares you, you have to prepare yourself mentally to deal with the fear. Accept the fact that you are fearful. It is not a sign of weakness. Acknowledging you are fearful, looking at your fear in the eye brings you closer to finding a solution.  It is useful to think about ways to deal with the fear. What actions can you take to relieve the apprehension, to feel like there is no longer a danger, a threat? For example if you are afraid of an outcome, write down the steps you can think about that would insure you get the proper result and, above all, take immediate action on the first step. Taking action will instantly relieve some tension as it gives you the feeling you are taking control of the situation. Finally, make the decision to trust your instinct and in what the future will bring you. Make the decision to have faith and stop stressing, knowing you have done everything possible to insure a good result. Some circumstances will always be out of your control. That is life. This is an aspect of life that brings good surprises too

 

We are all sometimes afraid of the unknown. This is why we try to control our destiny, our life, but we have to welcome the unknown. This is the flow of life. We must not be afraid and continue in our journey of learning. We must open ourselves to what life and circumstances are bringing us and look at opportunities as ways to improve ourselves and our knowledge.

Live according to your inner truth

 

I have had a few encounters in the last weeks that put me in touch with some people whose unhappiness and uneasiness of their inner life I could feel.

 

This uneasiness is often caused by not living according to our inner truth.  We sometimes talk about people that “have a big ego”,  when we think of self-centered people. But this is not the kind of ego I am speaking of here. I am talking about the idea we have of ourselves, the influential illusion that often dictates how we act. Encouraging the permanence of this illusion prevents us from really knowing ourselves and from experiencing life in a truthful manner. We have to realize that we are not a body with a soul but a spiritual being living an earthly experience through a human body.

 

This difference in perception changes how we experience life. As a spiritual being, we feel the connectedness to other people, we feel like we are a part of a whole and that what we to others, we really do to ourselves. We all have a spiritual guide inside ourselves. Listening to our inner core is not always easy but it is the way to be happy. Meditating bring us closer to this inner voice and gives us the opportunity to discover peace.

 

When we talk about forgiving, I have noticed that we look at it as something we should do for ourselves as well as for the other person. But once we understand that each person has “suchness”, meaning they are what they are, they act like they act, for no other reason than because that’s the way it is, once we understand that we don’t have to question but just accept, everything becomes easier.  If you are attacked by a great big bear while walking in a forest, you will not feel offended by this attack. You will be fearful and maybe physically hurt but your ego will not be wounded. We should feel the same about the onslaughts of our fellow human beings when they happen. “We should protect ourselves, or get out of their way, but without feeling morally wronged”, as Castadena said in “The power of Silence”.

 

All the things that offend us are hurting our ego because they are affecting how we feel about ourselves, not because they are necessarily hurtful. They are playing on the idea we have of ourselves and of how the world should behave towards ourselves. Someone has broken our rules and has played on our sense of self-absorption. This is all an illusion. Even the idea of forgiveness is somehow twisted because there is nothing to forgive really once you realize that everyone is only trying to do their best with what they have in one particular moment. There is nothing to forgive once you realize that a certain event has moved into your past and is gone. There is no point in wallowing in it. The only way to go, the only direction to move is forward.

 

When you listen or live by your ego, you are building your life on a foundation of illusion, a life of mirrors where you are trying to keep up with the idea you are trying to project to the world, and also to yourself. This becomes very hard to live after a while, this need for constant reassurance of who you are as seen through other people’s eyes. Trying to keep the illusion, afraid something will shatter it, scared of gossip. This is not good. You have to discover your sense of self, meaning the sense of your spiritual self and live as truly as you can according to this understanding, instinctively following this true path.

 

If you let go of your ego, you will start seeing other human beings as they are rather than how you think they should be. You will start accepting people as they are and then will be able to choose what place you want them to take in your life.

 

I truly believe that everyone is special and nobody is special at the same time. We are but a wheel in the chain of life, each with a role to play and it is by following your true self and trying to crush the ego that you can really move forward and progress along your spiritual path.

 

I don’t like to deal with aggressive people.

I had a very emotional last 2-3 days. I have been nervous and anxious, upset, freaked out, only because of a few people that have been mad at me, and even though they have no significance or any influence in my life, I feel I have been judged and juried by these 2 people that don’t even know me. They have assumed things about me that are not true at all. I feel I have been bullied. I don’t like to have aggressive people in my life, and I feel sorry for the people that have to deal with them on a regular basis.

 

Sunday night I was thrown into a lion’s den, sitting across from a very aggressive person. I have difficulty dealing with hostile people. I think they are irrational, very arrogant and don’t listen to anything you have to say so what’s the point in responding really. There is so much going on in their heads that there is no place for anybody else’s voice to get in, no way to reason with them. And yesterday morning, the same thing: I get a phone call from somebody that, again, did not listen, that made a mistake, and that was blaming me for their own distraction. This, for me, is very difficult to deal with and sometimes, unfortunately, I let these people influence the rest of my day or the rest of my week, depending on what happened.

 

There are no aggressive people in my life, because I chose, a long time ago not to live around toxic people. These people that spew garbage each time they open their mouth, the negative people that complain but make no effort to change.

 

I am reflecting today on the ways to immunize ourselves against these types of people. They obviously are the ones having the problem. They are the ones that feel the aggression and the tension and they simply try to pass this on to somebody else to relieve some of the pressure they feel. Or they just try to bully people to make themselves feel better or because they feel superior in some way. Why do we have to deal with this and why should we? If at all possible, the best way is to walk away, but what if you can’t because you have to deal with them either for business or otherwise? I think what is important is to stand up to them and not let them push you down. If you don’t, they will think you worthless and the aggressive bullying will continue.

 

What is also important is to realize that you should not let anybody rob you of your sense of self and your happiness. If they have a problem with aggression or tension, rage even, it is not your place to try to fix it for them. They are the only ones that can fix this.

I know for a fact yesterday’s caller will need a week to cool down and no matter what happens she will always think she was right. Some people are not able to look at the full picture. They are not able to shift their consciousness to see the other side of the coin, to find the joy in what is in front of them. I cannot do anything about it. She chose to react the way she did and I can only control my own behavior.

 

The other point I want to bring is that, the more you deal with people actually or the more people you deal with, the more chance there is to have such encounters once in a while, even if you don’t want to, to be on the receiving end of their bad moods or other bad behavior, to be misunderstood, but also to be loved and appreciated, to have fun and feel alive. That is life I suppose. We are social creatures.

 

 

OK so, to summarize this whole thing. I have had a terrible day yesterday actually, but, in reality, it was mostly the morning because I went shopping with my son at night and it was relaxing and fun, and I had good conversations and straightened out problems during the afternoon, So I did get some things accomplished, even if not half of what I was planning to. Some days are like that. They cannot all be perfect but it is our job to make the best of it.

 

When bad things happen or things we don’t like to deal with, it is good to be able to practice “selective remembering”. In other words we don’t have to ruin our days with remembering things that we are not happy about, that we don’t like. We have to let go of them, they are in the past now.  As I spoke of control before, I realize that I still have a lot to learn about letting go and trusting life. Each day, I am being told to let go a little more. Yet I feel it is difficult in practice. We have to realize that we are sometimes instruments of a master plan that we don’t always understand. We should look at life with curiosity, look for inspirational ideas and follow that light when it comes on in our head.

 

As we know, our self-perception determines how we behave, how we react to things. When someone is aggressive in front of you, most of the time, they are angry at themselves and you have to think that they feel pretty uncomfortable with their life as with life in general. An angry person is not a happy person.  Don’t let them rub this negativity onto you.

 

Resistance and creativity

I will continue on the theme of control and resistance. I have been reading on yoga and meditation and how you want to shine your light onto the world by being yourself, by accepting yourself, by sharing yourself. How can you shine onto the world if you feel you are not fully participating, if you are not putting your self out there? As a creative artist it is sometimes difficult to feel like we are fully playing our part in life.

 

Are you looking for inspiration because you think this is the cause of your creative block? I met a fellow artist last summer at a diner party. I knew him only by sight and I did not know he was going to be at this event. We got to talk and it was very interesting because he felt he was out of inspiration. This is a common reason among a lot of us artists that stop painting: we feel like we are out of inspiration. He was telling me he had not touched a paintbrush in over a year because he did not feel inspired. I saw him again yesterday, six months later, and he still has not started painting again. This is a lot like the “writers’ block” we hear so much about. When we artist are besieged with self doubt about ourselves, the importance of our work, the meaning of it or its purpose, we just freeze, go around in circles and find reasons not to paint. And life can throw a lot of these our way. It is not difficult at all to find excuses.

 

Yet it is only by sitting in front of the canvas and painting that we become good at it and that ideas flow. Working is the trigger. We have to do something every day for our art, like a fire, it needs to be stroked. Our art kind of has a life of its own and we cannot deny its place in our lives. I notice how unhappy I become after a few weeks without touching a paintbrush, how uneasy I feel. When I think of going to paint, my heart skips a beat, excitement, apprehension, fear, challenged. All these feelings get mixed up and create anxiety. An anxiety that ends the minute I am installed and working on a project.

 

We have to understand that our resistance is made up of all these things and that the minute we start working, it just falls away and disappears. I often feel this way too The feeling that it doesn’t matter, that your work is not good enough, that nobody cares, that it won’t make a difference anyhow. Another good one is that you won’t meet people expectations of your work, especially of you have been successful in the past or you want to explore something different or that you have 10 different projects started and none finished,

 

For some of us, we are even past this. We don’t identify these negative feelings anymore. We don’t even realize we are anxious. We just figure our lives are too busy, too many demands and obligations to spend time on painting. It is easy to fill our lives with obligations, activities, and busyness. It is easy to leave no room for painting or creating. It is easy to let it slip at the bottom of our priority list. But what happens to your self then? Your core that wants to create, that needs to create, is screaming to get out, is screaming for you to let it be free.

 

And by not finding time to create, we are sending a message to ourselves that it is not important enough to give it room. But what does it do to you? What message does it send to your core if it is not that YOU are not important enough?

 

When we don’t respect our core like this, we walk with our head hanging, we feel like a failure, we feel the discomfort within ourselves without being able to identify the problem. After all it is not our fault if we don’t have enough time…

 

Excuses, resistance and fear are a great combination for unhappiness. So take one hour everyday to create, paint, doodle, to let the flow go in and out of your mind and your body. One hour with your paints, your pencils, the smell of oils or acrylics. Give yourself the permission to just sit and feel the paint on the canvas, to just apply color, to just feel the texture of the paint.  One hour for yourself, for your happiness, for your life.

 

Have a great day J