Diversity and creativity are sacred right order

If God was some kind of conformity-loving force, we wouldn’t all have such passionately divergent ideas and desires. We all share common needs and yet we all have preferences and strategies. Thus our sacred call is to discover and express our inner soul desires–and encourage each other to do the same. When we do that, we each increase the myriad beautiful manifestations of God.

God loves weird.

(Note: in case the word “God” makes you uncomfortable, rest assured I mean it in a woo-woo “the Divine sacred Universe” Donald Walsh whatever-works-for-you energy field ground-of-all-being the-unnameable-Tao harmony-underlying-all-things kind of way).

On a completely unrelated note…

Did you know you could make your own bumper stickers at Zazzle.com? For $3.95? Then you can sell them through their site. Click the link above and you can buy the bumper sticker (if you want). Hey, you could make a whole income stream out of this. How frickin’ awesome is this? CafePress move over.

The rules have changed

It strikes me that as technology develops, the means of production will only get more and more automated and inexpensive.

The only competitive advantage that will always remain is your creativity.

So it’s imperative to get a clear channel open that creative inspiration can come through you. Because you can’t fake creativity. True inspiration comes through you, and you gotta be a willing and clear conduit for it if you want it to come through on a regular basis.

Trust that you are worthy

Creativity requires something that no other type of work does: faith in yourself. Why? Each time you step out into something new, you are taking on faith that something good will come of it.

That takes courage. It takes a willingness to believe in yourself.

You are unique and Divine and it’s OK to own your power and use it. You are good, and what you truly want to create will come to good. Be willing to create and trust that you are worthy.

Clear the distractions

The best way to let your fears and doubts run the show is to avoid them. Our whole economy runs on distraction devices. It takes courage to turn away from them and choose to do something meaningful with your time here on earth.

Generally, it helps to have some support. Unless you live in a hut on a mountain, you will be facing a constant battle with distraction and a bevy of avoidance mechanisms.

Here are my thoughts on this:

1. Get some systems. Morning pages. Yoga. Meditation. GTD. Whatever works for you to stay focused, clear, and happy.
2. Pay attention to your day to day needs and make sure they are managed – food, rest, socialization, relationships. If you have trouble in any major area, get help from a counselor of some kind. Day to day happiness is the single best predictor of regular creative output (IMHO).
3. Get a community that you see regularly that shares your values. An art group. A women’s group. A woo-woo church (I recommend Unity). Buddhist meditation group.
4. Make media access more difficult for yourself. For instance, I do not own a real television. I watch TV online or watch Netflix movies. I’m on the one-at-a-time plan. The inconvenience lessens the threshold of ease toward getting sucked in.
5. Decide if you really need to know the news and “keep up with things”. Some people find it really is important to them. For myself, I stopped all news intake around 1998. I glean enough from the newspaper stands, friends, Twitter, etc that I have a vague idea of what is going – I don’t need to get a daily dose of depression. If I hear about something and want to know more, I can always find out online.

So there you have it – go forth! Create!

Why?

Because she has a purple and pink mane, a purple leopard spot stripe down her nose, and scrunchy lime green stirrups.

Our inner child needs nourishment.

There is something important that is tied up in lightness, play, fun, and ease: inspiration and creativity.

The first definition of inspire is “To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence”. I believe we all have a niche we are meant to fill: our purpose in life. When we are doing whatever it is that is our purpose, it’s like play for us. For me, it’s being creative with business.

When I take myself too seriously, I don’t feel inspired anymore. The world starts looking gray and dingy. I find myself watching too much television. I start wondering why my life doesn’t feel shiny anymore. If I’m supposedly doing what I love, why do I feel so gritty?

When that happens, it’s time for an injection of fun, play, childishness, silliness, etc. Or sometimes it signals that I have some emotional stuff up that I need to address. That is, I need to crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and cry till I feel better.

So, I give myself permission to do that. Whatever it is I need to reconnect to my own sense of play, I affirm that it is good and right for me. This is a re-parenting thing, and something I got also from The Artist’s Way.  For me, today, it was a stuffed horse named Midnight Star with purple-silver hooves and orange tassles on her bridle. Tomorrow it might be something else. Whatever it is, I will go for it, because I know it’s what I need to stay connected. That connection to myself is vital: play and fun and joy is just the signal that I’m on the right track.

Let yourself be guided by your internal excitement.

The wondrous thing about the Universe is that there is always more magic to find. I didn’t know what I would get when I left the house this morning, but something inside me guided toward the toy store. I thought I was going to get a toy for a friend. But that horse called to me and I knew I’d regret it if I left her there. It wasn’t practical, it wasn’t something I need, and it wasn’t a gift. I walked around the store looking at everything before I came back to her, and I felt a little silly when the clerk rang me up. But as soon as I walked out the door and felt that jolt of glee I knew I had made the right decision.

I believe that the Divine is in everything, and we are supported in tiny miraculous ways every day. Believe in the goodness of your gleeful urges and follow them!

Or, we can turn the faucet off, or turn it down. We constrict the flow, because we don’t believe that we are really divine vessels. Perhaps we are afraid and aren’t sure we can handle that much energy. Sure, it’s divine and all, but what if I can’t handle it? What if it’s too much, what if I’m not enough?

It’s okay to be afraid. We’re all afraid.

Choose to take one more step each day toward opening that faucet full blast. Choose to believe that the forces at work in the cosmos are good. Choose to nourish and support that part of you that can feel that energy, that feels alive and free and new each day.

When we move toward our deepest truth and our purest pleasure, we go toward God and good. When we believe in the goodness of our own happiness, we create healing in ourselves and the world. When we trust in the magic and beauty of this world, we invoke its power.