Week 1 – Theme for 2010: Get motivated & inspired!
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were everything you hoped they would be. I’ve been enjoying some down time, thinking about my own personal theme for 2010. I was having a hard time choosing one so I finally let go and decided to let the theme of this year find me. And it did, last night, after dinner with friends.
During the evening we enjoyed good food and conversation, talking about everything from music and politics, to sharing a few of our favorite YouTube videos. As the night ended and we prepared to leave, our friend John said, “Hey, before you go I want to show you something inspiring on a DVD I have. It’s Dave Matthews at Radio City Music Hall singing and playing guitar with his mentor Tim Reynolds. They’re doing a song called “Crush” and it’s an unbelievable performance.” So we sat down in front of the TV to watch.
For years, friends have raved about Dave Matthews, but I never really checked him out. Boy can this man sing. Within seconds, the room felt electric and I was hooked. Our eyes were riveted to the screen. We were transported to a timeless state where you’re filled with creative desire – a place we all go to when we witness someone channeling Divine Energy.
I was so moved during the piece that I found myself feeling jazzed and inspired to do things like take a dance class I’ve been meaning to take, add more provocative programming to our new Movers & Shakers workshop, edit a book I’ve been sitting on for three years, or set up the library/music room in our new home.” Heck, I thought, “I might even get a tattoo!!!” (ok, just kidding ☺).
At the end of the song, we all applauded and, as Michael and I drove home talking about the wonderful finale to our night with friends, I knew I wanted more experiences like that – the ones that inspire my creative impulse and drive me to do the things that bring me artistic satisfaction and joy.
And so, that’s my personal theme for this year – “Living in a State of Creative Inspiration” – the kind of energy that motivates me to act. How about you? What’s your theme?
If you need a little electric fuel to figure it out, start with this week’s Take Action Challenge. You’ll be glad you did!
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/newsletters/week-1-theme-for-2010-get-motivated-inspired/
Week 2 – Get It Done: Move when the energy moves you
Topic of the Week
Get It Done
Get It Done
“Move when the energy moves you.” Several years ago my friend Max said this to me when I was complaining about needing to get my butt in the office to clear my desk. I was in no mood to work, yet I felt so emotionally badgered by the piles on my desk that I was desperate to get them handled so I could stop thinking about it and relax.
Max suggested that rather than force myself to do something my body and mind clearly wasn’t ready to do I should honor my own natural flow of energy. Her prescription was simple: “If you have the energy to do something, do it. If you don’t, don’t do it.” Sounds great, I said, but what about the nagging voices in my head that tell me I have to get things done first? “Ah, you see, this isn’t about your to-do list or your cluttered desk” she said. “This is about your mind. You need to learn to manage your mind by telling it to rest while you wait for the energy you need to get a task completed.
(I was starting to feel a little like grasshopper ☺)
“If you move with the energy rather than against it,” she continued, “you’ll not only be happier, you’ll get more done in less time. But remember, you have to be brave enough to challenge the voices in your head that tell you you’re shirking your responsibilities or that if you wait too long, the energy may never come.”
I’d always had a tough time letting myself enjoy life until my work was all done. And “work” could mean anything – the last dish had to be put in the dishwasher, the laundry needed to be washed and dried, or my office paperwork had to be all filed away. Like so many of us, I was seduced by the myth that if I could just get everything done, I’d finally be able to relax. Not anymore, thanks to Max.
That conversation long ago shifted the way I live my life. Rather than force myself to do anything, I do my best to wait for the energy – the motivation or desire – to get the task done. When I can, I never push myself to do something I don’t want to do. Instead I trust that when the energy is right, it will happen. And it’s never let me down. As a matter of fact, by doing things like sitting once a week and responding to most of my emails rather than disrupting my day and replying as they come in, I not only get to enjoy my life, I’m far more productive. When I finally have the energy to reply, I not only get them done in a short amount of time, my responses are better. Or, when I let my inbox fill a bit more than normal because I don’t feel like sitting at my desk, I easily plow through the paperwork when the energy is right. I’ve been amazed to see work done in two hours that used to take eight.
You can easily begin to apply this principle to what you do at home, but what about at work? Being self-employed affords me the ability to more easily follow my own natural rhythms. It’s one of the things I love most about owning my own company. But it can also work when you work for someone else. Rather than beat yourself into submission to get an expense report finished, for instance, why not do something else while holding the intention that you’ll get the report done as soon as you have the energy? Then, simply go about completing other tasks while waiting for the motivation to complete the report. The energy might come in an hour, later in the afternoon, or the following week, but it will come. As a matter of fact, your willingness to practice this technique will not only give you the evidence you need to trust it, you’ll probably find the motivation sooner rather than later when you stop pushing yourself.
So, are you ready to try a new way of being in the world? It’s a great way to start a new year. The next time you catch yourself pushing your body to do something you don’t want to do, stop. Tell your mind to relax and wait for the energy. Give it time and you won’t be disappointed. Before you know it, you’ll move when the energy moves you, too!
Week 3 – Global Support: Ending helplessness
Like so many of you, I’ve watched the earthquake devastation in Haiti this week with a heavy heart. It’s tragic to witness so much pain and easy to feel so helpless. While donating money is important, it just doesn’t feel like nearly enough.
This morning, as I watched the news about relief efforts, I thought about how a global tragedy ignites a feeling of oneness with all humanity. People of all ages, races, religious beliefs, or political affiliations, come together to offer what they can to their global sisters and brothers. Prayers are said, resources are pledged, and feelings are shared between strangers. I often imagine what the world would be like if we could only maintain this level of respect and heartfelt cooperation…
For those of you who, like me, feel helpless and would like something more to do, I have an idea. In addition to offering what financial support you can to relief efforts (for a list of top-rated charities, click here) let’s spend the week committing acts of kindness in honor of our Haitian brothers and sisters. These acts might include:
- Help a friend with his or her resume.
- Provide care for a child.
- Volunteer for a local shelter.
- Help a colleague look for a job.
- Give a hug to someone who’s having a tough time.
- Buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you.
- Shovel a driveway or walkway for a neighbor.
- Offer to pick up groceries for an elderly friend.
- Call someone who’s going through a tough time and simply listen.
If, in fact, we are all connected (and I firmly believe we are), then taking steps to help someone here in honor of someone suffering in Haiti will make a difference. At the very least, the energy of love will heal some part of our shared universe.
Ready to join me? Check out this week’s Take Action Challenge and offer your ideas. I will, too!
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/newsletters/week-3-global-support-ending-helplessness/
Week 4 – Uncertainty: Finding peace within a storm
Last week, I spent some time with a dear friend who’s going through a tough time as he struggles with multiple life changes that have left him reeling, yet pregnant with possibility. Like so many people these days, the rug has been pulled out from under his life. He’s lost his job, his marriage is ending, and for the first time as an adult, he’s struggling financially.
While I was able to give him some practical advice about getting support, finding a job, and providing resources for his family, our conversation soon moved deeper. We talked about how challenging times require a need for patience and the ability to be with ambiguity when you don’t know the answers and you’re feeling frustrated or afraid.
I don’t know about you, but it’s challenging for me to be patient, to live with uncertainty, or to sit still in a storm. I’m restless, impatient, and far more interested in getting answers than being with questions. But, therein lies the beauty of transition and change. It forces us to grow, to strengthen our spiritual maturity, and to fall out of the comfortably numb rut that eventually leads to regret and unbearable pain.
Our conversation reminded me of the well-known passage from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. If you’re experiencing a difficult time, do yourself a favor and use this quote to help stabilize the rough waters of your busy mind. Take your time and read it with your heart, not your head. It’s a message that gently reminds us that life is about staying with and living the journey, not waiting to arrive at a destination.
Have patience with everything
unresolved in your heart and try to
love the questions themselves, as if they
were locked rooms, or books
written in a very foreign language.
Don’t search for the answers,
which could not be given to you
now, because you would not be
able to live them. And the point
is to live everything. Live the
questions now. Perhaps then, someday
far in the future, you will gradually,
without even noticing it, live
your way into the answer.
unresolved in your heart and try to
love the questions themselves, as if they
were locked rooms, or books
written in a very foreign language.
Don’t search for the answers,
which could not be given to you
now, because you would not be
able to live them. And the point
is to live everything. Live the
questions now. Perhaps then, someday
far in the future, you will gradually,
without even noticing it, live
your way into the answer.
~Rainer Maria Rilke
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/newsletters/week-4-uncertainty-finding-peace-within-a-storm/
Week 5 – Creative Expression: Give someone a break
Topic of the Week
Creative Expression
Creative Expression
This week’s newsletter is a rebroadcast while I meet tomorrow’s deadline for my new card deck called “My Daily Affirmations.” It’ll be out next summer…
Recently, during a visit with my friend Nancy, I learned about a show on the Sundance Channel called “Iconoclasts.” The show brings artists together to dialogue about their work, the causes that are important to them, and their creative process. It’s become one of my favorites, and while watching an episode that included Grammy Award winning musician, Alicia Keys, I heard something that stayed with me all week.
Alicia said she’d been singing since she was four and when she started expressing an interest in piano, it wasn’t easy for her family to pay for lessons, let alone get her a piano. “A friend ended up not needing this piano and gave it to us,” she explained. She went on to say that people always ask what her biggest break was and her answer is: “That piano.”
Most people think of a “big break” as someone or something that gives them a chance to show their gifts to the world – a chance to perform on stage or TV, for example. But most artists – painters, dancers, writers, musicians, designers, etc. – would tell you that their big break came well before they were able to share their creativity with others. It came as a result of someone’s willingness to help facilitate the expression of his or her innate talents. For example, the person who gave me my first diary (my mom), set in motion the expression of my creative gift through the medium of writing.
As I listened to Alicia, I thought, “Sometimes the most meaningful gift we can give others is the one thing that will breathe life into the artist that resides within.” With that in mind, why not do a little exploring this week. Choose someone you care about and ask:
“What break do you need to better express your creativity?”
or
“What one thing could I give you that would support your inner artist?”
Then, listen carefully. The answers you hear may range from “I need help finding a great beginner’s paint class,” to “I could use a new pair of tap shoes,” or “I’d love to spend time together to hear more about how you learned to decorate your home in such a beautiful way.” The idea is to identify that one small thing you could give that will allow someone to deepen, develop, and express an innate creative talent.
It’s a great question for children! You never know what might happen when you give a kid a chance to express his or her creativity. Agreeing to let your teenage son cook a few meals may inspire him to become a great chef. Or teaching your niece how to use a sewing machine may give her the tools she needs to become a gifted fashion designer.
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