At the start of the new year it can feel like you want to change everything at once to kick-start your creative power. The inspiration to change something, anything, is in the air and it can be very intoxicating. So when you feel the urge to switch things up and fuel your creative power, where do you start — with habits visible to the outside world or by crafting and committing to a new personal practice?
While there isn’t a specific magical balance of these two internal/external forces that’s ideal for everyone, there is a sense of peace that comes from honoring the inner you first. Committing to a clear, supportive personal practice is an important way to anchor in long-term inner change that can consistently inspire your creativity, and as a direct result, enhance the confidence and strength of your creative power.
Simple Steps Form the Best Personal Practice Foundation
While your mind may already be thinking of ten different ways to start, there is only one way that is best for you right now. To connect with it, sit quietly and ask yourself one question, “What one practice can I commit to right now and do on a daily basis that feels easy and grounding?”
It can be as simple as a 15 minute walk or run at lunch, spending time with your pets or working with a few key yoga poses. If you are a more mental person you can write in a journal or let your mind wander, really opening up your heart with active daydreaming or listen to some inspiring music.
Once you are able to commit to your “one thing” consistently, you offer a way for your creative power to “charge up” regularly. By honoring this creative aspect of you every day you create the fuel to accomplish all the “external things” without feeling like you are sacrificing one for the other.
This approach is not as much about “going back to basics”, as it is about asking yourself what you really need at the deepest level to support your creative soul and feel at peace. It just happens to be that something consistent and basic is best. Creativity is an intuitive process that needs a regular safe space, like a practice, to bubble up in order to flow freely. Then you can take what inspires you from your inner practice and implement it into the physical world with mental steps and physical actions.
Personal Practice is an Inner Anchor of Stability that Enhances Creative Power
After you get rooted in your own inner practice you can then add to it or change it in a similar fashion — one step at a time. It’s the easiest way to maintain the positive juju from the momentum you’ve already set in motion and maintain a sense of what works for your inner balance needs.
Is there a set amount of time to settle into a new practice? I notice that if I can stick with a specific routine for at least two to three weeks then I know if it’s sustainable and helpful. However, you might find an optimum time frame that’s entirely different. Don’t get discouraged if you miss a few days in the beginning of your commitment or if you need to make some tweaks along the way. Just breathe, let it go and begin again.
The most powerful thing is to make room for a simple practice that honors your creative fire and anchor it in as a valuable asset in your life. This way, even if 2014 is busier than you ever expected, you have one clear way to stay grounded and connected to your creative flow that fuels all you do and who you are, naturally.
What are some practices that really help you feel grounded and fuel your creative spark?