Chaos may seem like the enemy, but to the creative part of your soul, it’s the catalyst for real, heart-driven, soul-tingling inspiration. There are gifts in the chaos that greet us, gifts that empower us to embrace change and heal what blocks our creative flow, leading us straight to “THE” idea. So when chaos shows up in your life and space, how you do work with it? Hide, delve into distractions or meet it straight on?
There is no right way, only your way to work with chaos, but how you handle it says a lot about your willingness to let inspiration in and naturally expand. If you get caught up in the drama and allow it lead you in 20 different directions, you accomplish nothing and feel flustered. Yet, sitting with the chaos and asking yourself, “What can I learn?”, or turning inward to choose the best path through the craziness right now, you can connect with something deep in your imagination. That, my friends, is where the inspiration lies.
The Other Gift in the Chaos
Chaos can also enable you to see what is absolutely no longer working in your life, giving you the push you need to ditch it for good. With too many old ideas lacking traction, cluttering up your creative space, inspiration has no chance of even peeking through the keyhole to get any dedicated attention. Instead it sits just out of reach, frustrating you.
The real gift of being in the midst of chaos is that it puts you at a choice point, even if it feels more like being smashed and shackled in a corner. It forces you to look at what’s really important and choose something different, something you wouldn’t have done unless you were forced to see it in black and white through physical or emotional discomfort. It is the “other gift” even if it doesn’t always feel like it.
Cutting things loose isn’t meant to be easy. The stickiness and discomfort is what gets your attention, giving you the desire to move out of chaos and shift unsupportive patterns. If you decide to cling to the chaos instead, there may be something about that type of energy you’ve come to rely on as the only way to connect with inspiration. It works for a while, but is not physically sustainable long-term, as it really wears the body out. Humans aren’t meant to be in constant fight or flight mode!
Are you the One Kicking Up the Chaos, Burying your Inspiration?
There is another possibility that may sting a bit, especially if you’ve been stuck for a while and feel really frustrated. You may be hiding behind the energy of chaos you create to keep yourself distracted on purpose. Aside from the obvious reason, fear, it can also be learned behavior that you are modeling from years of experience by family or friends.
If you have finally reached the point where you look around and can’t seem to find any way to cut out the chaos by releasing projects, people or other distractions, you might need to consider you are the one causing it for yourself. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just more information that offers you new insight on where you may be stuck so you can make changes if you desire.
No matter where you fall on the chaos spectrum, there is always a choice — a choice to continue as you are or find tools to help you make friends with it. Chaos is a gift when used wisely, so how are you going to use it to connect to your true inspiration?
Photo credit: Brayton