It’s easy to focus on taking external action as the most important part of creative expression. Our culture puts a lot of emphasis on getting moving, crossing things off the list, clearing, building, growing and having something to show for our time and efforts.
The actions we take also give us a feeling of purpose and worthiness, especially when we share details in conversation with others or on social media.
So when we are in a creative action lull, or more “being” state of mind and heart, we can have mixed feelings about ourselves and what we are creating. Emotions including feeling ashamed, guilty, unfocused, or unworthy can bubble up, and cause us to get really down on ourselves, capabilities, or choices. If these feelings last longer than we would like, doubt can also makes its way into our hearts, causing us to second guess or rethink everything we’ve done so far.
This emotional loop is so common in modern life. It’s as if we forgot the value of a slow creative build, and how it’s a key part of enabling us to process feelings, thoughts, and next steps along our path.
Stop Forcing Inspiration and Start Opening to the Truth of What Is
It’s easy to focus so closely on what isn’t working, then completely forget to take in what’s actually showing up without effort or force.
Taking things for granted is one expression of this, but it’s also about how we can’t see the value in something because it’s not part of how we want or envision it coming to life. The plan we create in our mind, and the way it “must” unfold, is only one path of many possibilities. There’s also the intersection of other people’s paths, pieces of new information revealed, old emotional patterns in play, world events, trends, and so much more, that impact what we create and how easy it is to complete it.
That’s why it’s time to redefine what we see as taking action on a personal level.
The Balance Between Doing and Making Things That Matter
The most essential part of connecting with the creative flow we seek is to spend time finding our unique balance between taking action, deep inner listening, and getting grounded. It’s what enables us to feel our true feelings and express creative desires with clarity and confidence.
For example, if we constantly worry, plan, and “stay busy”, with no offset of physical movement, meditation, or human connection, it’s easy to feel like we aren’t taking action. Our mind is hung up tying itself in knots that end up completely distracting us from actually feeling or emotions – especially if we are creatively down or uninspired.
Instead of focusing on taking actions in the external world as a first step, start with internal ones instead. Make a list of what you’ve accomplished in the last month or how you moved closer to an important goal in small ways. Look up from your desk and take a look at the sky. Create a new morning routine or work schedule to mix things up and see how your mood and attitude changes.
There’s power in taking external action, as long as we realize that it’s only one part of the creative expression. Creativity has no timeline; it needs to emerge on it’s own terms and in alignment with how we are constantly learning and growing from its expression and evolution.
Make it easy to take “inner action” in ways that add a new dimension to how you personally value time, and balance it with external action in the creative equation.
Interested in reading other posts on a similar topic? Check out Creative Fog is a Natural and Necessary to Ignite Genuine Self Expression and Why It’s Essential to Blaze a Fresh Trail Between Taking Risks and Playing it Safe. Want to learn some tips on how to tap into your inner wisdom and thrive? Check out my podcast, Flirting With Enlightenment.