Energy and Creativity

Epiphanies often open doors that lead to other doors. I love having that feeling of knowing that I've seen a light and now know which direction to take, even if I'm unsure of where it will lead me. I've finally realized that I can never be sure of where a road will lead, and that's okay. For so long I wanted the answers ahead of time, and although it's difficult to let go of that need to be prepared, I practice, practice, practice the skill of rolling with the tides.

Making decisions has been a struggle for me, because I've always wanted to know that I was making the RIGHT decision. But the funny thing is, what makes a decision right can't be defined. You or I can't know how things would have turned out if we'd chosen door number two over door number one, because getting through the FIRST step of the decision is only a small part of the chain of events that follows. Wherever I am is where I was apparently supposed to end up - or else it wouldn't have happened as it did. 

Yesterday I completed my Reiki Level Two training. Although I wanted to do it, I wrestled with the cost and felt I was indulging myself for no good reason. My intuition (gut feeling) said, "Take the class," but my intellect (practical reasoning) said, "Should I spend the money?" I justified my decision to go ahead with it by telling myself that I would use it to help others, not just myself (as if helping myself was somehow selfish and wrong).

I was very tense at the beginning of the training, as if every muscle in my body was causing me pain in this fight between the affirmations in my gut and the numbers in my head. But I moved ahead, and gradually the pain began to subside. My teacher reminded me of the impact of thoughts, how the words we use and the attitudes we hold affect our lives, and I realized that problem-solving in my life was stalled because of how I had approached these "problems."

Every line I repeat that echoes a theme of suffering, overwork, unhappiness or complaint is an affirmation that my life will continue on that path. It's as if I'm stating the intention for my life when I play that old story of woe over and over. What do I expect to happen if most of my mental and emotional energy is reserved for dwelling on the negative? If I'm to be honest, I guess I have to expect more of the negative. And that's just not where I want to be.

Energy. It's in every single thing and person and situation I come across, and I can either gain momentum from positive energy, or I can be stuck on the tracks, overloaded with negatives. Looking at the ways I've been communicating my thoughts, I can see how to turn things around.

Besides the epiphany about energy, I also became much more aware of creativity and how to be more creative. Connie Schultz, the columnist and author, posted a link to this article, "How To Be Creative." One thing that stood out for me in the article was the point that creativity is more abundant when you're relaxed and not thinking so hard about coming up with an answer. 

The article said that taking breaks, socializing, doing something completely different and exposing yourself to a wider variety of people, information and activities are all ways to increase your creativity. That sounds like permission to daydream and explore, and if so, I accept the challenge. 

I think having positive energy can lead to creativity, and feeling creative can lead to positive energy. They go hand in hand, like two best friends who've known each other since grade school. Anything that makes me feel the freedom of being nine years old again is okay in my book. I think I'll look at life that way. It's time to play.