A Simple Way to Enhance Your Overall Well-Being
Photo: Sage Friedman
Today's message is a continuation from my last blog.
If you responded with your take aways from that article, thank you. I'm so glad it resonated. I acknowledge your willingness to explore your own 'good' conditioning.
If you haven't read that piece, you can do so here before moving forward. This article expands on the ideas presented in that one.
YOUR MOST CREATIVE ACT: PART TWO
As I said in the last blog: Your life, your way of being, is your masterpiece.
Creativity isn't for a select few highly gifted people. Creativity is yours for the taking. Right now. Because it is who you are.
You are made of the same stuff as the stars, trees, oceans, and…everything.
There is an Intelligence that runs through all life. How does a caterpillar know when to cocoon and become a butterfly? Or a bee know how to build honeycombs that support the hive's survival?
Because of this Intelligence.
That Intelligence lives in you. It's where your highest form of Creativity resides.
Each day we are given a blank slate. It is clean and neutral, offering us an invitation to collaborate with it.
We, however, are not blank slates. Because we have a personal mind (aka a conditioned self), the moment we open our eyes, we paint the day with years of past programming.
This highlights the truth that we are the creators of our reality, crafting the world through our perception.
The personal mind is deeply attached to maintaining its identity. It keeps you operating from the neck up, with a mind preoccupied by thoughts and images of the past and future.
It doesn't want you to slow down and connect with the present moment, because it doesn't get to play there. The present moment is where you connect with Creativity. It's where your mind gets quiet and you rest into the Intelligence within.
Your conscious awareness is the key to your creativity.
Author of The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, says, “The gift of awareness allows us to notice what's going on around and inside ourselves in the present moment. Awareness is not a state you force. It's something you allow to happen. It is a presence with, and acceptance of, what is happening in the eternal now.”
The invitation is simple: Practice Paying Attention.
During a recent walk with Matzah, I looked up from beneath a tree and was struck by the intricate patterns of veins on each leaf. I noticed how the colors transitioned from vibrant green to deep brown and black, revealing the effects of summer's passage.
Witnessing that creation sparked my imagination. I could've easily missed this moment from being lost in thoughts of planning, plotting and problem-solving.
We so often look, but don't really see.
PRACTICE GETTING PRESENT
The present is always available anytime day or night. What a gift!
That doesn't make it easy to drop into. It's simple, and it requires your conscious attention…your willingness to notice the now.
This could be by focusing on what's happening inside of you—your body sensations, feelings, energy, and even thoughts and images. By noticing them you remember that you are not them.
You can also focus your attention on what's happening outside of you. Two of my favorite meditations that can help, especially if you build them as a practice, are Byron Katie's, Morning Walk, and, my meditation teacher, Emily Fletcher's, Come to Your Senses.
It's through practice that we get good at something. Developing the ability to connect with the present moment is the most rewarding gift you can give yourself.
It grounds you in reality, reduces stress, and enhances your overall well-being. By focusing on the here and now, you experience greater joy and fulfillment, improve your relationships through deeper connection and empathy, and enhance your clarity, creativity and focus. This mindful presence also fosters greater self-awareness, leading to deep healing, personal growth, and living a more authentic life.
But don't take my word for it! Test it out for yourself.
With loving,
Amber
live your best day today
Get my free guide with three simple, yet powerful, actions to CREATE your day (rather than react to it)
so you can feel more alive, abundant and on purpose.
