In uncertain times it becomes even more important to chose love and creativity.
In our busy, busy rat race day-to-day existence, often we find ourselves in constant cycles of wash, rinse and repeat.
We do not remember to slow down and embrace the wonders of the world around us. Forget the pure joy of creating just for the sake of joy and expression. Too frequently the idea of mindfulness is limited to a few stolen moments in a week full of duty and diligence. I am personally very guilting of falling into a routine of responsibilities and deadlines and forgetting that creating, just for the pure joy of it, is as valid as striving to make ends meet.
Under the current climate of worldwide panic and fear, of seeing a tidal wave heading our way and having no real way to escape it or prevent it. Knowing we are only trying to manage the outcome and cannot possibly stop it in its tracks, I call on you to look uncertainty in the face and express it all. Create, create space for each other, create art of all forms and styles, create new slower mindful routines and create a warm loving mindset. Our whole world is currently in an uncontrollable situation, after years of personal events completely outside of my control, the one personal lesson I would like to share is that external control is an illusion, the only thing that we can truly control is ourselves.
If the only thing we can control, in a world gone mad is ourselves, then do so with a loving and gentle hand. Do not seek to deny your fears as that is futile and a road to disaster, rather acknowledge them, validate them, and recognize that you can and will move past them. Being fearless is not actually living without fear, it is simply knowing that you can do hard things and that as the only thing constant is change, this too shall pass. Once you can let the emotions settle and the initial resistance to the unknown begins to abate, then delve inward.
Take this moment of worldwide pause and turn inwards, not in fear, not to make yourself small and not to hide from the chaos. Instead, turn inwards to find the amazing light you have hidden at your deepest core. Turn inwards and explore what it is your soul longs to share with the world. Turn inwards to learn that although you have no true external control, all you have ever needed is to learn to become your own master. Once you can access your space of infinite personal power, throw out the fear-based rules that have been ingrained in you your entire life and let joy abound. Let that child who has been caged for so long out and let creativity, wonder, and joy dictate where you go from here.
Our gilded cages are all we have known and familiarity breeds fondness, there is great comfort in the known.
And yet there is great reward in embracing the chaos and learning to dance in the storm instead of cringing from it. Be brave my beautiful tribe, look at this not as a reason to run scared, but as the perfect opportunity to support each other, to spread love, and to learn that self-care is essential.
And then begin to create, begin to express anything and everything that catches your focus. Share yourself. It is in sharing; we build connection and it is in that connection that we triumph. In human history, it has been from our darkest periods that the most incredible works of art, music, and performance have emerged. Stop cringing from your potential and embrace it.
Let your passions catch fire and broadcast them out. Stop your inner critic, stop being concerned with what could go wrong and remember that what is for you will always be for you. Will every attempt be a success? Highly unlikely, it doesn’t need to be, it only needs to be an attempt. There is both the possibility of a masterpiece and a lesson in every attempt both hold infinite value.
If you take nothing else to heart then please listen to this, there is as much beauty in every single attempt as there is in every masterpiece. Each attempt holds a wee little piece of your soul and that is unbelievably beautiful. Very few of us are lucky enough to start out as Masters, and that is just as it should be. I reflect on the beginning of my yoga practice, for inspiration to keep trying and build my skills slowly.
I am sure my first Warriors were all wobbly, I know my initial Downward Dogs were uncomfortable and awkward. Now I take great joy in the smoothness of my movements, the strength in my poses and alignment of my body. My practice is ever-evolving and far from perfect and yet it serves me. Yoga has taught me to honor my body and where it is at this moment, it has helped me to still my mind and trust myself, and perhaps most importantly it has taught me both how to be gentle with myself when needed and push myself when I can.
Now is the perfect time to find the resolve to create whatever your heart desires, be that a painting, a blanket, or a whole new life. Take this moment in human history to really co-create the life you want to lead. Take this universe-enforced pause and really use it to envision what you would do “If” and do it regardless. We all know the elusive “If” rarely comes around, there is no ideal time to start, except for right now. Right now, it is the only time to do anything, it is in fact the single time we can actively take control and proceed as we desire.
Be brave enough to dream it up and share it: write it down or tell a friend.
By verbalizing it aloud or by seeing the words written on paper, we can solidify our dreams into plans. When dreams become plans then they take on a life of their own, they can no longer be delegated to the realm of wishes. Now they are a map, to places you can begin to feel, taste, and touch. Now they are real and only waiting for you to act.
“Let’s conjure up, from the depths of our souls:
The truest, most beautiful lives we can imagine.
The truest most beautiful families we can fathom.
The truest most beautiful word we can hope for.
Let’s put it all on paper.
Let’s look at what we’ve written and decide that these are not pipe dreams: these are our marching orders. These are the blueprints of our lives, our families, and the world.
May the invisible order become visible.
May our dreams become our plans.”
~Glennon Doyle
If the universe has forced us to stop in our tracks and given us no choice but to look within, I believe it is a gift for us to learn from. Please stop living in a world made up solely of ‘should”, “must” and “have to” and start thinking in terms of “What is my truth? What sets my soul on fire?” If that is dancing, then dance, if that is singing then please belt out the songs you love and if it just means realizing that you already have everything you could possibly desire, then please put your whole heart into it.
~Namaste: Michiko @SweetSerenityYoga