I recently gave myself homework to re-tap into myself and my creativity. My first assignment was to read “IGNITE the Genius withing”. It turns out the book suggests you download this “free soundtrack” to continue on in the book. Only the first 2 minutes were free and if you wanted the full experience you needed to download the rest for a small fee (ah marketing). Since I was interested and committed I bought the soundtrack and I’ve been enjoying it. The sound track is supposed to help you achieve a meditative state that awakens creative parts of your brain. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack as I go though the book which is full of pictures and questions that ask you to reflect on the images, close your eyes, and see where your thoughts take you.
As the book states, “If you experience anything at all by looking at an image, you are experiencing a reflection of yourself” (Ranck, Nutter. p. ix). I’ve been experiencing a lot, not just in the book though. In everyday life.
I’ve realized I am a creative individual as I see beauty everywhere. I understand the things that make me smile are reflections of myself. For instance the other day on the bike path there was a Kevin Costner look a like fishing on the blow river, smoking a cigar. He reminded me of my dad as they look a like and my dad used to smoke cigars that smelled similar. It reminded me of going to the lake and just seeing that man enjoying the afternoon made me happy.
Another time I ran into an old East Indian couple. The wife was using a cane to walk and the husband was right beside her to support her. He seemed like a very positive support for his wife as he was smiling, gave a big wave up in the air, and said hello to everyone that passed them on the path. It was sooo cute!
It was also cute to see young teenagers crushing on each other. There was this girl and boy and the girl was completely invading the boys space. It was hilariously obvious she really liked him. Oh the many crushes I had growing up, fun fun.
In everyday life, I want to continue to reflect on what I’m enjoying, and what makes me happy.
I really appreciate everyone’s support and thier feedback they’ve given.
This weekend I set out to find different things that inspire others. I work in a creative environment and I feel as though it is somewhat my responsibility to help inspire a team of Marketing Managers, Copy writers, Designers, and Developers to do their best at what they do. In my search I ended up stumbling upon a talk on TED by Ken Robinson. It was great, however I internalized this and realized I grew up being afraid of being wrong, afraid of being judged by what I said or did. This was not just a problem, I remember at times I was paralyzed trying to write papers or tests in university. I literally failed almost every test in University and was almost accused of plagiarism as I couldn’t form my own thoughts because of this pressure to be “right”. In turn, I have grown up to fade into what is “normal” and not take chances. I’ve lost my creativity and urge to do what I want in fear that I would be wrong or I wouldn’t be doing what other expected of me. I would like to embark on a journey to re-tap into myself and my creativity. For me to publish this will be a very big step for me to put this out into the world, but I would greatly appreciate it if you support me.
In search for Ken Robinson’s literature, I ran into “IGNITE THE GENIUS WITHIN, DISCOVER YOUR FULL POTENTIAL” by Dr. Christine Ranch & Christopher Lee Nutter (The library didn’t have any of Ken’s books in at the time, and there is a long waiting list to get them so I’ll just have to purchase them .
I’ve only read the introduction, but I’m inspired and I’ve already learned a lot. This is a big step for me as I’m usually too afraid to put myself out there and take a chance, but I’d like to share my experiences:
“If you experience anything at all by looking at an image, you are experiencing a reflection of yourself” (Ranck, Nutter. p. ix) Wow, this happens to me all the time, not just with images though, but with music, and everyday life. I’ll be listening to a song and it’ll take me right back to a distinct memory or make me think of an old friend. I experienced this today as I was out for a jog, I was running over the bridge and I looked down at the clear water running over the rocks. I had an amazing sensation of calming and I couldn’t turn my eyes away.
“…nothing is fixed, but rather everything, including you, exists in a state of possibility and therefore can change” (Ranck, Nutter. p ix), from this I realized I can change and I will start by looking at the possibility in things rather than reverting to asking, is this right or wrong?
I also learned the definition of Quantum Leap, “Moving to a different plane of existence without physically moving” (Ranck, Nutter. p ix). I think I experienced this recently.I had a very difficult life decision I had to make with my career. I was working for the company I currently work for now and I had a feeling like there was more for me. I was given an Project Management opportunity with a prestigious agency and client. I took the opportunity. It was a very hard decision as I was happy in my position at the time, but I thought it would get me closer to what I am meant to do. Once working at this agency, I found I was not myself, I was trying to be someone I’m not, I was working crazy hours trying to do what I thought was “right”. I had a harsh realization that this was not what I wanted and that I needed to quit and go back to my previous job where I knew I could attain the balance I needed. Suddenly, the plane of prestige and material existence was no longer important to me. I had shifted to a plane of existence where I had a need to spend time on tapping into myself and spending time with my family and friends. This brought on an incredible calming experience that I’ve been riding since.
“Only want what will make you happy” (Ranck, Nutter. p. x), This is very simple, but you would not believe how often I do things I really do not want to do, but I do them because I think it will make others happy. I need to concentrate on wanting what will make me happy, not others.
“Use your own awareness to see that everything you want to have, you already do; everywhere you want to go, you’re already there; everything you want to be, you already are.” (Ranck, Nutter. p. x). This quote gets me excited and inspired!! I don’t know why, maybe it is a gratitude thing, not sure. but I love it and I feel it! I’m excited to tap into this feeling more as I read this book.
I’ve also learned I need to stop “forcing” things. I need to “allow” things to happen. As well I need to work on looking at the possibilities of things and using my creativity to “reveal something that is already there”. I remember as I child. I was playing with cars, and I would fluff up a sleeping bag and make race track for my cars out of the mountain of my sleeping bag.
Lastly for today, I’ve learned I need to “Know my creativity is an expression of my own power to turn every moment of my life into a beautiful piece of art” (Ranck, Nutter. p. xi – xii). When I read this I got a feeling of needing to trust myself and knowing I can trust myself – it feels great!!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope I have possibly sparked an awakening in you. Please don’t be afraid (like I usually am) to make a comment.
It’s not altitude, magnitude, or what Urban Dictionary defines as a bad attitude towards someone else. ODACAVA Tude is Gratitude.
Like Terry said when I featured him on March 8th. When you feel gratitude and I’m positive when you express your gratitude, the universe just keeps on giving you more. So I’ve decided to create a category called ODACAVA Gratitude. Please feel free to join me in expressing ODACAVA Tude.
I’m grateful for:
the sunrise shining through my windows in the morning
the strength to have plans and the ability to live in the moment
my husband, family, and what it feels like to love someone or something
a clear sky so I can see the mountains from the city
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