February 5, 2012

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Need a Little Inspiration? Five Ways Affirmations Can Help

January 17, 2012 By Lena 2 Comments

It’s not something that most people like to admit, but there are days when inspiration is hard to come by. You wonder why you bother getting up in the morning, and that big idea you were so passionate about a few days ago seems to have gone on vacation without you. When that happens, it’s no wonder that it seems like your inspiration, along with your motivation, your creativity, and your energy jumped in the suitcase and went along for the ride.

There are ways to end your inspiration’s vacation early. Journaling is one of them. Writing gratitude lists is another. Other times, it’s an inspirational quote or photo that really helps to fire up the creativity engine. But when nothing else works, sometimes all it takes is an affirmation to wake me up and get me inspired again.

1. Affirmations are yours and yours alone. You choose them or create them based only on how they feel to you.

One of the reasons that affirmations seem to do the trick when nothing else does is because they come from you. When you think about it, inspiration that comes from within really is the best form.

Sure it’s nice when others say things that get you thinking and moving in the right direction again, and that card or photo that you received might have touched the right chord inside. But when you can motivate yourself and remind yourself why you are passionate about your purpose and why it used to excite you to jump out of bed first thing on a cold winter morning, you will be that much more inclined to believe it. It doesn’t matter how much others tell you that you’re smart, funny, beautiful, or worthwhile if you don’t believe it yourself.

2. Affirmations get you creating again.

You may be asking yourself how this works. Affirmations work best when you either write them out, or read them to yourself. When you start writing your affirmations down every day, just the act of writing daily unlocks something inside of you. I’m no expert on exactly what happens here but I know it works. Writing affirmations has jump-started more than one article or blog post for me when nothing else worked to break my lack of motivation.

3. Affirmations encourage you to keep going.

Since affirmations are, by their very nature, positive thoughts — after all, who would want to affirm something negative — they encourage you to keep going when the journey gets a little rough. And isn’t that what inspiration is all about … taking that extra step when you really didn’t think you could go any further?

4. Affirmations can change your life.

Some of the best affirmations I have ever used have ended up having life-changing results for me. In the last article I talked about living in the moment and you you get to choose how you live each moment. Affirmations are a great tool for helping you make that choice. Simple statements like:

I AM happy
I AM at peace
I AM full of energy
I AM healthy

repeated over and over again can change how you feel in the moment. String enough of those moments of being happy, healthy, energetic or peaceful together and you may find that there is no room for negativity at all because you are choosing only positive thoughts.

5. There’s an affirmation for every situation.

It doesn’t matter if you are feeling totally uninspired, unmotivated or just downright unhappy you can create an affirmation that helps you to move beyond those negative feelings.

How To Use Affirmations

Once you’ve decided that affirmations are a tool you can use, there are several ways you can use them.

1. You can write them out or say them out loud first thing in the morning to start your day. Some people (me included) do both.

2. You can make a screen-saver for your computer out of them.

3. You can write them on pieces of paper and tack them up in places where you’ll see them all day long.

4. You can write them on pieces of paper and carry them in your pockets or in your wallet, so if you need them during the day you can pull them out and read them quickly.

Affirmations are one of those tools that everyone can use, are completely personal and based only on your needs. They can be used in a moment and can change the energy of that moment and the ones that follow forever. You can write your own, or use ones that others have created if they resonate with you. Regardless of how you do it, using affirmations will help to re-ignite your inspiration and your creativity.

If you’d like to writing your own affirmations, here’s an article to get you started: How To Write Affirmations.

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Mental Decluttering: 9 Ways To Declutter Your Mind When You Need To Be Creative

November 14, 2011 By Lena 1 Comment

nature walk to clear your mindI don’t know about you, but when I have too much going on in my mind, I suffer from the mental “fuzzies.” It’s like having dust bunnies in the head, the kind you get under the bed when you forget to sweep it out.

But it’s more than that. In a lot of ways, your mind is like a closet that you shove all kinds of things (thoughts) into and forget they’re there, only to have them remind you of their presence when you have to open the door to get something else out.

I’m convinced, based on my own experience that creativity comes best with a clear mind. So taking the time to declutter mentally as well as physically is a good way to, well, create more access to your creative center. (I’m no psychologist though, so take whatever I say here to be my personal experiences, not professional advice.)

So if you’re not feeling as creative as you’d like to, here are a few of my favorite ways to clear the mental cobwebs and make room for new ideas.

1. Do something physical.

You know, that dreaded “E” word…
Yes, I’m talking about exercise. I never would have believed that exercising can clear your mind until I joined a gym and started working out every day. Even if I only go in for 20 minutes and walk on the treadmill, it leaves me feeling clearer and cleaner bot mentally and physically and I come home ready to sit down and write for the rest of the day.

2. Organize your space.

When your space is organized, it’s much easier to organize your thoughts as well. If you’re feeling mentally cluttered because there are already too many thoughts taking up room in your head, then having to deal with physical clutter only makes it worse. Take some time either at the beginning or the end of each day to organize your space, especially your work space, and you will find that your creative energy flows more smoothly when it doesn’t have to navigate piles of clutter and unfinished work.

3. Organize your thoughts.

Just as you organize your space, you can also organize your thoughts. I realize that doesn’t sound very inspirational, or even creative to suggest making lists and writing things down but it really does help. If you can journal or even keep a list of the things you have to do, the things you’d like to do, and the ideas you come up with during the day it makes it much easier to access the mental energy needed to tackle each item on the list at the appropriate time.

4. Focus on one thing at a time.

There’s nothing more mentally tiring than trying to juggle several projects at once. Focusing on one project at a time lets you focus all your creative energy on that work so that you can create to the best of your ability.

If you must work on more than one thing during the day (and we all do to some degree) make sure that you give yourself enough of a break in between so that you approach each project with a clear mind.

5. Make some “Me time” for yourself.

Speaking of taking a break, make sure you always take some “me time” during the day. Even if you can only manage ten or fifteen minutes it will help to recharge your body and spirit as well as your mind. Having only to focus on yourself instead of meeting the demands of others for those few minutes will give you a lift and time to clear your mind.

6. Go for a walk.

One of the nicest ways to use your me time can be going outside for a short walk. It is a great way to not only clear your mind from a previous project, but to gather new ideas and creative energy. Let your mind wander free and take in the sights and sounds of nature all around you and you’ll be surprised and what you come up with that you might not have considered if you’d spent the entire day indoors.

7. Find other ways to relax.

If walking is not your thing, (and granted it’s not for everyone) then do something else that you find relaxing. Whether you like to curl up with a good book, or soak in a nice bubble bath, or even hit the local pool for a swim these are all ways to get in some quality me-time and let your mind wander at will.

8. Learn to meditate.

Or, if you already know how, then make time to practice every day. One of the best ways to clear your mind is through meditation. I’ve also found that not only do I get rid of the mental dust bunnies, I also come up with some of my best ideas just by meditating.

9. Take a deep breath.

Finally, if you need a quick mental clearing, nothing beats just taking a deep breath or two. Breathe in calm, peaceful energy and exhale all your stress, tension, and mental clutter. I find this works especially well if I’m in the middle of something and the words just won’t come.

Clearing out your mental clutter is essential to being more creative. Try using some of these tips to get rid of your mental dust bunnies and you will find that older ideas and energy that no longer serve your purpose are replaced by fresh new energy and ideas that will leave you at your creative best once again.

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When Creativity is like Parenting

January 19, 2010 By Lena Leave a Comment

1901sundaysunsetI was looking through a storage container of partially finished projects and products this afternoon, and I came to the conclusion that I have a serious problem.

I have a hard time letting go, especially of the things I’ve created.

I want to share them… really I do. But I don’t want to let go of them to the point that’s required for them to be of actual use to anyone else. And it’s not about control. It’s all about rejection.

I remember what it was like to be the kid no one liked. The one who got made fun of, was always left off the invitation lists, and was the last one picked for baseball every day. And it sucked. I was two years younger than everyone else thanks to the wonderful accelerated learning programs of the 1960s, and so in retrospect I can understand why I never really fit in socially but I wouldn’t wish that kind of rejection on my worst enemy. And I certainly wouldn’t wish it on any child of my own.

That’s when it dawned on me that I see creations in the same way as I see children. We can birth them, and nurture them until they’re fully grown. But then we have to set them free to make their own way in the world. They’ll still always be yours and a part of you, but they’ll lead their own lives and as creators we have to be able to accept that.

But it’s hard. As parents, we want our kids to be liked and accepted even though we know that won’t always be the case. As product creators, I think it’s much the same. We know that not everyone is going to like our creations, and we know that we don’t have the answers for every single person out there. Still, it’s hard not to be protective of your “babies” when they don’t garner the response you were expecting.

So where am I going with all this? Honestly, I’m not really sure yet. But I read this quote that Warren Whitlock posted on twitter earlier today:

“Do one thing every day that scares you” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

And my first thought was that putting a finished product up for sale is one thing that scares the crap out of me! I know that if I’m going to actually have the year I have planned for myself, then letting go of those finished creations and sharing them with the world is a big part of that. Now I just have to figure out how to do that.

Any suggestions? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. I’d love to hear them.

Have an incredible day!
Thanks for being here,
lena

PS… January’s issue of The Acorn Stash Newsletter is ready for download.

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Ten Must-Read Posts on Creativity and Being Creative

November 2, 2009 By Lena 5 Comments

It’s ironic that when I started to put together an issue on creativity that I entered the worst creative slump of the year for me so far. There’s a definite cycle to my creativity sparks and slumps that roughly corresponds to the changing of the seasons, and while I always end up learning something about during the downtime, I have to say the timing on this one really sucked.

JacksonPark1338Thank goodness that when my writing spark was acting seriously un-spark-like, my reading ability wasn’t impaired at all. In my search for something — a word, a quote, or even a picture — to jumpstart my own creativity, I found a great bunch of blogs devoted to the topic. So here is the first Acorn Stash blog roundup featuring ten posts on creativity and its sparks and slumps.

1. The Breath of God Inspiration Method by Leo Babauta

Whenever I’m in need of a shot of peacefulness, Zen Habits is one of the first places I head. In this post, Leo shares a wonderful short three-step method on finding the inspiration to create in little, everyday moments. I’ve used this method myself (although I never realized it actually has a name) when I’m out hiking and taking pictures.

2. Creating In the Dark – Your Sacred Dance by Marelisa at the Abundance Blog is a wonderful post that talks about what to do when you’re creating outside the spotlight of fame. She profiles seven famous people who continued to create even though their art was totally unappreciated in their lifetime. I especially like the section at the end where she talks about finding the work that you were born to do.

3. In Smart Living Rule 11 – Travel, Explore and Try New Things Jeff Nickles writes about travel and how it can help to broaden our horizons and unleash our creativity.

“Getting out of our ruts gives us the opportunity to use our minds in new ways. We gain confidence by facing the small challenges that inevitably arise with travel.”

JacksonPark13404. Turning to the more philosophical, Dustin Wax ponders the question Where Do Ideas Come From? on Lifehack.org. I’ll admit to having wondered more than once how some writers, artists and composers keep coming up with new ideas. I love his explanation that

“…we get ideas from within ourselves and from without, or more to the point, from the interaction of the two. It is in the active engagement of the artist with his or her world, through preparation, conscious attention, curiosity, effort, and a dash of serendipity, that ideas are born…”

There’s a lot more than I can do justice to here, especially on the differences between creative and non-creative people, that really deserves a thorough reading.

5. James at Organize IT makes some great points about creativity and practicality in Unleashing Creativity: Think Big AND Small. He also introduced me to a kindred spirit when he wrote:

“I never just type something up, whether it be a blog post or a chapter in my book. I prefer the freedom of writing and brainstorming on paper and that’s always where I start.”

That’s a sentiment I can identify with 100 percent. There’s just something about actually putting pen to paper that sparks my creativity much more readily than staring at a blank screen will ever do.

6. One of my favorite blogs is UrbanMonk.net and this guest post by Celestine Chua on How to Pursue Your Passion is a wonderful look at identifying and expressing your passion in life. She offers a five step plan that is very easy to put into action and will have you creating in no time. :)
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7. This short post On Inspiration, Creativity and Ideas by Meredith Morgan really gave me an aha! moment when she commented that she was almost 50 before she started writing fiction. Considering that I’m closer to 50 than I’d really like to be, I had to include this one just because it made me wake up and really consider my options.

8. Anyone who knows me, or follows me on Twitter knows how much I love quotes. So when I came across the list of 75 Blog Quotes For Inspiration, Creativity & Success that Smart Boy (aka Christian Hollingsworth) posted, it was pretty much a given that I’d include it here.

JacksonPark13489. In Looking Within for Inspiration Jon Hu asks “”But why is it that whenever we, as people who wish to be creative, wish to be inspired, we always look to things around us?”

It’s a great question, and a timely reminder that “We must remember that in addition to looking around at objects surrounding us, we must not forget to look back inwards, towards the very reasons why we do what we do.”

and finally,

10. Over at Life Set To Words, Maegan Beishline talks about what happens when you get into a non-creative slump in Sharing Thoughts on Inspiration and Creativity. “…creativity has an ebb and flow all it’s own,” she writes. “It’s best not to push it or get angry with yourself. Take some days to rest & re-fuel, gather sights & scents, and prepare yourself for the massive creative wave that surely coming your way!”

Great advice, for sure. :)

That does it for the first edition of the Acorn Stash Blog Roundup. I’d love to hear your thoughts on creativity and being creative, so please feel free to leave a comment!

Have a creative day,
lena

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