When the Moment Comes, Dive In
The original inspiration for what has recently taken shape as the Conscious and Creative Living Discovery Experience started emerging as a subtle whisper a couple of years ago.
It murmured softly in the background while I focused on other things and every so often I checked in to see if it felt like the right time to give it my full attention.
A few months ago, the call to adventure stirred within me so I began listening more closely and took a few conscious steps towards it.
At the end of March the framework surfaced and intuitively I knew the moment had come for me to dive right in and ride the wave to completion.
Sixteen days later all of the essential details had found their form (yes, it was intense!) and I shared the emerging vision with you.
Receiving Energy
I’m telling you this because a lot of my teaching emphasizes the importance of making time and space to allow fledgling ideas to emerge gradually and in the most authentic way possible from the inside out.
My conscious approach to creativity involves fully embracing the feminine, receiving energy – especially in the early stages.
This is in stark contract to making your muse fit some pre-conceived notion of the form it “should” take.
Shifting Gear
However, it’s also crucial to recognize when the time comes to shift gear and take action!
This is when the feminine flow meets the organizing focus of the masculine principle and the dance of creation moves into its next phase.
The caution relating to an excessively prolonged early reflective period is that it may shape-shift into an unconscious anxiety-based resistance that ends up blocking your progress.
Insights and ideas don’t hang around forever; eventually they move on or the energy dissipates and it becomes clear that the moment has passed.
As Ready As You’ll Ever Be
The reality is that there will never be a perfect time to move forwards with your creative ideas.
You’re unlikely to feel totally prepared to write your story or craft a course to share the lessons you’ve learned after months or even years of thinking about doing so.
In my experience, it’s more likely that you’ll feel “as ready as you’ll ever be” – and in all honesty, that’s good enough.
Then you just need to trust the process and take your next steps come what may.
Where are you in relation to reflecting on new ideas and taking action when the moment feels right? Please share your comments or ask a question below. Thank you!
This has so much relevance for me right now, Julia. I appreciate your identifying the two different energies that eventually come together to create. What you say here also alerts me to the realization that a prolonged period of reflection can shape-shift into resistance. Because my writing project is definitely on the back burner and in and out of my awareness, I do think I’m still needing to wait for more clarity. But I also think I am approaching the time to begin taking some conscious steps in the direction of that voice that keeps whispering me into writing.Thank you.
That’s good to hear Helen. The main priority is to maintain awareness and keep checking in with yourself regarding your writing project. Listen to the whispers and remain alert for the inner nudge to take your conscious steps before any kind of resistance has the chance to take hold! Thanks for your comment.
Julia, THANKS again for a very timely message.
My writing process includes ALWAYS carrying paper and 2 pens with me. The second pen is in case one gives out. I jot down many notes day and night. Those notes go on an online mind mapping service called Comapping http://www.comapping.com I have many huge complex mind maps there from inspirations, researching, and brainstorming from over the years.
There comes times when it is right and ripe to move forward to put those into messages that might become blog posts or articles.
I find that I work best when I just go with the flow for extended times. Then I go back to edit in minor ways. It is amusing to me that my subconscious is ALWAYS editing such works. There are moments when I am taking my daily walks or just as I fall asleep or as I wake up that an essential change of a word comes to me strongly. I make a note and the edit.
I understand what you mean about staying with the feminine too long. That is a nice, safe, and comfy place to collect and organize yet more tidbits. It is private. There is no other person to like or dislike it. The connections in my mind increase and get denser.
BUT my purpose for writing is to serve others. SO someday I MUST move from the shaded drawing table into the light of day.
My fears of rejection and failure must be overcome with bold action steps.
Over the years I have invested untold numbers of hours into projects that I was SURE would be a big hit. YET the response was nearly zero. So I retreated back into my shell to make the next expression much better. Thus fueling my perfectionism and procrastination.
My brother sent me an audiobook named Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson. That writer has an amazing proven track record of marketing several online businesses and teaching others his system called Clickfunnels https://www.clickfunnels.com/ . He shares ways to adapt proven concepts to attract those who will value what is offered and not open to crickets.
His marketing system will bring lots of new prospects to consider what is offered. Then it is up to me to deliver the goods. At 64 years old I have had many and various experiences. I have insights and wisdom that I wish some person had passed along to me decades ago. I do not lack for the possible quantity of what I have to offer. My challenge is to summarize and simplify the lessons.
There is an online tool that I encountered years ago and I used briefly. That tool is just right for me today. Webspiration http://www.webspiration.com offers the option to BOTH mind map AND outline. By just clicking a button these shift back and forth. SO the natural ways I think that are mind map orients will INSTANTLY become outlines. From those outlines, I will make improvements. Plus there are ways to link to web pages and images. That outline becomes the skeleton of text documents and the highlights of those become slideshows. LONG ago I made screencast videos while using voice over of a slide show. Also, I had diagrams to illustrate my lessons. Webspiration http://www.webspiration.com, unlike most other mind map services, allow diagrams where ALL the units are not linked together.
Therefore, THANKS for your blog post I will go ahead to START using Webspiration http://www.webspiration.com TODAY.
Plus your blog post reminds me of a time 4 months ago when it was ripe for me to use a service named VoiceThread http://www.voicethread.com This will help me to gradually build a beta launch team. I balked several times to start that and things got messy. SO I intend to start using that service THIS week.
Finally, there is a free app that has helped me overcome some of my perfectionism. Previously I would labor over a document for hours. BUT before I shared a major document I asked a friend to edit it. He did a great job. But often he was busy. Mostly his edits were minor corrections about the uses of commas or verb tenses. Then I came on Grammarly https://app.grammarly.com/ It alerts me to grammar issues as I write. So I do not need to wait for my friend to find extra time for me.
Thank you John for all that you’ve shared here about your process and the resources you use which other readers will undoubtedly find useful. I admit to using coloured pens and paper for my mind maps although I’m sure that writers who are a bit more “techie” than I am will appreciate this range of tools. Enjoy the journey 🙂