Lately,
I've been thinking a lot about what makes us human.
Is it our ability to walk on two feet,
To think,
To talk?
Or is it our ability to be aware,
To feel and create?
To feel someone's pain and be able to feel our own?
To learn from our mistakes?
And use our imagination to recreate the narrative?
Creativity has always been a big part of my life,
From being a creative director in advertising to a meditation guide and teacher and coach,
I know what a powerful tool and ally the imagination and the creative mind can be.
Before one can transform limiting beliefs or shift old patterns,
One has to imagine that it's possible.
Because our creative mind enables us to shift from one state of being to another,
To reframe thinking,
Dissolve stress,
And rewire unhealthy thoughts.
When we use our imagination to visualize new outcomes,
We can find creative solutions to problems and new roads to happiness.
When we invite our body and heart to be open to new ideas,
We can invite our creative mind to help us create change.
And we can engage our imagination to visualize options that can manifest new pathways in the brain,
New paths in our lives.
Our creative mind at a subconscious level helps us shift out of old patterns that no longer serve us,
Into the aliveness of the moment.
And when we ask our body how are we feeling,
And how would we rather feel,
It's important that we're really willing to listen.
Really listen.
Not to the ongoing chatter of the thinking mind,
But to the stream of ideas that spring forth from a deeper place inside.
And hold space for it all.
Because it's not this or that,
Sometimes it's this and that.
To increase our capacity,
And increase the options in our lives.
And when we want to change a pattern,
We need to learn a new behavior.
To acknowledge what is not working,
And be willing to open to what can work.
Creativity frees us to see and feel into these new ideas.
To be aware of what is,
And also be aware of what else it can be.
Many of us hold on to old patterns,
Old wounding,
From events that have hurt us,
And no longer remember why.
These are the deeper stories in our nervous system,
Which can surface as intense feelings or unwanted behavior when we get triggered.
And this is very,
Very human.
Why self-compassion is essential to healing old wounds,
By being at peace with ourselves.
In the wise words of Gabor Maté,
When you feel peace inside of you,
You feel peace with everyone else.
Because self-compassion paves the road to having compassion for others,
And paves the superhighway to achieving peace in the world.
To imagine walking in someone else's shoes,
Seeing life through their eyes,
And feeling our common values,
Our common humanity.
To realize we all want the same thing.
Love,
Freedom,
Peace,
And prosperity.
To understand at a deep level that we are all connected.
At a spiritual and subatomic level,
We are interconnected.
And when we heal ourselves,
We send a vibrational ripple out into the world.
So it's time to get into right relationship with ourselves,
Acknowledge and own our values,
And step into our collective humanity,
And hold space for what is,
To heal the conflicts within us,
And allow right action to flow from here.
I invite you to close your eyes and turn within,
Into the world behind your eyes,
And simply breathe,
Listening to your breath,
Creating spaciousness with each inhale and exhale,
As you become an observer,
A witness,
Or possibly even curious to the deeper thoughts and sensations within you.
And just notice whatever you're feeling as you breathe,
Breathing and listening.
You might observe what you are holding,
Noticing if you are in conflict with someone else,
Or even with yourself.
Is there a judgment or resentment that you may be holding on to,
Or just plain old fear?
You may ask your body,
How long have you been holding on to this?
And notice how heavy it feels.
Imagining what you're ready to let go of,
Imagining letting it go,
And imagining how good it feels to move forward as you leave that behind.
And how much lighter can you feel?
How much freer can you be?
And imagining what is possible now,
As you release even more.
Seeing is believing,
And believing is seeing.
Visualize the world that you want to see,
And notice how good this feels inside.
To feel into the true power within you,
The power of your creative mind,
The power of your imagination,
And the power of your vision.
May all beings be free from suffering.
