It's ok to stop when you need a rest

Here I am, recovering from being sick. You may have seen on social media, I posted something about how i was going to power through and still keep creating the creative genius podcast for you.. And I was really humbled by a lot of the emails and messages and comments I got from everybody reminding me actually to stop, you know, when your body is sick.

So much of what I share in the podcast is about that. It's about listening, listening to the wisdom of our bodies.

We're finely tuned instruments, not just for creativity, and intuition and gut instinct. But for everyday information about what we need to do next, what is the next right thing - the body always tell us. And here I was to push through of pushing through trying to keep producing. 

I took some time off in August, I felt maybe a little bit guilty about that, I felt like I should be back at it and working hard. And And actually, the truth is, I'm no good to you, or me or my family if I'm not well. So I took that to heart and I did go to bed and I did take some rest and I am feeling better. thank you to everyone who messaged me to remind me of this. 

Many of us haven't been sick for a few years, really most of us and we're just our immune systems are going to need a little practice. And that kind of brings me to something I want to share with you today:  when we don't do something for a while, we can get a little bit out of practice, whether that's our immune systems or our creativity. It doesn't mean that it's gone forever. And that doesn't mean you have to start all over again from scratch. It actually doesn't even really mean anything other than you didn't use something for a while, and it needs a little bit of revving.

And so when I got sick, I was actually a little bit there's a part of me that was like, Oh, I'm grateful maybe a little bit for this because it's, it's a good workout for my immune system.

And if we translate that to creativity, when we have these periods of time, where we're not creative for long stretches... it can be easy to think, well I guess I lost it, I don't have it in me anymore.

the creative genius podcast quotes

But no. It just means it's time to, to practice again.

And so if that's you today, if you're feeling like the thing that you love doing your creative dream, whether that's writing or painting or songwriting or cooking or gardening, or climbing a mountain or whatever it is. Just because you haven't done it for a long time and you feel really rusty at it doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it again.

How can you set yourself up for the best success with your reentry into your creative self?

It has a lot to do with mindset and understanding the situation. If you haven't done something for a long time, expect you're going to be rusty. Expect it's going to be a little bit awkward and maybe kind of glitchy and weird getting back into it. 

It might even hurt a little bit.

Be ready for it. Yield to it. There are gifts for you even in the discomfort. 

If you've used to be a marathon runner, and you don't run for a really long time, and then you go for a big run, all of a sudden, you're going to have sore muscles the next day, right?

How can we translate that kind of wisdom and understanding to our creative selves, too?

Those first sketches are probably not going to be your best work ever. That first poem you write, may not be inspired, you may have to warm up again, a little bit after a little bit of time away.

Its easy to assign assign a negative meaning to the times when we 'fall asleep' in our lives and are not creating.

But there is something magical that happens in the "down" times that we shouldn't forget. Just like your body does magic, healing and repairing and restoring your body at night when you are sleeping - there is a great creative force at work within you that knows exactly what it is doing - even when you fall asleep or go unconscious or not paying attention, or even when it appears that you are shoving a part of yourself down in your waking life. 

I wrote about and did a mini episode called 3 ways you can support yourself during a creative block that might be really helpful for you if you are going through something like this right now. 

Even in your most unconscious times, you can trust that there's a deep wisdom, guiding you. As long as you're breathing, and I know this is true, as long as you're breathing, that thing never stops doing its magic.

It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada this weekend, and it's my favourite holiday of all of the holidays, because it's all about GRATITUDE, which is just my favourite feeling and experience. 

I just love that we have a holiday all about gratitude.

So wherever you are happy Canadian Thanksgiving from me and my family and my heart. May you open to ALL the amazing things that you have and be awash in spontaneous gratitude. That's one of the best feelings there is no world.

Big Love, 

ps - if you have not listened to GENIUS MOMENTS #7 yet - do yourself a favour! it was our most listened to and shared mini episode yet!

 


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