Today I’m excited to bring you a guest post by my friend, Susan Loughrin. You may remember Susan from my post, How $20 Changed My Life. Susan is the source of much creative beauty at InnerCreativeVoice.com. Please make her welcome ~
Attaching Detaching
And letting it go
Attaching Detaching
Just go with the flow
When you embark on a new creative project you are full of excitement and enthusiasm! You get your plan in place and begin, ready to bring our idea to life.
Then, you find yourself “attaching” or “hooking” on to other thoughts, ideas or actions. Like checking email over and over, obsessing over exercise or not eating right, worrying about things that are out of your control. I’m sure you can think of many more specific to you. Basically, you avoid the work that needs to happen to keep that creative idea alive and growing.
When this happens, it is important to take a moment to notice.
- What are the triggers that take you away from the creative work?
- How do you get attached?
- What are your thoughts-deeper worries?
- What strategies would help you to “detach”?
Then, you must let that thought, action or idea go-detach. This will get you back to the creative work you wish to complete.
Here are four steps or that will help you notice your own behaviors around “attaching”:
- Notice –the times you get hooked or attached-when does this happen? Is it daily? Hourly?
- Sit in the thought, idea or action (attachment) that you seem to do habitually that takes you away from your creative work. Why do you find yourself drawn to it? Ask yourself what is really going on?
- Go deeper-What are some strategies that you have that will help to you “catch yourself” before this behavior occurs?
(example: I sit down to write an article and the act of writing becomes difficult. I look over to my email inbox, and think, “I’ll just check a few emails,”, thus taking me off my task of writing. Strategy: Let the idea (checking email) run through my mind, let it pass through, and get back to writing my article. - Detach from the thought, idea, action that takes you away. Keep your focus on your creative work. Go with your creative flow.
When we go with the flow we honor our creative energies. The flow of creative expression seems like it would be an easy-going time. We are doing something we love! However, when thoughts, ideas and actions pop up and distract us from our creative flow-it is disrupted. We need to develop strategies to notice when this happens, and get back to the creative task we want to complete.
Think of the creative flow as a river. While traveling this river, you pass over a rocks, large sticks or debris. You notice it. You may get attached or hooked onto the debris. But if you let go of it and move past it, you continue on with the creative flow. Then, your creative journey becomes the focus and you move smoothly through the journey of creating something you truly want.
Susan Loughrin is an Arts Consultant and Creativity Coach. She helps others see the joy and creativity in their every day lives. Her monthly e-zine, Inner~Creative~Voice Newsletter, brings inspiration through creativity ideas and activities that can be implemented every day. If you are ready to learn how to bring creativity and wonder into your daily life, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://eepurl.com/C8RH
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