Do you have a hard time concentrating on bringing your creative dream to fruition? I know I do! I'm talking about any form of creation...cooking, dancing, writing etc. Its so easy to get distracted because you want your environment to be just right before you create. It's the same reason you may have 3 hours to study for a big test but spend at least one of those hours cleaning. We are waiting for the Laundry and the dishes to be done and for your room to not look like an episode of hoarders. This is what my day looks like today:
I woke up excited about my day. I'm so eager to get into my art studio in my new (old) house and start creating. Today is the day after 6 months of going through moving and intense renovation that I'm prepared to really "work" on my dream. This sounds like yesterday.... and the day before....and the day before. But today I have to work at my real job, I have to visit a good friend at the hospital who just yesterday had a massive heart attack, laundry is piled up, the Christmas tree is not decorated, my art studio is filled with disorganized art supplies, I have gifts to send to distant family (I hate going to the post office) and yes, my room looks like hoarders along with another million things on my to do list. I don't even have children! It's so easy to be anxious from morning until night with all of the tasks that we have to do without feeding our souls and pursuing our dreams. It's easier to say oh well, theres no time.
You have to make time for your dream! If I dont fully acknowledge my dream and it is always lingering inside, never to surface then I won't fail. Ill stay distracted so that I don't have to deal with any disappointment or pain. It's a form of procrastination and self protection to be distracted if you ask me. Maybe if you try too hard you'll find out youre really great and it will change your life which could be very scary.
There is no perfect answer but this is what has really helped me on my successful days:
Get enough sleep. Make the decison to be healthy the night before. You won't do anything if youre too tired to do it.
Listen to the still small voice. This is the most important. If you are anxious you are thinking about the future, if you are depressed you are thinking about the past. You can only hear the still small voice right now, in the present. Push away all other thoughts and ask, "What should I do at this moment to pursue my dream?". When something tells me or should say it occurs to me that I should sit and work on my website then I have to decide to not pick up the laundry basket as much as I want to multitask. When my task is over, I'll ask the question again. If you're not sure what the heck you are doing then wait at take some quiet time and write down what a perfect day looks like for you...then ask again.
Another mindset that helps me to stay positive and true to my dream is to pretend that I already am who I want to be. If you were a famous artist you can make yourself special coffee and sip it like youre a famous artist. If I'm taking a shower I can pretend I have an exhibition I'm getting ready for. Visualizing what you want and feeling what it feels like can make it manifest. If anything it makes life more exciting even if it feels stupid at first : )
Look, here is proof! I had a thought that I should write my first blogpost. Do you know how many times I've thought this before???! When it came down to it I was afraid. This time, I heard the still small voice and did it. I feel so much better today!
Onto the next task...Cleaning and organizing my art studio.
