Let There Be Light

Let there be light. 

Something interesting happened the other day. I bought Chuck a flashlight for Christmas. Now that in itself is not so remarkable, but the flashlight itself was. 

Whe Chuck switched it on it literally illuminated the entire room, just as if we had flipped the light switch. I was completely amazed. All my life a flashlight basically sent out a beam of light strong enough to get you from one side of a dark room to another. 

It was probably received with great enthusiasm at its conception because it was a better alternative to an oil lamp. At the time it probably was the talk of the town, and it went on for many years doing its job perfectly fine, until a newer even better type of light bulb came along. 

Now with an LED bulb you can literally light up an entire room with a simple flashlight. 

Now this got me to thinking about how many other things in life we continue doing simply because that's all we have known. Why are we quick to criticize someone from a younger generation who has a new, and different idea? Just like that flashlight maybe we need to reconsider how we have traditionally handled some things, and be more open to a different point of view. 

We might actually be amazed at what we see. 

What You Don't Want

What you don't want. 

Sometimes when you are trying to figure out what you want or what the next step should be, asking yourself what you don't want might help you to narrow down your choices. 

When I retired almost ten years ago I had no set plans for the future. In other words I really didn't know what I wanted to do with the next chapter of my life. I remember telling those who asked that I just wanted to remain open to opportunities that might come along the way. 

As it turned out the opportunity to teach part-time for my school district presented itself, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with the kids without the full responsibility of the classroom. I still had some teaching left in me that needed to be done. 

A few years later as my father's health declined I had the opportunity to be there to help him maneuver the many challenges that would come along.  By this time I truly was ready to leave the elementary classroom for something different. 

However, once again. I found myself wondering what I wanted to do next?  I seemed to struggle with this, but had no difficulty knowing what I didn't want to do. Although, I had no reservations about generating possible income, I knew I did not want to be on someone else's clock and schedule. 

I also knew that I did not want to do something that did not require creativity. I had started my blog several years after retiring, and was enjoying the opportunity to express myself through writing. 

When I first retired I thought I had to fill up my time with lots of activity and to-do lists. However, I learned that I did not enjoy having such a full schedule. Although, I still enjoyed being part of a group I did better when we met monthly vs weekly. 

Sometimes when we are unsure as to what we want to do, we can use the tool of identifying what we know we don't want to do. In this way we may not fall prey to the concept of drift where we find ourself involved in activities that we really don't enjoy. 

Narrowing down what I don't want has allowed me to open the door to some new possibilities that I had not considered before, and I'm excited to begin pursuing them. 

His Hands and Feet

His hands and feet. 

They say God works in mysterious ways, and I truly believe He does. Most of the time you just need to be paying attention to let His will be done. 

A few days ago I was making my millionth trip to Walmart to get ready for Christmas. I had made a list of the last few items I needed, and when I arrived I reached into my purse to retrieve the list. 

Well in what seems to be a more common occurance these days I had left the list at home. As I began reading myself the riot act, I wracked my brain to recompose the list. It took a few minutes, but luckily there weren't too many items. 

When I got out of the car to make my way into the store I passed by an elderly gentleman looking for his car. I took several more steps when I felt compelled to turn around and check on him. It was apparent that he was unsure where his car was. 

I made my way toward him offering to help, and reassuring him that I had had the same experience before when parking for the first time at a new location. A few seconds later a young man walked up noticing what we were doing. The gentleman told us he drove a white Honda, and while I walked a few aisles over to look for it, the young man tried without luck to locate the car with the man's key fob. 

I then thought maybe he had come in a different entrance so I walked over to the far side of the parking lot to see if his car was there. When I returned I noticed a woman had joined the elderly gentleman, and they seemed to have located their car. 

I then met up with the young man who told me the older gentleman actually 
had a white Ford. Well of course it was, but we were happy that his his wife had been there, and it had all worked out. I confided that my own Dad had passed away almost two years ago, and anytime I see an elderly person needing help my instinct is to do so. He agreed, and confided that he helped take care of his own father. 

It wasn't until I was actually in the store that it hit me that if I had not left my list at home, I would have gotten out of my car much earlier. In doing so I probably would have missed the man altogether. I suddenly realized that God had a different plan that required me to take a few extra minutes to write my forgotten list. 

I'm so glad I heeded the prompting to turn around and check on the elderly man I had just passed. We are all given the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus if we simply obey when we feel compelled to do so. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas!

Changing Routines

Changing routines.  

From everything I have read routine is one of those things that can work both for you, and against you. When it comes to creativity, though, breaking free from your routine is generally recommended.

Why is this so hard for me? I seem to crave routine, and actually love when I can create a new routine. Recently I joined my city's recreation center, and began walking each weekday morning on the walking track. I was loving it, and was even using the arm machines. You know you've got to keep up the arm strength when you have grandchildren.

I think more than anything I was just enjoying starting my morning with a routine that was both productive and predictive, until they decided to floor the gymnasium, and close the walking track for a week. 

Not wanting to break my good habit I made the decision to walk on the treadmill in the fitness center. Now I've never liked treadmills because I find them tedious. Even while listening to a podcast or watching tv I can't wait for my workout to be over. All week I've been reminding myself that this change of routine is just temporary, but I've found myself less than enthusiastic to work out. 

Now I know that shaking things up is supposed to be good for me, because I know the brain also craves novelty. Sticking with the same routine rarely challenges you to learn anything new, and often times the best ideas come from looking at something in a new way. 

My true struggle, though, is how content I am to shop on Monday, do laundry on Tuesday...you get the idea. This routine changing is definitely something I have to force myself to do- kind of like eating vegetables when I was a child. What about you? How do you react to routine?

Another Look at Limiting Beliefs

Another look at limiting beliefs. 

A limiting belief, according to Gretchen Rubin, is a belief that holds you back or limits your ability to live your most authentic life. 

One of my most crippling limiting beliefs is the belief that everyone should like me. As a child I don't remember it being so important, but by my teenage years it had become all consuming. Unfortunately, unlike the acne I left behind in my adolescence, this belief is one I've carried throughout my life. 

Each time it comes into question that someone might not particularly like me, or approve of my actions, it brings me great concern and anxiety. I begin to question all that I have done assuming I've done something wrong. What could I have done differently that would be more suited to their expectations? 

By clinging so tightly to this belief I have questioned myself, limited myself, and have not really been my true self. I have become what is called a "social chameleon," always shifting myself in order to gain approval. Never quite sure exactly what I like or want, and always gaging it against what I think others deem best. 

Each time I come across a situation where I sense that someone is not happy with me I find it difficult to shake off that uneasy feeling. I find the script in my head spinning in a panic trying to figure out what I could have done differently. 

I had never thought of my approval seeking as a limiting belief, but it is. Seeking the approval of others should not be the driving force in my life. I'm now left wondering what would be the consequences of choosing to abandon this limiting belief? 

Gather

Gather. 

I'm reading an intriguing little book (my favorite kind) about creativity entitled, Your Idea Starts Here, by Carolyn Eckert. As you probably know I'm pretty much obsessed with creativity. I've written about it often, and am always on the look out for inspiration.

She begins her book writing about how to generate ideas. Her first step is to "Gather- Accumulate things you like that might or might not work...don't think, just collect. You're gathering inspiration."

As I thought about this I realized that my conscious effort to bring fewer actual things into my home, might be curtailing my creativity. I often find myself collecting ideas, but I'm not always good about recording them. 

Elizabeth Gilbert in her book, Big Magic, writes about how ideas are sent our way, and if ignored are sent packing to someone else who's more willing to pay attention. By honoring these ideas there is a greater chance of them coming to fruition.

Creativity flourishes when you observe your surroundings. I'm going to be more aware of anything that catches my eye. At the time I may not know exactly why, but I want to trust my inner leanings as to why I find it interesting. 

If I still want to live a less cluttered life I can always snap a picture of it, and collect these objects using a collage format on my phone. I like the idea, "don't think, just collect." Who knows where this might take you?

Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs. 

Author Gretchen Rubin defines a limiting belief as a belief that holds you back or limits you in any way. This may be a belief about yourself personally or one you hold about the world. It may even be something that you are totally unaware of as getting in the way of something you might want to accomplish. 

I think a limiting belief that I hold is that the familiar is better than the unknown. If I've done something the same way over the years I just assume that because it worked in the past it must be be the best way to do something. 

Holding on to this limiting belief allows me to feel comfortable and in control of possible outcome. I hate that feeling of not knowing how to do something. 

The other day I had stopped by the post office to mail a small package. When I arrived there was a predictably long line of others wanting to do the same thing. I dutifully took my place at the end of the line when I remembered that the self-serve kiosk out in the lobby could be used to mail packages. 

I quickly turned around and made my way there where I found no line. Now I can read, and basically that is all that is required as you work your way through the clearly marked steps. Within a matter of minutes my package was mailed, and I think the line inside had not moved an inch. 

I was on my way to my next errand without the frustration of a long line, and only one postal clerk on duty. 

What limiting beliefs are holding you back? Take a minute to reflect on something you have wanted you do, but have allowed a misguided belief to get in the way.