Parenting our Creative Work

An idea has just come up for me that I need to change my relationship with my work - and in fact to see it as the work I have been given to bring into the world. It comes from the understanding that the core of our humanity is that we are co-creators with the universe (or God or whatever name you use for the “great good thing’ which is the source of and is this universe). As I see it we human have each been given a task and it is a great one. We have a unique co-creation which is forming and it will be as great we are willing to allow it to be. Ultimately we are the creative product of our creative work, our divine work. This creation of ourselves progresses via our creative projects. Each creative project is not ours alone - it is more like our child. You can help this creation of yourself and your work to grow and flourish but you can't make it grow or make it be something against its nature. You can distort it though by trying to keep it small. How would it be to allow your creative project to be the size that it is natural for it to be at each stage, and to open to our capacity to handle its growth? It’s just like the way that parents handle, step by step, to a greater or lesser extent, their children's growth needs, and make changes in their lives as the children grow. Parents make amazing changes they would not choose to make, and expand in ways they wouldn’t think they were capable of, as the need to serve their children’s growth draws more and more from them.

Children do and must change our lives – the same applies for creative projects. Imagine if we tried to keep our lives the same while our children grew! It's interesting to me to see my creative work projects as like children. It means they're a big commitment and one that I must surrender to. If I don't they will not flourish and may even die. No-one will condemn me if I let a project die. It's my choice. So I need to be sure that the creative projects I take on are ones that I really feel are the right ones for me. Once I decide a project is mine to create I need to surrender to meeting its needs - at the same time as I take care of “my” needs - just like with 'real' children. This will take sacrifices and big stretches and I will find and develop in myself new and exciting capacities as my creative project “children” ask me to become a greater human being. Becoming a great human being is the greatest creative project of all and the ultimate purpose of all our creative projects. I hope that excites you as much as it excites me! We can and must love our creative work projects, like they are our children, if we are to experience the sweet wellspring of love in our hearts that makes us truly human.

Learning to Love, Just a Little Bit, the Things that Bug Me

Did you know that the more little things in your life you unconsciously allow to "bug" you, the harder it is to love your life? Every little irritation like this sets up negative reactions inside you and uselessly drains away your life energy that is the precious fuel for being creative and productive and having fun. So what to do? There's a little exercise I call Learning to Love Just Little Bit the Things That Bug You that really works. Here's the exercise:

Step 1: Recall for one minute one to three TRIVIAL, EVERY DAY THINGS that get on your nerves, that you tolerate with gritted teeth, or that you complain about a lot but they still don’t change. Write them down.

Step 2: Choose one of the above three things and reflect on what bugs you about it.

Now ask yourself: What could be valuable about this? How could I see this thing as OK, or as a learning opportunity or a useful challenge or in some way look at this thing that bugs me differently, a little bit (or a lot) more positively?

Maybe even go so far as to ask: What valuable message might this thing have for me?

Write down a couple of points.

Step 3: Notice how you feeeeeel now when you look at or think about that thing. I'd be very surprised of you don't feel very different, much more lively and happy.

Do this exercise often!

Share what you discovered with a friend.