You Are Constantly Creating
During Stephanie’s pregnancy, she often enjoyed saying to me, “I created life today...what did YOU create?”
(Usually the answer was something like "a reasonably edible omelette".)
Indeed, I often think of childbirth as the ultimate act of creation, but that’s just one form of creation. I believe we all have a deep desire and evolutionary instinct to create, whether it’s babies, businesses, new ideas, art, or whatever else.
The amazing thing about humans is that we have the ability to think abstractly, which means we can create a vision for the future - we can imagine how things could be. We can also reach back to the past in our minds to learn from experience. With this wide range of thinking ability, we are creation machines.
But as is usually (always?) the case, our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses; with this abstract thinking ability we can easily get stuck in resisting the past, judging the present, or anxiety about the unknown future.
What’s important to know is that you’re always creating. Every thought is an act of creation. If you’re bitter about something that happened yesterday, you’re creating bitterness right now. If you’re angry at someone, you’re creating anger right now. If you’re anxious about what will happen tomorrow, you’re creating fear right now. Behold, your power to instantly create!
With everything going on the world, it’s easy to feel powerless. But remember: when you “feel powerless”, what’s really happening is that you're creating powerlessness with your thoughts.
This kind of reactive, unconscious thinking is destructive on multiple levels. It brings you down, and it informs your actions out the world.
An alternative perspective to feeling powerless is that you're #powerfulAF! Indeed, the shift from thinking “I’m powerless” to “I’m powerful” in and of itself makes you powerful (try it).
The question is, how do you want to create? Do you want to create as an unconscious reaction to the past or present, and from a place of fear of the future? Or do you want to create consciously, choosing thoughts and perspectives that open up limitless possibilities for your future AND actually feel good in the present?
A lot of people want to justify thinking that causes them suffering. They might think, “the world is a dark place and we shouldn’t lie to ourselves about it”. I would ask those people, what is that very thought creating for you and for the world? The answer: a dark place.
If you want to get out of a negative thinking rut, a good place to start is with this question:
“What am I creating right now?” By simply asking yourself that question, you can break free from patterned, reactive thinking.
You might follow that up with, “what do I want to create (right now/today)?” Consider what you want to feel. Peace? Excitement? Curiosity? Love? Consider what impact you want to have on the world, and what’s most important to you. This line of self-inquiry will help you create consciously in alignment with your highest self, and ripple out goodness into the world.
If you draw a blank, not to worry - the old saying, “don’t speak unless it improves on silence” is also applicable to thought. Having a clear mind is a creative force, too, since it fosters greater clarity and opens up space for new insights.