Surrender To That Inner Voice

I had been feeling a bit blue and alone, so I thought I’d treat myself to something I wanted.  I went to the grocery store to pick up some items I needed to make some chili bean soup. I had a hankering for it and felt like I’d treat myself to something I wanted. I could almost taste the soup.  I had the beans the onions, the ground beef, my mouth was watering.

Then out of nowhere a thought of my sister came to mind. We had spoken via email just the day before. She told me that she and my 13-month-old nephew had been battling a virus all week and feeling pretty tired. As I thought of this, I  thought that I should bring something over for dinner.  She loves my Mexican meatball soup (Albondigas), but I wanted Chili soup, and so the battle within began. I already had everything for the bean soup and I didn’t have my recipe for the albondigas soup. I struggled  trying to run away from that little voice, but it was in every aisle!

I brought the cart I was pushing to a halt, and surrendered. See, I struggle so with being selfish, but God blesses me with so many opportunities to be rid of it, and this was one. Read more

How fear blocks creativity

To understand how fear blocks creativity, take a moment to imagine yourself telling a story. First, imagine telling the story to someone you love and who loves you. You probably feel warmth and energy as you fill in the details of your tale to your friend’s delight. Now, imagine telling the same story to someone who, for whatever reason, makes you uncomfortable. The wonderful twists and turns, the fine points and colorful images that unfolded in your mind for your friend probably won’t present themselves. Instead of warmth, energy, and creativity, you will probably feel opposite sensations and a desire to close down. When we feel unsafe, whether we fear being judged, disliked, or misunderstood, our creative flow stops. Alternately, when we feel safe, our creativity unfolds like a beautiful flower, without conscious effort. Read more