The Void

Last time, I wrote about THE LIST, that never ending wellspring of ideas of where to invest your energy, your time, talent, and financial resources. You may have such a list for your life, your business, your family and home.

You don’t have such a list? Are you in that place of feeling stuck, not knowing which way to turn because you believe you have exhausted your options? Maybe you don’t believe you are creative and are waiting for someone else to tell you what comes next? Or perhaps you have been on the treadmill and exhausted yourself, checking things off the list and now feel empty, drained, without ideas?

I’d like to share an idea about the creative process that can help. I suspect it has been written about many times before (because it works!) yet my most recent encounter was in The Intuitive Way by Penney Peirce. Simply, it is a cycle of creation that requires listening. We must listen to the energy inside and notice when it says:

“Yes! Do it!”

and when it says:

“This doesn’t feel right. What is really needed now?”
or “I’m tired. Take a break.”

Simply put, the cycle is this:

• BE – return to the void and listen; allow space in your activity to hear intuition, that still small voice within, and to be inspired
• DO – once inspired in the listening, we know the steps to take
• HAVE – having taken the steps, we experience completion or “having”

Sometimes, the cycle looks like this:

BE – DO – HAVE – BE – DO – HAVE– BE – DO – HAVE 
Sometimes it looks like this:

BE – DO – HAVE – DO – HAVE – DO – HAVE – BE

Often, when we are too focused on completing the list, it looks like:

BE – DO – HAVE – DO – HAVE – DO – HAVE – DO – HAVE …

and we never return to BE.

Today, consider breaking the cycle. Set the list – or the non-list – aside. Perhaps just gift yourself with 15-60 minutes of solitude. Go for a walk. Sit alone under your favorite tree. Go for a swim and treasure the feeling of floating on your back soaking up the sun. Sit in the chair with your pet in your lap and quiet music in the background.

Whatever you choose, the gift is one of being in the void. Invite your mind to rest. Deepen your breath. Calm your inner agitation. Just be.

What do you notice here?
What feels easy to release from here?
What inspiration is present here?
Finally, before you leave this place, make a date with yourself to return. Then do it!