The Time Is Now

“The   key question isn’t ‘What fosters creativity?’ but 
  why in God’s name isn’t everyone creative?”
  ~ Abraham Maslow

It’s a New Year and it is that time when we think about new directions, new dreams, new aspirations and renewed commitment to our personal goals. Numerology, the esoteric system for numerical relational patterns, tells us that 2008 adds up to the number 1 (2+0+0+8 = 10 = 1+0 =1). The number 1 in numerology is all about new beginnings. So whether you resonate to numerology or not, it’s interesting to consider that the implied energy for this particular new year amps the potential for revived hope and fresh starts.

Traditionally, most of us mark the beginning of a new year with visioning and setting new intentions. In fact, I had the most fun ever doing just that over the holidays with an incredible group of inspirational women. It delighted all of us to see what emerged on our unique ”vision boards.” Visioning in a way that is compelling is an important first step to creating what we want. But, frankly, as powerful as it is to consciously envision your intentions, it’s the thought of implementing those intentions that can feel stressful and even out of our reach.

Like you I’m sure, I get a variety of emails at this time of year with perspectives and tools and prescriptions for actualizing your goals for every imaginable area of a person’s life. But the one that most intrigued with me came from coach, author and Hay House radio host Michael Neill. In an article entitled “Beyond The Secret”  (to read the article in it’s entirety, go to http://geniuscatalyst.com/geniusblog/), Neill makes a distinction between 3 approaches for how he believes people go about getting what they want:

~ Acquisition - In the Acquisition model of the world, the stuff of life is out there and your job is to go out and get it. Neill’s opinion is: “Acquisition-based thinkers often see life as a case of the “have’s” vs. the “have-nots”, and shift  between the roles of hero and victim in a “dog eat dog” world. Acquisition-based thinking places the power outside of us in the visible, physical world.”

~ Attraction - Activating the Law of Attraction or “like attracting like” was made popular with the phenomenal  mainstream success of the movie, The Secret. The personal development experts in that film encouraged people to tap into the power of the Law of  Attraction by aligning thoughts, feelings, intentions and desires.  To my way of thinking, this has value, but Neill makes an argument that just relying on attraction-based thinking can simplistically,
  once again, lead us to place the power outside of us albeit this time in the invisible, metaphysical world.

~ Creation - Creation-based thinking places the power firmly inside ourselves.  Neill writes: “We access that power through the choices we make about how to be (our “ground of being”), how to see (our attitude, our “angle of approach”), and what to do (the words we speak and the [inspired] actions we take).  When we don’t get what we want, it’s either because we haven’t yet found a way or it’s just taking more time than we want it to. No blame, no fault, no shame.”

It is so important to understand that actualizing what you want is essentially an inside job. In my experience, a skillful conscious creator with a working knowledge of activating the Law of Attraction can easily manifest their intentions with a sense of ease and grace. Expanding on Michael Neill’s definition of creation-based thinking for manifesting what you envision, I would therefore add the following 8 strategies to fully becoming an empowered, intentional creator:

1)   Practice self-responsibility in everything. If you break down the word “responsibility”, this just means being confident that you have the “ability” to wisely ”respond” to life’s unfolding while being joyously grateful for the good and avoiding the temptation to react to the challenges. Responsible creators embrace the flow of life with a minimum of drama and don’t collapse into fearful confusion. Conscious creators understand that challenges are opportunities for growth in disguise. You are not a victim.

2)  Be present and stay in the moment. Your point of power is in the now. The past is over and the future is a dream. It is only in the here and now that you can be innovative, wise and access your innate, intuitive knowing.

3)  Become masterful with energy management. Manifesting what you want often means positively aligning with how you feel about what you want. In other words, the reality of how you feel about what you want has to be a match to your highest vision. For example, there’s the old clichés that you can’t get rich from believing you deserve to be poor or you can’t get thin while you are still thinking you are fat. As Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level at which it was created.” One of the keys to shifting these limiting or conditioned beliefs is managing your energy with any one of the growing variety of energetic tools available now such as Emotional Freedom Technique,  Tapas Acupressure Technique or the Sedona Process.

4) Honor your strengths. Having a healthy sense of self esteem and worthiness based on honesty, integrity and authentic humility is the cornerstone of being a conscious creator. Celebrate yourself as often as you can. If you believe that in some way you are not enough, then you are already behind the eight ball. Be kind and compassionate toward yourself regarding your perceived limitations. Avoid perfectionism and don’t be afraid to fail.  Sometimes it’s a failure that will lead to a great awareness or the very solution you are seeking.

5)  Surrender the stories that no longer serve. In the human condition, all we have is our stories…our perception
  of what’s going on. Some stories work for us. Some stories activate us. The conscious creator has the courage to process and let go of the stories that make them angry, fearful, depressed or clinging to a righteous stance. Letting go of these stories that no longer serve is actually another way to manage your energy and open to loving “what is” with a sense of peace and grace. When you love “what is”, you will attract more to love.

6)  Allow in your good. We know how important it is to ask for what you want…to have intentional clarity about what
  you want. But it is equally important to receive and open to allow what you want into your experience. Sometimes this is easier said than done. This requires trusting your life without trying to control the flow of it. The conscious creator understands that letting go of outcome and detaching from expectations means that life becomes an adventure that often delivers blessings in ways that will deeply delight.

7)  Partner and collaborate.  Truly empowered conscious creators understand the necessity for support to ensure success in all areas of life. We are not meant to do anything on our own. It’s my belief that this support comes not only from the physical world in the form of family, friends, colleagues, therapeutic professionals but also from the invisible realms (Source Energy, guides, angels…whatever resonates for you.) True creation is actually a process of co-creation.

8)  Lighten up. Taking yourself too seriously is just another way that we can sabotage successfully attaining our intentional  vision. With lots of new books on the market, the importance of joy and happiness is the new hot trend in personal development for 2008. The truth is that happiness is a choice. It’s a choice that is totally independent of the things, situations or people we think we need to be happy. In fact, the dynamic for success is just the opposite. We need to be happy first to manifest what we want. Conscious creators know that it’s all about the fun and easy, effortless joy.

“Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm” 
  ~Earl Nightingale, motivational author

“Every day is a fresh beginning, Every morn is the world made new.” 
~ Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, author