Big and Little Appreciation

I was transfixed on the Inauguration yesterday. I am so thankful that we are starting a new chapter in our American history, because we just did not need another 4 to 8 years of the same. I feel renewed and energized with the change! I think this is the shot in the arm that our country needed to start to get out of the ills we have been feeling. I appreciate this big change, and I relish the fact that I was able to watch it all unfold.

On the flip side, I am trying to make an effort to not forget about appreciating the little things also. In a way, it is a forced appreciation, because of the economy. Everyone that I know has had to tighten their spending belts since before Christmas, and I don't really see that changing in the near future. But, I think this tightening has been a good lesson for me. I am not just appreciating things anymore out of necessity, but also out of true appreciation. I love a good Bing cherry and a good orange. I appreciate being creative in my cooking and not relying on boxed or restaurant food so much anymore. And, mostly I appreciate the fact that right now I really don't "want" for anything. Sure, there are certain things that are needed to be purchased for the house this year, but as far as personal items, I feel content right now.

Awareness My Friend...

My poor body has been in a state of neglect regretfully for sometime. Part of it was due to post traumatic stress after going through two major floods within a year, and part of of it was being depressed about that on top of the stress. I can thankfully say that I think I am coming out of the funk that held onto me for a good couple years. It amazes me how I let myself forget how good I feel when I take my vitamins, eat healthy, and get some exercise!

It was not a new years resolution that spurred me to get healthy again, it was more like it was enough is enough! I know how to be healthy; I know what makes me feel good - Just do it darn it!

This also goes for healthy actions and thoughts. It is a very Buddhist concept "right thought and right action". Both stimulate my creativity. When I clear my mind and not have negative thoughts, then I tend to be more fruitful in my creativity. I like that, as a matter of fact... I love it.

Life lesson:

"Be aware of what is being put into your body both mentally and physically. Quality thoughts and quality food nourish the body and soul."

Fear the Greatest Obstacle

I know I have written about fear before in the blog, but I believe this topic never gets old as far as discussing or thinking about it. In creativity, I think that fear is the biggest obstacle that any person faces. Whether it is fear of starting a project, fear of failure, or even fear of success, all artists or creatives have fear. For me, I fear success more than I fear failure. I am not sure why that is, but it tends to rear it's head when I get going on a project. I have to backburner those feelings in order to actually complete what I started out to do.

If you search the web about fear and creativity, you will get a lot of hits. I think it will always be a hot topic, becuase it happens to all of us at one time or another. But, why do we fear, is it how we are wired as humans, is it a basic instinct, what is the root? I think a lot of the reason I fear things is becuase of my experiences growing up. It is something I know that I must work on daily to move past it. The best thing that I have found for myself is to read about it. I think the more one learns on how to cope with it and mechanisms to help, the easier it gets to manage fear, and even in some cases see that it can be a good thing.