have you listened lately?

To the universe around you.
To the universe within you.
To the inner space that is made up of the same stuff as outer space.

If you’re like me, it’s probably real easy not to. The alarm goes off and BOOM: the “what do I have to DO today?” question pops up, the notifications on your phone blink at you, and you’re off to the race of accomplishing everything you possibly can, fueled by a latte and the latest inspirational Instagram quote you posted.

it’s easy to do this - to rush forward in busy energy and not make space to listen - because so much of our society is set up to support that busy energy.

Even when it comes to creativity, we are made to think that we must always be producing content if we are to be worthy of the title “artist” or “creator” or “fill-in-the-blanks-with-your-passion.”

I’m here to remind you (and myself), because I’ve had to give myself the smackdown in this area recently, that your creativity, your LIFE, is so much more than what you produce. And taking the time to explore that other side will only increase the quality and authenticity of what you do end up producing.

When you take the time to slow down and listen and not be so preoccupied with doing stuff, you will probably get more inspired and more clear on what you actually genuinely want to create from your heart - not from your ego.

taking time and making space to simply be and to listen to what’s inside of you is revolutionary.

As Kyle Cease pointed out in a recent series of videos I’ve been watching (and loving):

• Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before he became President.
• Eckhart Tolle spent years sitting on park benches doing “nothing” before he wrote his first bestselling book.
• Many people go through periods of deep inner reflection or solitude before making a big impact.
   

which brings me to the daily practice that’s been saving me.

I haven’t moved to a park bench yet, but….

If you’ve been reading these Creative Fridays posts, you might remember a couple of weeks ago that I announced I was switching to a bi-monthly schedule for posting, instead of weekly, with the intention of making more space and listening to what’s in the inbetween.

Along with that I’ve been doing something every day:

I’d classify it as meditation, but that word can bring up a lot of preconceived notions of how you “should” meditate, what it looks like, how “it never really worked for me,” etc.

so i’ll just call it my daily listening practice.

I take 20 minutes in the morning - sometimes more if I can - to sit on the edge of my bed with my eyes closed and just listen to whatever is flowing through my brain.

It feels radical.

When there are so many things I could or should be doing, to make the space for myself to just sit and listen is pretty awesome, even rebellious. And the clarity and groundedness I’m feeling as a result is powerful.

I’m not here to tell you how to live your life, but feel free to try it out if it speaks to you, or tell me “Duh, Jess! I’ve been doing this for YEARS!” and whatever the case, “You do you, boo-boo,” as my dear friend Eduardo always says to me.

(If you do want more inspiration in this area, I’m way into Kyle Cease and his videos, and highly recommend them.)

I’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks, maybe sooner, and can’t wait to share more about what’s evolving for 2018 from this centered, open space.

keep listening, we got this,