The Poet Stands Alone

Checking in...

This past week life called on me to write more poetry. In my last "Deepening Joy" meditation class, we had a choice to volunteer to read poetry or sing or do any other creative activity. I chose to read a poem I wrote two years ago. I used to write poetry all the time when I was in school and some after, but then I stopped abruptly when I decided that I wanted to do more "serious" or "adult" type of writing. In other words, the kind of writing that would have potentially made me money. We get trapped in these "should" ideas and forget what was fun for us. Reading my poem reminded me how inspired I used to feel when I wrote poetry.

How do I know that Life is calling me to serve in this way?

Some people from the class came up to me afterwards and literally told me how moved they felt and that I should write more. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. Of course, it doesn't mean that I have to drop everything else I'm doing and just focus on poetry; rather, include it in my activities.

One of the things I'm learning in the "creating me" process is to allow things to come and go without making absolute judgments or holding on to ideas for dear life. When I try to force an idea to become a fixture in my life rather than a fluid possibility, I fall into the trap of guilt, self-criticism, and inner turmoil. Who needs it? I sure don't.

What can I do now to live the kind of a life I really want?

Every week, every day, or every moment even, there is always one thing that's more prominent in our minds than others. For me, it has been sticking to a set schedule when I am my most creative, specifically for writing. I already know that my most creative time is in the morning hours from when I wake up at about 6am to noon. It takes me half an hour to an hour to go through my morning routine, which leaves good four to five hours to do creative work.

Then, why don't I do it every day or five times a week?

I'm realizing that it has to do with making that time a priority - no excuses! If I don't make that time a priority, I become more susceptible to distractions like checking my email, planning what I'm going to do tomorrow, getting into long discussions with my parents, worry, and doubt.

My intention this week is to cultivate more creative time and sticking to it even when nothing of "quality" arises.

In one of the posts of my favorite blog site, "Zen Habits," Leo (the writer of the blog) talks about the No.1 creative habit, which is SOLITUDE. Giving yourself the time to be alone in order for the creative juices to flow has proved to be the most crucial aspect for all creativity according to Einstein, Kafka, and many other geniuses of this world.

Join me in creating more alone time for creative solutions and ideas to flow into our hearts and minds with ease.

Thank you.