Several months ago our columnist, Laurie Mueller, wrote about coffee mugs – how their shape, colour or message impacts us. Today I was thinking about the message on one of my mugs that says, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about CREATING YOURSELF.”
To be clear, there have been times in my life when I’ve lost some element of myself, when I’ve abandoned something of value or significance in order to be something else – often a misguided response to a situation or someone who didn’t approve of who I was. Eventually, I found my way back to reclaim that part of myself I had abandoned.
And sometimes we uncover (find) some latent gift or element within ourselves that has laid dormant or unrealized until some catalyst reveals its existence within.
Finding is about returning to that place where we once were, or a place that has always existed just never been fully explored.
Which is why the second directive to “create” yourself is so important to consider.
Creation is different from “finding.” Creation is about taking steps into the unknown, often accompanied by the feeling of uncertainty and maybe a touch of panic or overwhelm. It can be uncomfortable and scary.
Creating can also be fun and exciting.
Creating is about bringing an idea or intention into manifestation through an act of choice accompanied by courage.
It’s often said that most of the thoughts we think aren’t ours – they are pockets of energy floating through the ethers; replays of past thoughts vibrationally hovering in our energy field that our mind captures and claims as its own. Sometimes thoughts are mere regurgitations of what others have told us.
So how do you know when a thought is actually yours and not just some rumination recycling through your mind?
The best answer I have heard is that original thoughts begin with the words “I choose…”
Rarely do we stop, sit with ourselves and ask, “What do I want in this moment?”
When you do, the answer that arises often comes in the form of a desire or declaration.
When we take that sacred moment to be still and listen to our heart, be present in our body without the distraction of old repetitive, whirling, cluttering thoughts, we provide the space for a desire to surface, an intention to arise, and a choice to be made.
In that auspicious moment, we create ourselves and set in motion a new and different future.
When we take the time to go beyond what IS, there’s a whole new life awaiting that can’t be found, only created.
This month’s cover story about Lorraine Nygaard is about creating oneself.
Several years ago, I was invited by a friend to attend the first home concert by Lorraine as she gave voice to her aspirations as a jazz singer. I witnessed a mature woman leaving behind a settled life to embark on a new career. It was a clear and awe-inspiring “I choose this” declaration.
Deepak Chopra says, “An intention synchronistically organizes its own fulfillment.”
This certainly has been the case for Lorraine, and it becomes true for anyone who decides they want something different for themselves and takes a step in that direction.
The path to fulfillment is rarely a straight line. There can be ups and downs, achievements and setbacks, moments of exhilaration and despair. But every invention, be it scientific or a reinvention of one’s life, starts with the desire and choice to create.
As we celebrate our 20th year of publication, we are grateful for the many “creators” who have graced our covers over the years. Here are just a few:
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