Soooo my retreat was this past weekend and it was AMAZING if I do say so myself :) I am still buzzing from it, albeit I am very tired and playing catch up with life. The group of people that came really made the whole experience so extra special, and I will forever be grateful to them for being the first to embark on this adventure with me.
I think that there's a thing that happens when you're really in your flow, doing something because you love it and not because you have to do it. I was talking to some fellow yoga teachers about this just yesterday, how some classes you teach you kinda "drop in," like you've become a channel and you barely have to think about it. Other times it's harder to connect and things feel clunky, for a myriad of reasons.
I had this "dropped in" feeling before, during, and after the retreat. I am often amazed that this is my JOB. I spent an afternoon last week sitting in a coffee shop and jotting down all the journaling prompts I could possibly think of, to create a feature for the retreat that I was most excited about: The Journal Jar! During our downtime, folks could grab a prompt or two from the jar and run off with their journal to respond to the random prompt. I had so much fun creating this that it inspired a whole new project: The Journal Jar online! An instagram account that posts daily journal prompts, so you never get writer's block again. Some are deep, some are silly, some are meant to remind you who you are. Who knows where this project could go (I already have some ideas...) but it makes my heart swell just to think of it.
I've been thinking a lot about Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic (if you haven't read, go get it now) where she talks about creativity, and how we should just make the things we want to make. In this age of social media and finding a way to monetize everything, it's easy to get wrapped up in how to be the next big thing. But as Liz points out, we need to take the pressure off our creativity and support ourselves financially first, allowing us to create simply for the joy of creating.
In the book she also talks about how we are like hosts for ideas, and these ideas are just floating around looking for a vessel to help them become realized. And if we have an idea but don't act on it, that idea will go floating off to another person who will. And I have to say, I've seen this happen. It's hard not to get the ego involved when you feel like you missed out on an idea that you had years ago and now someone else is making happen. But alas, I wasn't in the right place for it, and I'm glad somebody else is on it, because I have lots of other projects floating my way and begging to be realized.
But this is certainly motivation to stop sitting on these simple-enough ideas that I can easily make reality. The Journal Jar will begin in the next few days and I hope you'll follow along and start (or continue) your journaling habit. I look forward to the project myself as my journaling habit has become nearly nonexistent as of late and I know I always feel better when I give myself that time.
I'm also excited to work on some other ideas that have been tapping at my shoulder for some time (stay tuned). And of course I'm SUPER excited to start planning my next retreat! I definitely could thrive hosting many, many retreats a year, and I look forward to all the mini-communities that will form, the people that will connect, the unique experiences we will share in our small circles; it's all so special to me and I hope you'll consider joining the next one!
So all this to say - what idea are you sitting on? Are you waiting to figure out how to monetize it? Or thinking it's already been done? Or thinking nobody would like it? WHO CARES?! Create the thing(s) you want to create. And then, share them and you just might be surprised when it's exactly what other people were craving (or it's not, but you had a damn good time creating it).
“Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them
So go out and start creating.”
Have an idea but want to bounce it off someone first? Send it over! I'd love to hear it :)
xo,
m.
