Right Brain Planner

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote is referring to the alternate definition we have come to know as perfection. The one that screams that mistakes are useless, and that “experiments” {trial and error} are of no value as we advance in the direction of our dreams {completeness}.

Experiments …

Vision and anticipation. And fear. Perfection and action. And inaction. Zeal and hesitation. And paralysis. We wrestle with the concept of “Just do it!” Actually we have more of a love-hate relationship with it; the love {or hate} being more than merely a surface emotion …

more like a rudder of the soul.

Steered by perfection.

Perfection in the broad sense of the word, as in completeness. Citing Wikipedia: “The oldest definition of ‘perfection’, fairly precise and distinguishing the shades of the concept, goes back to Aristotle. … he distinguishes three meanings of the term, or rather three shades of one meaning, but in any case three different concepts.

1. which is complete — which contains all the requisite parts;
2. which is so good that nothing of the kind could be better;
3. which has attained its purpose.

Perfection in purpose

is mapped by the heart.

And the route is mapped as we embrace the vision and anticipation. And fear. Perfection and action. And inaction. Zeal and hesitation. And paralysis.

Because {it} all is a part of

The Process.

In every man’s mind, some images, words, and facts remain, without effort on his part to imprint them, which others forget, and afterwards these illustrate to him important laws. All our progress is an unfolding, like the vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge, as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason. It is vain to hurry it. By trusting it to the end, it shall ripen into truth, and you shall know why you believe. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self-trust is the first secret of success.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We resist what we already know — what feels natural to us — because we believe the answer to a life we love must be difficult or complicated. We wrestle with trusting ourselves: that we could actually already know what we want — and possess the ability to obtain it.

Often times, this is because we are afraid to believe we can accomplish what we dream of.

Because we hold on so tightly to our expectations and our self-loathing from past “failures” {aka life lessons} … It is vital to loosen the stranglehold we have around our want-to’s, Braveheart.

Our dreams need “a whole lot of space to breathe in” …

:: cues musical prompt :: ♫♫ Hold On Loosely, 38 Special ♫

Fear.

Yep. I mentioned it last week … Because basically, our dailies {weeklies and monthlies} boil down to: Fear or Faith.

We vacillate between being paralyzed in what-if’s — and dancing wildly in the direction of our dreams! All the while resisting what we know about this cycle, because we believe we will somehow escape it: this cycle of total clarity and focus, action, obstacles, terror — and the semi-delusional state we go to so we can begin it again!

It is not complicated.

When we are passin’ mile markers, advancing confidently in the direction of our dreams — nothing can stop us! We are bullet-proof to facts, what-if’s and when-oh-when’s. But then the obstacles start flyin’ everywhere … Our focus begins to dart back and forth …

Doubt sets in.

Fatigue.

Overwhelm.

We begin to believe we are the only one suffering such realities. Leading us to assume we are weak, and we spin into a defeatist attitude {I never/I always} and.or of course, the on-so familiar default defense mechanism: anger and withdrawal. The fatigue of overwhelm causes us to believe we are alone. That we cannot talk about the anxiety and depression and sense of failure.

False.

Cycles of focused action, obstacles and doubt are necessary. Yes. Necessary. We absolutely could not learn anything without messy consequences, situations that didn’t work out like we hoped and recalculations of our travels in the direction of our dreams.

This is what we know. But we resist it.

There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

Faith.

Faith is trust; faith in something or someone has little to do with reason. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (Hebrew 1:11). Faith is a willingness to embrace what we already know. Even — and especially — if that feels daunting. ♥

Creativity comes from trust. ~Rita Mae Brown

This Week’s Prompt

Compile a list of what you do {and think and feel} when you are procrastinating or when you are in the midst of “spinning your wheels” but not going anywhere.

Gift yourself the ease, liberty and space to:

• jot down one-word-answers
• compile separate lists {as many as needed}
  
• brainstorm to identify, clarify and define your answers via:
  
• doodles
• images
• photographs
• colors
• spattered paint
• multimedia collage
• your words
• quotations

• keep something to record your thoughts with you {bedside, desk} as much as possible:
• your journal or a spiral notebook; phone app or an online journal, like Penzu* or OhLife
• a ziplock bag with bits of loose paper, Post-it® notes or small note pads, and pens

Braveheart, keep this simple and free-flowing. It is a proposed tool for you {not a weapon against yourself}. If it becomes “too much” … allow yourself to pause. Resist placing expectations upon this process …

• The only goal is to begin … if it is your time to do so.

The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life. ~Jessica Hische

Is it your time?

Are you at the place in time where …

1) you know something needs to change, and
2) you are willing/able to commit to change

• If you wanna join in “a little more” — take these baby steps …
• “Like” Right Brain Planner on Facebook, if you would like to have daily {visual} prompts for your blossoming {intentions} decisions.
• Join the Right Brain Planner Group on Flickr, if you are interested in seeing {and sharing, if that is comfortable for you} creative pages of intention and promise.

*affiliate link

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

For as long as I can remember, what could be done was not something I was interested in. And while this was not a mindful intention, it was true. I can vividly recall the moments of blank and uncomfortable stares from people when I answered questions such as:

• “What do you want to do with your life?”
• “What are you earning your degree in?”
• “Why would you want to do that?”

Heck, I was somewhat blank and uncomfortable even answering those questions!

But now I realize I was listening to the beat of my heart. And I could hear it beat louder and faster in the midst of certain situations. {Like answering those questions!}

And I simply knew.

That is the only way I can describe why, at age 17, I wrote to Hallmark to inquire about the process of submitting “my line of greeting cards” for their consideration. Why I turned down job offers because I simply “couldn’t see myself doing that every day.” Why — a month after receiving my “get-me-graduated” collage degree — I wrote to the president of the Oklahoma Bar Association to submit my resume {which was more of a “this is what I want to do” summary than a summary of work experience}.

However the work experience I did have {self-employment} — coupled with the fact that my inquiry was so unusual, led to an interview. That interview led to a job I could “see” in my mind’s eye, a job that made my heart vibrate my entire being: Staffer for the U.S. Senate.

I had no idea at the time that those types of staff positions were rare and typically not given to dreamers. And it is likely they didn’t realize I was a dreamer. And they certainly didn’t realize that my youth didn’t mean I was someone to be “groomed” and indoctrinated to tow the party line.

Fast Forward to Now

I am in the midst of career pursuits that both, 1) inspire me to jump outa bed each day, and 2) paralyze me! The day-to-day stuff for these pursuits challenges everything I ever learned as a freelancer or in MBA-school. Another facet of these professional pursuits: Some days I am tempted to simply “give in” to the notion that I am medically “disabled” due to nerve damage and the random adventures of multiple sclerosis.

I am undaunted.

Because … each morning {after I do the isometric exercises which enable me to jump outa bed!} the tide of my dreams washes over me as I collage and journal; and because I read blogs like this and this and this to remind myself of what I already know and to kick that up a notch.

I am going to begin reading this book today. Written by the multifaceted Becky McCray, a dynamo who comes from a long line of undauntedness — and who makes it her mission to inspire and educate others. She even provides us with a place to talk about it!

I am also inspired by a young woman-child, named Cayla Ann. And I think you will be, too. She dares to listen to the beat of her heart. And she dares us to do the same: You CAN Write! ♥

What scares you the most?

Because that fear reveals its priority for you.

What are you willing to do for what you want?

Because if you have to stop and think about your answer … You are not ready.

And that is okay …

Because it takes as long as it takes, Braveheart.

Always do what you are afraid to do.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is vital to get this point out of the way. That embarking on change means you will be traveling with varying levels of fear. But, let’s view fear through a pin hole {instead of magnifying glass}. Shall we?

As in: When we begin to assume the worst, let’s flip it … So that “bad stuff, worst-case-scenarios and oh-no’s” are not unduly influencing us. Because outcomes are never a terrible as we imagine them to be.

:: cues musical prompt :: ♫♫ Come Sail Away, Styx ♫

Fear is:

1. your feeling-barometer measuring “pressure” changes.
2. pressure variances forecast short term changes.
3. proof that you have moved outa your comfort zone.
4. your personal start line as you embark on Next.
5. overcome with tangible action. Um, like, change.
   

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, what else holds you back?

That is the question I journaled about {over and over, in layers} … The cycles of “try hard, give up” were clear to me. And even adjusting for my over-achiever and perfectionist tendencies — those cycles remained quite evident. What stopped the movement of the ever-widening circles of living beyond those cycles?

What I identified:

I had faulty beliefs.

I was stuck because of my {habitual} responses to my life challenges. I had confused the unwillingness {inability} to make a decision with perseverance and patience.

Read: I slapped a socially acceptable label over what I was complaining about. That which was making me miserably unfocused; physically, mentally and spiritually uncomfortable; and.or emotionality-reactive {mostly expressed through anger}.

So, I started with these four (4) questions:

This Week’s Prompt

What are your answers to these questions?

Gift yourself the ease, liberty and space to:

• jot down one-word-answers
• compile lists {as many as needed}
  
• brainstorm to identify, clarify and define your answers via:
  
• doodles
• images
• photographs
• colors
• spattered paint
• multimedia collage
• your words
• quotations

• keep something to record your thoughts with you {bedside, desk} as much as possible:
• your journal or a spiral notebook; phone app or an online journal, like Penzu* or OhLife
• a ziplock bag with bits of loose paper, Post-it® notes or small note pads, and pens

Braveheart, keep this simple and free-flowing. It is a proposed tool for you {not a weapon against yourself}. If it becomes “too much” … allow yourself to pause. Resist placing expectations upon this process …

• The only goal is to begin … if it is your time to do so.

There can be no courage unless you’re scared.
~Eddie Rickenbacker

Is it your time?

Are you at the place in time where …

1) you know something needs to change, and
2) you are willing/able to commit to change

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.
~Rainer Maria Rilke

*affiliate link

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anaïs Nin

That day came for me in 2011.

I have never been the same.

Something clicked. It was my time to move on regarding several “hoped-for’s” and “want-to’s” … It felt uncomfortable. But I decided to break out of familiar cycles. To allow myself to focus {invest} my time and energy upon my personal goals; to release myself from a self-imposed, that-is-the-way-it-has-always-been mentality.

I could almost hear the memories of similar decisions mocking me, the instant I began making the necessary “baby-step” changes to overcome the risks it took to blossom.

But I remained undaunted.

And I kept art-journaled notes about my discoveries and my how-I-did’s!

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

In my journey, I first had to determine what I needed to let go of {time commitments, hobbies, relational}. Because my decision by itself could not:

• add hours to my days
• wrap me in energy
• complete lingering projects
• resolve the conflicts I faced

But my micro-decisions and baby-step-movement — and periodic wild-dancing! — in the direction of my dreams did yield:

• more efficient use of the hours in my days
• defined priorities for the use of my energy
• decluttered stashes of books and other miscellany
• resignation from non-essential work, duties and activities
• specific points of “letting go” concerning what I cannot change …

These aspects of change were accomplished in baby steps.

One day at a time.

One choice at a time.

The past 12 months have been a time of radical change. Facilitated by my decision to release any situation that I no longer had Grace to deal with; to cease striving in my want-to’s {hobbies, work project, relationships} that left me drained of the precious energy I needed for the changes I desired in my life. The changes necessary for blossom.

Is it your time?

Are you at the place in time where …

1) you know something needs to change, and
2) you are willing/able to commit to change

A good intention clothes itself with sudden power. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Baby steps count.

And here is the deal: I have all these notes about my dailies and my discoveries and my how-I-did’s! And … I will be sharing them with you beginning tomorrow!

In the meantime …

• You are enough, Braveheart. Right now. Today. Regardless of where you are on the map of your dreams. #babystepscount ♥
• The dreams in your heart are seeds-awaiting. Growth and change take as long as {it} takes … Abide in the stillness of the wait.
• If you wanna join in “a little more” — take these baby steps …
• “Like” Right Brain Planner on Facebook, if you would like to have daily {visual} prompts for your blossoming {intentions} decisions.
• Join the Right Brain Planner Group on Flickr, if you are interested in seeing {and sharing, if that is comfortable for you} creative pages of intention and promise.

P.S.

I posted about it last Sunday … Did you visit The Art Journaler website? We had a great first week — and there is more to come!

Beauty must come back to the useful arts, and the distinction between the fine and the useful arts be forgotten. If history were truly told, if life were nobly spent, it would be no longer easy or possible to distinguish the one from the other. In nature, all is useful, all is beautiful. It is therefore beautiful, because it is alive, moving, reproductive; it is therefore useful, because it is symmetrical and fair. Beauty will not come at the call of a legislature … It will come, as always, unannounced, and spring up between the feet of brave and earnest (wo)men. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

What if?

What if we begin to practice this? That the details of our dailies — the sparkly, the mundane, the to-do’s, the simple, the messy stuff, the angst, the flock of birds that soar overhead as we get out of the car — that it is all art.

That our five senses represent five separate palettes or five canvases awaiting beauty, expression … mediation between our wants and our realities.

Last night I was sitting outside this Starbucks with Magic Mandy … Each of us sipping sweet warmth from thick paper cups, cupped in the palms of our hands … Amidst the sounds of late night traffic, and shadowed light from street lights and signage … Feeling fear-less and at-ease, as cool breezes caressed our faces and hands … Breathing deep, both the aroma of coffee and the art of that moment … Savoring the syllables of our personal {and eclectic} and custom-blend of conversation.

Moments of pure art.

Art, because each moment is a custom canvas of vulnerability, with broad strokes of undaunted-will intent upon discovering more … Conversations, that faithfully present raw opportunities to face what we label as a limit. Moments of brave love and friendship that empower us to touch the jagged lines of those limits … Paper-mache-collaging over those lines with joined-courage …

Moments when we dare to step a little further into new “forbidden” territory because of the art we share.

Read before dreaming last night:

The answer to the question “Am I a real artist?” lies in the answer to “Did I make any art today?” ~Julia Cameron

Words of confirmation.

Affirming the dreams Magic Mandy and I conversed about last night … That life is art; that each of us simply needs a companion to inspire our own daring inquiry … and baby steps into Next.

Someone to sit with us in the dark and dimly light places; someone to inquire, “Did you make art today? Because I care about you, and I would love to see what you creatively recorded about your life today.”

{something big awaits …}

♥ Click here for daily clues … Because you will want to know more about this particular {something big}, Braveheart!

Leah Piken Kolidas chose “Mixed-Media” as the theme for March’s Creative Every Day art challenge. The first image of this post is hand-lettered using a Pitt Artist Pen, Inktense Colored Pencils and Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolors on a square of 100 lb white paper.

Wanna join in? Here are some ideas and prompts.

Don’t diminish the impact of your words because you’re struggling to believe in yourself. ~Jeff Goins

The past year has been a twisty, windy adventure of zooming spurts away from my comfort zone. Perennial health challenges had a role in creating tighter boundaries — which became more restrictive than protective. And I slipped into old patterns of behavior paused in my progress of new and improved.

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Despite my self-inflicted wounds {and a few sniper shots}, said pause was in fact, due to some extenuating circumstances {sorta like once in lifetime stuff}. In other words: I had my hands full dealing with my day-to-day stuff; no energy, space or time for Next — so it was paused. Temporarily.

Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

My intention was change; to be different, to handle situations in a less familiar manner. But those months became a trigger, a field of realities to be explored and embraced and evaluated … despite the seemingly bad timing. {Besides, there were some beautiful moments.}

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men – that is genius. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I journey and do life with an amazing group of women. Without them … I would have deemed this time {pause} as failure. A setback. Again. I would be totally convinced that what is true for me in my private heart is not true for other women.

I would not believe that I am an artist, or {ethereal} — or that I could write a novel!

I would not fully realize that the ease and familiarity with regard to what I say and write is my gift; and that guilt {both self-inflicted and imposed} fueled the {crippling} self-doubt within — unnecessarily and without valid cause.

Guilt {conviction} need only be a momentary click of conscience; to be noted and reset. Guilt requires intention, and is not a valid response to unintentionally being at the scene of another person’s action {reaction} — their point of decision. My intentions cannot cause the actions of another person. 

Another person’s decisions are not my fault. I didn’t completely believe that until recent months. Months when {living red} was the only way to keep from dying just a little bit.

I would not know that I am at my best when … I am “walking in the belief that I CAN do all things — and let myself just do it.” ♥ #secretmessage

Maybe it’s not always about
trying to fix something broken.
Maybe it’s about starting over
and creating something better.
~Unknown

♥ Reminder: Regardless of how you feel or what “they” say … Guilt is not a valid response to unintentionally being at the scene of the actions of another person.