Creative beings usually have more ideas than we have time for!
And there are a lot of reasons why it's hard to pick which one to start with. This is a really vulnerable place in our Dream Work.
This is a journaling + mediation class for exploring all of this, and figuring out which idea to start with.
Grab your journal and watch it now:
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This class is a part of the FESTIVAL OF DREAMS - a whole month long deep dive into journaling and meditation.
Get the whole schedule of courses, coaching videos and creative dream challenges right here.
This is a coaching call with tips and strategies for how to work with dreams when you have NO CLUE what to DO.
Honestly - the main thing to know is that there IS something you can do. There's actually LOTS you can do, but you do have to look at it a little differently.
The live video happened on Jan 13, you can watch the replay here.
Have your journal ready!
You're going to leave this with a list of things you CAN do to get working on your impossible dream TODAY.
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Do this with me!
This video is a part of the FESTIVAL OF DREAMS - a whole month long deep dive into journaling and meditation.
Get the whole schedule of courses, coaching videos and creative dream challenges right here.
Watch the conversation on Resistance, Creative Flow + Generating Momentum with Chris Zydel and I right here!
- How to get started when you feel stuck
- How to start over when life events derail things
- How to generate momentum
- What makes it hard to be in the flow
- What makes it easier to be in flow
View this post on Instagram
This discussion is a part of the FESTIVAL OF DREAMS - a whole month long deep dive into journaling and meditation.
Get the whole schedule of courses, coaching videos and creative dream challenges right here.
The live class happened on Jan 5, catch the replay right here!
This is a journaling and meditation class, so make sure to have your journal with you before you start. And just pause the recording any time you want more time with a particular prompt.
NAME and CLAIM your DREAMS for 2021 is a part of the FESTIVAL OF DREAMS - a whole month long deep dive into journaling and meditation.
Get the whole schedule of courses, coaching videos and creative dream challenges right here.
I was SOOOO excited/inspired to do this Festival of Dreams in January. (I'm doing a whole month of free classes, coaching videos + creative dream challenges! Join me here!)
It felt SO GOOD push myself in what felt like a really GOOD way.
(There is good pushing and bad pushing!)
But now here I am with too much on my plate and I just want to cry.
This IS what happens every time.
And this IS why I hesitate to push myself out of my comfort zone at all.
I hate this feeling.
But NOT doing the things I feel inspired to do in order to avoid this feeling.... means I am letting this feeling control me.
Why would I let a thing I hate control my life?
So here I am.
Hello feeling of total overwhelm I just want to cry, can we talk?
The about-to-cry sensation goes away.
Oh cool, you just needed some attention?
Well - you don't have any attention to spare right now, do you? There's just too much coming at you.
Maybe. Kind of. I think I just have a big pile of things, and need to make an organized list. I feel less overwhelmed and more likely to ENJOY my work when it's organized.
But you can't organize all this other stuff that's happening right now.
Yes - a bunch of little things are not quite going well today. That's true. Also I feel super-very-easily-frustrated/overwhelmed by any little thing. Like the fact that the pizza pans from NYE are still dirty! WTF?
Yeah! See! Too much is happening! You should scale back.
Well. Cleaning the kitchen would take like 10 minutes, max. I do have 10 minutes. Or Joseph can do it later. Do you really think it's a reason to not go after my dreams???
What about that other tech stuff that wasn't working this morning?
It's working now. Those things are annoying, but they don't happen that often. Again - is this a reason to NOT go after my dreams? And why didn't you answer the last question?
Oh shit. I'm being evasive, aren't I?
Yes.
That's a bad sign, right? Like it means I'm not really on solid ground.
Well, YOU are on solid ground, WE are on solid ground, but your reasoning around why I should scale back is not on solid ground.
BUT I CAN'T STAY ON SOLID GROUND IF YOU GO THROUGH WITH THIS.
Well. Bingo! There's the issue. That you for sharing your real problem so clearly. It's always easier to work with things that are clear.
(Just in a puddle on the floor, so scared of what will happen)
Oh sweetie. Please. Here (sit down next to her, offer a hug and a mug of decaf eggnog latte)
It's just. Everything is so good now! Why do all of this?
"All of this?" you mean why do the stuff I feel inspired to do and excited to do? Why generate more creative momentum?
Yeah. I mean really. Why?
Because this is what I want.
Well what I want is to lay in bed with the duvet over my head.
I get that. But I also feel like... is that really what you want? For always?
Ugh. Yeah probably not. I do want to do fun things and I do love that feeling you get when you're trying new things and stretching and everything is clicking but you have to go through all these uncomfortable spaces to get there.
Again. That's letting the discomfort control your life. Are you really happy to lay in bed with the duvet over your head and allow a fear of getting uncomfortable to control you?
No. But that does't mean I want all of this either!
Yeah I hear you. So how do we compromise?
Hmmmmmm.
Hmmmmm.
Actually a detailed list feels really good. Spacious. And permission to just cross things off without doing them if it gets to be too much.
Yes, I had already decided that.
Really? I guess I wasn't paying attention then.
I'm glad you see it now - I do want to try to not be overwhelmed as much as possible WHILE ALSO being open to whatever discomfort I need to work through in order to follow the dream.
Yeah, I know. I just hit discomfort and freak out.
It's ok. So: making an email more detailed list than I have, and holding permission to cross things off if I get too overwhelmed... what else?
(I go over to my list and see where I need to add more details to it)
OK yeah I see the problem now!
I need PAPER LISTS.
And my daytimer for 2021 is not here yet.. so I checked my email to see what's happening with that...
(Got sidetracked and cleared out my emails which had been piling up and THAT FEELS VERY GOOD and overwhelm is shrinking)
... my daytimer has spent the whole last week moving between facilities in California. Not any closer to me in Canada.
Lightbulb! I just realized I've been putting paper-list-making on hold until it got here and that is not going to work.
OK back to my digital list. It's got all the big stuff and what I need is to break down the smaller tasks - I always do that part on paper. So I'll just do it in a random page in last year's daytimer which I hardly used, lol!
OK WHOA.
I felt the overwhelm literally just leave my body. Like in a WHOOSH.
And now I feel energized.
And like "yeah it's going to get messy sometimes but I want to PLAY with all of these ideas and really ENJOY the festival of dreams!"
And I'm off to make that PAPER LIST of the smaller tasks I need to focus on right now.
Update:
On the way to making that paper list, I made a cup of coffee and put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and started it and asked Joseph to clean the pizza pans and now the kitchen is not an overwhelming mess.
Just to say - my overwhelm often believes things are WAY MORE OVERWHELMING than they are. That's how it FEELS, and even though my feelings are valid - they are not telling the truth about what is happening.
PS: COME TO THE FESTIVAL OF DREAMS IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING.
(If you missed my Solstice Meditation + Journaling on Instagram on Monday, you can watch it right here)
Since the Solstice, my dreams have been stepping up and making all new demands.
I love it.
Except when I’m feeling terrified about it, and like I am too small to Dream bigger, of course.
I just recorded a new Dream Book video about working with the dreams that feel completely impossible.
And that’s the vibe I am bringing to my end-of-year journaling and reflection: Determination to set myself up to do impossible things in 2021.
Like - let’s do this already!!!
Are you with me?
Dream Book is ongoing through the holidays. I’m in there every day claiming my new dreams, the ones I’ve been circling around and “I don’t know if I’m ready-ing” about for some time.
I’m making lists. Shining a light on fears. Transforming the things that hold me back. Digging deep and using ALL the tools.
I’ll keep doing this in between baking cookies, playing board games, making the kids get outside for fresh air, and enjoying all of the holiday snacks.
I’ll be writing every day about how I’m doing this and inviting you to DREAM BIG with me (or dream bright or dream calm or however you want to play with your dreams), on our private Dream Book website where we can talk about the awkward vulnerable unsure parts without the whole internet being able to see. (And where you have access to all the tools you need to actually DO it)
Take 10 deep breaths, with your hand on your heart. Imagine sending yourself love.
It's totally ok that nothing is working right now. Everyone experiences this, this is a natural part of being alive. It's ESPECIALLY a natural part of being a growing creative being pursuing your dreams.
Some parts of the path just suck. It's not a reason to give up or beat yourself up.
The only way out is through.
We all naturally try to avoid discomfort but you're going to have to go right THROUGH it. This is the brave work that your dreams demand of you.
Journal Prompts for when nothing is working part 1: This feels awful!
We start by processing your feelings a bit, because you can't uncover any useful intel while you're emotionally tangled up.
Nobody likes this part. But be brave. What's going on? Start by just writing it out.
How does this make you feel?
Try to be more detailed and descriptive about how it makes it you feel.
How do these feelings feel in your body?
Are these feelings familiar? Have you felt them before about other things?
What are the tools that are available to you, for processing and healing your feelings? List them all and choose what you want to work with right now. (If you can't think of anything, start with sending LOVE to all of your hurting inner selves)
What do you really NEED right now?
Journal Prompts for when nothing is working part 2: Exploring the situation from different perspectives + looking for new possibilities
What if everything is working just fine and it's YOU who needs to change? (In some situations, like when dealing with systemic injustices like racism and ableism, this is NOT a helpful prompt. In other situations, like when YOU really are the thing that's in your way, it can be very helpful.)
WHY do you think things are not working?
Is your answer to that last prompt true, or are you making up a bullshit story to hold yourself back?
What are the possible gifts in things not working right now?
What haven't you tried?
Why haven't you tried it?
Come up with 5 ideas for things you could try next. Break those down into super small teeny tiny little steps.
Remember the only way out is through. Go do one tiny thing.
Want some help doing the thing?
Check out my free journaling and meditation class: YOUR NEXT STEPS.
It will help you feel more CLEAR and SURE about your next steps.
Sign up here:
This weekend I ordered take out from one of my favourite restaurants.
A woman met me at the door to ask my name. Through the window I saw her coming back out of the kitchen holding my order and it really hit me right in the feels.
These people cooked my favourite meal for me, and now this woman was walking back to the kitchen to bring it to me at the door, so I didn’t even have to go inside and we didn’t take a risk of infecting each other.
It all felt so beautiful I wanted to cry for a minute there. I felt so loved. And like we’re all in this together. My heart was sparkling the whole way back home
This was so far away from how I was feeling just the day before, when nothing was working and everything was overwhelming and all I could do was cry.
But this was also a direct result of me giving myself the space to feel how I feel when everything felt stuck.
Feel how you feel, and then let it go when it’s done. This is actually the best way to hold onto the gifts and lessons - by releasing the rest.
This really does open you up to all sorts of good feelings, like turning ordering take out into some kind of cosmic experience of love and connection.
But more importantly, it opens you up to YOURSELF.
Your wishes and dreams, your authenticity, your potential - and your inner wisdom which shows you how to get there.
This is what we’re doing today at the Healing Circle for 2020, making space for reflection, processing and release.
This will be about 60-90 minutes long, depending on the discussion. We'll do a special meditation with time for reflection on your 2020 and journaling and then an alchemical releasing process.
You'll leave with a few prompts to keep exploring over the next month, and to allow the healing and release to INTEGRATE, so you are ready for the Blessing Circle for 2021 that we’ll do in January.
I can’t wait!
So many people are waking up to so many things.
And as awkward and painful as it is to look at this stuff, we were never going to create a better world, a sustainable world with human rights and a good life for everyone, by avoiding the uncomfortable things.
It's one thing to agree with this in theory, and it's a totally different thing to really look at your self, your life, and your work, and notice where YOU need to change, on a personal level, and then look at where you can contribute to positive change in the world around you.
But that's been what is happening! All over the place! This is so exciting!
Marketing coaches are saying "A lot of what I've taught actually is pretty sleazy, I just try to put a nice veneer on it and say I'm doing better. I wonder what it would look like to actually DO better."
Holistic healers are saying "Some of the teachings I use may be culturally appropriated, I don't have a clear connection to the source of the teachings. This is so scary to look at, but I am going to figure out how to be more in integrity with my values in how I put this out there."
And spiritual teachers noticing where they teach spiritual by-pass and doing the work to try to clean up their communities.
Everywhere I look there are examples of shifting priorities and sharing vulnerable realizations and speaking up and figuring out how to show up.
So much good is happening.
Of course, there are also a lot of people going in the other direction. Q-Anon has taken over a huge part of the New Age movement. Where I live, a conservative Christian city hosted an anti-lockdown rally recently - while their hospital is stretched beyond its limits with COVID cases. Plenty of internet marketing gurus are still toting the "making 7 figures during the pandemic is the best way to live your best life" nonsense.
Because it IS so awkward/difficult/vulnerable/painful to really look at ourselves and examine our own shadows, it gets tempting to just look in the other direction. In fact, if you don't have the right supports and tools to do the real and difficult work of transformation - going in the other direction feels like your only option.
Without making excuses for anyone - it's human nature to have walls up around looking at that kind of thing.
So how can WE help support the change we want to see in the world?
I think we need to keep asking ourselves this, as a way to make space for the answers to come.
Image description: Me, laying on the floor, painting with watercolours. Watercolour painting is one of my favourite ways to calm the fuck down and dial in a little deeper to my inner self. I'm doing a lot of it these days.
My province went into lockdown today. It sucks, but I do get to ride this out in a very comfortable, warm, safe home, full of food and loads of ways to entertain myself.
What about the people who don’t have this?
What does it mean for me to stay in and focus on my own creative projects, to live in my beautiful privileged bubble while people in my city suffer?
How am I using my privilege to make my own life better?
How am I using my privilege to make any kind of positive difference in the world?
People are always quick to tell me how important my work is. How it DOES make a positive difference to so many. But how is it helping the homeless in my city when all of the safe COVID isolation rooms are already booked while our numbers keep spiking?
And yes I do give money away to groups who help the homeless, I’ve done that for many years and so far that has not solved the problem. I don’t think we should be so quick to feel good about ourselves for our financial donations while the problems persist.
How is my work helping Indigenous children in my city in CFS who just had more of their funding taken from them by our government? Most of these kids already end up in jail or on the street and their futures just got even harder. This is colonization in action in my city.
We're all connected. Pretending we're not is destroying us.
Once you are aware of your privilege you do have a choice to make:
- just feel guilty about it and do nothing to change it
- lean into it so it can keep making your own life better
- use it to dismantle systemic privilege and create a new culture where we take care of each other.
I know that feels like a big thing. It feels daunting and hopeless like… what can I possibly do?
I wrote the above, and then I sat down with my Dream Book and this was my mantra: I am a portal of possibility.
I had glued it into my journal earlier his week, but I couldn’t journal with it because it felt too far away. I WANTED to be a portal of possibility, but I couldn’t feel it and didn’t want to journal and about how far away this felt.
And that’s when I saw it. The answer to the question: what can I possibly do?
Sit with it.
Process your feelings. Get out of emotional reactivity and into constructive creative thinking.
Make space for the answers.
Because this IS a big thing. It will take all of us.
It's too small for any one of us, but ALL of us getting out there and doing the things we can see to do - can burn this fucking thing down.
When you sit with the questions and make space for the answers... ideas will come.
I just had a great one I'm going to explore this weekend.