Sept 16 Comparison is the Enemy of Creativity

Affirmation: I allow myself to be who I am, not who I “should” be.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice:

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,”

‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/nam.1.7.NIV

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Cultivate Play and Rest. Let Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth.

MAKING A PLAYLIST

Make your own PLAY list using Dr. Stuart Brown's seven properties of play. What kinds of activities truly feel like play to you? 

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

Your journal, a few good markers and any other art supplies you like (such as watercolors, crayons, stickers, stamps or cut-out shapes and glue). 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Review Dr. Stuart Brown's seven properties of play and think about what they mean to you. The properties of play are:

i. Apparently purposeless

ii. Voluntary

iii Inherent attraction

iv. Freedom from time

v. Diminished consciousness of self

vi. Improvisational potential (As Dr. Brown says, "We aren't locked into a rigid way of doing things. We are open to serendipity, to chance.")

vii. Continuation desire (you want to do more of it)

2. Open your journal to two blank, facing pages. On one page, interpret these seven properties of play and write them in your own words. For example, for the third property, inherent attraction, Kelly Rae Roberts wrote, "delights the soul." For the fifth property, diminished consciousness of self, Brene wrote, "I'm free to be me."

3. Decorate this page however you like, with gouache, stickers, markers or cutout shapes.

4. On the facing page, write down five to 10 different activities that fulfill these properties of play for you. This might include walking outdoors, swimming, daydreaming, decorating, listening to music or even watching movie trailers!
For me:Games and Word puzzles- crossword puzzles with Douglas-Wordle-Solitaire
Walking- I love to be outdoors and if I can walk by water it is even better!
Swimming or floating in the pool
Trampoline with the kids
Creativity…painting, drawing, writing…~~~~~

Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

The Joyful Decision

5. TODAY I WILL CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY.

Happiness is a choice. I am enthusiastic about each day. I am alert to its possibilities.

I will become the master of my emotions.

I will greet each day with laughter. I know that enthusiasm is the fuel that moves the world.

The world belongs to the enthusiastic, for people will follow them anywhere! My smile has become my calling card. It is, after all, the most important weapon I possess. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit. 

Joyful Decision

Today, I choose to be happy.

From me: Something I just heard about JOY: it is spelled;

J for Jesus

O for Others

Y for You

Think of Jesus, then Others, then yourself. Practice gratitude…be aware of what happens to your joy.

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

                             SEPTEMBER 16 

COMPARISON IS THE ENEMY OF CREATIVITY.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

I was recently talking to a young friend of mine who is an artist. She caught me up on her life and told me she had a business online where people commissioned her to do drawings for them. She said she had to scale back a little bit because she was losing a sense of her own style as she threw herself into the commissioned pieces other people wanted her to create.

She said she learned a lot from studying famous artists and imitating their styles, but it also had begun to limit her imagination. She missed the days when she had the space to dream up images and then sketch never-before-drawn pictures in her notepad. 

I’m not an artist, but I could relate to my friend because I’ve done the same thing in other ways. There’s always the temptation to watch people around us and try to emulate them in our work. We do it when we start non profits or give speeches or go on adventures.

It’s OK to learn from other people, and we should all do a lot of that, but we lose the unique ways God created us when we stop using our imaginations to try and copy someone else. It’s like copying their art in our lives, and it limits our ability to do the things we do best.

God didn’t settle for second-best when he created you. You’re not a carbon copy; you’re an original. Play your own song, write your book in your voice, make your own painting, not someone else’s. Keep your eyes on Jesus and let him fill your imagination with your own unique gifts to bring to the world.

What do you have that you can give to others in love?