I am writing to write. That is, I am sitting in front of my computer and writing to see what comes out of my head and on to the page. It is as if I am practicing that magical process of creating something from nothing. Of course, creating something from nothing is what we do each day, even if we don’t realize it. We create each moment in a day in an instant of time that didn’t exist a moment ago. There is nothing and then there is something. We wake up and decide what we are going to do. Perhaps we have a full say in what that is, or perhaps we have some say within the confines of making it to work by a certain hour or attending scheduled meetings. But much of the day we create from nothing. What will I wear today? When and what will I eat? What do I intend to do today? Who do I want to see? What music will I listen to? Or perhaps I want to have silence? What are my intentions for how I will be during the day? We are creating as we go, creating from nothing how our day will unfold.
Have you stopped to think about that? What immense choice you have? It is very common to go about the day never realizing that you have such freedom. Yet the freedom of creating your life from nothing is only accessible when you are conscious—when you are awake to each moment that reveals itself in your life. When you are aware that you have a choice, a choice of what to do, say or be, you might feel very overwhelmed by all that freedom or you might feel very serene.
How can it differ so dramatically from overwhelmed to serene? If you focus on all the myriad of choices in front of you it is easy to go into an overwhelmed state. If, however, you first go inside yourself and search for what you want in this moment temporarily ignoring external forces, then your decisions become easy and you truly do feel free. It requires that you be conscious that you have options. When you come to the realization that you can in every moment decide what you are going to do, you experience the utter beauty and freedom of creating from nothing. If you are not used to this, it can take some practice. Even if you are used to this, it can take practice in this world that sets up so many expectations for how you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to do. Allowing yourself to consciously create how your day unfolds is a gift. It is a gift that you and every person deserve in support of your free will and your creative spirit.
The beauty of creating from nothing is that there is great flexibility—what will you create? Often, however, we are asleep at the wheel. We go on autopilot and do much of your life by routines. Although routines are indeed very useful (that is for another post!) if we are always following a program without any conscious thought, we can get bored, feel purposeless and even feel like we have lost our free will. If instead we recognize the incredible autonomy we have to determine what we do in each moment, we become free.
Mindless vs. mindful—you choose. Yes, when we are mindful of our actions for each moment, we are enacting the marvelous creative force of purposeful human existence. It is truly amazing. The choice to be conscious while we decide what we will create in the moment is a privilege. Certainly I am privileged to have the time and space to exercise my own choices because of my personal circumstances. Yet even if you have tremendous responsibilities and are over scheduled, you are an independent will and can choice what you will do in those moments that are yours to choose. And perhaps you can practice the art of saying no to more things that no longer serve you and say yes more to things that you want to create. Be wide-awake and alert and allow your naturally imaginative mind to create your reality. And remain awake to fully experience each moment of your life.
xoxo Rachel
Wondrance 