How do you get out of a rut?
I was mulling over this idea while preparing dinner last night. Stuffing a chicken might not be high on the list of “Inspiring Activities”, but there ya go.
So, I was wondering, what does one do about being in a mental, physical, creative rut? Especially if said rut is manifested as a comfy suburban home and an ‘I’m-lucky-to-be-employed’ job?
But what if, amongst all this relative abundance, you feel your creativity is being stifled by the mundane routine of daily chores ~ the ‘same old, same old’ that pays bills and gives kids the stability they need.
Is that secret dream of driving to the airport and taking the first flight with an open seat to somewhere lusciously exotic, doomed to be smothered forever under carpool schedules and unending piles of laundry?
(Ok, that last one might be just me, but you get the idea.)
And then it struck me! LIFE – like the raw chicken in my hand – is a blank slate. A basic canvas on which to splash your heart’s desires in full technicolor splendor and multi-sensory adventures.
Martha Graham ~ provocateur; eccentric; dancer extraordinaire ~ once said:
“There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.”
And I believe that the boredom, frustration and sheer predictability of daily life can be offset to a great degree by infusing YOU, your dreams, quirks, unique eccentricities, into each and everything you do.
Take my chicken, for example.
I want so desperately to travel, to immerse myself in strange cultures and distant lands, but at the moment, budgets and children take precendence over wanderlust. But for one meal, with each sumptuously delicious mouthful, that chicken can transport me to far-off shores.
I will infuse it with dreams of Paris and cafe meals at spindle-legged tables. I will satisfy my craving for creativity and challenge by following an unexplored recipe from a dusty French cookbook. I will set the table with linens, and lavender sprigs and have Edith Piaf playing softly in the background.
And when the family asks for an explanation for today’s small madness, I shall smile mysteriously and tell them I’m practicing!
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this Jacqui – Great way to do some good Visualization and Guided Imagery. Bet the dinner turned out so good being made with all of this attention to detail and imagination. Like taking a trip without leaving the Farm, something that I love to do and get to do whenever I am doing Hypnotherapy.
“Taking a trip without leaving the farm” ~ I love that! Don’t have to worry about carry-on luggage either lol
Aloha Jacqui,
I loved this post! So real and so enlightening!
That’s how I used to feel when I had a job….is this is?, I remember thinking… It’s so wonderful to get to that point because then you can ponder and change direction like how you did with the chicken! You are so funny, I love it!!
Thank you for being so transparent!
Aloha,
Kellie
Kellie Hosaka@home based business´s last [type] ..7 Essential Characteristics Leading To Success – Charice’s Story
It’s a funny thing ~ transparency is something that sort of went out of fashion, but never fails to connect fellow souls. I’m thrilled you liked it
What a fun post! I fear that I am never missing creativity, it is acting on those grand plans that is my Achilles heal. Like today … I dreamed of a day camp easy for me to entertain my little darlings for free at home, a job for my dear sister in law, an idea for at least two books and that was by mid-day. So … tell me next time and I will share my idea of the day.
Queen Jackie, you need to carry a little notebook with you at all times to capture those flashes of brilliance before they disappear. A life worth living is a life worth recording.
Jacqui,
What a wonderful way to transport you into the realm of your dreams and desires. Your suggestion will solidify the desire in your soul, which will find ways to achieve this for you. Great visualization tool. I love it!
Think of all the different ways you can fix a chicken – for every country you wish to visit!
Val
Val Wilcox´s last [type] ..Have You Started Your Bucket List?
Yup ~ Morocco’s next on the itinerary and chicken will take me there lol
Oh goddess how I love You! You are the best at take something so ordinary and making it extraordinary! Being a Foodie myself I have never done that as far as mindset and I am going to take a trip for dinner myself!
The right Mindset and creativity co-mingling is powerful, transforming stuff, even in the simplest of tasks and events; thanks for reminding me of that!
“Dream, Believe, Become…”
Tracey
Tracey Keefer @ Free MLM Help´s last [type] ..Perspective: Right, Wrong or just plain Weird?
Enjoy your gastronomic ‘virtual’ travels, fellow foodie!
jacquie, you are a brilliant wordsmith. i felt like i was in julia child’s kitchen! you hit on the “distractions” that affect us all as family members and networkers. my path in MLM was so similar: i had a job that paid okay and little incentive to get my biz of the ground. until i quit. if i may be so bold… get uncomfortable!
Melissa McCloud´s last [type] ..I Showed You Mine, Now Show Me Yours
Aah Melissa, I think you hit the proverbial nail on the head. Until I get Uncomfortable, there’s going to be no growth, no incentive to build something magical.
Need to take my courage in both hands and LEAP!
Dear Goddess Jacqui,
You put it in a wonderful exotic way!
´s last [type] ..Who Are You Really? (part 4)
Lao Tzu’s words “An integral being knows without going, sees without looking and accomplishes without doing.” eloquently describe what you have done.
I congratulate you, dear Goddess!
You truly allow the Goddess from within to come out and be. I love you!
And since we live in a perfectly wise and ordered universe, you accomplished more with your powerful creativity with what you did compared to really flying to a location.
I am very happy for you.
And remember, when they ask you what you are doing, come from a place of ‘what you think of me is none of my business’. Keep the Goddess shining!
Infinite love and gratitude to you,
Venus
Venus
What a wonderful quote, Venus! I’ve printed it out to put on my bathroom mirror ~ great words to live by. Thank you!
What a wonderful way to use the present situation as leverage. Rather than dwelling on it as a negative or even just accepting it you used it as a tool to begin manifesting the future. Superb!
Kimberly Castleberry@Social Media for Beginners´s last [type] ..How To Get A Thousand Blog Comments In Under 6 Months!
Thank you, ma’am! I learned from the best!
HI Jacqueline, Great post!
By infusing me, my dreams, my quirks, my unique eccentricities, into each and everything I do, I can surely reach the “stars” of my dreams! It is all about me making my life the place I want to be. What I think about, comes about!
And practicing along the way with a little madness is an amazing idea! What a flavorful idea! Love it! Thanks!
Holly´s last [type] ..Crimes We Commit Against Ourselves
THIS is the way to living in the Now and making life exactly what you want it to be! Glad you liked the post!
fun post! I think you have to keep your dreams a live every moment you can! This not only makes you want them more, but you are training your brain to think them, and eventially act on them… go to paris… I’ll meet you there! That’s one place I would like to go too.. you never know!
It’s a date!
Yes, as what they say, LIFE is what happens. Now it’s up to us whether to make it as colorful as we want to or dull which is what usually the case because we get suck into the busyness of life. It’s time to wake up and LIVE LIFE! Excellent post, Goddess!
Young And Fabulous´s last [type] ..The Afterburn Effect
Hi Jacqui~
It is funny the thoughts that can cross your mind when your “busy” literally doing your day-to-day chores, and still you realize what perhaps can I do different to create a different/more exciting lifestyle? LOL! I liked your thought of life is like a blank canvas, and you create it as you see it ~ with your life’s desires! Great share! Thanks
Christine
Christine Casey´s last [type] ..How to Make Social Media Work for You
Christine, thanks so much for dropping by:)
As John Lennon said “Life is what happens while we’re busy making other plans.”
Or as in this case, cooking chicken LOL
I share your dreams Goddess. I dream of traveling to islands, to forests, to deserts, basically everywhere. I want to experience life to its fullist.
But instead of the Canvas I would rather just play with photoshop