You Wanna Make Something of It?

You wanna make something of it? When I was a kid, that was a common phrase to challenge someone. But really, we constantly make something out of nothing. Actually, we constantly make things out of our thoughts. We creative the world we live in by how we perceive it.

What Does it Mean to Create?

To create is to bring into being, to make something out of nothing. My understanding of this thought is deepening more and more. I really do create my world, both in the short-term and the long term. In the short term, the thoughts I choose to think affect my mood and outlook for the day. They can make my commute pleasant, they can make a technical problem into an interesting puzzle instead of a frustration. 

How I View the World

Simply put, the lens through which I view the world affect my view of it. Maybe rose-colored glasses aren't such a bad idea sometimes.

When I worked in Tech Support, I definitely got to see this. If I happened to feel pressured by deadlines when a call came in, I was not present with the caller, and the solution was not as easy, not the interaction as smooth as when I am listening, being present, and choosing to connect with the person, not just the problem. 

Choosing My Thoughts to Choose the World I Create

In the long term, if I consistently choose thoughts of who or where I want to be, I embody that over time. You have probably heard Ghandi's saying about thoughts becoming words, becoming deeds, and so on. 

How could I not notice the miracle that every day brings? The sun shines, the Earth turns, birds sing, my body wakes and breathes again. It is cliché, but every moment is a miracle created. My body circulates blood, exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide, repairs broken bones, walks when I think it. That's pretty amazing when I think about it.

I create my own reality with the texture of my thoughts. What I choose to do with my time, my meals, my thoughts. I do not call into existence the ingredients of my dinner, but I select them with my thoughts, and create a wonderful salad. I create friendships, connections, the look and feel of my home, the way I feel at work. I create a bond with my cat and she with me. Every child is creative – un-self-consciously play-acting, drawing, painting, writing, or singing. Young children don’t know that adults have certain rules about what is correct for these art forms; they simply express from within, not judging themselves, sometimes with amazing results.

Open at the Top - Open to Divine Inspiration

Creativity is being open to divine Inspiration, to “stand at the doorway and wait”. We tend to think of drawing or painting, or music, or flower arranging as creative outlets. We were all able to do this when we were young. If we think that we are not creative, it is because we believed an art critic - maybe ourselves. And there are so many other types of creativity – in building or making a home, in choosing an outfit to wear, in imagining who I want to be in the world, in my life.

How About You?

Do you feel better when you open your mind? When you remember that you have a choice?