Being a Life Coach and Creative Consultant – how can I not love this video essay on creativity. You’re going to see the first of a two-part series on ‘our distorted view of creativity and success’. The filmmaker says: “Do you ever have that feeling that everyone else is more successful than you? If you think that’s bad – try being Leonardo Da Vinci”. Scroll down to see part 2. It’s worth your time!
Here’s part 2 of ‘The Long Game’. As I suggested earlier: take your time to achieve great things. And after seeing this video – I’m more convinced than ever: every phase is a chapter. And every chapter has meaning – even when it’s hard to see what it is at the moment you’re still in it. In the end it’s a bridge to the next chapter. So let’ not be frustrated over things if they don’t work out as quickly as we’d like. Let’s be aware that A) it’s just a phase and it will pass and B) let’s wonder what it’s trying to tell us. This way we can learn from it and be more at peace while being in the process.
“Tiny Worlds” is a micro-short with a humorous take on reality. It shows a tiny world, within our world. Something that is happening at the level of our feet and that is so small we don’t even notice it. But as tiny as it may be, it’s a universe of it’s own. I think everything is a universe of it’s own, simply because if you zoom in on something – anything – you’ll find that it never really ends. You can always zoom in further. There’s always a next dimension, a new layer that stems from the previous one. Try looking at your problems that way. Zooming in (or out) always creates space and new options.
The door to 2013 is almost open, ready for us to enter. The beginning of a new chapter, with words yet to be written. Based on what promises, to yourself or others, do you intend to write your chapter? Besides loving this tune and video, the song made me think about that question.
This is my 100th post! To celebrate, here’s a colorful picture, reflecting waves of love. An energy, so subtle and clear. And if you can tap in on it, it will prove to be an unbreakable and everlasting force, always there to carry you. So here’s to the waves of love, may you find them in your life, so you can ride them, smiling.
How a simple tone, a single chord or a solid sound, can hit you like magic, is just incredible. It can give you a feeling of homesickness to a time and place where you’ve never been. I just came across a band called ‘Snowmine’. I never heard of them before, but man, they seem really cool. In the sense that they seem truly aligned with each other as people (in the first place), as musicians with different talents (second) and with creating multiple layered sounds (third). That not only sounds really nice, it also looks very nice. And that’s what congruency is all about. Congruency, in human behavior, means that what you say, corresponds with what you show (or do). It means you’re aligned. And it’s actually quite hard to be congruent yourself, let alone being in a band. Yet these guys, have a band. They are a band. I sure do like to hear more of them. If you like, download their song ‘Curfews’ (it’s what you hear in the beginning of the video) for free. I did, and I hope you enjoy it as much I do.
This is a short inspirational documentary: you’ll meet writer turned knife maker Joel Bukiewicz of ‘Cut Brooklyn’. It opens with Joel talking about how his dream to become a writer didn’t work out. How afraid he was to lose his passion for writing and how that ultimately transformed into his life’s work: making knives. He talks about the human element of craft and the potential for a skill to mature into an art. And in sharing his story, he alights on the real meaning of handmade – a movement whose riches are measured in people, not cash. Anyway, step into the life of somebody with a passion.
People are vulnerable as individuals and as a species. And fighting vulnerability is useless. No matter how hard you try. Simply because you can’t control everything and so your life can turn upside down at any moment of any day. You may be the King of the World, the Smartest Woman in the Universe or the Sexiest Man Alive; it won’t help. You can however hide from it. And most of us do. Behind a fancy job title, nice car or house. Interesting friends, a busy agenda, designer clothes or healthy hipster life style, but sooner or later vulnerability will find you. So what can you do? Well, it’s simple.
Simply face it and embrace it. Because when you embrace it, you no longer need to fight it. You no longer need to run or hide from it, by keeping up appearances and putting energy in this hopeless attempt to avoid the discomfort of feeling it. You can now be as you are, vulnerable, instead of pretending not to be. The way I see it: vulnerability is indestructible. So by letting it in and become a part of you, in a way that makes you indestructible. Daring to be vulnerable gives you power to be.
From time to time it’s good to ask yourself: “Am I alive?” Because it’s not uncommon to just be busy doing what you’re always doing. To be caught up in a routine. And that routine may very well result in hours, days, weeks, months or even years of living, without actually being alive. Because there’s more to living, than just breathing. Imagine someone in a coma and it becomes clear… I recently attended a re-birthing workshop and I experienced the difference between A) normal breathing: a mostly shallow, kind of mechanic and unconscious way of getting the bare minimum of oxygen ‘shots’ and B) breathing with full awareness, in a rich flow, organic and fully open to receive life’s energy in all it’s splendor. It let me experience the meaning of the phrase: “Just because you breathe, doesn’t mean you’re alive”. And so I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to wonder: am I really alive or mostly just busy breathing?
I guess you’re familiar with this sensation: one moment you feel great, and the next… well not so great. I sometimes feel like I’m nothing and sometimes I feel as though I’m everything. It’s a really fine line, much like it is with being crazy or brilliant. John Lennon had a nice way of putting it. He said: “Part of me suspects I’m a loser. The other part of me thinks I’m God Almighty”. I wrote a post about that one too. Anyway. A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon the “I, a universe of atoms…” quote by the American physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918 – 1988). And it’s stuck in my head ever since. Because to me his words are both mind blowing and heart warming. The thought of “I” being a tiny, stand alone atom – and an infinite, whole universe at the same time, blows my ego off it’s socks. Because “I” isn’t (only) the ‘earthly me’. “I” is a single atom and an entire universe, completing one another. Think about that when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror. So yes, it’s a quote I gratefully meditate on. It’s so simple and yet so deeply profound. It makes me feel humble and larger than life at the same time – it’s liberating. Look at us humans. Look at you, look at me. We are both nothing and everything. Again. That’s just… wow.
Imagine you’re looking for something, but you can’t find it. Annoying. Yes. Very. But then, maybe you’re not supposed to find it. Or maybe you’re just looking in the wrong place. Or maybe… you already found it, but you don’t realize it yet. Whatever the reason is, you might want to stop searching. Why? Well think about it: as long as you’re busy searching – you’re not… finding!
Dear friends, it’s been more than a year since my last post! Honestly, I needed the break but a lot of good things have happened to me in the meantime. Apart from a great time at Eyeworks Netherlands, where I worked as a Senior Creative with some great people at the Program Development Team, it were exciting times for me personally as well. Too much to tell you in one post. But I will share more in the coming months, because it’s been truly transformational.
I’m planning on a brand new start of focusNjoy at the end of April. And this time, I intend to actually make some money haha – because running an ad-free blog is great, but from a financial point of view it wasn’t a success and one of the reasons for me to get back to television. Later in 2014 I intend to finally start with my workshops in Amsterdam. I’m super excited about that but let’s see how things develop. Anway – I’m back and I’m feeling fresh. Hoping to hear from you – always feel free to send me an email and say hi!
Love, Stijn.
