Creative Calm Connected: Why "Creative Calm Connected"?

If you don’t know me, or even if you do, I thought you might be wondering why I have called my blog Creative Calm Connected. What follows is my attempt at explaining a bit about why I decided to start a blog, and why I settled on that name.

My story is not new…. A mother trying to find her purpose in life… frustrated with her career, lack of fulfillment at work. If I have to go to work I want it to be for something that makes me come alive, and justifies the time spent away from my two children. So I have spent a bit of time this year considering what it is that I want to do.

All my life I have had dreams of being a writer. I am an avid reader and always did well in subjects at school where writing was a focus. I thoroughly enjoyed my studies at university, and did best when the assessment pieces were written. My job since uni has been in the public service, where I have held a number of policy positions that require creative thought and the ability to research and write convincingly. So in a way, I guess, I have always been writing.

But I want more than that. I want to be a writer where I am allowed to write whatever I want to write about. I want to put my random thoughts on paper, I want to make stories come alive, I want to be creative and not bound by bureaucratic rules and political agendas that prevent me from writing what is true or right.

So here we are. My blog. My little piece of the internet where I can write whatever I like. But what am I going to write about?

While on maternity leave with my second child, I have been able to really get back into reading. I have been reading lots of fiction, but have also decided this year to read more non-fiction too. I have really enjoyed books about self-improvement, like Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin, What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey, and Happy Mama by Amy Taylor-Kabbaz. One book in particular, connected with me and sparked my inspiration to have a go at changing my life from the mundane to one where I can sparkle from the inside. The book is called The Desire Map: a guide to creating goals with soul by Danielle LaPorte.

In essence, LaPorte suggests that in order to live our best lives, to honour our souls and be the happiest we can be, we should connect with what she terms our core desired feelings. These will lead us to make better decisions about what we want to do with our life, fulfill us and connect us to the deeper parts of ourselves that often get overlooked when we are goal setting or planning for the future. She suggests that

“everything we do is driven by the desire to feel a certain way”

This passage on page 39 of La Porte’s book explains a bit more and resonated with me:

“Core desired feelings originate deep within us and make themselves known when we take the time to listen. They do not change with circumstances… They are “the soul cry”…it is good to remember that the soul always desires that which will reveal its true nature…. When we are able to recognise our core desired feelings as sparks of divinity that can begin the illumination of our life, there is a feeling of ahh… we are unveiling what is already there…there is a sense of having arrived home..”

There are a number of exercises in the book that help you identify what your core desired feelings are. Having contemplated, worked and reworked, I have settled on my core desired feelings being creative, calm and connected. In my life I want to feel:

Creative - I love using my imagination, dreaming up big ideas, blue sky thinking. I love to read, write, crochet, knit, loom. I love using creativity to solve problems in my clients’ bodies at Pilates.

Calm- I feel I can be at my best when I am calm. Particularly around my children, but in all situations in life, I am a much nicer person when I’m calm. Shouty Angry Emma disappears and I have more patience, clarity of thought and a more positive outlook on things when I’m calm. I want this to be at the essence of who I am every day. Things that make me feel calm include snuggling up with my husband and/or kids, reading a good book, meditating, the mindfulness of Pilates, crocheting, being with really good friends, going to the beach, writing, holidays. In my mind, being calm doesn’t mean that I can’t be excited about things. Quite the opposite. It means instead, calming the inner rage that sometimes gets in the way of me being truly present in the moment. It means I am not fighting with the pressure/anger/frustration of the moment and am open to the possibilities that are in front of me.

Connected- I hate to be alone. I get sad, lonely and deflated if I am not around people regularly. I get my energy by connecting with others. In my life I want to be connected to myself (who I really am at my core), to others (my family, friends, colleagues, clients, etc.), and to the universe (something that is bigger than us….I’m not quite sure what this is for me yet, but it might be spirituality??).

So there we have it. In my life, I want to feel creative, calm and connected. Having identified these core desired feelings I can make better choices about what I want to do by asking myself if the option at hand will allow me to feel one of these feelings. If not, it probably isn’t the right option for me right now.

This blog is my musings on life and will connect back each time to one or more of those three themes. It is my dream that by sharing my thoughts, we will create a place where like-minded people can journey together to discover who it is they want to be, and how to live their best life.

On the blog I will post about my thoughts, my life and whatever else comes to mind that may help me, and subsequently readers, live a more creative, calm, connected life.

I will post thoughts that inspire me, ideas I have tried, reviews of things that help me achieve a creative, calm and connected life. I will share websites, insights and ideas as well as seek input from readers.