Moving forward when you’re stuck

Lately, I’ve struggled to tap into the creative energy I want and need to live fully. 

It’s been hard to write. 

To paint. 

To build a business.  

Every time I sit down to put words to the page, that old familiar refrain: “You don’t have anything important to say…” echoes through my mind.

I recently stumbled upon a thoughtful essay by Mari Andrew aptly titled: How to Make a Decision. 

It actually has nothing to do with writing or business building but its contents spoke to me so loudly that I just had to write about it. 

Sometimes inspiration works in mysterious ways.

Mari writes of a technique she learned from a friend (Rayshauna) whereby she consults her past and future selves in order to find her True North.

Rayshauna once asked Mari: What would your 5-year-old self say about your life? Your 85-year-old-self? 

As a coach, I encourage clients to dream about possibilities for the future. 

To think about the values they want to live into.

To let go of what isn’t serving them to make room for a life that will.  

I love this question posed by Rayshauna because it is another way to get at the heart of your desires and values. 

In my case, I thought about what my 5-year-old self would say about my stuckness. 

My seeming inability to form coherent thoughts and share them. 

She - this beautiful tiny dancer pictured here - reminded me to be curious. 

To play. 

To go back to a time when I didn’t care what anyone else thought. 

To just sit down and write. 

To have fun doing it. 

As I hear this, I feel my body lighten - something opens in me and I want to sit down and write these words.  

And my 85-year-old self? 

I can see her. 

Worn. Wrinkly. Still wearing that same sprightly smile. 

There is a lifeforce in her - a quiet wisdom that can only come from age. 

What does she have to say about moving forward? 

It’s almost a whisper… 

You get to choose how you want to live. 

What you want to believe about yourself. 

What you want to think about your creative pursuits.

This beautiful 85-year-old woman reminds me of a Brene Brown quote from an Oprah SuperSoul Sunday interview that 40-year-old me finds equal parts inspiring and terrifying: 

"Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame … We are divine beings and we are by nature creative."

Create. 

Share. 

In the end, it doesn’t matter if what you create is judged as good or bad or nothing at all.  

You will live a fuller life when you create and share from your heart. 

Whoooooosh. 

That was some pep talk. 

Are you stuck and unsure how to move forward with some aspect of your life? 

What if you asked your Inner Child what she would do? 

What about your Inner Elder? 

What do these wise, innate parts of your being have to say?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments.