Have you ever felt trapped in your own life, unable to live on your own terms, yet having to follow guidelines prescribed to you? As we mature, we reach a place where we recognise that we have a particular nature of expression unique to ourselves. It’s like a resonance with the spirit of who we are, emerging from a sense of failure to fit anywhere. No matter what experiences we accumulate or skills we learn, we inevitably find that we have our own way of doing things—our signature style that marks everything we touch.
When we recognise this about ourselves, we are ready to embrace our individuality and accept ourselves for who we are. This self-acceptance encourages us to cultivate our strengths and develop the different manifestations of our nature. It brings with it the realization that while we cannot be everything or have everything, we can leverage these strengths to compensate for our weaknesses and unlock our full potential through creative endeavours.
Creative endeavour is one of the main ways to channel expression. As we participate in creative activities, we get drawn in more, and in the process, we develop this newfound confidence to be okay with uncharted territory and shake off our imposter syndrome. While this experience can be overwhelming due to all the uncertainty, there’s some kind of bravery that comes with it that has insight into what we must do before we can take the next step. We begin to appreciate and respect the challenge of overcoming obstacles, turning “creativity” in on itself.
When the appetite for creative endeavour takes over, our lives do not pause to allow us to explore it. Instead, we must “get creative” about making time for these pursuits. This is a significant hurdle, but as we start to see evidence of progress, we gain the confidence to continue. We learn to navigate this new reality, refining it to become more efficient. Over time, constraints lessen, and suddenly, time becomes flexible, allowing for more creative expression. We no longer feel the need to escape the moment or lament about where else we could be; instead, we develop a strategic perspective that lets us see the bigger picture of our reality.
Time management becomes a new skill set we have to refine and improve upon because there’s not going to be more time in a day other than the same 24 hours there has always been. However, if we present ourselves to all the things that require our attention and get them out of the way, we can then save some time to spend on our creative endeavour.
As we embody this more and more, it starts to rub off on those around us. Our reality starts to be influenced by our expression. For those of us who are parents, we start to see our children start to develop their own appetite for creative endeavour since they learn by observation. So, now, we have to become more careful about what we transmit to them. We have to get creative with what we are passing on to the next generation—our legacy. Everything we do—or choose not to do—contributes to this legacy. Our legacy is always being shaped whether we do it intentionally or not and for those who look up to us, they take it as it is.
As we start channelling our expression more deliberately, we realize that we can indeed take ownership of our legacy. This means taking ownership of the choices we are making today because we can only see as far as our current blind spots allow. We have to expand our perspective beyond our immediate view, which is again found in creative endeavours. We have to learn to accept and work with our current limitations, for we cannot overcome them without understanding how to navigate them.
The Serenity Prayer encapsulates this sentiment well by asking for the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change those we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. This wisdom is crucial for traversing the reality of creative endeavor and consequently, channeling expression. Once we have honed a way to channel that expression, we unlock the multiplicity within our unity. We begin to see our own version of every expression we are inspired by, recognizing the community within the individual that we are. This empowers us to express our creativity with caution, preserving and strengthening the expression itself.
In navigating the loop of indifference that often surrounds us, engaging with our interiorities, and embracing the here-now-ness of our existence, we channel our deepest expressions into a legacy of intentional action and impactful creativity.
