The Magic Of Creativity

Every creative act is a spark of magic. Every creative act is important. Even if the wheel has already been invented, when you invent it for yourself it is a marvelous work and a wonder. Take joy in your creativity, enjoy it in others and nurture it in yourself. Keep the mind set of: 'how can I make things a little better?'. Believe that you have the power to make decisions that will find that little better. Be willing to recognize when things are not just right. Don't moan over the mores and laws or expenses of development that might keep you from being an instant Thomas Edison. All those things can be dealt with creatively in due time. Just do what you can to keep those ideas coming. Not every idea has to be carried through to completion. But it is a good idea to recognize each idea. The creative self does not like to be ignored. If that goes on too long it will shut down. I keep notebooks to record ideas so that my creative self will continue to give them to me. From time to time I see one of my ideas in dress design, a useful gadget, or story that someone else has also had and been able to bring to fruition. I do not moan. It was a good idea and that it become more public another way than through my efforts still validates my ability to generate ideas. Let your own creativity be the spark of magic to improve your life. Maybe your hobbies can become a career. Maybe something you no longer use can be changed and get a new life. Creativity is the willingness to lovingly craft things in new ways. We all have it. It can be developed and nurtured. It is there for you.

The Magic Of Brain Power

The brain likes to learn and does so whether you direct it to or not. Beware of 'garbage in, garbage out,' because if you expose you mind only to trashy or sensational stimulation that's about all you will be able to talk or think about. We all have heard about the small child who swears or uses a potty mouth in embarrassing, to the parents, situations. They say "little pitchers have big ears." It's the same with the brain. What you pour into it is what will be poured out. So it is good to take a self-directing role in brain development. Learning is life long. There are many ways to increase the power of your brain. You need to work on your overall health as well, because a brain that doesn't get the proper blood flow and such will not function properly. So exercise and nutrition have a place in brain health. Then you can do other exercises to develop brain power. If you practice memorizing you will become more adept at memorizing. I remember realizing I needed to be able to keep my mind about me when there were distractions such as someone talking too loudly, or shouting at me. It took some time and practice but it was worth the effort. Crossword puzzles are just the tip of the iceberg for things you can do with you eyes to strength your brain. You can practice sound things like singing one song while listening to another, speaking something out loud, then continuing it silently, on some signal, then going back to speaking it out loud again, without losing the thread of it. Developing muscles. Visualizing muscle use, as in inner tennis, actually helps. When I was learning to play the piano I sometimes would practice certain finger patterns in my mind or on a desktop and that would help. Your brain is a miracle. Let this reminder of that be the spark of magic that moves you to use it and increase its power.

The Ears Have It

Yesterday's miracle occurred as I was helping a young friend figure out how she could deal with something she was afraid of and I realized I could use my own advice. She had just told me she wanted to learn to drive a stick shift but was afraid. I went thru the steps of desensitization, imagining, visualizing, exposure, relaxation at every step when the nervousness attacks,small steps, getting help when needed and so on.I also promised I would teach her. Suddenly I realized I have/had a lot of anxiety packed in a hard clump around my desire to reach out and get myself published as a writer for children. I keep putting off trying to find an agent or publisher and I have a body of work built up. A lot of stomach knots but I have since made progress and a plan. My tip for you is: tell others what you feel called to, but remember to listen to yourself. You might be telling yourself something you need to know. Talk till you can hear yourself.:) :)