Posted in Challenge, The Artist's Way

Week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety

Objective : “Establish a sense of safety which will enable you to explore creativity with less fear.”

Favorite quote :

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Joseph Chilton Pearce

Verse of the week:

He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

Psalm 91:4

Lessons Learned:

Parents have a crucial impact on their children’s creativity.

Negative beliefs about ourselves and our creativity usually come from the adults in our younger years. Their words and lifestyle have surely influenced our creativity.

It’s okay to make mistakes. We strive for progress, not perfection.

It’s unfair to ourselves when we compare our starting points to someone’s highlight reel. I often strive for perfection. But the reality is, there should be room for mistakes because it is in our mistakes and failures that we grow and learn. It is necessary to take baby steps before we fully become mature.

Your inner artist is a child who needs to be nurtured and protected.

This is why it’s important to have artist dates. When you are growing as an artist , you have the right to protect yourself from overly critical people. It’s okay to hide your piece of art for awhile.

Negative beliefs are not facts.

Negative beliefs are not facts. They are the voices from your past. They are the voices in your head keeping you from achieving your true purpose in life. I think it’s also safe to say that the negative voices are lies that come from satan.

“Affirmations” can help you achieve a sense of safety and hope.

Saying the affirmations can shift your perspective and help you remember the truth about your Creator and yourself. Affirmations may look simple but they mean so much and hold the power to bring you positivity in this journey.

Here’s a sample of creative affirmations from Julia Cameron. (I revised some of the words).

Reflection

While gaining a sense of safety throughout the week, I felt liberated and beautiful. I was starting to gain some confidence but at the back of my mind, a voice from someone I know kept booming, Who do you think you are?!

My safety would then vanish like the wind and I started to build walls again. It’s so sad when we give someone the power to control our lives. At times we just can’t help it. What if they’re right?

For years, I have always struggled to see my value as a person. This extended to the difficulty in seeing my work as something of worth. I guess I still have a long way to go in the path to recovery.

By God’s amazing grace, I saw this quote today that deeply spoke to my heart.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

I realized that people who are overly critical of others are the ones who haven’t lived up to their potential as an artist. They don’t know how to be free and happy, so they think others shouldn’t be too. It explains why they continually pull others down to be stuck in despair just like them.

But I don’t want to be caged anymore. I want to be of good courage. I want to be safe and brave enough to be myself, in the hopes that I can inspire others to be free too.

Ironically, I came across this song a few days ago.

May you find your safe place.

Love,

Rachel.

Posted in Lessons Learned

Grateful for insults

Today, someone pointed out my pimples one by one and laughed in disgust.

I always wonder about people like this.

Are they incredibly honest?

Or incredibly insensitive?

Maybe incredibly stupid-for thinking I don’t have a mirror at home.

Now I’m stuck staring at my reflection wondering if I can still be an acceptable part of society since zits are so insulting to their perfection.

I look up to the moon and see the beauty of God.

And that’s all I need to remind me to cling to Him.

I whisper a prayer.

Lord, let Your Word be greater than what people say to me.

I am grateful for the comment though. I got to reasses my lifestyle, I’ve been eating too much sweets and staying up late at night.

I mean I noticed this a few days ago but hearing someone make fun of me served as a wake up call to take action in order to improve myself and be healthy.

So to the person who insulted me today, I thank you.

Posted in Quotes

How to wake up in the morning

I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

~OG Mandino

Posted in Lessons Learned

Always learning…

Yesterday I read this verse:

always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:7

I felt that.

I have always loved to learn.

I want knowledge. I crave wisdom.

But this verse made me stop on my tracks.

Why am I learning?

Is it for selfish reasons?

Is it because I want to prove to others that I can be smart?

I don’t want to be ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

What is truth?

Your Word is truth.

Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life.

I don’t want to miss out on Him because of my ignorance, pride and selfish reasons.

Lord, you chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; You chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

When I’m learning, I have to seek Him first above all.

This can also serve as a reminder for us when we devour countless textbooks at school yet can’t spend 5 minutes in His word.

What does this say about us?

…always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the TRUTH…

Posted in Lessons Learned

When angry, zip your mouth.

This is a simple lesson I learned today.

In the middle of the day, I felt extreme pain on my abdomen. While experiencing discomfort, someone did something that provoked me.I felt extra sensitive because of the pain I was already in.

Instead of letting myself go crazy in frustration, I chose to be quiet and pray instead. I prayed for a hundredfold patience.

After some time, I got to cool off. I was relieved that I learned to shut my mouth in the midst of annoyance to avoid further conflict.

It’s not always easy, but with determination, it can be done.

Posted in Challenge

3 Day Fast: No Facebook & Twitter

Lately I’ve been spending too much time on Facebook and Twitter.

I read nonsense posts that leave me feeling empty inside.

My mind is filled with updates of people’s lives, their thoughts, images and feelings.

I want to have a peace of mind.

I planned on doing a fast and prayer but since I am still sick, I decided to do a “fast” on social media instead.

I will see how the 3 days go for me. If I can survive, I might even extend it up to a week.

I will share an update after the 3-day period and tell you about my experience.

One of the main reasons why I’m doing this is because I want to connect with God more deeply.

I hope to tune out the world’s voice and listen to His instead.

Posted in Questions

What is your dream job?

It’s ironic that I’m asked this question today as I was supposed to attend a Job Fair Event.

I wasn’t able to go because I caught a cold and was feeling extremely weak.

Processing the idea that a lot of people will be there, discouraged me to push through despite of my weakness.

Days before the event, I felt so unready for real life to begin.

I wondered why.

Is it because I might land a job I don’t like?

Or that people in the workplace might be mean?

Is fear of rejection reigning over my heart?

I don’t want to operate from a fear-based perspective. I want to have courage and a fulfilling hope for the future.

Hearing about my friends’ follow-up interviews made me genuinely happy for them. Yet, I couldn’t help but think I was missing out on something.

I thought about how different my dreams are compared to theirs.

Knowing myself I know that if ever I get a job, I NEED an occupation that allows me to be independent, communicate with people, organize, and help others( i need to see my impact first-hand). These are what’s going to make me feel fulfilled.

Now my degree is in accounting. I’m not sure how this is going to be for me…

It’s crucial to be self-aware in order for us to know what will help us function well in society.

God brought back my mind to what’s truly important, which is to serve and worship Him. And I’m grateful for the Father’s loving gesture.

I trust that God has a plan for me. He has prepared something. All I have to do is put my best feet forward and have the courage to say YES.

Posted in Questions

What was your last random act of kindness?

I was thinking about this question today.

And at first, I couldn’t find an answer.

How come?

Am I not paying attention enough?

Have I been so self-absorbed I didn’t have time to be kind to others?

Or is it because I am focusing on big heroic acts of kindness that I think the simplicity of my deeds don’t measure up?

This week I remember,

  • I gave a genuine smile to a stranger.
  • I said “thank you” to the waiters at the coffee shop.
  • I talked to a child who was feeling left out.
  • I made an effort to see my boyfriend even though I was feeling a bit sick.
  • I gave affection to my dogs.
  • I hugged my mom and dad.
  • I prayed for someone.

I did some retracing and reminiscing here.

I’m not sharing these to brag. I don’t think these acts are even “worthy” for me to boast about. They look pretty simple.

But there is beauty in doing little things with great love.

While pondering this question today, I came to realize that even the tiniest of deeds can impact a life.

We never know how much that stranger needed a smile or how that waiter serving our food was dead-tired but a sincere thank you from a customer lifted his spirits.

We might not realize that efforts made to spend time with loved ones will turn into memories that forever will be appreciated.

We might overlook how dogs need our affection and they crave it so much.

We never know how much our prayers helped someone.

The temptation to dismiss these deeds as meaningless may come but keep in mind they are worth more than you can ever imagine.