Journaling: Seeking Your Creative Empowerment!

Guest Blog Post by Karen Silsby

If you said, “What me? Creative?” Then this is the blog post for you!

Let’s probe how you can become diverted from those closely-held dreams; ones that you (like all of us) have pondered during moments of balance and peace. These thoughts seem so real and doable then, until you turn to that whisper of a cold-hearted editor in your ears. Somewhere deep in your mind you hear the statement that your plans are nonsense. Let’s take a few minutes to face down your inner enemy to progress.

Sit down at your desk—or even in the parking lot between errands-- and let’s dissect a few of your biggest censors. List five things you say to yourself that disempowers your creative flow. Don’t edit your thoughts. Write these ideas quickly, and let your angst move out through your pen. Be as specific as you can to make these ideas something that you can work with. Here are a few common examples from participants in my creativity-mining classes:

1. “I don’t have any talents to work with.” This woman was an accomplished instructor with years of experience in facilitating her students.
2. “I’ve done a lot, but I don’t see the value in these things anymore.” This person’s life was full of starting successful businesses to help others.
3. “I don’t have a formal education in anything that will help me.” This class participant had raised a family while working her way up the corporate ladder in a company in which she built an expertise in management.

It’s easy to see how others succeed, but not so easy to see our own accomplishments. Once you have written your list, sit back, take a deep breath, and thank yourself for being honest in tapping into your fears. See this as a step in finding a new way to address your phantom critic and move forward. If you feel like you don’t have the insight to deal with these false beliefs, take a friend (and good supporter) out for coffee. Ask them to name some of your strengths. Thank them for their wisdom and think about what they had to say. AND, take the next important step to re-empower yourself!

Return to your list and reframe each of your negative self-talk statements. For example, for number one’s concerns I would reframe the comment in this way: “I have a multitude of wonderful talents and one I wish to explore more and practice is ____.” In the second person’s case a good reframing statement would be, “I have had a full life during which I have gained wisdom and love. I want to do more of ____.” You get the idea, just turn your ideas around.

Write these affirmative statements on a 3 X 5 card and post it on your mirror, or keep it in your planner or wallet. Whenever you feel disempowered, pull out the card and say the affirmation of your personal gifts and purpose out loud. You may need to say this two or three times before you feel convinced of your own words, but do this anyway. This may sound silly, but it is effective in combating thought patterns that clutter your psyche and pull down your energy.

Remember, you hold the keys to your empowerment! Whenever you take a few moments to truly see who you are, and tap in to your creative self, you are challenging your inner critic. Further, you are reinforcing a better way to address your strengths and purposes. I hope that this simple, yet sometimes challenging, journaling exercise helps you meet and greet yourself in a way that empowers you to move forward!

I wish you happy, creative empowerment, each and every day!

About Karen

Karen Silsby, of WriteYourWayHome.com has been an avid journaler and writer for over twenty years. Her interest in journaling began when she took a class in Ira Progoff’s, Intensive Journal method, to help her organize her thoughts and write more clearly in her stories. Soon she found that her journaling practices could do much more. Karen was able to keep centered through a challenging period when she was treated for cancer and became a caregiver for her mother who had Alzheimer’s disease. She teaches and writes about this important life enriching, self-development tool. When Karen is not at her computer, she is out walking the lagoon trails in San Diego with her Australian Shepherd, Sam.

Karen has also written another guest blog post for us on Aging with Passion and Purpose