Cara Lumen | Sing a Deeper Song

Sing a Deeper Song

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Is Loneliness a Natural Part of Creativity?

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Lady Gaga said her life was lonely. Danielle Steel said she started writing because she was lonely. And Dana Deaney said she never married or had children because she felt she could not do that and ply her craft. I wondered if loneliness is a natural part of creativity.

Are creatives different?

If you are passionate about an idea you are focused on being it and doing it and sharing it to the exclusion of a lot of other things.  For instance, my choices, my interests and the way I spend my time are all influenced by my massive need to learn and teach. It takes the form of writing and coaching. If you are heavily in touch with your creative side for most of your life you may have felt that you are noticeably different or outside the main stream. And the truth is, if you are going to respond to your creativity and inner passion you have to spend time alone. You have to listen to your inner wisdom and you have to be true to yourself. As you stand firm in your individuality some people will be drawn to you and others will not. There is definitely alone-ness in following the beat of your own drummer.

What happens when you answer the creative muse?

When the idea for this article hit me I was watching The View where all three guests indicated there was loneliness in their lives. Danielle Steel writes all the time and has four or five books going at once. She has been married five times, has raised nine children and has still managed to write nearly 120 books. Lady Gaga writes her own music and designs her incredibly imaginative costumes and sets and of course performs on tour and records.  There is no question that creativity requires devotion and commitment.

I definitely identified with their loneliness so I leaped over to my computer to see what I could discover about the relationship between creativity and loneliness. And that very drop-everything-and-go-write choice is a perfect example of answering the muse to the exclusion of all else. I was excited about the idea, I needed to explore and see what I could discover about the topic of loneliness and I needed to write it right now. So I did. I am sometimes even pulled out of my daily meditation by a thought that calls me to action right that minute. I have been casually reading articles that posed a question I wanted to answer for myself and immediately began to explore it by writing down my thoughts and responses. When the urge to create comes upon you nothing else matters. You answer the muse.

Creatives keep open to inspiration

As a creative you are open to new ideas. You are not looking for anything in particular you are just tuning into that powerful internal response that says “I need to explore that idea.” When I read I write down phrases that inspire me. Sometimes an idea presents itself that one of my coaching clients can use so I sit down and develop it in a form to share with them. Today when a bird was having breakfast at the bird feeder outside my window I wondered about how its day was going and how could I write a bird story as a teaching example.  Or how could I look at the freedom of a bird’s life and apply that to my own? Creatives see opportunities everywhere, all the time.

You gotta love the excitement of your thought process

Creative people are passionate. They love to explore and examine and contemplate. And they have a very strong desire to share what they know and learn with others. My highest moments are when I’m creating a new teaching product, writing down something I know that I want to share with others. That discovery process, those decisions I must make, the results I know I can accomplish and the product I uncover are a natural high that I cherish. In fact, as I’ve watched my mind work to uncover a new idea and turn it into a valuable information product I’ve created my own content development system around the process that I can teach others. Our minds are amazing and using it to discover, uncover and create is totally satisfying.

And then there is the great joy of creating something from nothing!

I took a painting class. It had been a long time since I’d tried to paint and I was never very good at it but I craved creativity. The class began with a blank canvas and when I finished there was a pastoral scene that had not existed before! Not a great one, but from nothing had come something. It was totally satisfying. My mind, my imagination had visualized a scene and turned it into a tangible picture that allowed me to share my vision. That’s what creativity is all about – pulling your ideas from within and putting them in a form to share with others.

Rejoice in the amazing things you learn

If you want to learn more about something write about it. Whether it is an article like this that explores an idea that interests me or the contemplation of a new personal development course I have yet to create, the mere holding of an idea in my consciousness brings answers and resources from every corner. If you want to learn – teach.

You must bring your ideas to others

If you are inspired by something, if you are passionate about a topic, if you have ideas on how to help others get excited too, then you need to bring your ideas to those people. Whether you write or teach or make a video or give a talk, as a creative you need to share your ideas and thoughts.

And you do not have to be alone in your creativity. The internet is the great connector. I can find like-minded people all over the world. I can read what they say or connect with them in person. I can talk to people in England and Egypt and Australia and it makes the world seem smaller and friendlier. I can share my ideas to a much larger audience and have a greater chance of connecting with people who share my interests. The world is our creative connection. But first you have to put your ideas out there so others can find you.

Are we lonely?

We are alone that’s for certain. We are alone when we write our article. We are alone when we plan our telecourse. We are alone when we create time to go within and listen. We constantly make choices that honor and nourish our creativity. I’d much rather spend the morning exploring a new idea than visiting with a neighbor. I’d much rather read something that inspires me and makes me want to go teach that idea to others than work at something confining and repeatable. I cannot be in groups where the conversations are stories of the past. I want to talk about what you are thinking and doing right now to make your world interesting and vital and meaningful. Not everyone can do that. So yes, by the very nature of my creativity I choose to be alone – alone with my thoughts, my ideas and my self-expression. As far as I’m concerned that is simply hanging out with an interesting me. I’m not lonely but I am often alone. Are you lonely in your creativity?

The Shedding Of Your Skin

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In order to grow, a snake must shed its skin. In order to expand, a birch tree splits its bark. What do you need to shed in order to grow?

The birch tree outside my window looks like an unkempt pony shedding its winter coat, filled with clumps and bare spots. What does it look like for me to make room to change and grow? What do I have to do? What do I have to release? How do I let go of my confining skin?

Identify the skin you need to shed

I recently shed the skin of primarily defining myself as a job I no longer choose to perform. I hung on tightly to that identity for a long time. I was comfortable in that skin. It was who I thought I was. However, I’m no longer a worker. I’m “retired” – whatever that means to me. And I am looking for a new definition of who I think I am. What skin are you ready to shed?

When the skin is shed, what is underneath?

Part of the process of shedding your skin is to begin to identify and accept what is underneath. As you begin to shed your “present” skin, you will find yourself resisting change. You will be unwilling to move out of your old, comfortable skin. You will be fearful of trying on your new shape. However, there is really nothing you can do to change the process. We all change. We all grow. We all let go and move on. It simply takes time and it is a process. Look at what is emerging and find the good in it. As I began to shed my skin of a profession, I found myself with more free time. I became more introspective. I now take time to think and read. I take time to allow a gradual unfolding of my life. The shiny new me that is emerging is mindful. She is attuned to nature. She is contemplative and serene. She is writing poems and articles like this. She is thinking before she speaks and acting with greater compassion. I like what I am uncovering that is under the skin I shed.

Let go of what no longer works

Letting go takes time. I let go of some belongings when I moved cross-country. I let go of more possessions when I moved from a two bedroom to a one bedroom space. Now I want to let go of things in order to simplify my life. I don’t need so much stuff. It has been difficult to let go of the physical things I have gathered over the years. But I know that even when I let them go, I will always have the memories. Letting go makes what remains more evident. Each season, as I change my wardrobe, I allow myself to let go of what cages me in. What do I no longer need? What used to be important that has lessened or been replaced? What can I let go of that is no longer relevant to my life today? Letting go, is an important part of shedding your skin.

Let go of who you think you are

It is even more difficult to let go of who I think I am, how I have defined myself throughout the years. Self-defining words like “writer,” “coach,” and “educator” have been my identifiers for a long time. At this moment in time “writer” is all that remains and that is enough, although I’m certain “educator” is tucked in somewhere with writer. Bring your idea of who you are into a simple statement. Mine is “I encourage awareness.”

Bring your passion into the present

What is your passion? What stirs you to action? That is the essence that you want to bring into the present. Writing is a core passion with me. Writing and learning nourish me. If I keep on learning and writing life will feel meaningful. What core qualities will you take with you into the next stage? What is the essence of what you love to do? The form will change. The time you spend on it may change. Let your passion drive you.

Something has to go

The lighter the pack on your back, the easier will be your journey. If you hang on to everything, you will soon have no room to move. Start with the physical plane. When I finally released my business books to the half price store, I felt lighter and freer. It was a major letting go for me, but those books no longer represented who I am becoming. I found a way to make an inner work business plan rather than an outer work business plan. That was a huge step.The primary reason for shedding your skin is to allow yourself to expand. It is a relief to let go of what no longer represents who you are becoming. Look around your home. Look at your current friends. Look at how you now spend your life. What are you willing to let go? What do you need to let go in order to grow?

Choose what you need to expand

As I shed my skin, I began to examine my personal philosophy. It is key to identifying my new direction. It may even be my new direction. I chose a new course of study that deepened my spiritual understanding. I began reading the books and learning the lessons I needed in order to move to a deeper awareness of who I am and how I can contribute. I set up new rituals. I take time to contemplate, to read, to write, to think. I meditate and practice Falun Gong and Yoga. I let circumstances guide me. I take life one day at a time and embrace what appears.

Give yourself time

The skin I have almost shed has taken three years. I have resisted growing older. I have resisted moving into retirement. I’m still searching for how to feel relevant. However, I am listening. I am thinking. I am letting go. It takes time to grow out of your skin. It takes time to finally shed it. Be patient. When you do shed your outgrown skin, you are free. You can joyously expand – until it’s time again to shed your confining skin.

How Not to Make Plans

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There is no way I can make plans the way I used to.  I used to schedule telecourses and plan book deadlines.  I used to set goals for the number of clients I wanted to coach. I had a yearly  plan. I had a quarterly plan. I had my whole year mapped out. Planning in that much detail now feels foreign to me.  It feels pressured.  It even feels restrictive.  I want to learn not to make plans.  I want to simply let life unfold.

Forget pressure

I’m semi-retired so I have had time to develop a life style that is more organic.  The mere idea of setting some goals to finish the book I am now working on is painful.  How can I rush discovery?  How can I hurry understanding?  The book I am working on is a journey of discovery for me.  I have to let it unfold.  There is no pressure.  There is no deadline. There is only time to gain understanding and formulate my theories.  You cannot hurry the absorption of new ideas..

Let go of restriction

If I fill up my schedule with self-imposed deadlines, there is no room for spontaneity.  Nearly every day I have an insight that I feel compelled to write about in order to absorb it into my own life.  However, that insight and urge to explore it doesn’t come at a specific time each day.  Discovery cannot be hurried. Writing cannot be completed any faster than it is organically finished.  There are restrictions in schedules. There are limitations in too much planning.  Try simply labeling a day with one action: Production, Writing, Technical, Community Building and see how that makes you feel.  Then spend the whole day with one goal – to take steps in that major area.

But what if that’s not what is calling to you on that day?  I can’t be technical when I have inspired words bubbling up.  I can’t write when there is nothing at the moment that calls to me to explore. Be prepared to flow with your inspiration. Check in each morning and see what you feel like doing. Then give it your all.  Gibran says. “Work is love made visible.”  Love what you do and it will touch the hearts of others.

Choose valued qualities and let life unfold.

I have chosen several qualities that I want to express every day of my life.

“Unfolding” is my first major quality. It allows me to be in the present moment and not pend time planning ahead or worrying about what might happen.  I can be present with my passion.  Unfolding allows me to simply jot down a phrase that inspires me and act on it in the muse of the moment or be content with the recording of the phrase and turn it into a meaningful article when I am ready.   I act on my passion, not the clock.

“Awareness” is my second guiding quality. Awareness allows me to be present in the moment and it affects how I respond and react to other people. Awareness allows me to notice the world around me and increases my ability to be inspired by a small gesture, a few words or the birds outside my window.  Awareness allows me to listen to my own heart, to follow my own passion, and to be patient with my own journey.

“Mindfulness” to me is slightly different from awareness. I mindfully take a conscious action.  That means  eating, walking, talking, meditating mindfully.  Awareness is about watching what shows up around you and mindfulness is about consciously applying yourself to the moment.

“Simplicity” is a quality that makes me conscious of my consumption, my footprint on the planet and even the core concept of my work.  Simplicity allows me to appreciate what comes my way and helps me relinquish striving and goal setting. Simplicity builds trust.  The answers that show up are basic and right on.

What qualities will guide you?

You get the idea.  Chose qualities that keeps you present in the moment and allows you to appropriately respond to each circumstance.  When you make certain your responses are aligned with the qualities you value, your life experience becomes peaceful and serene. You move through your days like a gentle stream flowing cheerfully on its way.  You easily move around rocks, tumble down hillsides, and pool into silence.  Along the way, you will nourish and nurture those you come in contact with as you clear a distinctive path for yourself.

The only plans you need to make are what qualities you will cultivate in every moment.

One Way to End Procrastination

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There are many reasons for putting something off – it’s simply not time to do it, you are fearful of doing it, you don’t know how to do it, it feels like a huge undertaking or you plain don’t want to do it. All of these are reasons we use to put off doing something. If you play a few tricks on yourself, you may find yourself willingly doing exactly what you have been putting off.

Procrastination means “to postpone doing something, especially as a regular practice.” We have two types of procrastination – a one-time project and the embracing of a new habit.

Abraham-Hicks says, “When you feel enthusiasm to do something, it means you’ve lined up the Energy, and you are being inspired to take action from that point of alignment. When you don’t feel like doing it, don’t push yourself, because your effort is not worth it. But, when you line up the Energy, the feeling of procrastination goes away.”

Here are some ways to line up the energy so that you can move forward.

Change the timing

My first big ah-ha about procrastination came when I changed the timing on a habit I wanted to create but kept putting off. I wanted to spend a few hours one day a week cooking something that would serve as several meals throughout the week and provide meals for my freezer. I chose Saturday because I seemed to have less to do that day. However, several Saturdays went by with no action. Then one week I cooked on a Tuesday and it was perfect! It turned out that I play cards on Saturday night so there was always the pressure to be ready to go out. By switching the time to Tuesday, I had nothing else to do but enjoy cooking the meal and could take my time doing it.

Exercise is another activity that could benefit from changing the time. I planned to exercise at 11 AM while watching The View, but after a morning of writing what I really wanted was a cup of tea while I watched it. The tea usually won. When I looked closer at my day, I saw I really needed a physical break in the afternoon. I started taking a walk when I went for the mail at noon and began doing some yoga in the afternoon when I am ready for another break.

What timing do you need to change in order to stop procrastinating?

What if it feels like a huge undertaking?

I need and want to rearrange my web presence. That means absorbing one blog into another and repositioning my major web site. It’s a huge amount of work and my procrastination is compounded by the fact that I am still in the process of getting clear how I want to reposition myself. It is such a big job that even though I am a fabulous organizer, I blanch at the thought of moving all those pages. The first step is to figure out my new position, that alone may unleash a flood of ideas. Another is to see this new positioning as creating a better home for the direction I want to move in. It means moving a lot of posts and creating new opt in offers and new mini-courses and a lot of the links in a lot of places. Of course it feels huge – it is.

Part of my reluctance comes from the need to get clear about how to reposition myself. It also means I have to let go of some things to make room for the new. Once those decisions are made, I know I will jump in and get it done.

Let it unfold

My big Zen lesson in life is to allow things to unfold. Allowing it to unfold does have some action steps in it. For me that means to contemplate the idea on a regular basis, watch how I feel, see what steps I figure out and decide what I am willing to do. When the time comes, I will know what action to take. Set your overall goal, break it down into small steps and see where it leads you.

It may not be time to do it

The idea to consider giving up one of my blogs showed up a few months ago but I had to get used to the idea. One day, in a few hours time, I realized it was time to take action so I gathered information that would help me make it happen. In this case, it was choosing between keeping an HTML site versus converting it to a WordPress site and the feasibility of moving content from one to the other. That actually was a key step in unplugging the stopped up energy around this project – I uncovered my options and could make an informed decision. As I explore these options, I began to outline the order in which I could make the changes. I even know that I could do it all in a few days. Each new piece of information I gather adds to a gathering momentum.

You don’t know how to do it

I do know how to make these changes which is why I know it is a huge job. I have tons of products all with landing pages and delivery pages to move. I have to find a place to begin and start doing it. If you don’t know exactly how to do your project, spend a few hours gathering information. If I change my HTML site to WordPress there is some folder manipulation to be done and some page forwarding that I need to understand before I make my decision. I contacted people and identified someone to help me with the steps I don’t know how to do. Learn enough about what you don’t know how to do to identify what sort of help you need.

You are fearful of doing it

I’m not fearful but I am reluctant. When we identify ourselves though our work and we change that work, we are left seeking a new identity. The change I seem to be reluctant to make is about giving up a marketing position I’ve held. Or at the very least, emphasizing it less in favor of my new direction. Change is often a challenge. It means giving up something but it also means embracing something new. What do you need to give up in order to move forward? What fears of the unknown do you hold? Do some inner work. Find out how you feel with the change you are contemplating. That alone may help you put your fears at rest.

You plain don’t want to do it.

It is possible that whatever it is that you have been putting off is not yours to do. If you know how to do it, you realize that it needs to be done, and you still can’t bring yourself to do it, hire someone else to make it happen. I’m an idea person not a maintenance person and the project I’m stuck on feels like maintenance, not creativity. Ask yourself why you don’t want to do it. In my case, I do want to do it, but I have not been motivated to set up a specific time line. So I sit with the idea and let it unfold. One morning I’m going to wake up and know this is the day to begin making those changes. It will be done. I feel my interest and desire it making it happen increasing. It is unfolding.

Make a decision and begin

Out of all these reasons to put off doing something, the one that stops me the most is that of simply making a decision. Do I want it or not? What do I want to change it to? How will this change my life – or will it? What is my most pressing need and does this project/action address that? I know I want to move back into writing that is more philosophical. I know how my target audience has changed. I have a major book in progress just for them. There is a need to make a change. One of my blogs in particular does not reflect this new direction. However, the information on it is valuable. The first step is to move the information from that blog either into my other blog or onto my web site. Until the decision is made about where to move it, I can take no action. First, make the decision. Then the action will become clear.

Look at what lies beyond

Be patient with yourself as you search for the answers and decisions that will allow you to move forward. As I resist doing this work, as I do my research and explore my options, I look for the one concept that will focus all this action. In my case, what I really want most is to have more of my books online in digital format. That choice allows me to keep on writing (my favorite thing to do) and has the potential for some passive income. It also allows me to continue teaching though my books, which is my second favorite thing to do. I feel myself aligning with this idea of creating a new platform for teaching and sharing the topics I want to explore next. That is my motivator. That’s what I want to prepare – a new home base for this next part of my journey. Knowing where I am going will make me start getting this change made.

Ask yourself, if you do what you have been putting off, what door will open, what path will it take you on? Look at what lies beyond what you have been putting off and let that motivate you to action.

 

Why You Should Start Writing Ebooks

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check-listAccording to the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales rose nearly 190 percent in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period for the previous year.  190 percent is huge.  It’s all because of the growing popularity of ereaders like Kindle, Nook and iBook. A 2011 report from Aptara, a digital publishing solutions provider, said one out of five e-book publishers generate more than 10% of their revenues from e-books and publishers’ own e-commerce sites generate the greatest percentage of sales for all publishing market segments other than Trade — up to 18%. Even the public libraries now offer digital lending.

Why should you care?

Ebooks are easy to write and they cost nothing to produce.   In addition they add huge value to what you offer your target community. So what’s holding you back?

I have nothing to write about

Wrong, you have a life time worth of unique experience and knowledge to share. You just have to figure out what people want and give it to them.
You might want to take your years of experience and your passion for a field and share it with others.  You might want to record your family history.  You might need to educate your target community about your product or service. Information products in their many forms are a perfect format.

Write from your passion

 Writing is my passion. I have always written.  It’s what I do.  It’s how I express myself.  65 years ago I was managing editor of my high school newspaper.  I was always the one who wanted to write the newsletter for whatever organization I belonged to. I wrote poems and plays and short stories.  I wrote from my passion, my need to discover, my need to explain and my need to teach.   I always write from my heart and my curiosity.
I also love to organize. And I particularly love to organize ideas.  You can imagine my elation when I realized that in my personal journey of coaching and writing and teaching, I had developed a system of organizing ideas into content that I could teach others.  It was like coming to the end of a long journey and discovering you have been on the right path all along.  I can combine my love of writing with my gift for organizing.  What service do you see rising out of your passion?

Share what you discover with others

One of the most exciting aspects of creativity is scooping the ideas out of thin air and bringing them into a tangible form to share with others.  All these wisps of ideas floating around in your imagination suddenly become a play, a poem, or an inspirational article.
When I have a problem I need to solve, I often sit down and write about it. Writing out my thoughts helps me explore the possible choices and solutions.  Often my questions and my problems reflect that of my target community so I share it with them.
When I realized that others might want help turning their ideas into information products it became a specialized part of my coaching practice.
What have you discovered that you can teach others?

Let your ebook topics come from what you need to know

When I need to learn something, I inevitably write about it – in a blog post or a new worksheet for my clients, a telecourse or a video.  Writing about it helps me dig deeper into the topic, examine my beliefs around the topic and find the best ways to teach what I know to others.
 
My Magnetic Content Development System was created because I needed a repeatable way to write strong landing pages for my new products and I wanted to create a system to teach my coaching clients.  I first taught it as a teleclass and later expanded that content into the How to Craft Series of nine separate ebooks..
What do you need to learn that you can write an ebook about?

What does your target community need?

When I learned how to put my ebooks on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and Apple I thought about teaching a digital publishing class.  If I needed it, other people did.  I made a template for my clients that outlines the specific steps I took so they will have an easy time publishing. I could write a blog post about it, or an ebook, or make a video.  All from something I learned that I can teach others.
The core concepts of what I teach can be expanded into an ebook series. I have separate ebooks on writing opt in offers, crafting mini-courses, writing articles and blog posts, giving telecourses, and writing how-to books.  Break your system down into teachable steps and write about them.
Turn your Cornerstone Content into an ebook.  Expand the checklist you offered as an opt-in offer into a bigger ebook.  Write answers to the questions you are most frequently asked and turn that into an ebook.  Plan a series of articles, write them one at a time and then turn them into an ebook.  If it interested you, if it will be of value to your community, write it!
What does your target community need and want and what can you offer them?  Create it for them.

The Digital Platform

The entire publishing industry has changed.  There are no longer gatekeepers to contend with.  Anyone can get their ideas out on a digital platform.  Many people are giving their ideas away free with the sole purpose of having them spread.  Others are busy creating the 99 cent ebook, which is about 30 pages long.  That’s a great way to learn the elements of writing a good book and the technical part of posting them for ereaders.  What short ebooks can you write for your community?

What information products will do for you

Spread your ideas: For me the most valuable aspect of digital publishing is the ability to share my ideas with the world and see them make a difference in the life of someone else.
Help you keep learning:  Creating information products helps you continue to explore and develop your own system and core philosophy.
Create passive income: The fun part is that information products can create passive income.  You post them on your web site and people buy them while you are off doing something else.
Add to your expert status: Publishing any sort of content adds to your expert status, it makes you the natural go-to person in your field.
Inexpensive to produce: The primary investment is your creative time.  It is easy to put your ebook on Kindle and Nook and iBooks.  And depending on what you write, your work may go viral and bring you new prospects.
Fast to produce: You can have a new product up in a weekend.  I wrote 5,000 words in four and a half hours. That’s nearly enough for a small ebook.  You don’t have to wait on anyone, you can make a cover, format your content and publish!
Easy to market: Write something relevant and not only promote it to your own community but get your fellow bloggers to promote it to theirs.  The author has always been responsible for marketing their own book.  Call on your own community to help you spread your idea. An article or blog post about your book can be picked up and put on someone else’s site and you will reach a whole new audience.
Is today a good day to write an ebook?
©2012 Cara Lumen