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Not a prompt this time but an exercise in... Marinating
I recently went through a period of discontent with my life and my job and everything that I’ve created over the last 5-10 years with Journalution. It was set off by a funny chain of events involving the movie “You, Me & Dupree” and several very big speaking gigs in New York and Canada. My two little girls were visiting my mom for a week. I had planned to be working on many different projects that needed to be completed while my kids were away, however, I found myself at home, alone all day, and questioning everything I was working on. Nothing felt inspiring. The projects that seemed so urgent the week before, felt boring and flat and depressing.
I called my dear friend and mentor, Rick Wright WrightConsultancy.com and told him my dilemma. My depressing tirade ended with; “I’ve got this whole week to myself, maybe I should just do a lot of meditating and journaling and figure out what my next step is." His response surprised me. “No, don’t do any of that. Go shopping. Go float in the pool. Do nothing.” Wow, that was the easiest homework he has given me in 15 years!
So, that is exactly what I did for one full week. Nothing! More accurately, I did exactly what I felt like doing at that moment. Another friend, who is a filmmaker in California, called me and asked what I was working on and I told him “Absolutely nothing. I’m marinating.” He thought this was a pretty funny way to describe the familiar lapses in inspiration that most human beings go through periodically. We laughed about the “Sandy-licious Marinade” that I was cooking up and how we would bottle and sell it after it was all over.
The word “marinate” just seemed to fit what I was feeling. I knew something juicy was coming, but I didn’t know what it was. I felt discontent, anxious and a little unsettled. Have you ever felt this way? I’d love to hear about how you handled your marinating time. Email me. I wallowed in these feelings for a few days and didn’t try to ‘fix’ it.
I did a lot of listening to my self-talk and I did a lot of noticing. I noticed what people were talking about around me. I noticed what showed up in the magazines I was reading and what was on TV that day. I did a few things for my work, but only what felt fun to me in the moment. I noticed what projects were ‘calling’ to me. I picked up my guitar and wrote songs. (you can see me play one of my songs on my Video Blog) I played a lot with my friends. It was so refreshing to just Be Myself and Have Fun. And then it happened...
One morning I woke up with that familiar feeling of inspiration. A new idea. An idea that pulled me out of bed in order to write it all down. I am so excited about these new projects that we’ll be rolling out very soon. It will be my next book, a new website design and lots of fun products and interviews connected to it all.
So today, I encourage you to take time to marinate. Make a date with yourself to just Be with Your Self and Have Fun. Give yourself a little time to relax and refresh. Whether you are an artist or an accountant, give yourself some time for rejuvenation by marinating.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sandy Grason is the "Rock Star Author" of the bestselling book, JOURNALUTION: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life and Manifest Your Dreams. Sandy defines the word JOURNALUTION as the act of revealing your inner wisdom through writing. Get 2 Free Gifts "Top Ten Tips for Starting & Keeping a Journal" article *and* 30+ FREE journaling prompts now at www.SandyGrason.com |
