Just sent out an email with a message that says “Have move fun.”
I’ve set an intention for February to have more fun.
Speaking of fun, I want to read this review from HelloKerra that put a little pep in my step when I read it.
Thank you, for listening and for writing a review! Reviews help me understand what you’re enjoying, and maybe not enjoying, about the content of this podcast. It would mean a ton to me if you would leave one. And heck, I might just read it on the podcast!
Okay, so having more fun. Silliness is actually one of my core values. It’s one of my values because I love goofy shit. It’s an important aspect of my life, an when I don’t get enough of it, I feel off balance. I feel bad. I start getting way too serious and everyone around me feels it, too.
Speaking of which, we’re going to do something today that might feel kind of silly. Giving yourself permission to be creative. But hear me out here.
When you were a kid, what was one of your favorite things to do? Was it finger painting, dancing, playing in the mud, building forts, playing with your grandma’s pots and pans?
What was that thing?
I loved lip-syncing movies, and songs from movies. My little sister and I used to gather the neighborhood kids and we practice and practice and practice. I remember performing “Prince Ali” from Aladdin. We worked so hard to get all of our moves just right, and then the response from our “audience” (our parents and siblings) was less than emphatic. I still remember that moment.
Little things like that sit with us. It’s silly, and it’s no one’s fault. I’m sure our performance was questionable at best. Who knows why we didn’t get the cheering hoots and hollars we anticipated. But some nugget of that response stuck with me, and I’ve carried it around – unnecessarily – for far too long.
How many of these little moments have we had in life, where we tried something and we didn’t get the response or result we expected?
It happens all the time. It’s totally normal! Sometimes we totally let it roll off our backs, and other times we hold onto it. The sad and scary thing is – we don’t even know we’re holding it.
It’s hard to recognize that “holding on.” It’s like trying to see the back of your head. You need something to reflect it back. That’s what coaching, therapy and honest friendships are for.
I can’t help uncover all of those things that you might be holding onto. All of those unintentional little digs at your creative heart. The flippant remarks that struck harder than intended. The feeling that you aren’t a good enough designer or writer or teacher or student or card maker or seamstress or inventor or chef.
But what I can give you today is permission to try.
Actually, I’m giving you permission to give YOURSELF permission to try.
That thing you want to do. That thing you’re a little scared of. That thing you think you suck at, but you admire in so many others. You’re curious about it, but you’re uncertain. You look at it and wish.
Or you want to do it, but it feels a little extra. Frivolous or silly.
We all have those things. I know you have at least one of those things.
Today, you’re going to give yourself permission to try it.
And it’s going to feel goofy and weird and you’re going to be like “Jen has finally lost her full can of beans.” I’m probably going to feel like I’ve lost my beans when I relisten to this episode.
But I know that you need to do this. Because I needed to do it. I need to do it again.
Here in just a moment, you are going to write yourself a creativity permission slip.
Now, because this is a podcast, we’re not actually going to write it. We’re going to speak it into existence together.
What this permission slip is going to do is give you the freedom to allow yourself to do a creative thing.
Because no matter how creative think you are, you are capable of more of it.
You are.
I believe this.
And I believe that if you truly buy into this concept, that opening this door, permitting yourself to step through it, will give you the courage to unleash some very surprising things.
Write this creative permission slip. Your oath to yourself. Allowing yourself to become the creative unicorn person you were born to be
You are going to get so much out of this, and if you don’t, you can be like “Jen has lost her damn mind.”
Okay, are you ready?
Here we go
I, {insert your name}
Say it out loud
I {name}
Give myself permission to be creative.
I give myself permission to try.
I give myself permission to fail.
I give myself permission to have fun.
I deserve to take time to do what is fun for me.
What I do doesn’t have to be perfect.
Because I find joy in the process.
I am smart. I am capable. I am good.
I am creative.
Sign your name or give it a mental seal of approval.
This permission slip is doing a lot for you. First of all, it’s giving you permission to be creative.
If you’re someone who’s been held back by that, let me tell ya, you are.
Most of us have stopped trying things. Because we’re scared of not doing things perfectly.
It’s okay to fail.
In fact, you learn a lot from failure.
Failure is key to actually succeeding.
When we learn to try things, it opens us up to allowing new and creative ideas to flourish in our brains.
Giving ourselves an open door to do fun and silly and weird things.
To allow ourselves to experience joy.
As adults, we’ve told ourselves we can’t do these things. We say “I’m an adult. I can’t take the time .
I personally struggle with finding joy in the process. I always want to get to that final destination.
That’s why we wrote this episode where we can give ourselves a creativity permission slip.