Be playful

Sometimes creating the life that you want can get very serious. It has happened to me. You aren't seeing the results you expected so you begin to wonder. . .

"Am I doing this right?" "Am I concentrating hard enough?" "Am I visualizing it right?" "Oh, no, I've been thinking I can't do this. Have I ruined it?" "Why isn't this working?"

Stop. Relax. This isn't a final exam with your whole future weighed in the balance. This isn't the big game with seconds to go and you've got the ball.

This is a joyous process with the emphasis on "joyous."

You've been conditioned to be competitive.  From the moment you arrive in this world, you're being tested, measured, compared and judged.

At what age did you learn to walk? Was it "early," "late" or "normal"? What grades did you get in school? Were you chosen for the softball team? Did you get a part in the school play? But more importantly, how did the people around you react to those situations, which would have determined how you ended up feeling about them?

Unfortunately, you may have ended up feeling inadequate in some way. Labels may have been attached to you that you adopted into your belief system. "I'm not good enough." "I have to try harder." "I have to practice more."

While it's true that there are certain skills you need to work hard at or practice a lot before you become proficient in them - learning to walk and talk are just two of those skills that require a lot of trial, error and practice in order to learn how to do them - the learning process doesn't have to be a chore, an unpleasant experience, something that makes your brain hurt just thinking about it.

Active creating doesn't have to be a chore, either. Nor should it make your brain hurt trying to get it right.

The first point is: Stop thinking in terms of right or wrong. You may not like your life the way it is now but it's not wrong. It just is. Yes, you may have to practice thinking in a new way. Thinking is a habit, after all. But there's nothing wrong with the way you've been thinking. You were using the information and skills you had been given. You did the best you could with the tools at hand. If you're not happy with the results, change the tools you used to create those results.

Second point: Have fun. Look for the humor when things don't happen in the way you expected or in the exact way you thought you were intending. Here's what I mean.

In my neighborhood, when people want to get rid of furniture, they put it out on the curb for pick up. I decided I needed a chest of drawers for a closet in order to organize my clothes better. I put the intention out "there" that I would find a chest of drawers out on the curb.

I have a dog so we take frequent walks around the neighborhood. The very next day I saw a chest of drawers out on the curb, exactly as I had intended. Unfortunately, it was too big for the space in my closet. So I simply said, "Thank you God but I want a smaller one."

A few days later there was another chest of drawers out on the curb for pick up. It was definitely smaller but two of the drawers were broken. I started laughing. Okay. "Thank you God but I want it to be in good condition, too."

Well, I can't tell you how many chests of drawers I saw out on the curb for pick up. I stopped counting after five. It seemed as though everyone was getting rid of chests of drawers. This went on for several weeks and I never did find the right chest of drawers out on the street. However, each time I saw a chest of drawers I started laughing.  It became a game to see what would be out on the curb that day when I went for a walk with my dog. I was having fun watching how the Universe was manifesting chests of drawers for me in amazing ways. Some of them were truly ugly, in my opinion, and I delighted in those the most.

My point is that I turned it into a game. I didn't panic thinking I wasn't doing this right. I allowed myself to realize that the right chest of drawers would come to me in its own way. Right now, I was having a good time seeing the variety of manifestations I was producing.

By the way, I did get the perfect chest of drawers. It happened after I stopped trying to force the issue, accepted that the intention would be fulfilled, and allowed it to come in whatever way it would. It came through a friend who didn't know I was looking for a chest of drawers. She just decided she didn't need this one anymore. I happened to be standing in the room with her at the time. She turned to me and asked, "Could you use a chest of drawers?" I started laughing and quickly said, "Yes" with a silent thank you to God for sending me the perfect answer to my need.

If you start to take the process of active creating too seriously, start turning it into a test or a competition in which you have to excel, you'll defeat the purpose. You'll start working from a point of fear. You'll just get more fear.

Edwene Gaines is one of my favorite prosperity masters. She urges her students to first find the joy in everything, no matter what. She says to find the joy in even the most mundane of every day chores, including, "taking out the kitty litter." When you feel joyous and abundant even in the face of what might seem tedious and poor, you will be well on your way to attracting joyous abundance into your life.

Fun. Joy. Enthusiasm. Those are the real tools of active creating. The other "tools" are really rituals to get you to the place of fun, joy and enthusiasm.

One last note. Affirmations are one of the rituals you can use to help you change your way of thinking to change your life. I have turned mine into be-bop songs that I dance to around the house. They're a lot more fun that way.

So, be playful. Have fun. Enjoy the experience. And know that what you truly want will come when you let go of the fear and the pressure to get it right.