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I want to use my creativity to make a difference in my and other people’s lives

Inner Labor

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INNER LABOR@2x

The Context

If you’ve spent significant amounts of sacred time communing with your inner life and connecting with the outer universe, dealing with change will come easier to you. It will feel more like a line item than a life shattering event. And that doesn’t mean you won’t be sad and scared and confused during the process. Humans have resisted change since day one, and none of us are fully immune to its disorienting effects. It’s funny, despite my own expert ability to remain calm during most difficult events, sometimes anxiety dreams will still plague me later that night. Guess we’re all vulnerable to strain no matter how flexible we think we are. But the good news is, anyone who has kept any kind of regular contemplative practice, will have greater leverage when the tide of change shifts. Those who use this tool will know what their gifts are and how to use them in the service of others. The fruits of our inner labor make a contribution that reorients.

The Tool

two color

Inner Labor

INNER LABOR — Increasing your leverage by investing in yourself more consistently.

Debono, the patron saint of modern creativity, writes about this source of leverage in his textbook of wisdom. He says that contribution comes with its own momentum. Contribution means that you can look beyond the despair of the moment because the time frame is larger. Contribution is what gets rid of boredom and gives the plus of involvement and achievement. Isn’t that exciting? We can use our gifts to reorient ourselves and other. If we understand the real, urgent, pervasive or expensive problems in the world we are uniquely poised to fill, then we can hang ten on the shifting tides of change.

Scott's Take

Scott's Take

My inner labor is a combination of encouragement, perspective, thoughtfulness and inspiration. People don’t need information or motivation from me. They just need an example. Someone who gives themselves permission and just does stuff in his own life, rather than talking about it. When the world is caught in the briars of chaos, something deep inside my soul whispers, dude, go get out there with your art in hand, and gift it to as many people as you can. Individually, collectively, personally, professional, paid, unpaid, analog, virtually, whatever. The medium, contrary to what the philosopher once warned us about, is not the message. No, the message is the message. Go out there and deliver it. This is how my head and heart speak to me. I know that even when my creative contribution is tiny, it still builds up to something significant. Hopefully for others, but often times only for my own experience of fulfillment. And that’s enough. That’s enough to keep me afloat in the shifting tides of change.

The Rest

If the disruption of change is causing you tremendous suffering, you’re not the only one. It’s hard for all of us. Find a way to increase your leverage by investing in yourself more consistently. Carve out sacred time, every single day, to commune with your inner life and connect with the outer universe. Open up a channel so you can accept supply from the divine storehouse. It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to make sense, and it doesn’t have to look good. It just has to be yours. And by the time the next change comes crashing in, you’ll know exactly what contribution you have to make to yourself and the world to avoid madness. What real, urgent, pervasive or expensive problems in the world are you uniquely poised to fill?

The Benefits

Manage change more effectively
Have more leverage during transitions
Overcome despair and feel fulfilled
Create value when the rest of the world is freaking out

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