Week 11, Day 6 of The Artist's Way

Today, let's literally move from stagnation to inspiration, from problem to solution, from self-pity to self-respect.

THE ZEN OF SPORTS (continued)

Exercise teaches the rewards of process.

It teaches the sense of satisfaction over small tasks well done … Rather than scotch a creative project when it frustrates us, we learn to move through the difficulty.

It is not only the sense of a communion with nature that creates a singing in the heart. An endorphin-induced natural high is one of the by-products of exercise itself. A runner may feel the same celebratory sense of well-being pounding a dirty city street that Libby finds as she posts rhythmically along a country trail.

As we said before, we learn by going where we have to go. 

Exercise is often the going that moves us from stagnation to inspiration, from problem to solution, from self-pity to self-respect. We do learn by going. We learn we are stronger than we thought. We learn to look at things with a new perspective. We learn to solve our problems by tapping our own inner resources and listening for inspiration, not only from others but from ourselves. Seemingly without effort, our answers come while we swim or stride or ride or run. By definition, this is one of the fruits of exercise: “exercise: the act of bringing into play or realizing in action” (Webster’s Ninth).

(The Artist's Way, 2016, p. 187 – 189)

I am moving and growing through difficulty.

I am free to free-associate and allow things to fall into place. I am strong and capable, exercise helps me tap into my inner resources and find solutions to my challenges. I am grateful for the sense of satisfaction and well-being it brings, allowing me to look at things with a new perspective and find inspiration within myself.

List ten examples of personal synchronicity that support the possibility of a nurturing creative force.

EXAMPLES

1. Meeting a person who offers the perfect job opportunity, just when you were feeling lost and unsure of your career path.
2. Finding a book or article that provides the exact information or inspiration you were seeking, when you weren't even actively looking for it.
3. Having a vivid dream that provides insight into a problem you were struggling with, and then waking up with a newfound sense of clarity and direction.
4. Receiving an unexpected gift or message from someone who has been on your mind or in your thoughts, when you were least expecting it.
5. Experiencing a chance encounter with a person who has a profound impact on your life, and then realizing later that this meeting was no coincidence.
6. Feeling guided to take a particular path or make a certain decision, and then experiencing positive outcomes as a result.
7. Discovering a hidden talent or passion through a series of seemingly random events and experiences.
8. Overcoming a difficult obstacle or challenge, and then realizing that the skills and strength you gained from that experience were exactly what you needed for a future opportunity.
9. Having a feeling of “knowing” that a certain outcome will happen, and then having that outcome unfold as you envisioned.
10. Having synchronistic experiences that seem to confirm a larger purpose or mission in life, and a sense of being part of something greater than oneself.

“Here in this body are the sacred rivers: here are the sun and moon as well as all the pilgrimage places…. I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body.”

– Saraha

What has inspired you to connect with your body more recently?

Share in the comments below👇