Lately, I’ve been struggling with the internal pressure to write more, paint more, think more, read more, do more and accomplish more especially for this blog. I have so many ideas, but I am somewhat limited on time right now. And I’m honestly exhausted.
I am a big fan of the phrase “Trust the Process” (hello, counselor friends), but this morning I ran across a quote on Instagram by Yung Pueblo (@yung_pueblo) that said “Do not rush the process” – and it was exactly what I needed today.
Because sometimes trusting the process means waiting. Sometimes it means allowing yourself to rest instead of rushing ahead with all of your plans full force. Sometimes it means waiting for the right moment or waiting for inspiration.
Trusting the process can look a lot like sitting still, and as creators and generators, sitting still can feel like creative death. If we’re not creating or making or generating, then we feel like we’re not fulfilling our purpose or living our passion. And in the age of social media content, we’re told if we’re not producing, we’re losing. So, there are these internal and external pressures and beliefs that make us feel guilty or worthless if we’re not actively creating something of value or seeing progress.
But growth doesn’t happen by force. There’s no rushing a flower to bloom or a seed to sprout. It requires nutrients, sunshine, water – but it grows in its own time. A seed needs space. The creative process needs space. We, as humans, need space.
The message for me today is to allow. I keep wanting to say something about “creating space”, but even that feels too active and carries the burden of doing during a time that feels like the most important thing is to trust and allow.
So, here are some creative affirmations for today:
I release the need to do more and allow space for growth and rest.
I allow space for rest and growth and trust the creative process.
I’ll use these affirmations each time I feel that guilt or pressure crop up and trust that soon enough I will be generating new ideas and creations.