Wonder and Rigor

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Natalie Nixon in The Creativity Leap shares her definition of creativity as an ability to toggle (switch) between being in a state of Wonder… exploring, imagining, designing in the ethers… and applying the rigor necessary to bring our wonderings into form. In this, we solve problems and produce novel value.

Of course, “novel value” can be something evocative emotionally, or the inspires others to bring forth their own heartistry.

For many of us who were traumatized in various ways, our “creativity channels” often need some lube. And some engineering support. And even a celebrator or two.

I’ve spent truly many THOUSANDS of pages of journaling, taking an idea like this one and writing PAGES on what it means to me and how I might apply it to being more Rick and less Stick. :smirk:

In order for me to express these thoughts here, in “public” to others, required a sense of safety-ish-ness, that what I share will be met with respect even if not approval or agreement.

Thank you to those of you here that do that.

I’m a coach ~ a flavor of teacher. It’s a part of the “rigor” of my identity and profession to offer into the We-Space what is helpful for me that might be helpful to you! To me coaching is a form of rigorous Presence, Skill, and Sharing Wisdom.

Wonder is what fuels my curiosity.

I wonder how this might be Useful?

It’s true that wonder in and of itself is a Simple Uplift. It’s doesn’t actually get us a sweet looking garden though…

The expression Inspired Action might feel “too soft” when it comes to the labor needed to turn rocky dirt into a luscious garden. Without focused engagement – whether called Inspired Action or Rigor – the seeds never make it into the ground to grow.

Some people who see the movie The Secret or listen about the Law of Attraction can get a bit… uhh… ungrounded. I remember a client (well, one session with a couple) where they were convinced that all they needed to do was get their vibration R.I.G.H.T. and $10 million (a very specific, daily visualized amount) would arrive in their lives. Any lack of it arriving was solely due to them not being a vibrational match for that wealth, so they wanted to use EFT Tapping to clear those blocks.

Honestly, one block was their complete unwillingness to consider how they might apply their creativity to co-creating Value in the world that would be worth $10 million (or more!).

Nope! It had to go from visualization to manifesting the money. They wouldn’t even consider buying a lottery ticket.

I’m not the right coach for everyone. Perhaps they today are reveling in their manifestation, sharing their “you too can manifest your dreams without any labor.” Perhaps that is true.

For me it doesn’t feel like a “limiting belief” to know that inspired action is what can definitely turn a plot of dirt into a lush garden – water, seeds, and environment allowing. I know that making a difference in the lives of others is valuable, and we can get even outsized “rewards” financially at times for making such a difference.

There are almost infinite ways this can be done. Wonder. Rigor. Wonder some more. Add rigor. Build. Refine. Share. Repeat.

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Great piece Rick. I’m reminded of that old bit of folksy country wisdom that goes 'If you spit into one hand and wish into the other guess which hand is gonna fill up first?"…or something like that.

‘The Secret’ IMO and IME was one of the silliest and least inspiring films ever made for the reasons that you describe and for several others as well. For example, I don’t recall any of those ‘enlightened’ folks in the film doing their best to manifest world peace or the end of all disease…or even just neighbourhood peace or the end of a friend’s illness. As I recall all everybody talked about manifesting was money, cars, houses and jewelry. Nice.

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I got so excited about the Secret. I bought the books, I created several “treasure maps”. I affirmed, I listened to endless You Tube’s by the Hicks. I journaled about what I wanted, wrote letters to God and the angels. What a frigging letdown! What was I doing wrong? Did it work for some and not others? If so why? Was I not good enough? What was wrong with ME?

I got mad and had BS thoughts when I listened again, still wondering is it me or them?

Yes I took classes, I wrote and submitted my stories, I kept searching and stayed curious.

I do believe we have to keep our vibration higher meaning not to sink into complete skepticism. I think there is something to what they talk about but … there are our trauma’s and the yeah buts that we face. Tapping helps, sharing like we are doing here also helps. I also bought lottery tickets too.

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I believe virtually all wisdom can be misconstrued and even perverted for self-serving purposes.

We KNOW that humans have aspirations, and we’ve mostly been conditioned to relate those aspirations to Status Symbols – the house, car, trophy mate, position, authority. There’s even the “spiritual status” that one sees all over, too: “See, I’m so spiritually aware that I have this and this and this and they come to me through this magic I can sell you!”

I found Esther Hicks/Abraham to be the source of a LOT of practical reframes. They were in the original The Secret, but I believe that they were edited out in later editions.

My own sense and interpretation of the Law of Attraction was vibrational/emotional. If I am angry (at that vibration) it is more likely that I will see and sense and engage with that which is compatible with making/keeping me angry. I’ll look at kids playing and get angry: don’t they know there is trash to pick up! Don’t they know that ____!!!

How we’re vibrating seems to get us more of that experience ENERGETICALLY.

Translating the energetic experience into the physical is fraught – easy to manipulate people into their conditioned associations… status, power, money, sex.

One of the reasons I’ve been focusing on Simple Uplifts is to share and experience that the vibrational experience available from ____ has a wide range!

A fallen branch and pine cone can be something in the way that I might trip over – irritation and threat – or a beautifully, nature-crafted message of beauty!

Same pine cone. Same branch.

If we can do that with a pine cone, we can do that with a mansion, a new car, a handsome lover.

So… if we submit our stories to a “gatekeeper” that doesn’t choose us, what happens if we savor the experience of writing, and keep exploring for an expression of that which feels even better???

I can say that if I had written this post on my thrivingnow.com blog and I didn’t get a chance to revisit it today, it would NOT be as meaningful and nourishing. One major trap in The Secret is that it focused people on outcome rather than experience, and absolutely positively re-activated, triggered, and depleted people where the outcome wasn’t what they envisioned.

So much of what I consider core to my Thriving Life today, 9 Mar 2021, was not as I would have put on a vision board 3 years ago. But the emotions I get to experience… all there. Including this kind of deep engagement with you all.

Love,
Rick

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This is so much more fun than riding around in a big new car or rambling around in a mansion! I would not be putting on a treasure map now what I put on it years ago.

I also heard that they edited out Esther Hicks/Abraham’s reframes from the Secret too. I do believe the original is still out there in cyberspace somewhere too.

Wondering here if I would “hear” “sense” reframes if I read some of what they wrote about in their books now.

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Yeah, maybe…but I’d like to be able to choose based on experience of both… :slight_smile:

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