Thoughtful Thursday: Trusting Yourself

photo: Earth rising over the Moon

Thoughtful Thursday: Every Thursday I post a quote or thought for all of
us to ponder.
Today’s Quote is:

As soon as you trust yourself you will learn to live….
–Friedrich von Schiller

Elizabeth Gilbert is a creative writer and the author of Eat, Pray, Love and has recently spoken about creativity on TED. “As stated on their website, “TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. This TED site makes the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.”

I’ve heard from so many individuals that they are afraid of the work they were put on this earth to do. It may be too hard, or too much work, or just unclear. What about creative ventures make us afraid? For some reason, over the years, creativity and suffering are often linked. Maybe in the creative process, we don’t believe we are “doing it right.” What do you mean by right? How would you know if it was “right?”

Elizabeth Gilbert’s suggestion is “that you start with the love and then work very hard and try to let go of the results. Cast out your will, and then cut the line.”

If you can just trust that still small voice within, and follow your passion or impulse to create, you begin to trust ‘the process’ which is a part of ‘yourself.’ Whether it’s to create words, art, a garden, a family, or ideas, a birth is occurring within you. Revere yourself at least as the vessel through which the creativity is flowing through.

Elizabeth Gilbert ended her talk encouraging us “Don’t be afraid. Just show up for your piece of it…..it’s okay just to have the love and stubbornness to keep showing up! We need more creation, not more destruction. We need our artists more than ever, and we need them to be stable, steadfast, honorable and brave – they are our soldiers, our hope. If you decide to write, then you must do it, as Balzac said, “like a miner buried under a fallen roof.” Become a knight, a force of diligence and faith. I don’t know how else to do it except that way. As the great poet Jack Gilbert said once to a young writer, when she asked him for advice about her own poems: “Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.”

Listen and be inspired to hear the talk and 400 other fascinating talks on TED.

How do you use your creative process? Do you trust yourself? Is it okay to trust yourself even if you make mistakes?

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Tags: elizabeth gilbert, TED, Trust