Me, a Monk and a New Way of Living

Ugyen Penjor and me…Docha La, Bhutan – 2011

"You don't think your way into a new kind of living. 

You live your way into a new kind of thinking."

                                                    – Henri Nouwen

I love this quote! When I found it, I read it again and again, savoring Nouwen's words like a delicious sip of wine or bite of dark chocolate.  

Maybe because it's the last day of my Colorado Cleanse and I'm particularly tuned into all of the energizing new ways of living I've practiced for the past two weeks. (This could also be the reason for the wine and chocolate reference.)

I'm always reading and learning about different ways to live a more healthfully. But by taking the plunge and committing to the cleanse (which was flat out monk-like compared to my normal diet) I experienced changes in a very real way rather than just thinking about them.

That meant two weeks with no sugar…no dairy…no wheat…no caffeine…no alcohol…only the occasional avocados and seeds for fat…and eating three times a day with no snacks. But guess what – I showed myself that I could do what I once thought impossible. (or at the least highly unlikely for me)

In fact, not only could I do it…but I could enjoy doing it. After the initial couple of detox days I felt fabulous! We drank lots of lemon water in the final phase…so I literally made lemonade out of lemons, without the sugar, of course.

After two weeks of living with what first seemed like drastic measures, I now see how gently adding some of these new habits into my day-to-day life is doable. (Though, believe me, wine and chocolate will be joyfully embraced upon their return…just on a much less frequent basis than before.)

So what can this mean for our creative lives?

When we allow ourselves to go for our creative dreams…try things that at first seem radical or undoable…embrace experiences we dream of doing someday right now rather than waiting…step way outside of our comfort zone and stay open to whatever experiences may come…that's how we begin creatively living our way into a new kind of thinking.

Why not start by pondering the following prompts? If you journal, you might want to visit these prompts two or three times in the coming week to see what comes up for you.

To me, the difference between thinking about my creative passions and living them is…

One thing that seems almost too extreme to even try is...

But, if I let myself be really brave I might be able to…

I can live my way into a new way of thinking about my creative life by…

Traveling to Bhutan where I would hike to the Lungchutsekah Monastery, be blessed by the monk, Ugyen Penjor (pictured above), and witness a pristine view of the Himalaya mountain range in Asia was another experience I've had that seemed like an impossibility…until it happened.

Click here if you'd like to learn a more about how heemeesheemees (my word for serendipity) and belief in the impossible preceded my once in a lifetime trip to Bhutan.

Take it from someone who never thought she'd see the day when a carrot would taste like dessert, when we dive in and live our way into a new way of thinking some pretty amazing things can happen…even the seemingly impossible can be doable.

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,
Jill

Jill Allison Bryan
www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

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