I was chatting with a friend the other day about her pilot husband who would just not give it up. His entire career had been devoted to piloting passengers across the US. After he retired, he volunteered for the Air National Guard. Now, years later, he’s still flying solo.
She’s concerned that he won’t be able to maintain that pace at his advancing age. Piloting is physically demanding and even with advanced instruments, you still have to be on the edge of your seat in awareness. Weather is unpredictable and a toy drone or random bird could end your life.
But he won’t stop.
She’s right to be concerned, but I don’t think he could turn in his wings even if he tried. Flying is his soul’s expression.
The devoted pilots I know touch their spirit when they touch the sky. Just like an artist, a musician, a weaver or a game designer, when your soul finds its expression, you feel a bit incomplete when it’s not coming through you.
It’s like water flowing from a pump. The water is the expression of your soul, and the pump is the mechanism for how that expression comes through.
A writer expresses their soul through their pen, a musician through their instrument, an actor through the stage, a weaver through the loom, a gardener through prized tomatoes and a pilot through soaring beyond the sky. Each expression brings deep satisfaction.
The pump is merely the mechanism that allows the soul’s expression to flow, and everyone’s pump is unique to their inner guidance.
Creativity is your soul’s expression.
You are always creative because your soul expresses itself all the time. And good news, your soul will shape the pump you need.
You are naturally drawn to what you must express. You’re curious about it. You wonder if you could… if you tried….
The pump for your soul’s expression constantly calls to you.
When you finally give that daring idea a whirl, just trying it out brings enjoyment. You try again and get a little better the next time. As you practice that skill or expand that idea, you continue to align with your creativity.
Eventually you and the pump merge.
A writer isn’t a writer only when they’re in front of a keyboard. They constantly observe their life and are always on the alert to capture moments for the truth of their pen. They jot down a random turn of phrase overheard at the grocery store or capture a description of a dog licking ice cream from an unsuspecting 3-year-old’s dish.
A writer is never “not a writer” and a pilot is never “not a pilot.”
Trust the process.
You may be concerned that you don’t have a way to express your creativity (a pump). Perhaps you are worried that the pump you like best isn’t the “right” one for you. Maybe you think, as many do, that you are “just not creative.”
Do not fear. We are never “not creative.” Our soul is eager to find expression. It’s why we’re in this manifestation.
You’re already curious about it. You already wonder what it would be like to do that thing, to experience that moment, or to live that kind of life. You always wanted to, but never gave it credence.
What stops us is society’s demand to “be practical” and false beliefs planted in our minds by people who love us and want us to be safe. When their desires override our own, we feel incomplete. We feel restless and discontent.
We imagine what would happen if we follow this crazy idea. We fantasize about a life we’re not convinced would ever come true. We wonder, is this desire for real?
Here’s how to find out…
Take baby steps toward that fantastic notion. Let yourself experience just a taste. Try a class. Watch a YouTube tutorial. Read up. Ask a friend to join you. Begin with small leaps of faith. Let the flow start to trickle. Use what’s handy. Explore what’s interesting.
Follow the path that feels good to explore. Tap into what wants to come out and the pump will begin to form around you.
You can’t get it wrong.
