Uncreative moments

One must also accept that one has ‘uncreative’ moments. The more honestly one can accept that, the quicker these moments will pass.
~ Etty Hillesum

Wise words from Etty Hillesum, a contemporary of Anne Frank, albeit a less famous one. Hillesum, born in the Netherlands in 1914, lived a short life of great courage. Hungry for knowledge, she cut down on food to purchase books, studying law, Slavic languages, and psychology. Hillesum went voluntarily to the Westerbork camp during WWII to help fellow Jews interned there by the Nazis. She wrote detailed letters about her experiences, and focused on issues of faith in a more meditative diary. In 1943, Etty Hillesum died at Auschwitz.

More quotes from Hillesum:

I do believe it is possible to create, even without ever writing a word or painting a picture, by simply molding one’s inner life. And that too is a deed.

We are always in search of the redeeming formula, the crystallizing thought.

We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies.

Numbers that matter

I saw a Twitter post today that discussed social media site scores and how those numbers have no real bearing on the real world. Numbers that matter from a business perspective and in our daily lives are not those that are calculated by some invisible computer program, counting hits, comments, likes… In no particular order, here are some numbers that matter more.

• Number of smiles you share today.
• Number of hugs you gave today.
• Number of meals you ate with those you love.
• Number of times you promoted someone else.
• Number of ways you encouraged others today.
• Number of times you took a break for yourself.
• Number of times you ate the right food.
• Number of glasses of water you drank.
• Number of dollars you put in a needy hand.
• Number of opportunities you provided to educate people.
• Number of times you ignore the haters and grow.
• Number of times you say positive things to yourself.
• Number of times you say no so you can say yes to the bigger opportunity.
• Number of blessings you counted.
• Number of times you paid it forward.
• Number of times you forgave or asked for forgiveness.
• Number of times you took a deep breath.
• Number of times you lightened someone’s burden.
• Number of times you said “I love you.”
• Number of times you enjoyed the sun on your face.
• Number of times you inspire others today.
• Number of times you make people laugh.
• Number of times you make yourself laugh.
• Number of times you love the people around you.
• Number of times you love yourself.

What numbers do you count that really matter?

At my window

A morning glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.
― Walt Whitman ―
I am not really a metaphysical kind of person, so on that level I agree with Whitman. But there is something about losing myself in a well written murder mystery with an involved cast of characters that opens my subconscious to let in a rush of ideas. Add in a healthy dose of lively music and I am well on my way to a very satisfying and creative day.

What triggers your creativity more…the beauty of nature or the turn of a good phrase?

Don’t wait for perfection…

Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful. ~ Mark Victor Hanson

Whether your goal for perfection involves being a better athlete, best-selling author, recognized artist, musician, actor, ask yourself a few questions. How would you act if your already were that individual? Visualize the person, have a conversation with that person, imagining what the response would be if you asked about the quality of their life, how happy they were doing whatever it is they do.

Conditions to achieve your goals are never perfect, but being willing to take risks, discover what you need to learn, striving to grow daily as you work toward becoming your imagined individual, even if that means taking only one tiny step at a time, these are all crucial elements of the pursuit.

Reaching out

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
– Anne Frank

Every day we hear of opportunities to volunteer for community projects, some are very local in nature, others may have more global implications. When you are considering potential projects with various levels of involvement, what are your criteria for making decisions? Is time a major factor or is passion for the project the key?