POD: Yes Day For You

Here’s your prompt:

Think about the last time you got a bolt of inspiration, an idea so delightful it felt good, in the center of your body.

What was that? When was that? What were you doing when it hit you?

What would a Yes Day for You look like, in your ideal world?

What might *tomorrow* look like, if you decided to inject it with a little bit of Yes Day for You flavor, without blowing up your life?

Although I don’t all it “Yes Day”, over the past four years I have learned to go with the flow, to take time for myself, and with myself, and to try to tap into the creativity when it comes.   It often means taking some time to get alone with my thoughts – this past year I have found the joy of hammocking and riding on the back of my husband’s motorcycle are great places for this.  Sometimes it happens on a drive or when I am sitting in prayer.  Sometimes that means just jotting down a few sentences until I really have time in my schedule to ponder deeper on a thought – time that I am often still trying to find.

Sometimes that creativity comes in the form of a mental conversation that I need to have with another.  When I am obedient to that thought, great things happen in the life of others.  Sometimes it is just a change in perspective or focus.  Other times it may stop them from doing something they will later regret.  I am most honored when God uses me to speak into the lives of others like this.  To literally see doors open whether in the mind, spirit or natural for others brings me great joys.  I find that in these times, generally I can not repeat the words of wisdom that have flown.  I suppose because I am just a tool, and they were never my words or thoughts to begin with.

Other times it comes in the form of a thought so heavy that I need to get it out for fear I will explode under the weight of it.  Usually in terms of something that I need to take time to create – a blog, a book idea, a training idea, or plan.  I keep Evernote files for these ideas so that I can continue to work on them.  I am not as faithful to go back to these as I need to be though.  Time is never on my side when it comes to thinking about these life matters.  I need to learn to be intentional to make time to return and knock these things out.  With no deadline, it is hard for me to carve out the time when I already have so many demands.

A true “Yes day” for me, where I could dictate the time would be filled with warm weather, the sound of rolling waves, friends and family, activity, and a quiet time for prayer and reflection.  It’s 28 degrees outside and the nearest body of water has no rolling waves this time of year, generally the waves come at the cost of noisy speed boats on a good day.  So today is not my Yes, day.  And if I lived in the warm climate near the ocean, I hope that I would not take it for granted like I often do my natural outdoor surroundings and sounds.

Being around family and friends both relaxes me and energizes me depending on the conversations and events.  Sometimes my deepest thoughts come from a challenge to a thought or deep held belief when conversing with my two younger children or friends.  Or I will be watching something with my husband or grandchildren and draw correlation in my mind that sparks creativity and a deeper revelation.  And sometimes just the energy from being with family and friends draws me to a safe spot where I can feel free to just get creative.

I enjoy being active, but admit that this is the easiest one for me to make excuses for – I don’t like the cold, I am not generally a morning person, it is generally getting dark when I get home, and I need to relax, not get my heart pumping.  When I do make time for walking, yoga, swimming, and weights I feel so much more alive.  I have more energy for the day and more grounded as I go through things.

I find much of my creative time comes from quiet times with God, when I am meditating on His Word, digging for deeper truths, praying out my heart or journaling from the soul.  I know that God is creative, and I was made in His image.  I may not be able to create in every way He does, but He has shown me the creative power of my words when given to Him.

I have been trying to give myself a little of this time each day.  Right now, the only one I take time for daily is time with God.  It is something that I have been disciplined to do over the past decade and have been faithful to do.  I can see the benefits personally and in the overflow of my life from this time.  I can also tell if I miss a day for some reason.  It took me time to find the best time for this, which I have found for the past two years has been first thing in the morning.  And if I am really lucky, I can sneak in a little more time at the end of the day.  This just primes my mind for a creative day at work ministering to others.

The thing I find most hard about part of my yes day being with others, is that just because it is my yes day, doesn’t mean I am part of theirs.  This is something that I have had to really keep in mind as I try to make it a point to spend time with friends and family at least once or twice a week, intentionally.  I work an opposite shift from my husband, so I try to keep Friday and Saturday with him.  We generally keep two of our grandchildren on Saturday evenings.  I love playing during the evening with them, cuddling up for a movie as they go to sleep and visiting with them on the way to and from church.  My son calls or face times me a least once most week as he lives out-of-state.  And I try to do something with my daughters monthly, or as often as we can with their busy schedules.  We also try to do Sunday night dinners, although there seems to be more distractions that connecting a lot.  And I try to connect with friends two to three times a week, whether by phone or in person.  It helps that a lot of my friends I see at church and work or where I volunteer.

This post is prompted by Tara-Nicholle Nelson’s 30 Day Writing Challenge for Conscious Leaders.