You may have noticed an onslaught of content being produced by me over the last several weeks. Along with my productions, you may have detected an attitude adjustment. Let me just say that the two are deeply connected. I am a positive person by nature - a glass half-full kind of girl. If you know me, that's no shock to hear. What may seem shocking is that sometimes I fall short of that and can be a huge grump. Hey, I am human. I refer to those grumpy times as "Exorcist Darlene", because it's the complete opposite of my usual nature, it's like I truly am possessed. There is a reason. Let me explain.
A little over a month ago my world was shaken up a bit. I found myself left wondering, "What's next?" The answer at the time was, well produce something. Produce anything, just do something creative!
Growing up, anytime I was sick or sad or felt really down, I turned to creativity. There was a time, while sick at home as a teenager, when I created movies on my VHS camera (they will NEVER see the light of day...while hilarious, they were extremely embarrassing). I also wrote a lot and my first business idea was born.
Back to the here and now: as soon as I turned to doing something creative, I was forced to take a long hard look at myself. Why was I being such a grump and why when I turned to creative work, did my attitude change?
That's when I realized there was a correlation between the "not-so-nice Darlene" and the creative work I was (or in this case, was not) doing, as well as, finding ways to do the things I love throughout the course of the day.
Creativity makes me happy. It allows me to express myself, but more so my hope is that my work will make at least one person smile or make their day brighter. That's where I thrive, helping people and making their day better, in some small way. Creativity (for me) = happy. It's as simple as that!
I started piecing myself back together, one creative project at a time. I had turned a corner. Darlene 2.0 was here, a happier, more focused and inspired me. I was open to people again and to opportunities.
Later in February, I got some good news. Had I been in a different head space, I may have reacted differently or may not have even gotten that good news to begin with. You get out of life what you put in, didn't you know? With my new focus, I reacted positively. I am happy with how life has unfolded over the last month. Turns out, shake ups are good.
I continue to strive to take a few creative action steps each week. The steps keep me grounded and in positive spirits.
If you are finding yourself in a slump or feeling like you are possessed by Oscar the Grouch- take a look within and determine what is missing. Then, figure out a way to get whatever it is back into your life..pronto!