LIVING INTENTIONALLY

As I was reading this morning, I had a bit of a thought that overwhelmed me. It was a thought that sometimes you must be intentionally messy to find the clarity you seek. Over the years, I had a place in my house, wherever I have lived, that was a dumping ground. Let me explain the "dumping ground." It is where I put all the junk mail in my life. This includes things that should be thrown away and things I may need later down the road. I have a problem with the phrase, "You never know........."

I didn't realize I did this until I graduated from college and lived with a friend. We were both music majors and moved in to share the rent after I graduated. D had dropped out because she pursued what she loved as a singer and songwriter but didn't believe she needed the degree. There were other financial things beyond her control in play, also. So we were very similar people with very different ways of living together.

We lived in a one-bedroom apartment that was a pretty good size. We shared the bedroom that we split in half. It was about 800 square feet. It was the best we could do where we were financially because we wanted to be able to do other things, including singing and songwriting.

That's what struggling artists do, and we did. We both had jobs in different fields. We paid our rent. We were fine. But we had a kitchen table that we very rarely used. It had stacks and stacks of junk mail, papers, and such. It was a problem!

I carried that to the next place I lived. An apartment I shared with a roommate, too. It was bigger but with the same junk mail. Pattern repeated!

I finally found a place where I could live alone. I struggled initially but was making enough money to pay for a 2-bedroom, 1000 sq. feet apartment.

Guess what I still had in this spacious home I found myself in?? Junk mail on the table!

Truthfully, as I'm talking to you right now, I realize that a strength of mine was being exposed even back then. I did not know it, but my Ideation was being revealed in the most chaotic way. I did not understand what it was, but it was there all the same. It has always tried to be seen.

So if you have been paying attention to what I've written in my previous writing in my blogs, you will understand why I talk about my strengths like they are a real-life person. Strengths are like friends that I have a love-hate relationship with. I love it when it's good and hate it when it's BAD! Ideation is my #5 strength and demands A LOT of attention.

One of the things that most people don't understand about me is that I have a lot going on in my head. (By the way, that is what Ideation can look like) And if I don't have any method or plan that helps me focus it, it will become like a water hose instead of a laser. It will drown everything else. I wake up every morning and fight with this strength. And because it's my #5, it has an exponential influence on all my other strengths.

Another strength I've grown to love is my Connectedness. This one strength is crucial to activating my other strengths. Because I connect things together through thoughts and ideas, and words and interaction. Ideation is where I get the fuel for the car I'm driving. And that car looks like an Indy 500 race car ready to bump up against other ideas, prepared to take you out, focused on getting to the finish line.

I don't know if you know how to recognize these things in yourself. I did not until almost three years ago. And it has been an exciting and overwhelming journey at times. Trying to understand these strengths of mine is not a one-off kind of journey. It's every day moving in the same direction kind of path.

I challenge you to go ahead and start that journey with me. Reach out and get that free 30-min consultation. I can show you how it works.

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