“Get it out of my head and onto paper.”
“Get it out of my head and onto paper.”
“Get it out of my head and onto paper.”
I like to think about stuff. I like the act of reflecting, I like to mull things over, pondering a move or an action before taking it has always worked well for me.
Our mind is an amazing thing, perfect for these kinds of actions, the ideal incubator for creativity.
But there is a shadier side to all this thinking, mulling and pondering. You see… great ideas can get trapped up there, never seeing the light of day. Dreams, weighed down by the machinations of the mind, never take flight into the world they’re meant to change. Cool visions and transformational concepts rattle around in that noggin of ours getting tangled up in a briar patch of “I’m-so-busies,” “but-I-don’t-know-how’s” and “maybe-next-year’s.”
Often times, the things that matter most to us are kept locked away for no other reason than we’re too busy, too afraid or believe too much in our past failures and not enough in what those beautiful failures have taught us.
But here in the Big Finish Challenge, that’s not what we’re about. We’re about bringing visions and ideas – no matter how big or small, how personal or “out there” – into the world. And we know the best way to do this is to move that vision from your heart into your head and then out onto paper where it can begin to take shape. That’s why we say, “Get it out of your head and onto paper.”
We believe that the vision always happens twice.
It happens first in your heart and mind and then it happens in the 3-dimensional world in which we all live.
When we put our visions and ideas on paper, then begin to move them into a plan, it’s like taking a hunk of clay and beginning to work with it. Just like with the clay, as you work with your vision, you breathe life into it… out of nothing, something starts to take shape.
Every vision has to go through this stage. It has to come out and meet the causes and conditions of the world. And just like the potter or sculptor, you work your vision with a sense of artistry and craftsmanship. You experiment. You try different things. You start over when you need to.
Proclaiming your vision and creating a plan for it is an act of bravery because it says, “This matters. I matter.” Putting aside the time and taking the necessary steps to plan how you will manifest your vision is the sacred contract you hold with your vision.
But even with all this, things can get in the way. We can get stuck. Not getting into action is the number one killer of dreams.
Fear can stop us. Beliefs about our capability can stop us. Overwhelm can stop us. Don’t let them. Learn to identify these showstoppers and then apply the same mantra, “Get it out of my head and onto paper.”
Name your fears. Identify your beliefs. Look into your overwhelm and see what it needs from you.
Whenever I begin something new, something that has me feeling small or fearful or incapable, I make it my practice to pull out a notebook and write that shit down!
I put my fears on paper. Fears don’t belong in my heart and mind they belong on paper where I can see them. Where I don’t want them is roaming the halls of my mind where they can haunt me. I want them out in plain sight where I can – if I need to – unpack them, understand them or create a plan around them.
Same thing with small, limiting beliefs – small beliefs, which are just fears in disguise, get the same treatment. They get put on paper. Sometimes all I have to do is write them down and immediately they evaporate leaving space for what’s really true about me.
And overwhelm? Overwhelm is like a logjam on a river. It can block flow and stagnate energy. But when I explore it by writing about it, I almost always can find a way through, figure out the next step or simply release the tension that comes from taking on something bigger than me.
In the end, when I work with my fears, small beliefs and overwhelm, something beautiful happens. All that shit, becomes the fertilizer for my dreams and visions. When I have the patience and courage to look at what stops me, when, with curiosity, I try to understand it, all that stuff gets alchemized into exactly what I need to grow and step into the bigness of my vision.
Yup…it all starts with the willingness to move whatever it is; a long held dream, a nagging fear or a life changing vision out of your beautiful mind and onto paper. That simple act changes everything. Because it’s out here in the light of day that the real miracles can begin to happen.
Prepare to be dazzled.
Happy living, JohnnyD
I have journalled for over 36 years now. As a child I created poetry and I still write poetry. It helps me sort things out; it helps me clarify my truth; and it helps me find closure for my day, week, vacation, year. I also put my notes in books, and sometimes things intertwine. So I believe that writing has become an integral part of who I am, whom I’m expressing myself to realize, and it contains glimpses of what is important for me to keep and to let go of as I can. I have attempted to put this forward into business. I use journalling as a healing modality for many of my clients. My dreams, my vision, my gaps, my feelings, my thoughts — all spill out in my putting my heart, mind, and soul on that canvas or in that book or scrap of paper, or just anywhere I can put hand to mindfulness. I hope for miracles for all through their writing their truths, their creations, their questions, and their healing opportunities. Here’s to happiness, health, wealth, loving relationships, and self expression that helps people thrive in life, careers, and business.
Jo Ann!
What you have written is beautiful.
I hear truth in every word and I feel love pouring out of each sentence.
Thank you. JD
Thank you!! I had a vision, wrote it down, and am starting to take the steps to make it happen. Along the way, I was hit with, “OMG!!! I knew this was going to be difficult, but I now see new challenges in my way! This is even more difficult than I thought!!” My first thought was then, “Ughh!! I can never make this happen! This is out of my reach! HOW am I going to make this happen?” I spent a couple days brooding, feeling sorry for myself that my big dreams were TOO big, and then I decided to do what got me to take those first steps of action. I sat down, pulled out my laptop, opened an EXCEL file, and started brainstorming, crunching numbers, strategizing….. I began to regain hope again. I said to myself, “Yes…. I can make this work….Just hang in there! We have time…..Let’s figure this out!” After brainstorming last night, putting more down in writing, and then reading your blog just now, my fighting spirit is returning… Thank you… I am NOT giving up. It is NOT an option.
Erica – your comments make me smile!
“Do the work, it works!” You are the poster child for this quote.
With every vision I commit to paper, I always leave a page free to collect fears, doubts, worries. They pop up and I put them down. They simply want to be heard. It’s my job to let them be heard. Sometimes I work with them and often I just write them down.
As quickly as I can, I take a powerful action (there’s magic in action!). This tells me that I am more committed to my vision than I am to my fears.
And you my friend, have done exactly this! So, brava!!!
Please let me know if you need any help at all, ok?
Love to you! JD
I loved your posts — both Erica and JD — let’s keep “us” going. I felt the “creator” in us. We know that is there — we create. Love to both of you!
Jo Ann