creativity

Our joy is found only in the present, so we are going to create some joy from a past love for a twist today..

And when I say a past love, I mean a song you loved in the past.

A Song From Your Youth

Identify a song that brought you joy as a kid. And then go find it. If you can, find it in the original rendition you first heard all those years ago (same artist, same album, etc).

Let it be a song you haven’t heard in who knows how long.
Let it be a song that whenever it was on the radio in the car, you yelled out to let it keep playing.
Perhaps it’s a song from a movie or from a TV show you particularly enjoyed.
Or a song that your dad used to play when he got ready in the morning,
or the song your grandmother used to hum to herself as she went about her day.
It could be any song, as long as it was one that made you smile as a child.

Then it’s time to get present with a song that delighted you as a child to see how it brings you joy now.

Plug in your headphones and turn it on with whatever source you can find it on. Hear the song with your adult ears.

The goal this week is to bring a new sense of joy to an old love of music.

Most songs are only 3-5 minutes long, so I challenge you to sit and listen without any other distractions. Just sit. Close your eyes. Focus on just the sounds coming into your ears and the how the vibrations make your body feel. And listen to your song.

What emotions does it bring up for you?
Did you find new meaning in it?
Does it make more sense now or does it confuse you even more?

A bonus challenge:

If you want, choose more than one song of your childhood to return to to re-enjoy! Maybe make yourself a playlist of your favorite tunes from your youth that you can return to anytime you like.

How this challenge went for me…

A few songs I love from my childhood that immediately came to mind include:

“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips
“Dreams to Dream” from Fievel Goes West
“Whatever You Imagine” from The Pagemaster
“Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks (why this was a 3-year old’s favorite song, I’ll never know!).

I loved rediscovering the harmonies in “Hold On”…
Hearing “Dreams to Dream” replays the animated sequence with Tanya from the movie. “Whatever You Imagine” is one of my favorite songs ever so it’s always been in my playlists. And “Thunder Roles” returns me to the living room in my grandparents’ house with my little black tape player.

Music carries memory and history… See where your childhood favorites return you to.

Maybe these will spark further memories of songs you love from your childhood!

Did one song in particular come to mind at reading this post?
Does it carry significant meaning or a special message that’s relevant to you now?

I’d be tickled to know if your chosen song brings a needed salve or message to you right now. If you feel like sharing, let me know which song you chose to return to in the comments below. You may remind someone of a song they loved too!

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

Sign up to receive the weekly Joy Challenge and regular updates
from The Intuitive Editor in your inbox today!

Photo by Victoria Borodinova on Pexels.com

This Joy Challenge will require you stepping beyond your doorway this week. This might be a change for you or it might not be, depending on your routines. Either way, take a moment to breathe everything in for this challenge.

What’s Outside is Inside

Go outside with minimal belongings with you. If you must have items, keep them in a bag or in pockets and not in your hands. No earphones or added noisemakers. No mask (give yourself the space to feel safe doing so). Time to bask in being outside with no distractions.

Find a sunny spot that feels good to you or a favorite place you like to visit, sitting or standing. Let the sun beam down on your face with your eyes closed. Hold your hands out to your sides with your palms facing up or forward in receptivity.

Use your senses. Feel the warmth of the sun or the sweep of the breeze on your skin. Breathe in the air and taste it. Smell it. Listen to the sounds around you, first in your immediate surroundings, then extend your hearing beyond what’s closest to you. What do you hear? Feel your feet on the ground and let Mother Earth nourish you as you breathe in and Be. What do you taste, smell, hear, and feel?

Keep breathing in the outside air for a couple of minutes or more. See how your body feels.

Then open your eyes and smile at the sun and thank it for its light and warmth. Thank the earth for supporting you and your health. Let that gratitude wash over you as you take in another deep breath from the world around you.

For a bonus challenge:

Stand with your back against a tree, on the ground beneath a tree, or go barefoot in some grass to truly sink into mother nature’s healing energies. If you feel so inspired, frolic and play in the grass! Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Be a kid again and relish in what you used to do as a child when you got to play outside. Roll down a hillside if it’s available to you!

Nothing heals and brings more balance to our bodies than being outside, in the sun, and connecting with nature and the earth.

Being outside as The Intuitive Editor

What has surprised me most about The Intuitive Editor brand is how much of the natural world is in its core energy. Trees in particular have come through quite strongly in what I create and intuit for content… Perhaps because books are made up of trees, and being a book editor is my absolute favorite job in the world?

Personally, I love touching the branches of trees as I walk by, standing with my back against a tree with my feet among the roots, or just resting my hand on their thick trunks. It always brings me such peace… and Peace is the sister of Joy.

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know how being present with your nature outing goes for you. I look forward to hearing about it.

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

Sign up to receive the weekly Joy Challenge and regular updates
from The Intuitive Editor in your inbox today!

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

Do you want to know the secret to being in alignment? To be in tune with your natural intuition and thus your muse of creativity?

Following your joy.

That’s right. It may be more simply said than done, but that’s why I’ve decided to start this Joy Challenge as a weekly prompt and reminder to you to find moments of joy in your day.

To quote one of my favorite teachers from my youth, D. Kim Clayton, “The simplest of things bring the greatest of joys.” And I’m here to remind you of ways to breathe in more joy into your life.

For these challenges, I encourage you to partake in the exercise at least once or as often as you like. Daily if it feels supportive for your personal joy!

Read on for your first challenge…

The Journey of a Sip

Before you get too far into your day, I challenge you to take your time with your morning beverage of choice—tea, coffee, cacao, whatever it is you sup first thing. This can be a practice you do every day, or something you do when you remember.

Turn off any other sensory distractions. The entire experience should be focused upon only the body parts that come into contact with your drink. No music or podcasts, no TV, no reading material. Sit down and relax if you can. If standing, rest your hips against something to stabilize yourself if needed.

Give yourself a moment with your cup before your first sip. Hold the mug or cup gently yet securely in your hands. Give it a swirl if you want. Enjoy the aromas that emerge from the lip of the cup. Breathe it in. Exhale it out through your mouth. If it’s a hot drink, watch how the steam dances with and away from your breath.

Now close your eyes.

Slowly tip the cup onto your lips, letting the liquid tread its way to your mouth. Pour in just enough that your whole tongue is embraced by your morning drink for few moments.

Note how the flavor hits your tongue. Does it taste different on the tip of your tongue versus the left side, then the right side, then the middle, and the back? Refrain from swallowing just yet and let the flavors settle in your mouth.

Let your morning beverage tell you a story of what’s within it. Focus on the sensations, the flavor and aromatic notes. And once you swallow, what flavors remain? How does your tongue feel now? Observe.

Now open your eyes.

Then, thank your morning brew for the journey.

How this challenge went for me…

This morning, the coffee I drank struck me with an initial cinnamon sweetness on the tip of my tongue, making it tingle in glee. As the coffee made its way back on my tongue, a new richness took over, almost like the coffee bean centered itself on my tastebuds, freshly roasted. Then a slight tinge of cocoa emerged. Along the sides, my tongue tingled like the tip of my tongue had, thanks to the dance of liquid on the edge. I’m left with a slightly smoky flavor with the spice of the cinnamon lingering all over my tastebuds.

Now… that was an incredible journey for me this morning. Savoring my first sip of coffee, particularly if it inspires me to keep savoring each sip after like that one did.

For a bonus challenge:

If brewing your morning potion is a part of your morning routine, look for ways you can draw it out and find joy in the process. If you infuse your brewing experience with your own joy, imagine how that journey will go!

You don’t have to write down your experience like I have here, but this is my example hopefully to inspire you. Whatever your art is, perhaps this exercise will spark something for you to create or muse on!

Feel free to comment below and let me know how being present with your morning brew goes for you. I look forward to hearing about it.

Have a blessed week!

The true joy is starting to be present to your life.
Start to notice where you can pause and enjoy the moment more.
Because when you align with your joy through all of your senses,
you become more aligned with your core, your body, and your soul.
Then it becomes easier to listen to your intuition and to let it guide your creativity.

Sign up to receive the weekly Joy Challenge and regular updates
from The Intuitive Editor in your inbox today!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com