Now Is The Time To Create
This is your sign.
I’ve been learning some hard lessons lately and it’s making me more determined than ever to walk in my calling, no matter how scary the journey may feel.
In the bible there’s a verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that goes “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”
And right now it is the season for me to stop denying my desires. Now is the time to create and innovate.
But it’s not just me. God is calling his people: the creatives, the entrepreneurs, the multi-hyphenated, the mission-driven, the leaders who won’t compromise on their values or be intimidated by our oppressors. The people with a vision that no one else can see. He wants us to get up and get active!
We’ve spent all of this time trying to keep up with the pace and demands of society, being caregivers, breadwinners, and trying to please everyone else. We even bury or hide what we really want to pursue in favor of “being realistic” or even basic survival.
But that was then.
In this new season, we’re supposed to break off those pesky limitations and get wild with our imagination. It’s time to fully show up and show out! But I’ll confess to you…I’ve been doing the exact opposite.
Misbeliefs That Cause Misalignment
I grew up in an era where I was told creativity wasn’t a viable career path, let alone profitable. And although I chose a creative career anyway, that mindset was still ingrained in me.
I chose jobs that was supposed to be “safe” and did work I hated just to be able to pay bills. I was too afraid to take risks. And I never felt confident enough to pursue my actual interests because I didn’t really believe that I could have that life.
Instead I believed that:
My desires were selfish. I wanted to get paid to create and never have to be at the mercy of a racist/sexist employer. I wanted to have time freedom and never be poor again. And although those desires may be common, it still seemed self-centered.
But the truth is that my desires come from God. I want the things I want for a reason. And they don’t just benefit me. Creativity has the power to transform societies and communities for the better. Once you put it out into the world, it’s bigger than you. People connect with and are inspired by (what you may think are) the smallest things.
My ideas weren’t profitable. I have tried several offers over my decade of entrepreneurship and there’s nothing worse than feeling like you have a great idea and finding out the people you’re pitching don’t want it. You start thinking “maybe it’s me” and end up doing whatever else you can to pay the bills. That experience was discouraging and reaffirmed all the negative comments I heard in childhood.
But the truth is that my ideas are profitable. They just weren’t properly positioned to the right audience. It doesn’t matter how good the idea or message is if you’re talking to the wrong people. But when you’ve found the right ones, everything clicks.
Becoming successful is stressful. At this point, I had been trying all of the things and nothing was working. I was unhappy with the jobs I took and working day and night but still wasn’t getting the results I wanted. Like money. And stability. And peace.
But the truth is that success is easy when you’re in flow and alignment. Too much internal conflict hinders your ability to be in flow, attract, and receive what’s yours. I put in a lot of effort but I wasn’t going for what I really wanted and it was high key stressing me out.
I was supposed to be making decisions from a place of confidence and boldness but instead I made them out of insecurity and fear. And the more I denied myself, the more my blessings have been delayed.
So I started doing the opposite of what I’ve been doing. I decided to get brutally honest and put all of my energy into getting opportunities I actually want. I started taking risks and taking action. And I feel God rooting for me and pushing me forward.
As humans, we have this nasty habit of relying on other things to do the work for us. But God wants to express himself through us and our creativity. Because art liberates, innovates, and encourages the masses. And that is the purpose of being a light in a dark place.
So why not just go for it? What if you went all in and it all worked out?
Create Your Way Forward
This blog is a part of my ongoing experiment of doing the work and chasing my dreams. And I’m more excited and nervous than I’ve ever been. Accepting the call to evolve is one thing, it’s another to go through the process in real time.
But I also feel more confident and clear on what my next moves are than ever, which takes a lot of stress off of my shoulders. So I’m going to keep taking brave steps forward.
Now is the perfect time.
