Big Magic

This is one of those books you constantly see popping up on Instagram. You probably noticed it a few times simply because it has a wicked cover. I don’t care what they say, I always judge a book by its cover! This book caught my eye and I am so thankful that it did. Elizabeth Gilbert truly changed my perspective on creativity and my current living situation (you know, working for someone else while living with a burning desire to be an entrepreneur).

Lately I have been feeling rather uninspired. It’s as though I can see where I want to go and where I want to take my fitness and my business, yet I am stuck in this 44hr work week that does not allow me the time and energy to grow.

This book truly came to me at the right time. I realized that creativity is something I have always valued. When I was young and people asked me to describe myself, creative was always a word I chose. Growing up, I was always involved in creative activities whether that was sewing, drawing, dance, art camps, scrapbooking etc. I was always able to express myself creatively. What I didn’t realize until now after reading this book was that my creative energy flow has been lost in this work to live life style. I’ve been blaming my work for taking away my happiness, yet its not the job itself although the lack of creativity definitely has an impact, it is the amount of time spent at work that has me feeling resentful! Elizabeth showed me a new way at looking at things. My job isn’t my life. Although it takes up a lot of my time and may be the cause of my lack of inspiration.. it does not mean I can not create in other areas of my life outside of work!

Elizabeth talks about if you are feeling stuck, do something creative. It can be irrelevant to your original task but as long as you are doing something to feed your creative energy you will be moving forward. This was something I never thought of before and since reading this book I have been implementing this idea and I am honestly shocked by the transformation it has created!

I have plenty of ideas for blogs I’d like to write, or meals I want to cook but sometimes when I have time to actually work on them I feel stuck or uninspired in that moment. Since reading Elizabeth’s book I have been carving out time in my schedule for creativity! I recently got out my old sketch book and have been drawing a lot lately, I’ve also signed up for a few painting classes, and I began renovating my kitchen. These projects are all completely irrelevant to my passion for fitness/health and wellbeing, yet they have allowed me to escape my 9-5 grind and gave me room to grow creatively. The best part is, my gym routine is finally back on track and I have my positive energy to thank for that.

Elizabeth writes about how you must “give your mind a job to do, or else it will find a job to do, and you might not like the job it invents”. She is talking about the fact that if we are not occupied creating something, our minds are usually actively destroying something whether thats our self esteem, our relationships, etc. This is what really tied it all together for me. Have you ever noticed how some days you wake up feeling charged. You have the best day full of productivity, love and laughter. This leaves you feeling on top of the world like you are really getting somewhere in this life. However, some days you feel totally uninspired and pick yourself apart feeding your ego with thoughts like “I’m not good enough, I can’t do this”. Big Magic made me realize that when I am feeling that negative energy creeping in, it’s time to do something creative! Anything that makes you feel good. Give your mind a job to do!

Please, go read this book! It is not just another self help book.. its a great read that WILL change your perspective on life, creativity and living authentically.

THANK YOU ELIZABETH for creating this masterpiece!

Until next time,

xo

Cassidy