Hi, Subscribers. This blog uses the power of Play to guide our daily lives. Play can help you grow personally and professionally and helps to power up your creativity, problem-solving skills, and overall well-being. Let’s set ourselves up for success and inspiration and remember to find joy in every step of our development.
It’s time for an accountability check-in. I am feeling so dysregulated at the moment. I start something, see something else, and start doing that, forgetting the other thing. While attempting to start this blog, I began laundry, left the empty sugar bag since I had to put away the sugar to start the laundry, shuffled my cards, looked up the questions I wanted to reflect on, and went down the social media rabbit hole. I did finally get a night of uninterrupted sleep. I’ve been logging my sleep in an Insomnia coach app. Defining the problem helps. I also have a budget and met with Stephanie Berman to help me best stick with it. The new glasses are cute, and I’m getting many compliments 😊 Okay, I do not need to draw Samurai Jack because I dreamed my husband was shopping for blue paint. Focus!
This week, I draw inspiration from The Light Seer’s Tarot, written and illustrated by Chris-Anne. Since I struggle to stay on track, I will give myself a Clarity Nugget. If you want your own, you can purchase it here. You will receive an email similar to what I will write below.
Picture Descriptions: Four cards in a row. Temperance reversed, 4 of Swords, 8 of Pentacles, the Wheel. Temperance depicts the angel of Temperance. The artist notes the angel is supposed to be androgynous and a modern-day hermaphrodite. The angel’s wings are more of an afterimage, as if you sensed them more than you saw them. They are tan with short auburn hair, sit cross-legged, and wear a white tank top revealing a chest tattoo of a square with a triangle and the alchemist symbol for gold on the arm. They wear jeans and work boots and effortlessly juggle the sun and the moon. The 4 of Swords has a brunette lady wearing a red shirt and jeans. She is curled up, taking a nap in a nest. There is a heart-shaped ball of yarn, and some of the sharp branches of the next appear to be knitting with the red thread. The 8 of pentacles shows the back of a woman sitting in a chair. Her hair is in a bun, she is wearing black clothing, and she has many herbs, candles, mortars and pestles, and notes before her. The moon's phases are arched above her, and the light is like a spiritual sunrise. The top of the card is red with a gradient down to blue, like the sun and the moon. The Wheel depicts a joyful blonde lady in a white jumper with two red dice dangling from her neck. She is wearing work boots and balancing on several discs with compass symbols, and the directions spell out TARO.
What area is unclear? It may be hard to focus. There are so many distractions. My phone is one of my biggest ones. What distracts you? The angel in the temperance card has no issues juggling opposing forces. Since the card is reversed, it is an area of opportunity. Deciding where to focus can be a challenge. If your to-do list is a mile long, oftentimes, it becomes a to-don’t list, and you beat yourself up for everything you did not accomplish. How do you decide where to start or your next step? The angel looks directly at us as if the external factors do not matter. It is sitting on the earth. What can help you to get grounded? Sometimes, defining what isn’t can help us get clearer. What areas are out of whack? Who don’t you want to be today?
What is the biggest challenge to getting clarity? The 4 of Swords always reminds me to rest. When you don’t get enough sleep, it impacts your mental acuity. The thoughts swirl around in your head, unable to land and find a home. Doing nothing is a choice. I saw a video about an artist who turns their paintings upside down to give them a new perspective. Let’s turn the idea of relentless productivity upside down. According to The Nap Ministry, “Reminder: we are not resting to recharge so we can do more. We are simply just resting. We are resting because it’s our divine and human right. It’s not connected to more output. I need y’all to get this.” Don’t slow down to speed up. Slow down because it is helpful and necessary as a human.
What can help me to get clear? The lady in the 8 of Pentacles has many items before her but is focused on the candle. What lights you up? I have often said, eat the frog, but learning from neurodivergent people, sometimes you eat the cake. Depending on your capacity, maybe you can’t eat the frog (the big heavy tasks), but you can do something small and build momentum. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in five minutes. I listen to customer feedback at my day job and am amazed you can say a complete sentence in one second. As Gary Keller says, “The One Thing is the best thing you can do for the one thing that matters the most." What matters most to you? What is the spark that will ignite the candle? Once you have it lit, you can use it to light other candles.
Finally, Where should I focus next? I can’t tell you where to focus, but you know. The Wheel reminds us that life is in constant motion. A few weeks ago, my oil light came on. It seemed like a setback at the time because I wanted to drive and see my parents. It turned out to be a gift because what I needed was rest. Whenever I get a constant error when working on something, it is usually a gentle nudge that I am missing something or need to focus elsewhere. Life is never one and done. The wheels in the picture are stacked and built on each other. For example, I have spoken about boundaries. Yesterday, a friend invited me to a late dinner. Eating late gives me heartburn. People pleaser Stacy would have accepted and taken some medicine. Stacy, the boundary keeper, politely declined and thus did not suffer. We are back to the beginning since our challenge was determining where to focus. We learned from the angel to be grounded. The 4 of swords reminds us that rest is integral to clarity. The 8 of pentacles makes joy the criteria, and the Wheel recommends flexibility and agility. I am going to focus on what will bring me joy. What about you? Namaste
Seeing people empowered brings me joy. The next Clarity Playshop will be Tuesday, January 28th, at 6:00 PM EST. Register here.
It’s a great opportunity if you want to:
· Access your intuition and gain crystal-clear vision.
· Break free from analysis paralysis and make decisions with ease.
· Combat burnout and reclaim your creative spark
If you want to incorporate more play to help you deal with the heavy things, my current offerings are listed on my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/thingstothinkabout. I also encourage you to share your experiences and strategies with the community. Your voice matters, and your journey can inspire others.
