Thursday, June 29, 2017

Soul Sustenance: Find Your Awesome

I recently was sent a copy of Find Your Awesome, a fun 30-day way to be creative, get yourself out of your comfort zone, have fun, and help improve your own self-image. The book had a lot of great prompts, and if I had any complaint at all, it's that it does use the word bulls--- once. Otherwise, it's a creative, fun, open book that you can use for 30 days or for even longer to help create a more positive world.

I had a chance to interview author Judy Clement Wall to learn more.

Why did you decide to write this book? A few years ago, I spent a year publicly committed to loving more fearlessly. I blogged about it, and over the course of the year, many people around the world joined me. Each month, I assigned us tasks intended to spread love and to make us more mindful of how often we have the opportunity to choose love in each day. I dedicated one month that year to self-love, and was dismayed at how many people found that month unbearably hard. They struggled to show themselves the same loving attention they so willingly gave to others. It broke my heart. So I created Find Your Awesome, A 30-day Challenge To Fall In Love With Your Playful, Imaginative & Colorful Self.
 
Why did you choose to explore the side of play? I chose to explore play because I knew how hard it can be to practice self-love. Our lives are full, and we're used to putting our own needs last. I wanted to create a practice that would be fun, inviting, and absolutely UN-intimidating. I think that through a sense of play we can move past our fear and the all-too-often critical voice inside our heads. Then we're able to tap into our most creative and openhearted selves.
 
 
How can adults capture their imaginative side? I think the key (not just for this but for most things) is to break it down. Being imaginative (or creative, or more self-loving) is a big, nebulous idea that can feel vague and even intimidating. But breaking it down into a daily practice, doing one small thing each day, makes it manageable. And fun! The tasks in my creative journal, Find Your Awesome, are all designed to engage your sense of play, creativity and imagination, and they're all small enough to be incorporated into your normal daily routine.
 
Why is it so important to live a colorful life? I believe we're all here to live our best lives - to spread love, to find what lights us up inside and then bring our best, most energetic, fulfilled selves into the world. I like the word colorful because I'm an artist, and because I love the idea that every day is a blank canvas on which we paint our lives. Why not use as much color as possible? :)

No comments:

Post a Comment