From Reaction to Creation with Heather McGonigal

For me, we're in a conversation about creation.

And in my work, I speak that we're either in survival or in creation.

And creation doesn't necessarily mean manifestation.

It means that we are in a clear space to move towards manifestation with consistent action.

And I'm interested for you, what is creation?

That's such a good question.

I think at our very nature, human beings are creative beings.

And when we are out of survival mode, so I talk a lot about getting out of the fight-flight-freeze that is set up by our amygdala and instead being able to shift and come from self-leadership and make our choices from there.

So I'm always working and coaching to make sure people are slowing down and coming from self-leadership so that they can be in choice and not in an emotional reaction mode.

And then when you're coming from choice mode, that's where you can be in the creative space.

I think creativity is a little bit of a partnership with universal energy or spirit or however you might think about it.

It's your gifts and talents and also being open to this larger energy and space, whatever that might be for you, so that the creative ideas can also drop in.

How do you tap into that? Do you have a praxis?

Well, I think one of the keys is allowing some space for creativity.

I often share with clients that I've had the experience many, many times of sitting at my computer struggling to solve a problem.

And I can't figure it out.

And I sit here at the computer and I'm getting so frustrated.

And then I finally pause and I go walk my dog and take a break.

And then in that break and in that space of walking my dog, the most simple solution that was right in front of my face just drops in and it's right there.

Like, oh.

Or you could just do this when you get back.

And it just, you know, and that has happened to me so many times over the years that as someone who has coached in very high performing environments with remote teams that are working on launches that often tell me they don't have time to slow down.

They've got to go, go, go.

I often share this with them because a lot of solutions and brilliance comes in spaciousness.

And I think that's because that's where our creativity can find us, is in space.