Episode 52 - Change is an invitation to create something that didn't exist before

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What If You Created Something New?

Have you ever found yourself wishing things could just go back to the way they were?

Maybe your family has changed.

Maybe your work has changed.

Maybe your body has changed.

Maybe the people around you have changed—or the way you fit into their lives has changed.

And sometimes we spend so much energy wishing we could get back to what was familiar that we don't stop to ask a different question:

What if I created something new?

Something different from what has been.

A new experience.

A new rhythm.

A new way of doing life.

I've been thinking about that lately.

Because when something changes, our first instinct is often to figure out how to get it back.

How can I make things feel like they used to?

How can I get back the excitement, the connection, the purpose, the routine?

But what if the goal isn't to get back?

What if the invitation is to create forward?

You Don't Have to Recreate the Past

There is something comforting about what we already know.

We know how it worked.

We know what our role was.

We know what made us feel useful, needed, successful, or secure.

So when that changes, it can feel like something has been taken away from us.

And sometimes it has.

There are things we genuinely have to grieve.

But grieving what was doesn't mean we have to spend the rest of our lives trying to recreate it.

There may come a point when we can say:

“That was a wonderful part of my life. And now I wonder what I could create from here.”

And yes, that can be a little scary.

But I'm not saying you should replace what you've lost.

I'm not saying what you had—or the plans you made—didn't matter.

They did.

I'm saying that perhaps we can stop for a moment...

and think about creating something new.

Think About Art

This is one of the reasons I love all forms of creating.

When you sit down to create something, you start with nothing.

There isn't anything there yet.

You don't know exactly what it is going to become.

And if you're like me, sometimes you start with an idea and end up somewhere completely different.

And that's okay.

In fact, that's often where the fun begins.

You start out going in one direction...

then you change something.

You add something.

You try something you didn't plan.

And suddenly, something exists that didn't exist before.

You created it.

I think our lives can be like that, too.

What If Your Next Chapter Doesn't Look Like Your Last One?

Maybe you've spent years being a wife, a mother, a caregiver, a business owner, an employee, a volunteer—or simply the person everyone could count on.

And now something about that role has changed.

Maybe it's because other people have changed.

Maybe your health has changed.

Maybe your circumstances have changed.

Maybe life simply looks different than you expected it would.

And instead of asking,

“What am I supposed to do now?”

maybe we could ask:

“What could I create now?”

That's a very different question.

“Supposed to” can make us feel pressured.

“Create” makes room for possibility.

Give Yourself Permission to Be a Beginner

This part is important.

We have gotten ourselves to this point through a lot of trial and error.

We learned.

We adapted.

We became comfortable with the knowledge and routines we created for ourselves.

We became accomplished in certain areas of our lives.

And then, sometimes with what feels like the blink of an eye, life changes.

And suddenly we may feel like we're starting back at square one.

But what if square one isn't failure?

What if it's simply the beginning of something new?

I like to think about it like the pendulum on a clock.

It swings from one side to the other.

It doesn't stay on one side forever.

There is movement.

There is an ebb and flow.

Maybe life is like that.

I've become accomplished in this area of my life...

and now it's time to swing to the other side and discover something new.

That doesn't erase everything I've learned.

I take all of that knowledge with me.

I'm just adding something different.

And maybe that's the rhythm of life.

Learn. Grow. Become comfortable. Change. Begin again.

You don't have to know where it is going.

You just have to be willing to begin.

There May Not Be a Blueprint

I think sometimes we get stuck because we're looking for a picture of what our life is supposed to look like next.

We make a list.

We make a plan.

And then we tell ourselves that's what we're supposed to follow.

But maybe there isn't one.

Maybe this part of your life is yours to create.

There really isn't another person whose life looks exactly like yours.

Some may be similar.

But not identical.

So there is no perfect blueprint for what your next chapter should look like.

And perhaps that's not a problem.

Perhaps that's the invitation.

You get to make something that has never been made before.

Your version.

Your rhythm.

Your interests.

Your relationships.

Your creativity.

Your way of spending your time.

Your way of contributing.

Your way of finding joy.

So What Comes Next?

If you're in a season of change right now, I want to give you a question to think about.

Don't ask yourself:

“How do I get my old life back?”

And don't automatically assume that these changes mean you've been taken off course.

Instead, try asking:

“What could I create now that couldn't have existed before?”

Sit with that for a little while.

Don't rush to answer it.

Let your imagination have a little room.

Because maybe the next beautiful thing in your life isn't waiting for you to find it.

Maybe it's waiting for you to create it.

And maybe what comes next won't look like anything you've known before.

And to tell you the truth...

I think that's exactly what makes it exciting.

You don't have to replace what has changed.

You can honor it.

You can be grateful for it.

You can grieve it when you need to.

And then...

you can pick up the brush—or whatever creative tool works for you—and begin creating again.