Dear First name / friend,
“The words reactive and creative are made up of exactly the same letters. The only difference between the two is where you place the c. Decide that you will c (see) things differently!”
~John Maxwell, The Unstoppable You
For almost nine years of my daughter's life, she has hated waking up in the morning. Mornings were always rough. I tried making it a game to see how fast she could get ready. That didn't work. It just made her whine about having to rush. I tried waking her up earlier, and she would whine about still being sleepy. She would whine about it being too cold, and I would turn the heater on. That didn't work. I had the dog wake her up, and she rolled back over. Frustrated, I would just resort to the all too familiar line “I know you don't want to, but we have to get up even if we don't feel like it. Get up…now!"
Then, one day I got creative (although I had resigned myself to the fact that every morning was going to be a battle)! I put the Echo Dot in her room after I heard a friend say that she would “drop in” on her kids using the Alexa app. I opened the app for the first time in years, and started exploring. I realized you could set an alarm. So, I set an alarm. I also realized you could have it play music. So, after the alarm, I had Alexa tell her the weather and play her favorite Kids Bop station. The next day, she was awake, dressed, and downstairs when I walked out of my bedroom. Needless to say, it made for a much easier morning. The pattern has continued each day. Jackpot!
Encouragement
What comes to your mind when you hear the word creative? What usually comes to my mind is the arts--drawing, painting, quilting, and writing songs. However, creativity is seeing things differently. Based on this new and expansive definition, being creative also includes believing there is always an answer to every challenge. We just have to get creative about how we find that answer.
What challenge are you facing? Instead of giving up, get creative. Like John Maxwell says, “When you believe there is an answer, you're not being stubborn; you're practicing possibilities.” Keep practicing possibilities, my friend. I know you'll find some answers!
