“The same way you can physically grow and heal without knowing or doing anything, you can shape events and participate in the creation of your reality without really knowing or doing anything. You do have a role to play in the process, but it’s mostly just getting out of the way…”  – Jed McKenna, Practical Wishcraft

Jed McKenna says it’s about effortless doing, setting and forgetting, which is what I’m going to attempt to do here.

First and foremost, co-creating means to be intentional, but to be intentional, you must know what you want and where to aim. My aim is to be free, financially and in every sense of the word. To live each day in alignment with what is. Although, I know where I’m aiming, most things are not in my control, which is where the “co” part comes in. I believe that if my aim is in alignment with the whole, then I won’t have any issues with co-creating. 

To me, staying in alignment means following my resonance or my enjoyment. As in, what’s drawing your attention, what speaks to you? Follow the clues of sparks, so to speak. It helps me to keep a journal of sparks. At the end of each day, at the minimum, each week, I try to remember what gave me that feeling of aliveness and ignited energy. 

You don’t have to despair if you only notice one thing or nothing at all. I don’t always feel alive. In fact, most of my day consists of things “I have to do” versus “I want to do,” but the more I notice what gives me that joyful, energetic feeling, the more this enthusiasm starts to overlap with the things I “have to” do. For instance, writing Individualized Education Plans for my job is not my favorite thing to do, however, when I remember those states of joy, combined with my nifty 15-minute rotations, getting through my to-do list becomes more enjoyable. More on how to get things done using time rotations in a later post. 

Co-creating also means trusting, surrendering, and letting go. Set an intention and let it happen. Allow the universe to work its magic without getting in the way with control. How many of you can relate with: “If I don’t do something, nothing will happen”? I sure, can. For me the hardest part is waiting. Once I set an intention, I want it to happen yesterday. 

How to live where you’re not counting every hour of every day until this or that happens? Basically, how do we enjoy the process more, not just the destination? That is the basic premise of this blog right now. For me, doing more things that bring me joy, like writing, is part of that process. The other part is gratitude. Next to the things that bring joy, I write down the things I’m grateful for already.  

Since enthusiasm is a key ingredient in waiting, how do I stay motivated?

Motivation goes back to following what resonates with you. What makes you want to jump out of bed every morning? For me, my resonance changes all the time. That is why I decided to just follow what resonates right now and it’s this . . . creating a lifestyle I am FIRIng into. That is why I like the verb “creating.” It’s active and it’s closer to how life works – always moving and shaping, creating and re-creating itself. 

I’m motivated by working toward something, and hopefully, meet more like-minded people in the process. I’m also motivated by the idea of freedom. Well, it’s the actuality of freedom I truly want, inner and outer. Ultimately, it’s the freedom from wanting that is wanted here. Yes, I realize that it sounds contradictory, but isn’t that what life is? I do like the idea of work being choice. I enjoy being busy, but I don’t enjoy being obligated. I would like to wake up with my body’s rhythm and choose how I spend my day, where I go, and who I see. 

Someone might be asking, What if I have too much freedom, and life becomes boring and meaningless?

I have struggled with this. This is a very real consideration. Many people, myself included, are susceptible to boredom and depression with too much unstructured time. That is why it’s important to set goals and some structures. However, these structures and goals will vary significantly when they are no longer dictated by someone else’s agenda. Currently, my main agenda is to use the thorn to take out the thorn – to work in order to get out of work while creating my life. That is the bulk of my motivation. 

What about the dailiness? The nitty-gritty of life?

It’s not about getting through the drudgery to get to the ultimate destination. It’s important to have tiny, daily motivations, which can be turned into milestones. These tiny motivations should also be the things that enthuse you. For me, it’s checking things off the list, helping others, having a schedule, consistent rewards, data/accounting at home and at work, writing and music, seeing people I love, and many more that I’m sure I’m forgetting. The point being, noticing and doing little joys along the way are what the ultimate destination is made of. Otherwise, these next 10, 5, or however many years will be very depressing indeed. 

How do you co-create with life? What keeps you motivated and enthused? Share in the comments…