“The truth is outside of all fixed patterns. Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” – Bruce Lee
Before I became a Life Coach, I worked as an actress and studied improvisation with The Groundlings Improv Troupe.
Now, let me start by saying: Creating through improvisation can feel daunting (even scary). But this practice opened me up to possibilities I never could have imagined before.
Practicing improv stretched the bandwidth of my imagination. It helped me “try on” different parts of myself to find the *right* fit. It allowed me to stretch, to grow, and to create myself.
- To know myself.
- To accept myself.
- To love myself.
And when you know, love, and accept yourself? Well, that’s when everything starts to *work.*
This is why I include improvisation in everything I do (and within the 7 Imposters I detail in SoulBlazing!)
Improvisation is all about getting uncomfortable and releasing who you think you are… to try out a different experience.
This applies to your development as a person, too:
To become YOU, you have to release who you are…and to release who you are, you have to do things differently.
Here’s a few recommendations for how –
#1. Change the way you do even basic things.
- If you drink coffee every morning, try green tea instead or a coffee alternative like MUD water.
- If you sleep on one side of the bed every night, try sleeping on the other.
- If you take the same route to work every day, try a different route.
Doing the same thing, at the same time, every day LIMITS who you might become. Changing how you do even the most basic task ALLOWS for possibility!
On a body-level, this encourages your brain to make new and different neural-pathways. On a soul-level, this allows you to “try on” different parts of yourself… and different possibilities for who you can become!
#2. Do the thing you say you “never” (or “cannot”) do!
- If you find yourself saying, “I’m not the kind of person who does X!” DO. THAT. THING.
- I’m not the kind of person who travels alone… Go on a trip by yourself (even for a couple of hours)!
- I’m not the kind of person who meditates in the morning… Try a 1-minute meditation today!
- I’m not the kind of person who gets to know my neighbors… Make cookies and share with a neighbor!
This might feel uncomfortable (that’s kind of the point!) But it’s a necessary step in becoming self-actualized:
Release who you ARE and invite who you are BECOMING.
So try on something new and different every once in a while! Because this is what allows you to step into your full essence.
You can read more about my early experience with changing things up (by hitchhiking with strangers as a conservative school-girl and saying ‘yes!’ to solo-travel in place of my dream-career) in my book SoulBlazing.
