Take A Walk With Nick

Hi, folks. How you doing? My name is Nick the poet. Thank you so much for taking a walk with me today. I have my trusty tripod setup, so I'm not actually walking at the moment. But, you know, if you're joining, feel free to take a walk. You know, maybe you just want to listen along, whatever it is. Happy eclipse day. Today is as good a day as any to make a change in your life, to embrace new possibilities as that sun moves across the sky and crosses the moon. I believe that's what happens during an eclipse.

You know, just think, what do I want? What can I make happen, you know? Thank you for joining. So I've been reading this book. It's called the creative act, a way of being. It's by this music producer named Rick Rubin. And so Rick Rubin has worked with everybody from Johnny Cash to Jay Z, and he has some really interesting ideas in this book that I think can apply to creativity, that can apply to your career, that can apply to your life. So I'm going to read a couple of passages from it. So the first one is this really important idea that I've always believed that he just explains it so well.

He says, everyone is a creator. So those who do not engage in the traditional arts might be wary of calling themselves artists. They might perceive creativity as something extraordinary or beyond their capabilities, a calling for the special few who are born with these gifts. Fortunately, this is not the case. Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It's our birthright, and it's for all of us. Creativity doesn't exclusively relate to making art.

We all engage in this act on a daily basis. To create is to bring something into existence that wasn't there before. It could be a conversation, the solution to a problem, a note to a friend, the rearrangement of furniture in a room, a new route home to avoid a traffic jam. What you make doesn't have to be witnessed, recorded, sold, or encased in a glass for it to be a work of art. Through the ordinary state of being, we're already creators in the most profound way, creating our experience of reality and composing the world we perceive in each moment.

We are immersed in a field of undifferentiated matter from which our senses gather bits of information. The outside universe we perceive doesn't exist as such. Through a series of electrical and chemical reactions, we generate a reality. Internally, we create forests and oceans, warmth and cold. We read words, hear voices, and form interpretations. Then, in an instant, we produce a response. All of this in a world of our own creation. Regardless of whether or not we're formally making art, we are all living as artists.

We perceive, filter, and collect data, then curate and experience for ourselves and others based on this information set. Whether we do this consciously or unconsciously by the mere fact of being alive, we are active participants in the ongoing process of creation. So I really love this idea. I think it's awesome. I think that, you know, we really are all creators, whether you work in a creative field or not. We're all creating all the time. We're in that constant state of creation with our thoughts, with our actions, with our words.

And so when I'm aware of that, you know, I'm able to raise my vibration and enjoy life more and create better. So a couple of other things here. I was learning about this concept of the elephant and the rider from Jeffrey Lewis, who's a writer and meditation coach and writes for publications like Psychology today. And he says that 4% of our mind is the prefrontal cortex. This is the rider. This is the one we're kind of trying to make decisions with. Right? And then 96% is the subconscious, the unconscious, you know, and that's the elephant, you know, kind of running the show.

And so we're always trying to, you know, figure things out and use this 4%. And the 96% is oftentimes making it difficult. You know, if you ever have any trouble focusing at work, for example, you know, I know that can happen to me. But if we can do something to kind of get that focus, to get the rider and the elephant working together, and one thing we can do is breath work. We can take just deep breaths. Doesn't even have to be any formal kind of breath training. Just take deep breaths and do anything that you can to kind of maintain that focus.

And so that's going to help the elephant and the rider. If you want to learn more about that, Google Jeffrey Lewis or the elephant and the rider. Next up, I want to run through some affirmations that you could use in your work day today. com. Right? Hey there. Speak wonder. Just throwing out some affirmations. So things about affirmations is keep it positive, keep it in the present tense, keep it personal, use repetition, and make it realistic. And so I think we've all heard of affirmations. They can be really powerful.

Why don't you give these a try? So here they are. I am capable and competent in my job. I am deserving of respect and recognition for my contributions. I am a capable and inspirational leader. I am a magnet for success and prosperity at work. I approach every interaction with kindness and respect. I approach every interaction with kindness and respect. That's a good one. Then we're not as worried about how we're maybe performing with our job if we're going to do the absolute right thing with our.