We are all wise. Right here. Right now. Did you know that?
Just by virtue of living your life, you express your wisdom. Now, it may not be a brand of wisdom that’ll earn you a place in a philosophy textbook, but it’s yours. You have a lifetime of achievements, successes, and failures, and they all mix together to form a wellspring of wisdom that’s all your own.
You are “one of the greats” of your life, just as you are. Right in this moment.
When you write or create, you are expressing that wisdom. Whether you write about chocolate chip cookies or zombies, do needlepoint, or sing in the shower, whenever you create, you express your innate wisdom.
I know, I know. This sounds like the corny ramblings of a naive Pollyanna, but trust me, it’s true. It HAS to be true, or you wouldn’t be able to create anything unique.
I want you to try something right now. Think of a character in a book you’d like to write. A male protagonist. Give him hair. Give him an eye color. Now, give him a secret that only he knows. Got all that?
Take a moment and make it really clear.
Now, give him a female love interest of your choosing. Picture her clearly.
Okay, take it to the next level and have the man tell the woman his deep, dark secret. I’ll give you a minute………….what was her reaction to the news? What emotion was she feeling? Now, consider how the male protagonist reacts to her reaction.
Sit with all of this for a second. Let it grow.
Good. Were you able to do that exercise? Were you able to take a skimpy set of prompts and create an entire story out of it? If you did, that’s a good indication of your innate wisdom.
How?
Because you were able to take two previously unknown characters and create them from prompts. Then, you were able to build a small scene for them. A day-in-the-life, if you will. You are able to do that because you have had days in your life. You’ve had a love interest. You have secrets.
And, you were able to take your regular life experiences and create characters from them.
To me, that’s a form of wisdom.
Here are three way to use your everyday wisdom to create!
1. Acknowledge that you have a life! That’s right. You may not be George Clooney or Sandra Bullock, but you have a life. You have experiences. You have a relationship to money, a place to live, and perhaps a car. Or maybe you take the bus. You have secrets. Embarrassing moments. All of this is fodder. Clay from which to mold something. Use it.
2. Acknowledge that others have a life! Yes, even others’ experiences are grist for the creative mill. That guy who cut in front of you at the Post Office today? Grist. The dog that chased you on your walk? Grist. The parent at the soccer game who talks on his cell phone AND chews out the ref at the same time? Grist. Wisdom isn’t just about using your own experiences, but paying attentions to others’ experiences as well.
3. Have the courage to let wisdom shine. It takes some bravery to step forth and let the world see inside. But you can do it. Start an anonymous blog. Open a Word document and type up a short story about a funny event from your past. In other words, let the collected wisdom of your life be something to share. Get brave and get it out there.
How have you tapped your inner wisdom and let it shine forth? Tell us how!