It’s snowy here in New England. A good day for reflection and to work on an essay for an upcoming publication. As Jack London said, “You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” This is how I feel writing for the publication’s deadline. Over several weeks I’ve written three totally different personal essays on the journal’s theme: Seasons and Cycles of Our Spiritual Lives. While each essay had merit, none of them rang my chimes.

My personal and professional barometer is a visceral reaction: Does the piece make me feel alive? Inspired? Do I walk away from it with a bounce in my step? If not, I probably need to re-work, re-write or create a completely a new piece. Today I wrote an entirely new essay and I am leaving my writing desk grinning. I am reminded that creativity is an act of constant invention.

Creativity and wellness message: Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. ~George Bernard Shaw