12 WEEK CHALLENGE STARTS HERE: Why Imagination is Key to a Calm, Creative and More Compassionate Life [Writing Yoga® Creativity Matrix Prompt #1]
Mar 10, 2025Spending each weekday as a children's librarian does wonders for the imagination. Young brains invite playfulness and curiosity in the same way old brains are prone to criticism and cynicism. It's a normal evolution to become jaded over time, but big problems need creative solutions and imagination is the only way to get there. When we imagine ourselves stepping into another world, life, or way of being, empathetic urgency takes over. But we must do something! Children react this way naturally.
Art, writing, music, and connection through creativity are how we change our world. It's a big task that starts with possibility and imagination. Think: What do you want to create? How do you want to help make large or small changes in the world? What is your biggest dream?
Imagine waking up 12 weeks from now feeling more connected to your work, your creativity, and the people around you. Imagine a season of time where you prioritize calm, creativity, and compassion. What if we allowed ourselves to dream first, experience the curiosity and playfulness of a young brain, and then aligned our actions with that vision?
Imagination and the Creativity Matrix
If you have ever thought, "I'm not that creative," remember that creativity and imagination isn't reserved just for artists, musicians and writers. It’s how we solve problems at home and in business. It's how we shape our reality. When we visualize what we want, we naturally begin to prioritize the habits, choices, and environments that make it possible. Instead of just reacting to life, we become intentional about how we create it.
When we engage our imagination, we give ourselves permission to:
- Slow down and reflect in dreamy spaces of the mind.
- Shift our focus from stress and urgency to possibility and ease.
- Cultivate compassion for ourselves and for the time it takes to live out our dreams.
- Be patient when things take longer than expected. Creativity is a spiral not a straight line.
How to Turn Imagination Into Action in 12 Weeks
Over the next 12 weeks, set a plan to focus on what you imagine for your life with greater purpose and clarity. You can do this by thinking of a word and aligning that word with your personal values and goals. In the Writing Yoga® Method, we use a Creativity Matrix to guide us through each step of a project. Follow along over the next 12 weeks of blog posts for your personal transformation.
To make your vision a reality, try this simple Writing Yoga® practice sometime this week:
Sit
- Set a timer with a nice sounding ring for 5 minutes. Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths. Relax. Relax. Ask yourself: What do I want to feel 12 weeks from now? Notice what thoughts pop into your head, but just let them flow. You not not need to do anything with those thoughts while you are in the middle of this calm and relaxed state.
Write
- Now you can honor those quiet thoughts from your mind. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes (again, the nice sounding alarm is key so you don't get jolted from your seat when it goes off. Write freely about your creative vision for the next 12 weeks. What does a calm, creative, and compassionate life look like for you?
Move
- For this first week, let your imagination supply ideas on how to move. What yoga poses bring you joy? (Hint: it's hard to feel uninspired when your arms are raised over your head!) So swing your arms wide and raise them up. You can begin in a simple standing pose and raise and lower your arms. Feel like dancing or taking a walk? Go for it! The first step is to not let someone else tell you how to move in your own body. Allow creative ideas to move through your mind and body without expectation or judgement.
Let each word of the matrix help you spiral upward along the way to your most inspired creative outcome. Check the blog each week for more detailed practices for all of the 12 words to help you through your creative transformation. Get ready to "Plant" something new on Monday!
For more activities and resources, please go to www.WritingYoga.com
Thank you for making the world a calmer, more creative and compassionate place!
