A new client I met last week was explaining his struggles and at some point mentioned feeling a loss of pleasure and interest in things that used to fill him up. I believe that this is part of what happens when depression gets the best of us.
He said something along the lines of “I still have the desire to do things, just not the drive.” This resonated with me and got me thinking about my own desires.
How driven was I to make stuff happen in my own life?
You know, the stuff that stirs around in your heart and mind that whispers to you softly. Depending on the strength of the desire, the whispers may start to sound more like orders.
In the last few months, my brain has been churning out ideas of things I want to create. This isn't necessarily anything new, it's just that now, it seems as though I spend a lot more time thinking about how to make these dreams become a reality.
This year has been one of shifting my emotional patterns so naturally my thoughts and what I choose to focus on has also started to shift. I spend much more time feeling love, gratitude, and joy which attributes to more positive thoughts that match these emotions.
I've been exploring the emotion of love with greater depth both in and out of my meditation practice and what I was surprised to discover for myself is that love for me feels like peace, joy, and creativity.
I have known for many years, that when I am writing, drawing, photographing or thinking up ideas on what to write about whether it be blogging or poetry, I feel an amazing sense of all three of these things because my heart and mind both yearn to create. For me, creation is love.
In the act of creating whether with my brain, my eyes, or my hands, I come alive and feel myself whole because I am in a state of expansion that allows me to feel deeply connected with my heart's desire and inspired to express myself.
When someone tells me they have desire without drive, I think of a few possible hypothesis of what may be going on for the person:
a. depression robs us of our energy
b. depression often has to do with suppressed emotions that need to come to light to be acknowledged, felt, and expressed.
*note: unresolved sadness + anger = depression
c. the emotion causing the most pain is also the emotion with the most energy. If this emotion is not acknowledged, felt, and given attention to with compassion, and expressed in some way, it will suck energy from the body and mind, leaving the person depleted and without drive.
*for example: shame which is usually tied to guilt could be causing self doubt and/or insecurity to creep in to the core self and block energy needed to move, create, and Do!
I decided to write about this because I feel passionate about motivating others to be the best version of themselves. This is a process that requires imagination, energy, feeling, and action.
A new intriguingly insightful friend says 'the physical act of writing tells your mind that what is being written is important'.
Consider taking the time to write down all of your heart's desires while being mindful of what all your parts ~ mind, body, emotions, and spirit ~ need from YOU so that your heart, brain, eyes, and hands can fulfill your desires with the drive necessary to make them happen.