Naming the Value

Sometimes when we’re wrestling with a difficult emotion, we are encouraged to name it. Name the aggression. Name the jealousy. By naming it, we both recognize more clearly what we are dealing with and we also get some distance from it, allowing us to return to a calmer place. A similar technique can be used to name the value of the creative work we are doing. What are you currently working on? Take five minutes now to name the following pieces of your current project:

Talk about it to yourself -- does it have a name?

How do you feel when you are doing it -- are you striving? searching? secure?

How easy is this project for you? Is it work that comes joyfully or is it a struggle?

Continue on in this vein, taking time to write out the answers to these questions. You may discover some truths about your current work.