Tools of the Trade: Assembling Your Simple Abundance Kit
Now that we’ve covered the 6 Graces, the next crucial step is to gather the tools of the trade: assembling your Simple Abundance kit. (Win a Simple Abundance Kit below!)
Morning Pages
While not mentioned by name in the Simple Abundance book, Morning Pages invite us to quiet our minds and our environment (i.e. no phones, tv, or internet) and go within. This time of solitude at the beginning of our day sets the tone for our mind, body and spirit. It allows us space to collect our thoughts before the busyness of the day takes control. We get to set our mood and our tone by going inward first.
After I’ve made myself a cup of hot tea and let the cats out, I snuggle into the recliner with a cozy blanket and allow myself to slowly wake up. I write the day and date at the top of a clean page in a simple college-ruled spiral notebook. I typically read a short devotional, then write whatever is on my mind. Whatever comes to the surface, gets written. I may write for 5 minutes, or I may write for 20.
It’s a brain dump of all the things. Sometimes it comes out as a to-do list; but most of the time, it’s simply my spirit reminding me how deeply God loves me and only wants the very best for me, reassuring me that I am exactly where I need to be, showing me where I can be and do the “next right thing in love” (Emily P Freeman). The point is to be open and record what your mind and your spirit want to tell you in a judgement-free zone. There is no editing, no proofreading, no organizing. Stream-of-consciousness, freeform, glorious release.
Illustrated Discovery Journal
This may be one of my most favorite tools. This is where creativity begins to emerge, where you begin to see yourself through images and not just words. Consider this your “explorers log” (Simple Abundance, 2019).
Today, head to your local office or craft supply store and pick up a blank, spiral-bound artist sketchbook (the kind with good paper), sharp scissors (not the ones from the kitchen drawer), double-sided tape, and your favorite magazines and catalogs. Check out eBay for magazine lots if you don’t want to cut up new magazines. Think travel, food, cars, home, hobbies, architecture, floral. Choose whatever make you smile or looks interesting.
Then, at least once a week, when you’re winding down from your day, flip through your magazines and catalogs and rip or cut out whatever speaks to you. Then tape it into your Illustrated Discovery Journal. It could be a photo, a certain color on the page, or maybe even a headline. Just like with Morning Pages, this is freeform and fluid. No analyzing here. We are simply listening to our spirits and learning to pay attention to our souls.
Let the collages build themselves. Be on the lookout for what calls to you in your daily life. A postcard, a fortune cookie, a photo. The point is to fill your journal with life-giving images. Along the way, you’ll begin to see some patterns develop on the page and in your life. This exercise is how I finally determined, at the age of 44, that my favorite color is Tiffany Blue, and my favorite flowers are peonies and gardenias.
creative excursions
So far, we’ve focused our efforts on solitude at home. It’s time to get out of the house and explore a bit!
Creative excursions are dates with your Authentic Self. It could be anything from catching a movie to strolling through an art gallery. The key is to choose one thing each week and take yourself out on a date. Try a new restaurant or local coffee shop. Browse a grocery store without a list and see what catches your eye. Visit a craft and hobby store and make note of what looks fun to try. Take a painting class or check out your local bookshop or library and wander the stacks.
Set aside time for yourself, solo, and begin to discover what calls to you. Get to know what truly makes you laugh, smile, weep for joy. Pay attention to the colors, images, sounds, flavors that are life-giving. Then do more of those things, regularly.
sacred endeavor
As you begin to incorporate these tools into your weekly rhythms, you’ll discover you begin to trust yourself more. Which in turn fuels clarity in becoming the woman God created you to be. Clarity breeds creativity and confidence. This is a sacred endeavor. You are learning to see and love yourself as God sees and loves you, which will enable you to love others more fully. And that is an extraordinary life.
win a simple abundance kit
Want to win your very own Simple Abundance Tool Kit? Kit includes: (1) Spiral-bound artist sketchbook, (1) pair sharp scissors, (1) roll of double-stick tape, (1) lot of magazines (winner’s choice).
Rules for entering:
- Subscribe to the weekly newsletter (sign up in the sidebar)
- Comment below letting me know which part of the tool kit you want to use first
- Follow @cultivateextraordinary on instagram
Contest is open until midnight, Saturday, March 12, 2022.