The Dreaded No's

How many times a day do you think about what I call the 'little no's' and build the 'can't, shouldn't, couldn't, won't wall' between yourself and something positive that you've always wanted to do or be? I've been studying 'positive visualization' for quite a while now and one of the things that I think I'm beginning to understand most is it's not the great big things like completing a marathon or winning an oscar or getting into an important museum that you think, no never, not me, not good enough - it's the tiny, daily things. One of the lines I love from Guy Finley is - 'plant a fear seed and you grow a fear tree' - well, I like to think of that in terms of little 'no's' we tell ourselves almost regularly. Plant little no's to little things and great big no's will grow to the great big dreams we all have. What does my piece 'Dream Structure 2' shown here have to do with that? (leaves, fifty coat and calk showing at TAWA's Inside / Out along with Source of All Limits). Well, I dreamed about sitting under a tree and looking up at the branches and what I saw were the leaves crystalized like they were caught in ice. They were beautiful and I thought I should make that - but then I thought, no, nobody will get it, it's silly, why bother. The next thing I had to do was learn how to 'fix' the leaves, so then I researched that and I had to get glycerin and going to the store I thought, no, this is silly. Then I had to get the leaves - it was fall and the leaves were perfect - if I waited any longer they would be dried and shriveled and not their beautiful color - but I was very busy and thought, no I shouldn't take time away from other things - but then I decided to make it fun and my children and I ran out to gather leaves - Ever notice how the smaller the child, the less they build the 'no, shouldn't, wouldn't, couldn't' wall? The sheer joy of collecting leaves for no other reason than loving life. So then I had the leaves - and so on, right up to the very last minute of thinking I shouldn't try to get it into the show - this is what I try and practice, not listening to what I think of as the 'little' no's. Let them pass, and then do it anyway. Do you have 'little no's' - like, I shouldn't comment on this post because... fill in the blanks - or I shouldn't try that ... fill in the blank because I'm too old or too young or too this or too that? I'd love to here what happens when you give this little gift to yourself of not listening to the little no's.


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