Inspiration in, Creativity out

Greetings from beautiful, elegant (and rainy) Paris, France! I am so thrilled to be emailing you from my favorite city on earth. For two days, I have done nothing but eat loads of flaky pastry, drink delicious red wine, and saunter down the elegant, romantic streets, filling up my soul with the sensual sights and sounds. Readers, I am feeling ALIVE!That’s now how I arrived, though. I was so ragged on the plane that my skin looked green. I want to be honest with you – I came here for a much needed break. Yes, I teach happiness and empowerment, but I’m human and I’ve been feeling depleted, exhausted and completely flat. The night before my trip, I cried for an hour to my best friend.Unfortunately, you probably know this feeling too well. When we give and give, we can feel drained. Even when doing work we love (which I do!), we need to refill our vessels in order to continue creating in the world.

And by creating, I don’t mean painting or writing. I mean creating life. Every single one of us is painting our lives and the lives of those around us every day. Whether you are in an office, an art studio or you have the 24 hour a day job as a “stay at home” parent, you are creating new ideas, new relationships, new lessons all the time. And that creative energy is moving the world forward.

But when we only create – only put “out” that beautiful energy – eventually, we feel sucked dry. We must refill the vessel. We must bring in new inspiration, new thoughts, new ideas, new creative energy. As my sister wrote on a birthday note, “breathe in inspiration, breathe out intention.” Put simply, to exhale, we must inhale.

I am in Paris inhaling. Inhaling the aroma of freshly baked baguette, inhaling the delicate architecture of centuries past, inhaling the sing-song of the French language. All of this is bringing me back to LIFE. It is inspiring. IN-SPIRing – bringing “in” the “spiritual” – the senses.

So that is what I hope for you this week. To bring in the senses, to be inspired, to fill your vessel. You don’t need a vacation to do so. In this week’s PurposeFULL message, I share ideas for how you can find new inspiration right at home. Slow it down and savor the taste of rich coffee on your tongue, walk a new route and take in people’s faces, stand in nature and inhale.

This week, I hope that you fill your creative vessel, living purposefully, loving yourself and loving life. Au Revoir, mes amis!
Xo,
Carin

PS – Here are some photos for inspiration – enjoy!
The flower market on my favorite street in Paris: Rue Montorgueil

My favorite spot in all of Paris: The Ports by the Bastille

The Garden by the Ports

On my birthday, I decided that I was allowed to eat as much damned pastry as I wanted! J

PS – I love hearing about your experiences, so please email me!