Ep. 43 How to Create Without Waiting for Inspiration

Join Loren and published writer and book coach Amanda Polick in a conversation that will teach you how to create whether you are feeling inspired or not. 

We are all born to create and whether you are in a creative field or not you can always benefit from learning how to take action when there is resistance. Learn four actionable tips and takeaways that Amanda shares to get you out of a creative slump and into creating once again.

Expect to hear about: 

• The resistance we meet with creating and being creative
• Four tips to move away from creative resistance
• The War of Art
• Fear of success
• How to (and the importance of) disassociating from the resistance and creativity
• How now is the best time
  

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Transcripts: Read the full transcript

Are you done with not being able to show up in your business how you want? Ready to get rid of the beliefs that hold you back in your business keeping you playing small? If you are ready to finally release fear and step into confidence and joy in your business then it’s time to work with Loren 1:1. One-to-one coaching will show you how you can make huge leaps and shifts, getting you to your version of success quicker and easier. Apply here to chat with Loren.

Connect with Amanda Polick  Website 

Full Transcript

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Loren Runion 0:05
You’re listening to the Align and expand podcast. Join your host, Loren Runion in conversations that will inspire you to intentionally create a life you love. Hello, welcome back to the Align and expand podcast. I’m your host Loren Runion and you’re listening to episode number 43 Where I am chatting with Amanda polich about resistance around creating and creativity and the flow and you guys know how that goes. I know you do. It doesn’t matter what business you’re in what you’re creating in your life, you know what it feels like when you’ve hit a wall when it comes to creativity, whether that’s with creating new content for your your brand or your business, whether that’s creating something physical, like a photograph, you guys know what it’s like. And so today, Amanda Pollock is sharing her knowledge with us and she is a writer and book coach. And after saying See you later to her acting and improv career she fell into food writing, which led to being the first dedicated segment producer of Facebook Live for timing. There, she oversaw over 300 Live segments and created the company’s food media junket, bringing in James Beard award winning and Michelin starred Chefs for over a dozen food and lifestyle brands. She has over 20 years of storytelling experience, and helping hundreds of writers, Amanda now guides food folks through the book writing process. Her work has been featured by cooking light time, Southern Living food and wine, and she’s a food writing columnist for DIY MFA. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever. So Amanda, and I chat all about some actionable things that you guys can do when you start to feel like you’re in a slump. And she gives three pieces that are really easy to do, and probably not something that you think about when you’re really stuck in the mindset of having some resistance or not feeling creative. So I hope that you guys love this conversation. I hope that if you do you share it on Instagram with all of your other fellow creatives, you can take a screenshot of you listening to the show, and then tag me in at Loren runion. If you love the show, and you guys have not left a podcast review, I would be so grateful for you to take the time to find leave a review and that Apple podcast and just click the five stars. It’s that easy friends. And if we haven’t connected, come connect with me. I hear from people all the time. I would love if you are listening to the show and you have not come to connect with me or say hi, or hang out with me on Instagram that you come on over there. Say hello, let’s have a chat. Talk about your goals, what you like to do in life. Whatever you want. I hope you guys enjoy the episode. And I’ll talk to you guys next time. Hi, Amanda. How are you?

Amanda Polick 2:51
I’m so good. Lauren, how are you?

Loren Runion 2:53
I’m very good. Thank you so much for being here.

Amanda Polick 2:56
Oh, I have been looking forward to this all week. So so thank you for having me. I’m excited. Yes.

Loren Runion 3:03
And for anyone listening, we had my child here. It’s poor Amanda, she’s been waiting here for like seven minutes for my husband to get here with a two year old screaming in the background. So you know,

Amanda Polick 3:17
makes it more fun.

Loren Runion 3:18
Yeah, so Well, I appreciate your patience. And I can’t wait to talk to you about creating and the resistance of creating. And I know that you’re going to have a lot to share with the audience about it in the audience. You know, they’re gonna love hearing about this because we do so much creation and like we’re born to be creators, even if somebody is listening. And they’re not necessarily feel like they’re in a field where they’re creating, we are born to create. So I think it’ll be a really interesting conversation for everyone to hear.

Amanda Polick 3:48
I agree. And also let’s retweet the everyone is a creator, because I hear that a lot. Sometimes people even if they’re in a creative field, they’re like, but I’m not really creative. Like we all are maybe different than what you think it is or what people think it is. But we all have that within us. So yes, I’m very excited for this conversation.

Loren Runion 4:10
Before we get started, would you mind sharing with everyone who you are what you do how you got I know I always ask everyone. That’s because I like when people’s paths turn and twist and you end up in totally different place than where you started. If you could kind of tell us about you and I know you have many past lives since we’re talking about some of those things.

Amanda Polick 4:29
Yes, many past lives. Well, I am Amanda pollack. I’m a book coach for food folks. So I guide them through the book writing process. And but I’m originally from Northern California, and years ago, I had this dream that I was going to be well. I would win Best Actress at the Oscars. By the time I was like 25 Spoiler alert. Um, but so I had this whole path as a performer, moved to LA did improv and sketch comedy graduated from the Second City, Hollywood had this whole idea. And then, um, the great recession hits, and I really was reevaluating things. And, um, fun fact all the jobs that you can get as an actor during that time evaporated. And you would do a lot of like temp work like day work, where you would go and answer phones when putting on your resume that you could work on multi line phone system actually meant something. And all of a sudden, I couldn’t get work. And I needed a bachelor’s degree. And I didn’t have one. So I went to college, and knew I wanted to pursue English. And because I am a writer first, and then ended up having an epiphany that I wanted to work in magazines, no idea where that came from. But I ended up I’m working in journalism, and food magazines in the Bay Area, totally fell into food writing, it was just literally a thing of, I knew I needed a clip for my college paper to get started. And I pitched that I could write about the local Oakland farmers market. I don’t know where that came from. I was like, I go there, I drink coffee, I could write about that. And that ended up that led me to a one year fellowship with Time Inc, where I was an editorial Fellow at cooking light magazine. And then I ended up getting hired out of my fellowship, and became the first segment producer of Facebook Live for timing. So managing four different brands, including like Southern Living, cooking light, amongst others. And it was kind of fun, Facebook Live had just started. So nobody knew what they were doing. But I had live performance experience, and I had been producing my own videos. So they’re like, Oh, you’ll be perfect. It actually was a awesome job. And, and then my contract ended I, I left Birmingham and came to Nashville and have been, and on a little bit of a winding path. But last year, I launched my book coaching business, and I finally feel aligned with

Loren Runion 7:29
Oh, good, so good. And that’s such a fun, like path and journey. And I love I mean, we never know why we get those downloads of like, okay, when I do this, and you’re like, alright, I’ll try the same thing with my podcast. i Okay, where did that come from? And then you just do it. And it leads you to where, like you feel aligned. And I love that.

Amanda Polick 7:53
Yes, like, I think too. Sometimes it’s hard to trust yourself, or like, you know, I’m curious to like, when you felt like you needed to do the podcast like was Did it come repeatedly? Was it just like a one shot thing? And you were like, Nope, this is definitely what that is. Because,

Loren Runion 8:14
for me, because I have a lot of ideas constantly. If it sticks longer than a couple weeks that I know, that’s something that I’m supposed to, you know, go after, or if it keeps repeating or if I let it go, and then it comes back up the next month. Even if it’s not something that consistency consistently stays around, then I know if it’s something like that, otherwise it could be something where I’m feeling super misaligned, you know, and I know something’s off and then I start kind of listening or searching for what’s supposed to be next. But for me it was even when I first started as a food blogger, I kept having to say I need to be a food blogger, I need to be a food blogger. I mean, I didn’t Well honestly it was because I wanted to make you know all the money that you see those big which hasn’t happened it’s like your your actress goals but it’s led to other awesome things, you know, where I make money that I would have never dreamed of same thing like now I have this really very good food photography career that I would have never thought that that would have stemmed so for anyone listening, listen to those downloads. Follow that

Amanda Polick 9:18
little path. Yeah, you never know what new things can open and you know, even talking like with the alignment and expanding and I think sometimes we have to get outside of our own comfort zone to see those opportunities and be open because if you would have told me like 10 years ago Yeah, so these would be all of the different things you would do. I was like, what there’s no way

Loren Runion 9:48
so I didn’t never feels comfortable ever each step. That’s not the point. You know, I just was literally reading something before we hopped on our call that if you are scared that’s why where you need to go like that is the sign that is your next step of healing or expanding or aligning in your souls journey. That’s, that’s what that is that actually might be from the book that may have been that guy.

Amanda Polick 10:13
Yeah, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. And it. So I first read that book years ago, and it it honestly like so it’s geared towards writer Steven Pressfield. He’s a well known author, and he wrote, and I always, I’m pretty sure he wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance. It’s terrible that I didn’t really know that. But, um, no, no,

Loren Runion 10:38
I know, none of those things. I’m not somebody that can recall anything. I’m always so impressed when people can do that. No, I mean, it’s there, it’s all you need to know.

Amanda Polick 10:48
Sorry. It’s, you know, the thing, you’ll figure it out, there’s good, good. But he has this book, The War of the War of Art, it’s break through the blocks, and when your inner creative battles and, and I, when I first picked up this book, it’s really easy, you could probably read it in like 30 minutes, 30 minutes to an hour, because it just has these quick little, um, pieces, maybe a paragraph. And but he talks a lot about this resistance as like a force. Um, and it was interesting to think of resistance as that it almost might get a little woowoo. And, but the resistance he talks about, it’s almost kind of like this supernatural being that’s keeping you from doing the things that you really want to do. But he says that the resistance when you feel it coming up consistently, so like when you’re afraid of something, or there’s something where you’re just like, I just don’t know, I’m afraid to take that leap, I’m afraid to start the podcast, I’m afraid to take a new direction, I’m not sure what I need to be doing in my business, that it’s actually a sign that that’s exactly what you should be doing. And I think that for me, I’ve noticed that because that it’s that’s really helped me just when I have something that like keeps calling me so that you keep getting that download, you keep getting and signs from people, you keep having conversations and someone’s like, you should really be writing that book, you really, I really think you need to, you know, be taking your business in this new way. I really think that, you know, you would benefit from whatever it is we all have those things, whether it’s personal or professional, but really listening to that. And I think it also goes to sometimes we’re so afraid of success, instead of the failure that, you know, it’s more of like, okay, I feel this calling, I feel this calling, I know, it’s what I need to do. I’m so scared. Because what if it, you know, ends up going? Well, because I think it speaks to, there’s going to be new things required of you. I feel like that’s where most people get afraid that it’s really not the failure, it’s more of the okay, if I really am great, and I’m stepping into this new place, how, how am I supposed to now show up? Because for a lot of us, we’ve had more failure than success, or you think about that more. So it’s like, when you’re kind of called into a new space? How do you actually do that? And how do you show up consistently, and, you know, make it so you can do it with intention? And that you’re not just wasting time or space or energy?

Loren Runion 13:49
And so with this resistance or with like creating? What does that entail? For anyone who’s listening? Like, what does that? What does that mean? For like, resistance of creating? Does that mean creating anything in life? Does that mean creating in your business for you? Or from your experience? What does that mean? And how does the resistance often showed up? Is it usually just kind of that fear? Or like self limiting beliefs that start popping up? Or is it you may not even know that in its most like a, like a writer’s block, or I can’t create today because I don’t feel inspired. How does that tend to show up?

Amanda Polick 14:26
Now that those are great questions. And so I’ll tell you that whenever I’m working with clients, I can kind of tell it’s, it’s funny, I when I when I was in writing classes in college, you know, I would have professors say, I can really tell that you’re uninspired or you know, you’re really up against a block and I’m like, first of all, I’m so offended. And second of all, it’s completely true. But how did you know? And now what I’ve started working with writers, it’s the same exact thing. But a lot of times it comes up as you can, I can sense a fear. And so a lot of times, it’ll come through on coaching calls when we’re talking. But there’s a fear of, you know, I have had this routine, this happens a lot, I’ve had this routine of creating, and I can’t get there anymore. And I just don’t know, I have this block. And I was doing and I think this happens even for, you know, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs creatives in general, you’ve had some kind of consistency with the flow, you get into your flow state of work. And it’s, you know, you’re showing up every day, and you have, you know, your schedule, and your routine and all of this, and then sometimes something will happen, maybe someone gave you a piece of feedback, that really, like just kind of put you into a tailspin, maybe you started evaluating what you were, you know, you kind of took a minute, and you’re evaluating what you were doing. And you start asking all of these questions and second guessing yourself. And so you’ve cut that momentum. And it can come in a number of ways. But I think that the biggest thing to remember with any kind of resistance, is that there’s always a root of it, like. So for example, like, let’s say, you know, a writer, like this writer’s block is kind of a common thing. And I think you could even use it as any kind of creative block, you know, you’re not sure what you should be doing next. The truth is, is that if you’re really blocked, then you need to just change whatever it is that you’re doing. And you do the same thing. I’m all I did the same thing when I was a nanny, um, you know, if you have a toddler who’s having a meltdown, it’s like, well, let’s change the environment, let’s change what we’re doing. And so whenever there’s a resistance, whenever there’s something and you’re like, Okay, I need to kind of take a clue I need to something is happening, or this isn’t working, you just change that environment. So if you’re a writer, and you have this resistance, you’re not sure, maybe you’re not ready to like, investigate that, then change it, start reading, talking to people. And when you’re changing that momentum for just you to be able to create and get new inputs, it changes the chemistry of things. And I feel like it makes you more open to accepting new things. Let’s pretend that you have a I’m a food photographer, maybe like just things have not felt like like you were in a flow with things. And then all of a sudden, there’s a resistance to even just showing up even to working even to doing any of that stuff. Okay, so maybe it’s that you need to take a step back, maybe you need to, let’s pretend like take a new photography class, maybe you’re taking a cooking class, maybe it’s something that’s in that realm, but it’s just getting you out of your head. So that you can kind of you can show up for like the real work, because a lot of times that resistance is just you being in your head being afraid of, you know, it could, you know, I say the success too. And it’s like, I think sometimes forward movement

Amanda Polick 18:33
is difficult. In some ways, like the the fear of success is something that I think takes a lot of us like two steps back. And I’m promise I’m gonna make this make sense, it makes us take two steps back. But I think that sometimes we have to, like, separate ourselves. And this is what Steven Pressfield talks about to is like, you separate yourself from the work. So if you are feeling really like you have this resistance, you have this, you know, thing to what you’re actually supposed to be called to do. You can kind of like you need to separate yourself from that, that is not you, that’s not the representation of you that that is just like what you do. And so then it can be easier to kind of come in with your creative inspiration. When you’ve taken a step back, like you’re a writer, and you’ve been sitting at your desk for 12 hours, and it’s like nothing is happening. Like, that doesn’t mean that you are a terrible writer, it means that maybe you need to take a walk, maybe you need whitespace maybe you need to pick up a book you need to read, you need to you know, have a conversation with a friend or something, and then come back and then see what that would look like. Does that make sense? And yeah, and if it doesn’t just tell me.

Loren Runion 19:56
It does. There’s a couple things that I wanted to touch on. Yeah, the first one being kind of you mentioned him talking about resistance being something outside of you. And that was something I want to talk to you about. I don’t know if you’ve read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, but she talks about creativity being something like the creativity, genius being something outside of her. And I believe that and I even believe that even some ideas and creative ideas are like, energy that are out in this world that come to you. And she says, Elizabeth says that her job is to just show up every day. And if the creativity comes, like, very similar to what you were saying, like so that you can separate yourself and not get sucked into making whatever you’re doing. And the resistance means something about you. And it just being what is and maybe staying as an observer, she talks about how, okay, I’m going to show up every day. And if the creativity flows down, or whatever she believes that his or anyone comes to me it does, if it doesn’t, then I’m still showing up. And I’m doing my job, because this is what I feel like I meant to do. So I liked that, you know, he talks about the resistance being something outside of you, because I also believe that creativity is outside of you. And it doesn’t always have to be there. Your job is just to show up, or take a step back and just be an observer, I really liked how you touched on it, saying that you take the person out, like the personal part of it out of it,

Amanda Polick 21:22
I did want to say to like the thing I I’m so I haven’t read Big Magic, but I’ve also listened to so many interviews about it that I feel like I have. But the thing I like to that Elizabeth Gilbert talks about is that, um, she has this whole thing about not forcing her creativity or her writing to sustain her. So she, she talks a lot about having other jobs, um, so that her writing wasn’t, didn’t have that pressure. And I found that just to be really interesting, because sometimes I think that when you are, you own your own business, or you’re a creative, it’s something that you your livelihood is dependent on, that there’s a different pressure there. And that in a lot of ways it can feel like you’re just sucked dry, consistently because you’re forced to be creative all the time. And then there’s times you’re like, I got nothing. How do I how do I show up? Yeah, now I need to read Big Magic.

Loren Runion 22:35
It’s really good. Is it normal for people to feel this way, in your opinion, would have this resistance

Amanda Polick 22:41
100% Like, the funny thing about about this, like resistance in creating or, you know, showing up with the work you’re meant to do is I feel like a lot of people have shame around it. Like when I’m working with clients, a lot of times they’ll they’ll come and they’ll say like, oh, I you know, I feel really bad because I you know, I’ve been blocked, I just don’t know what’s happening. And it’s like, everybody, you know, you get this, like, it’s pretty common. Um, but I feel like there’s a handful of things that can actually break you out of that, that are just pretty practical things that I can definitely share. So the first, honestly, and this is gonna sound so silly. Do you like showing up in this space where you’re working every day, like, when I had a writing desk, and in my studio in LA it was this cute little writing desk, I had these dreams that I was gonna sit there and I was gonna write pages and pages because it was by this window. And you know, there was this beautiful like, Spanish style building that was right next door to me with Bogan via on the side. And it was just I was like, this is like what a writer should you know, just totally dream. I had a terrible chair that I sat in, it was a folding chair, my knees, I’m so tall, hit the desk and all of this stuff. I never sat there. I never wrote there. I and I didn’t write a lot. And I think that it was because I didn’t have just like a practical space where you like showing up. And I didn’t understand the power of that until I started working from home. And I think that if you start to have some kind of resistance of just showing up and doing the work you’re supposed to do every day, but just a practical Look at that. Is it a chair that you want to sit in every day? Do you have like a workstation I’m very into like ergonomics so you know, having tools and you know a setup that gives you more energy isn’t going to give you actually like carpal tunnel from moving your mouse around like crazy. And that’s like one of the first things you can add small things like A candle or a plant or just something where you like being in that spot? Like that’s just super practical show up. Do you want to be there? Another thing that, um, have you ever heard of the Colby assessment? No. So, um, Colby Kolb, he, I had a boss, make our team take this and essentially it talks about it shows you what your mode of operation is. So instead of so it’s not a personality test, it’s just how you approach different problems. And you know, problem could be anything like, I have this deadline, what do I do with it. Um, and so you take this test, and there’s four different quadrants. And the interesting thing, so for example, like, when I first have a problem, I will brainstorm, then I go to research, I don’t remember what the other two art, but it shows you also how much energy you should be expending on those every day.

Amanda Polick 26:09
And so for me, if I’m in a lot of like, data, kind of things, um, which is funny, because like, when you take the assessment, and it will tell you, so just for instance, with that, like, I actually don’t really like talking about numbers I’ll generalize, and that was specific like that, specifically, in my report, I was like, Oh, my gosh, I do that all the time. Like, I’ll never tell you an exact number on something like, you know, like, you know, the ballpark, whatever. Um, but it just, it was really helpful. Because I would beat myself up, if I had like a series of tasks, or I had a series of things like in my business, where it was all data driven, like, I would have like a day of, you know, maybe analytics or something, and like, my energy was just totally sucked dry. So I’m not going to have the space to feel like creating or doing other things, if I’ve had so much of my energy expended on this stuff that isn’t really helpful for me. So maybe you delegate that maybe you break it up. And but that’s something I think is helpful to just like, Who are you actually? Like, what, what is it for you to create that or just to show up inspired? What is it that you really need, because we’re all different, and I also feel like it for myself, I get attached to past successes. So like, if you had a couple months, where it’s like, I woke up at 5am, every morning, and I wrote, you know, I was creating, you know, like new blog posts, social media content, video content, you know, like, whatever it is new offerings, and for two hours every morning, and it was so great. And then you go on vacation for two weeks, and it’s just thrown out the window, and then you’re just so upset at yourself, because you can’t get back there. And it’s like, things, everything’s changing, you know, like, just take it where you are now, but you know, maybe your energy has just been spent on things that aren’t giving you that opportunity.

Loren Runion 28:20
I like that that’s a really cool assessment, is it free, someone can just go and take that online.

Amanda Polick 28:24
So I think that it’s I think it’s like $55, or something, and I don’t know, actually try to look up if there is like a free one. But, um, the website is super helpful. And hashtag not an ad, and I did that, but I’m, yeah, I always found that super interesting. Because I would beat myself up. If I was working with other people, it’s kind of cool. Like, if you have a, like, if anyone has a small team, you can take like a team thing. And then, um, I think that one of their coaches will show you where you all align. So that’s cool. Like, you know, this coach told me, like, where I should not talk to certain team members at like, certain points of a project or where you would need to bring in other people. And so, um, I think I think things like that are really helpful because I feel like a lot of creatives, entrepreneurs, we can really beat ourselves up before not meeting an expectation that we see other people doing. Or if other you know, when you’re talking to your friends or your network. And if you’re really struggling with how you’re showing up or you know, you feel like the results that you have aren’t really producing it can be hard because other people are only talking about their beautiful, you know, creativity or you see it on, you know, on social media, and but maybe you’re just not built like that.

Loren Runion 29:59
Yeah, I think there’s a lot of power in really diving into things like that, especially I don’t know if you’re familiar with human design, but human design, it’s the science of differentiation. And it’s, I don’t know enough about it to talk intelligent about it. But it is, it will tell you exactly the power of learning about your human design is that you start to feel a little bit more freedom in how you show up in the world, and all those things that you have been conditioned to think that you should not do, you’re doing them because you are meant to be that way. So I think there’s a lot of power in doing tests like that, or even, I could have taken other ones where you you know, any kind of test like that, where you have a little bit more validation that makes you feel like, okay, this is normal that I feel this way, and it’s not going to be like someone else, because I our brains like to have this formula. XYZ, like because this equals whatever. And I think that gives that to you, when you have a little bit more analytical data for your conscious mind to understand, even though your unconscious mind doesn’t, you know, doesn’t need that leads us to just go with it. What else is there? Is there something else that you encourage people to try besides the Colby test, and then like just checking your environment when they feel resistance?

Amanda Polick 31:13
Yeah, so the, the one thing that I’m kind of, like a super, just big believer in is also like taking time to reset. And so this is stuff that I do with coaching clients, but I also do it with myself, um, I, I have I have this journal, and it’s called the elegant excellence journal. It’s by a woman named Hilary Rushford. I’m a student of hers. But it is like, it’s just the ultimate self coaching thing. And you could probably just do this on your own. But so every, um, every week, you kind of just evaluate what what you did, how your projects went, how you’re feeling, your thoughts associated with it. And I feel like you just need a regular check in with yourself, like you need a regular meeting with yourself is like, Okay, so let’s, you know, let’s say that you have someone who has a shop on Etsy, and, you know, they sell T shirts, and maybe they had been struggling with sales, or they felt like they were struggling with sales. You know, if you take a second to like, during that, you know, week of like, okay, so this is how I felt, well, this is what actually happened, you know, I actually had five, you know, $5,000 worth of sales, I felt like I wasn’t really doing anything, oh, but, you know, 10 new people reached out and they wanted me to create designs for them, or you just really kind of like journal through a lot of those things of what’s actually happening. I feel like that helps so much. Because I tell my clients this all the time, like, when they feel like they’re stuck on something, I’m like, I need you just to write it out to journal it like what what is what is it actually? Like? Where do you feel like you’re really hitting a block? Why is that? And kind of just keep asking yourself those questions. And I think that you see more of your progress than anything else. Like, we attach these negative ideas to when we don’t really feel like and you you’ve talked about this before, when you had decided to like change the direction of the show. And then all of a sudden, like things, you know, you talked about how it just kind of like became aligned, like, you just people were reaching out and you felt like, okay, like this is a big movement towards this. But I think that you have to allow yourself that opportunity. And it was still like, you being open right? to something new. And so I feel like when you’re just open to like, let’s just talk about my actual progress. Let’s just talk about the actual things, how I’m feeling. It gives you a chance to really reset and I think we get so obsessed with just moving moving, moving. And especially if you’re an entrepreneur or you know, you’re really trying to like make a name for yourself, it can be really hard because people just tell you to hustle and to do things and it’s like but if you’re just hustling just to stay busy, just to look like you’ve been doing something that’s not gonna help you at all right? So um, I definitely say reset.

Loren Runion 34:50
I really love that you’re talking about taking the time to set aside time to go through and journal. exactly what’s happening. And I talked about how How we have to create awareness that we are the thinker of our thoughts, and that we are not our thoughts, and kind of doing exactly what you’re saying, writing it all down on a piece of paper. And then going back and seeing, like, what thoughts came out when you weren’t thinking about them and judging them, and you’re just kind of like letting this free flow, you know, information kind of just come out of you. And then going back and taking a look to see what you see. It gives you the space that you need to like, take a step back from what you were feeling or the feelings when you’re actually feeling them, and then even choose like, Okay, well, this is how I was feeling. But here’s the data that supports maybe that feeling wasn’t an accurate thought, you know, like, I was feeling this for some reason. But here’s something else. Like you’re saying, if you’re an SE person, and you’re you had 10 new people come to you like that’s a huge deal like this, this proves that because I had this thought that wasn’t an accurate thought. And I don’t have to think that I can choose to think something else I really like that thought to take, take time to create space, and move away from like the act of feelings and thoughts that you’re having in that moment.

Amanda Polick 36:05
Mm hmm. And I think you just said something that’s so important, but it’s to choose the like the thought and to choose something like, I feel like it is so much of a choice. And sometimes we and this is something that Steven Pressfield talks about in the War of Art, but that you know, the difference between the professional and the amateur is the professional chooses, that they are professional, like you just decide. And he says that it just it’s one day, you just decide. And that’s all it is. And it’s hard. I I’m so curious, like what you think about that, because I feel that sometimes we allow these thoughts of like, other people get to decide, or I need to hit these certain marks for x, y and z to be true. But it changes everything, when it’s like, well, this is my choice to not do this, or this is my choice to do it, it totally changes the energy for everything.

Loren Runion 37:10
That’s a really awesome conversation to to dive into. It probably, you know, totally could go really far into that. Because I think that choosing to become a professional or versus an amateur that require someone to really conquer a lot of limiting beliefs, and not only conquer limiting beliefs, but also separate themselves from what they see that what’s going on externally. Because I think you’ve mentioned this a lot you you consume, all these other people creating and all of their content. And in your head, you make this story or this narrative about what that what that creation means like, oh, they created this, they woke up at 5am, they created this beautiful, whatever Instagram posts, whatever it is that they have, or maybe you know, maybe you’re not even an entrepreneur, maybe you’re just like, somebody who, oh, this mom has this beautifully decorated house, you know, like there’s, we create this, and we’re like, oh, because this person did this. And I don’t have that than I am not that. And I think that it requires you to be able to take a step back. And not only work through the things that you think make you a professional, but really dig into what makes you think that person as a professional, because I think what a lot of the times what I hear from people or from anyone that I’ve worked with, when they have this doubt, they see people showing up online, or they see people who have the same degree as them, they have all of the same things, yet they don’t feel qualified to do it. And that isn’t it. And it comes from the story you’re telling yourself but also the story you’re telling yourself about that person? Like what is it that you’ve created? What story have you created about that person that you’re idolizing basically, that you think they have that you don’t. And there’s probably some kind of correlation there. Same thing, like it’s almost the same, we’re all mirrors for each other. So it’s the same thing as when you see something negative in somebody that you don’t like that’s a mirror of something, maybe you need to dig into yourself. Same thing when you see something that you really like about someone or that you think that you don’t have and they do. That’s just something reflecting back into you that you do have you just need to dig it out. I think that that kind of plays into that professional amateur. And I I’ve had that thought crossed my mind like okay, what am I a professional photographer, and I, I think I kind of crossed that they crossed that without even knowing like I can now consider myself a professional photographer, but for a long time I didn’t. So it’s an interesting concept and like something that people should be aware of what are you placing on to this meaning? And what other way can you define it? Like can you define it something that’s not external from you? Can you define it with something that’s internal to you like I’m a professional because I show up I’m good with my clients. I do XYZ. You know, we’re before our talk. I was reading something by James clear and he said that the difference between an amateur and professional, is that exactly what you’re saying they decide to show up every single day. And it’s the same thing beside someone who’s creative and not creative, they show up every day. And they don’t put those external parameters on it.

Amanda Polick 40:14
Yes, 100%. And like, even going back to creating, even when you don’t feel inspired, or when you feel those blocks, it’s like, the more you just show up in general, the more you’re allowing that to come every day, and Jack London, and who wrote called The wild and all kinds of books, and he has this, he, I’m paraphrasing, but he said that, like inspiration isn’t just going to find you that you actually have to go after it with a club. And I was like, oh, so when I was mentioning before, like changing your environment changing, you know, if I have a client who I really feel like they have a writing block, my first suggestion is you need to go read a book, because it’s probably because they’re not reading, or they’re not finding inspiration everywhere they’re going, like, when you’re just open to that if like, I could find inspiration in a conversation with my grandma, I could find, you know, like, in an in trip to whatever it is, you just kind of it’s when you’re looking for it, it’s a different thing. And I feel that when you step into that thing of I’m a professional, and this is how I show up. Like, I actually schedule time for inspiration. Like I have a block in my calendar, where it’s like, Okay, I’m gonna read these books, or I’m gonna listen to podcasts, or I’m gonna do something so that it’s more routine. And it’s not, you know, I used to be like, I have to wait for certain things to hit me or this means to be in a certain mood, you’re never going to create anything. And I can say that with 100% certainty, because I used to sit for eight hours listening to moody music, and having candles lit and being like, I’m gonna write something awesome. And I wrote like a page. So it’s a choice, it’s a choice.

Loren Runion 42:07
Yeah. And it kind of really goes along with creating this magnetic life and creating magnetic business and manifesting the things in your life that you want, if you because our external reality is a reflection of what’s going on inside. If you are like, I’m stuck, I don’t know what to do, I don’t have any inspiration, that is what you will continue to create. But even like, it’s the same thing. If you’re wanting to lose weight, or quit smoking or any of those things, if you keep telling yourself you’re a smoker, if you keep telling yourself that you’re overweight, or you’re not where you want to be, that’s what you’re going to continue to create. It’s the same thing with inspiration or creativity. If you keep saying you’re not creative, you are not going to find creativity, because that’s not what you can attract into your life, you can only attract what you’re putting out and those thoughts that you’re, you know, watering. So if you want that, even if you’re not feeling inspired, you have to stop saying I’m not inspired, or I’m not creative, you have to say I am creative, or I’m open to creativity, or I’m open to inspiration. And even if it’s not there, like what you’re saying now is planting the seeds for what’s to come for the future. It’s, you know, it’s really all of the same universal laws apply to creativity and inspiration as they do for anything else in your life.

Amanda Polick 43:16
100%. And like, I think, too, that we get attached to just very specific, or at least I mean, I do but like, it needs to go this way, this is how I produce my optimal stuff. You know, like I’m a creep. Like for myself, I’m a creature of habit routine. And I’ve had to train myself to say, like, let’s mornings are my favorite time, I love to let every I like to do everything in the morning. And that can be a problem. But um, so for myself, if I, you know, feel that mornings are my best creative time. If I have a morning that gets distracted, like something happens, which happens because of life, then is that whole day shot. That would be terrible. So now I’ve just started telling myself like, you know, if it’s the afternoon, I’ll say, after afternoons or when I create my best work, you know, whatever it is, but with those things, I’m like, This is my time. Oh, you know, five 5pm is the best time to write this blog post or you know, whatever it is just deciding that now is the best time not a different time just being grateful for what you have. And making that the best that it could be because you could just wish so many things away. I’m sure you could do you know like, right, with everything that you have going on? I’m sure there’s so many times where it’s like this is not the ideal time. Right. And you just have to

Loren Runion 44:58
do it. Yeah. You Right, I love that. And I have never, I’ve never thought to do that I have with other things like when it’s more of like a big project, but never with time. And I think that’s a really good point like, now’s the perfect time to do that. Now it’s when I create my best work or now, I really like that I think that will be something that a lot of people take away. So as we start to wrap up, what is there anything that we’re leaving out or something like really important that you want to make sure that we touch on before we conclude our conversation on resistance of creating? Yeah,

Amanda Polick 45:29
I mean, my biggest thing is just like, be gentle with yourself. Honestly, I think that we we beat ourselves up so much. And if you are sincerely just having some kind of block in creating whatever it is that you really feel like is supposed to be your thing, to just take a step back and evaluate, if that really is the thing you need to be working on. And no, you have everything inside of you to get through that to figure it out. Like you are your you are your best teacher, you know, all of this, you know, your gut feelings, you know, what’s happening in your life, what you should be working on you, or you already know, if you need to journal it out, do it 100%, do a voice memo, walk around the block, talk to yourself, I do that all the time, just know that it’s normal, but you can figure it out, and you will get through it. And it’s not the end of the world, like, do not let it stop you.

Loren Runion 46:33
That’s perfect. And to keep going. I really like that because we I feel like in my experience, and in my life, when I start to do that, it’s because I think it’s going to turn out a certain way or that it’s going to be by a certain time, that’s when that stuff really starts to creep up. And I’m like, Well, this is what I really wanted to create. It needed to be by this time when we start letting go of that exploring why am I feeling this way? Or why am I putting this pressure on myself, and letting go of the fact that maybe something bigger, better is going to happen? And that’s why it’s not happening now. So having that complete, you know, working that in with that self compassion 100% I like that. Where can everyone find you? If they would like to explore more on like, what you offer? Or? Yeah,

Amanda Polick 47:15
yeah, come over to my website, Amanda polich.com. I, I have a weekly newsletter, where I actually talk a lot about creativity and mindset. And I also have a free gift, um, how to write your first 25 pages with purpose. If you are interested in writing a book even if not, um, I’ve heard it’s really helpful. Just, I talk a lot about that reset, and starting with intention, but you know, whatever project it is, or whatever it is that you’re working on. I am just a very big fan of the regular check in with yourself to see how you feel about what’s happening. So you can take the best next steps but yeah, Amanda Pollock, calm. Come find me say hi. All

Loren Runion 47:59
right. Well, thank you so much for being with us today.

Amanda Polick 48:03
Thank you, Lauren. It was so awesome. I I just I really appreciate your time and I’m grateful for

Loren Runion 48:10
thank you so much for listening to another episode of The Align and expand podcast. If you’re an iTunes listener and you loved this episode, please leave a review. And if you leave a review, send me a screenshot and then I will be sending you a special exclusive meditation made only for my listeners who are so kind enough to take time out of their day to leave a review of the podcast.

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