consumer/creator

In the last three blog posts I introduced the idea that I think people would benefit from being both aware of and actively involved with two sides of their lives: the creating end as well as the receiving end.

The more a person is focussing on life and interacting with life from a consumer perspective, most interested in what is happening on the receiving end, usually the less content they become with (their own) life. “There must be more to life!” becomes a recurring cry- out leading to the question:”But what?”

Shops, the internet and libraries are full with options you can look into answering the question of how to be a fully functioning human being..

Depending on your personal taste, you can very well end up in the scientifical approach of the matter.
The worldly mechanical approach offers things like : self-development, psychology, sociology, biology, chemistry, economy ( to name of few)  usually emphasizing  what you need to do in the ‘seen’.
These approaches usually focus your awareness on what has proven itself in the world, easily to be experienced with your own senses, using your mind and how to keep the Consumer amused with your actions.
Fascinating.

Or, on your wanders, you might end up in the esoteric corner. The spiritual world offers for instance: religion and spirituality. The teachings in this world have in common that they are focussing your awareness on the incredible powers of the Creator (having various names, the Universal Power, God/Goddess, Spirit..... to name a few).
There, the main focus is on a meaningful (soul-) connection with the ‘unseen’, sometimes with recommendations varying in strictness on how to keep the Creator amused with your actions. Fascinating.

Most people combine the two in a customised basket in which they dip when their ordinary responsibilities (work, family life) leave room for it: some yoga on Thursdays, Paleo-diet on weekdays , Tarot-reading once a month, a good inspiring book in bath, fundraising for charity around Christmas and church on (some) Sundays.

Since most people are very much willing to share the insights that seem to work well for themselves with others in return for a small fee ( the investment of your time) or a larger fee ( the investment of some of your money too), you’ve got plenty of choice where to turn to as your providers for inspiration.

So you interrupt your everyday life for a short (or longer) while and dive into the activities provided by retreat centres, churches, diet guru’s, yoga masters, inspirational writers, charity, etcetera.
You’ll definitely feel better for doing that. You are actually doing something about it now! ( A happy consumer of various options).

If, however, after a while of doing these things, this dis-contentment on your own life still rears its ugly tail again, and again and again.... it my even become frustrating. You invested everything that was specifically asked of you ( time, money), you even enjoyed many of these activities. You tried the scientific approach on pure will power, which didn’t do it for you. You walked the spiritual path exercising blind faith, which didn’t  bring you the peace of mind with your situation as promised on the tin...
No, the same structural problems occur again and again and again.

Why is it that what works for others doesn’t seem to work for you?
What to do?

I ( yes, another one of those people investing quite some time in giving you options to choose from,  I see the irony here ), would ask you:” Have you exercised changing your (mental) position?“

Have you left the consumer frame of mind to enter the creator frame of mind?

And by that, I mean not ‘ just once’ (as consumers have a try-before-you-buy period) but have you given it a fair shot, structurally?
By that, I also don’t mean ‘ never to return’.
I do mean:” Are you regularly finding yourself in both positions? Are you able to alternate easily between the two”?

My invitation is one to play with both send and receive.

At times actively being the happy creator.
Confidently in looking,  as a webmaster would do, regularly at what is going on behind the scenes of your own ‘ website’ and playing with making (structural) adjustments there to the content, look and feel and functionalities on your website.

At times, actively being a happy consumer.
Confidently looking, as a consumer does, at what is presented on the front end of your website: content, look and feel and enjoy playing with the functionalities on your own ‘website’.

I observe that in the modern Western World we are conditioned to be mainly concerned playing with our consuming power and activities, thinking that is where we are having most control on what happens in our life.

And we do have a lot of control as a conscious consumer, don’t get me wrong! Consumer behaviour has an enormous impact on your own life and that of others.
All I do here, is inviting you to play with the idea that you have more options available, when you log into your life as a conscious creator too.