What Have I Made Today?

There is a question that has recently burnt a hole in mind. It is a question that seems to reach deep inside me and turn me inside out. It is spurring me toward a greater expression of myself. I think it is a relevant question for everyone. Especially given what we currently face in the world today. We are at a junction of human consciousness it seems. We can swallow the accepted reality of limitation, poverty, separation, government control and media fear or we can begin to open our hearts and minds, choose our own path, expand our consciousness, understand our true nature and power and begin to live consciously together. Which path do we take today? The question calls me and maybe you too. It is quite simple – ‘What have I made today?’

For the last three or four years I have gone through a yearly January review rather than making resolutions. In my review I tend to list everything I was proud of the year before, write out my goals, focus on my strengths and imagine a future I would like to live. Once February comes along I get inspired to put all that thinking and planning into action. I always plan to have a ridiculously prolific year of song writing, blog writing, gigs, and finished books. I tend to start well and come crashing down about halfway through February or March. I work in stops and starts, jerky motions that seem to ebb and flow with the flavour of my moods.

Goals and visions are only as good as the habits that back them up. I recently learnt this from the very same source that posed the question ‘what have I made today?’ A writer and teacher by the name of Jeff Goins published a series of lessons and podcasts about becoming the person you really want to be. Becoming the creator you know is inside you. He talks about finding out who we are, deciding not to drift through life, creating simple habits that move us toward our goals, turning up to the page every day, having our own voice and for me… the big question – ‘what have I made today?’

We have a daily opportunity to honour our dreams and ideas. It might be five minutes we sneak, wrestle or carve out of our busy schedules. Perhaps our busy schedules are calling for us at a very deep level to carve out time for ourselves. Perhaps our very souls are crying out for it. Our dreams matter. Our words, ideas, dances, songs, crafts, recipes and heartfelt outpourings are begging for our attention. Can we honour them by not only asking ourselves what we have made but by acting on the question?

It is my intention to create something every day this February. Whether it is a five-line poem, a new recipe, a three-chord song; I will get to the end because I intend to have a new habit of creating every day. I am doing this because I think the world needs more art, passion, love, and awakening in it. I know I need that in myself. I can see people needing something deeper in their lives and I am sure that just by starting something, we can inspire people to act for themselves too.

I am conscious that I have tried this many times before. I have sped up and slowed down, even stopped at times. But nothing is impossible. Last year I recorded and produced my first music album. We have such powerful forces flowing through us, such inspiration, if only we saw ourselves as worthy, beautiful, creative and infinite.

And we are. All of us. We are creators. We are all wonderful. I wish you a life full of wonder and joy at simply being alive and having the opportunity to make something.

With love.

You can listen to Matt Rivers’ new album Nature on Spotify or Bandcamp.