I believe we are creative beings, each of us possessing unique gifts and talents, and I believe it’s important we share those talents to assist, uplift, and inspire others.

It’s easy to downplay our natural talents and view them as insignificant because the ego generally doesn’t value things that come easily and effortlessly. When we achieve or produce something that takes a lot of effort and/or our hard earned money, we give it more worth and significance because it literally is a product of our blood, sweat, and tears. 

You may find your ego convincing you your creative gifts aren’t useful or worth expressing. To me, this is the greater crime—not sharing your knowledge, wisdom, life experience and creativity. I know this because I suffered from this, too. Long before I wrote either of my books, the critical voice in my head repeatedly said, “You have nothing original to write, nothing that hasn’t been written a hundred times already.” 

That one negative thought probably wasted more of my time than anything else because it caused me to procrastinate and doubt that anyone would want to read my books, so why put myself through all that painstaking work, and believe me, writing a book is hard work! I can only wonder how many hundreds of thousands of books have never been written by others feeling the same way. 

Whatever your form of creative self-expression—stories, poetry, photography, drawing, gardening, painting, cooking, dance, drama, spoken word, etc.—although it may be similar in content and theme to something someone else has created before, remember this...

Your creations are a reflection of you, filtered through your body, mind, and soul, and thus truly unique. 

Truth be told, there is nothing new in my books, articles and videos. Everything I say has already been said one way or another before me. But guess what? When I read the works of other spiritual teachers and thought leaders, there is nothing necessarily new in their works either. I can often find someone who lived before they did and delivered a similar message. Jesus wasn’t the first person to say, “Love one another,’' but he was the first person to say it as Jesus!

We are creative beings, so we should create!  We should launch our unique expressions into the world and let them go without expectation. We should do it for the sheer joy of creating something. The universe will see to it that those who need it will find it.

With literally tens of millions of books available on Amazon, it’s remarkable anyone has found either of my books. It astounds me when I occasionally receive a note from someone I’ve never met who expresses how much one of my books helped them. A woman from Australia actually sent me two drink coasters she knitted, thanking me for writing my book! When I hear from a reader, it makes all the blood, sweat, and tears that I endured writing those books all the more worthwhile, far more valuable than any amount of money I’ve earned in book sales.

But, no one would have found my books if I had listened to that voice in my head and allowed them to remain locked inside me. And no one will find your creative expressions if they remain locked inside you.

Consider sharing your gifts and talents with the world. In case you aren’t ready to take that leap just yet or you struggle with knowing what your gifts are, then consider sharing the gift of love and kindness. Brighten someone’s day with a quick text telling them how much you appreciate them and how grateful you are for their presence in your life. 

I hope you have found this helpful. Please know that I’m thankful for you and eternally honored that you allow me to be a part of your personal and spiritual journey.

Namaste,