Happy first week of Spring!
What a splendid time for renewal, new creations, and joy.
Now you can open your windows, let the warm air fill your home and enjoy nature’s outburst of colors and growth. Even here in California, we are blessed with vibrant fields of greens and flowers from the few rainy days we had during the winter.
What a perfect opportunity to dust and sort through stuff that accumulated from months spent indoors, get back to your daily practice of yoga or meditation, go for a hike or a bike ride, and enjoy the warmth of the sun on your skin.
If you are in tune with nature and the cycle of the seasons you may also notice a stirring of the soul, an eagerness to create, grow, and renew. And while spring is a time to plant seeds for vegetables, herbs, and flowers, it’s also an opportunity to take a deeper look into your heart and reconnect with what’s important to you, your mission, your passion and your joy in life.
I love delving into the following exercise during this time – inspired by Michael Gelb’s fabulous book: “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. Seven Steps to Genius Every Day” – which brings to the surface what’s lying dormant and wants to be “birthed”.
100 Questions – Exercise
Take a notebook and a good chunk of undisturbed time and make a list of 100 questions. Write down anything that comes to mind and seems relevant, from “What’s my life’s meaning?” to “How can I have more fun?” or “How can I stop procrastinating?” Go with the flow and let the questions emerge without forcing the process.
Jot the whole list down in one sitting. Write quickly and don’t worry about repeating questions or misspelling words. Chances are that your list will flow easier at first and get tougher later. Fight the desire to walk away and keep writing your questions until you are done.
When you have finished, read through your list and note any emerging themes. Can you make out anything that you did not expect?
Look at the themes without judging your answers. Are they about business? Relationships? Self-Discovery? Money? The meaning of life?
Now review your list and choose the ten questions that you find most significant. Write them down on a new page.
What are they about?
During the next few days and weeks of spring, look for answers to your questions in nature, in books and in your conversations with friends. Don’t push yourself in the process, let the clues emerge and, in da Vinci’s words, use curiosità: “An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.”
Enjoy the experience!
If you want to share your experience with the exercise or express your thoughts, please add your comments in the section below or simply write to me. I’d love to hear from you.
As always, thank you for reading.
Wishing you a happy Easter holiday.
With love,
Karin
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Photo Source: Pexibear via Pixabay
