“Sometimes disengaging is the best way to engage.” In this episode, I reflect on how a recent spark of creativity hit me while I was on leave, and how that spark affects my Constant Elevation podcast.
Preceding this episode, I took some well-earned leave to visit our daughter in Arizona and spend some “Boys’ Trip” time with our son in Las Vegas (spoiler: bucket hats are dope, especially designer ones). I intended to unplug from work and my podcast workflow to see what the world had to offer me. By that, I meant looking for inspiration to see what is next for me creatively. I often have multiple thoughts on multiple ideas, so I wanted to see what the world was trying to push me towards.
My body was still on Virginia time when I was in Las Vegas, so I found myself awake at around four in the morning. Normally, that would be prime for me to go for a run, but since I’m still recovering from my ankle injury and purposefully didn’t pack any running shoes, walking was my only option on the menu. I walked and looked at a quiet Las Vegas and still found it quite beautiful. After a while, I decided to head up to the room to pick up the book I brought for the trip, get some coffee at a cafe, and just chill and read. The book I brought was The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. I purchased and started the book a while ago, but never had enough discipline to read it at night. I believe that was due to just being tired and winding down for the night, which isn’t the best time for me to be inspired or creative. That time, for me at least, is better spent on comic books, but I digress.
The book itself is fascinating and very well written, and I will be permanently adding it to my library. The last book I read that was similar in nature was The War of Art by David Pressfield. The Creative Act covers several phases of the creative mind and how to unlock ideas and inspiration, along with seeing opportunities rather than challenges. The entire time I read the book, I had flashbacks of my previous thoughts on writing another book. I even had a few outlines sketched out at one time, but life got in the way and I never really dedicated time to it. However, much of the book inspired me to make some hard decisions to re-spark my creativity.
Ultimately, I determined that I wanted to write another book. My first book, No Pressure…but don’t mess this up, was a blast to write and I’m proud of my creation. That book was aimed at rising military leaders, yet I’ve always wanted to write something more accessible to the general public. Something in the realm of self-improvement, but my own unique style. I’m excited to fully engage in the goal to write my second book, but things would have to change for that goal to be achievable and for me to truly be creative in the process.
That being said, I’ll be taking an extended pause on my Constant Elevation podcast. See you later, not goodbye. I’ll be using that time to focus on writing my next book and also saving some space to focus on my studies to earn the CrossFit L3 certification. Pursuing those two goals, along with my full-time job, coaching at CrossFit Hampton Roads, and most importantly spending time with my family, left the podcast below the prioritization line. As I’ve said before, instead of doing too many things half-ass, I’ll rather do a few things whole-ass. I may write some CrossFit articles as part of my studying habit, or even some quick thoughts on leadership, but they won’t be in podcast form for quite a while. Please feel free to visit the Constant Elevation main site for content…when I feel like sharing it. I hope you can enjoy and share my previous work with those who may benefit, I do try to make my content evergreen in nature. I’ll be back, but for now, I’m looking forward to my next creation…and I hope you’ll return to check it out.