Integritus Prime

I can’t stop writing, and I can’t stop cooking. Of course, there are many other tasks to do, including coaching my wonderful clients and other work and fun pursuits, but these two have something in common: they are creative, and they take me into a state of flow.

I’ve been having conversations with friends and new colleagues lately that go something like this:

Them: What projects are you working on?

 

Me: I’m writing and I can’t stop.

 

Them: Oh? What do you mean?

 

Me: Books are coming out of me and my body can’t keep up with the pace.

 

Them: Wow!

 

Me: It’s a wonderful problem to have.

 

Them: Yeah!

I just finished the cover photo shoot, and cover design for the third cookbook being published through Alchemus Prime, Flavor of Love. A week ago, it didn’t exist. I started working on it on President’s Day weekend and now it’s in its second round of editing, thanks to my intrepid team.

How the heck…you might be thinking. Exactly. I’ve gotten to a stage in life where all I want to do is create, and I’m only limited by what my body can handle. I typically work on the book about 5 hours a day on days I’m not traveling or helping clients, but even then, the sheer amount of throughput is exhausting because I want to capture it all as it comes. Fortunately, I’m a fast-paced person. I finished most of the content, including recipes, pictures, final recipe testing, and stories, in 4 days. This is very similar to the process of my first book, Food of Love. 

The content, concepts for the cover design and even the stories that accompany each recipe come to me when I’m outdoors walking, or relaxing with a documentary, in dreams, or right when I wake up. As far as I can tell, the process of getting out of one’s own way, and listening for inspiration and intuition are most important.

We are all creators. Think of yourself as a straw. If you’re filled with stuff (think self-doubt, trauma, fear, and so on), you cannot channel the liquid that wants to come through you. You cannot let inspiration flow through you.

So, how do you clear yourself and open up to your limitless creative capacity? Here’s how I do it:

1. Meditate with dedication: Meditate twice a day for at least 20 minutes, no matter what – I’ve been doing Vipassana since my amazing retreat last year, and before that it was Transcendental Meditation, and before that, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and other forms of guided meditation…I’ve been meditating seriously since 2006.
2. Eat to thrive: Clear your body with the right diet and lots of water – for me that’s vegan and gluten free and my alkaline pH keeps me strong.
3. Affirm the positive: Use affirmations – to do this well, you need to be intimate with your self-talk so you can focus on what you want – I do this actively by reciting my affirmations and writing them down, and passively with a software called Mindzoom.
4. Be your true self: Relentlessly be yourself – embrace who you truly are, and don’t compromise it for anyone or anything – I have always been a giver and helper, focused on others, but I have been changing myself to focus on me and it’s working because now I give from a place of limitlessness.
5. Face the drama and trauma: when fear, anger, and other turbulent emotions come up, be with them, acknowledge them, and set them free; when people treat you badly, communicate your truth and step away if needed – I use several techniques for this, and one of the most important ones is to recognize what is your baggage and what belongs to others.
6. Write everyday: Get into the habit of writing daily – I write in my journal or digitally every single day, and often write poetry on my phone when I’m out walking and inspiration finds me.
7. Embrace nature: Nature is a source of healing and inspiration – you can feel the difference compared to being in front of a computer screen or worse, a TV, which I’ve never owned – I spend at least an hour or two outside every day walking, photographing flowers, meditating, or receiving insights.
8. Move your body: Make time to exercise daily in ways that are fun for you – for me the best way is dancing, walking, and doing strength training which I’ve recently gone back to after falling off the wagon.
9. Seek the new: Actively pursue new experiences of all kinds – I talk to new people, read books and articles, take classes, mix new flavors, use new ingredients, and listen to new music to keep my mental juices flowing.

All of this takes practice, but it’s worth it, because when you come to fruition as a powerful leader grounded in your unique light, you become unstoppable. Channel that energy into service for the planet, and you’ll live each day with purpose and passion.

I’m at 12 books in 2 years and 4 months, and with 3 more outlined, I see no sign of it stopping. These books have their own energy and purpose, and I feel I’m simply birthing them, and drawing in amazing collaborators along the way. I co-author Flavor of Love with the amazing Margaret Cornelius (Mom) and special guest author Nathaniel Cornelius (Dad). An opportunity to bring my family’s unique generosity and love, expressed through recipes, to you.

Find your purpose and feel the flow – it’s one of the best feelings on this planet!

Like what you read? Drop me a note and let’s chat about how to make it happen for you.

This is a sneak peek into the concept for the cover design of our forthcoming book, Flavor of Love. It’s a cookbook focused on flavors, which we visualize using colors and flowers, but not the kind of flowers you think.