The difference between being a Force, and forcing it

 One of my dear friends often reflects to me that I am a Force—by which she means that I have an uncanny way of powerfully activating, navigating, and manifesting my daily life. I tend to do this with plentiful aligned action based on the generative ideas and plans I develop regarding both my professional and personal experiences. Over the years, I have noticed that there is a distinction between being the kind of Force that acts as a channel which funnels meaningful action and activity into the world, and effortfully forcing outcomes with layers of agenda or aggression.

 

Being a Force tends to include feeling aligned and in flow with creativity, integrity, and meaningful intention. I’m sure we can all recall feeling this resonance while engaging a task or activity where we felt both energized and focused on something we cared deeply about. There are three important facets of being a Force:

 

1: It is important to not actually force anything. Similar to grasping a small animal in the palm of your hand, if you squeeze your intention too tightly, you will crush its life force. Conversely, being a Force requires that we not only hold the gentle energy of our muse, but that we thoughtfully observe it and build upon its offerings. 

 

2: Being a Force requires action. A mind full of brilliant ideas can only take you so far. You must take aligned-action to bring your goals, dreams, desires, and plans to fruition. Along with the call for action comes the necessity of courage. Moving through your life with powerful intention and action is not for the faint of heart, and it does not guarantee success. You must be willing to build, re-build, pivot, and shift if you are to become a Force. 

 

3: Do not let your Force energy consume you. Always remember when you channel the generative force of creativity that it is only one aspect of your life. Too much Force can start feeling forced if it becomes imbalanced with the rest of your life. Though Force energy can feel exciting and motivating, you must thoughtfully wield it. If your Force energy becomes imbalanced in one area (your career, for example) at the detriment of all else, your relationships with others, connection to Self, and participation in leisure can suffer greatly. Remember, success only feels gratifying if it fits into the rest of your life with harmony.

 

Most importantly, the difference between being a Force and forcing something is a delicate balance of grit and grace. The knife-edge between these two concepts is where the ferocity and magnificence of being a Force gains its momentum and inspiration. If you tip too far into the realm of grit, the magic of harmony can be lost, and the task can start feeling forced. Too much grace has the opposite effect of feeling flimsy or disconnected. As with much in life, the middle path often holds the most possibility and potential. It is within the contrast of striving while also allowing oneself to be guided that we discover our infinite creative potential.

 

How about an example?

 

My upcoming book, The Radiant Life Project, has been a joy to write. It has streamed from my heart and mind through my fingers, and danced across the page in sentences and paragraphs that weave together my love-filled teachings about psycho-emotional self-healing. In the moments when I sat at my keyboard and allowed the flow of my knowledge and passion for my work to channel, I was being a Force. I was taking the necessary action to build my book—letter by letter, word by word, sentence by sentence. In moments where I felt weary, uninspired, or disconnected, I did not write because it would feel like forcing it. Like a muse that dances in and out of view, I learned to trust the bursts of inspiration I received. When such a muse would flutter through my consciousness, I would seize the opportunity and open the channel for my writing to flow. 

 

It hasn’t always been so easy for me to write from Force energy. In the beginning, I wrote based on the clock rather than the feeling of flow. In contrast to Force energy, the feeling of forcing felt evident when I provided myself with an arbitrary deadline by which I demanded I complete a certain section of writing. I would fuel myself with caffeine and sheer will, and grasp at fleeting thoughts and concepts while my mind began to tire. Not only did this forceful effort require massive energy and discipline, but it rarely yielded writing of much value. Most often I would sweep back over my writing once I had re-connected with the Force of my passion and re-structure the lines I had forcefully written in those pressured moments.

 

It didn’t take long for me to realize the difference between forcing and accessing Force energy. Once I realized and accepted that I could be much more effective, heartfelt, and successful in my writing if I acted only when I was inspired, it became easier to give myself permission to access necessary rest and reprieve in the moments when I wasn’t. As Bethany Webster wisely wrote in her book Discovering the Inner Mother, “Act only when inspired. Otherwise rest.”

 

Imagine the works of creation we could bring into being if we all accessed and acted from Force energy instead of forceful energy. What would you create?

 

Questions or comments? I'm all ears. Drop me a line in the comments, or feel free to be in touch at https://linktr.ee/theradiantlifeproject