Every craftsperson has a toolbox full of tools and a number of
techniques to help them bring inspiration into form. In the same way,
throughout our lives, we have discovered our own life tools and
techniques—the ways and means that have helped us create our lives up to
this point. Sometimes we forget about the tools and skills we’ve
acquired, and we wonder why we aren’t moving forward. At times like
these, it might just be a matter of remembering what we already know,
and rediscovering the tools we already have at our disposal.
In the process of becoming who we are and creating our lives, we have
all gone through the experience of being inspired to do something and
then finding the tools we needed to do it. If we look back, we may be
able to remember that we used, for example, the tool of writing every
day in order to clarify our intentions. We may also have used the tools
of ritual, meditation, or visualization to make something happen. In
addition, we may have been fueled by a new idea about how the universe
works, which is what gave us the inspiration to use these tools.
In order for ideas to be powerful, they must be imbued with the
energy of our engagement with them, and in order for tools to be
effective they must be put to use. This sounds obvious, but often we
fall into the habit of thinking we are engaging with ideas and using
tools by virtue of the fact that we are reading about them, or listening
to other people talk about them. In truth, using our tools is a very
personal action, one we must take on behalf of ourselves. Like artists,
we are each unique and no two of us will receive the same inspiration,
nor will we bring it into form in the same two ways. To discover the
truth of our own vision, we must take action by remembering our tools
and putting them to use.
