One Foot In This World

As introverts, we love being in our heads. We have such vivid imaginations. We love to think through things, create stories, and try new things. I sometimes feel like it’s harder for introverts to do certain things because we always only have one foot in the present. I know I always have other things going on in my head, like big dreams of how I want my life to be, traveling, and writing fiction books. If my mind and body aren’t engaged enough in the here and now, my mind will wander.

There is all of this advice on being present in life, and I agree with it in a sense because you don’t want to be stuck in the past or future, but always being present can be taken to the extreme like everything else. The idea that we always have to be present in life is actually kind of mean, if you think about it. I think it’s that underlying idea that if you’re not being productive or present in life, then you’re not really living. That’s not accurate.

People who love TV shows or movies are thought of to be wasting their life because they’re not living in reality, but just because we have our heads in a story, doesn’t mean we’re not gaining anything from it. The entertainment value, the lessons in the stories, the communities built around interest in the same thing, or being able to connect to the people in the story is enough. I think introverts are more likely to have these obsessions or interests because we can be alone while we do it, but find community and connection in it at the same time.

I also feel like when people are pushing being present on us, they’re also pushing creativity out of the picture. The idea of productivity, and being present and realistic, is against creativity in every sense. We need to cultivate our feelings of curiosity and trying new things. We need our creativity because that is how we create new things. Someone used their creativity to think of all the things we have out there, from cell phones to the internet to breakthroughs in medicine. Being in our heads gives us the space to be creative. This creativity is boundless and needs to live somewhere. Our minds are the best place for it because they have great soil and nutrients to hold onto it, mold it, and let it run free.

If it weren’t for my imagination to start something new with my business and blog, I wouldn’t have started this podcast or had a conference. I wouldn’t have thought about creating my own designs for shirts if I didn’t think about reaching out to other people and making it happen. I honored and cultivated their creativity as well when they helped me with that dream. Creativity makes everyone happy and helps make new things become a reality.

I’m going to continue to keep one foot in this world and one foot out. I’m going to be present, but I’m also going to enjoy my imagination and let it go where it wants to go. I’m going to create things that make myself and other people happy. More people need to allow detours like that into their life because life is not a straight line and you need to explore every curve you are able to. It makes life more colorful and bright.

I love how open and freeing my life is, and I love my freedom and creativity. It’s a big and important part of my life. I hope you have the chance to let yourself have that too. Don’t let others push it out of you or make you feel guilty about it. Defend creativity and imagination for yourself and others because it’s important for everyone.