Dancing for Joy- Celebrating Inner Productivity and How the End is Inherent in the Means

I love Tuesdays. They are typically days that I am able to completely devote to my art. I can be completely productive: audition, search for auditions, make connections in the cyber world, read, write, paint, and take care of my body and voice. By 10am this morning, I was dancing around joyfully celebrating everything I had already accomplished for the day. When I say I was dancing around joyfully, I am not speaking figuratively. I was literally dancing and bouncing all over my apartment feeling so grateful for the gift of the new day and all the work that my soul had already been able to complete. I was ready and looking forward to my first meeting of the day.

Throughout the day I remained aware of the rich feeling of productivity that graced me this morning. But it also made me think of how much weight we give to external productivity and how little we give to the internal work that it takes to be joyful.

I easily dance all around when I have been able to meditate, read, successfully postpone jury duty (yeah I got called to serve when I have a money gig on Thursday. Crisis averted.), tidy up my room, and set plans in motion for the weekend with my guy when he gets back to the states on Friday (yay!) all before 10am! Who wouldn’t be dancing at all that external accomplishment, plus good sleep, a good breakfast, and Stevie playing all the while?

But how often do we celebrate our internal triumphs with such relish?

This requires something a bit more than the tangible things that can be checked off a to-do list. Being inwardly productive means keeping a positive outlook even when things aren’t turning out the way you want them to.

Inward productivity is more about HOW something is done, rather than WHAT is done.

It is an inward accomplishment when you don’t get the job you wanted, but you don’t give in to negative talk about the person who got it or about the company. It is an inward accomplishment when you really don’t feel like the hustle of your survival job, but somehow you show up and you’re present and you manage to make someone’s life easier by doing a little extra. It is an inward accomplishment when you didn’t get a job, but you’re still gentle with yourself and remain determined enough so that your eyes and heart stay fixed on your goal. Again, these aren’t things that can be checked off a to-do list, but they are productive. They are inwardly productive. What are you producing? You are producing a state of being that is worthy of accomplishment- a clear mind, relaxed focus, a pure and light heart, and all the other things that you imagine for your best self.

The end is inherent in the means.  It is not only WHAT you accomplish, but also HOW you accomplish it. How sweet will it feel when you accomplish your goals and you know that your soul is intact? That through your hard times you remained true to your highest self and your soul’s calling?

I think that maybe we could all do a little more dancing for the things we accomplish that aren’t so easy to see. Celebrate your growth. As we make the inner triumphs as important as the outer, we’ll be closer to the manifestation of our deepest wishes anyway. There are no guarantees, but your joy awaits you. What do you have to lose?