I’m not the creative type. Have you uttered these words? Guess what, we are all the creative type and need to let that little light shine. Maybe you don’t wish to spend several hours of your day in creation mode. That’s okay. A little dab may do ya. Here’s why being creative leads to a happier, more meaningful existence.

You know when a new book by one of your favorite author’s is about to come out and it feels like Christmas is approaching? That is how I felt about the upcoming arrival of Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book, “Big Magic.” Well, me and anyone else who loves to write.

This book was going to tell us all about moving through writer’s block and willing up some inspiration. Right? “Big Magic,” which hit the stands last month, is actually more a handbook on living a fulfilled existence. For all of us.

We know that Gilbert can get philosophical. “Eat, Pray, Love” was a pretty deep journey of self discovery, no? So it should come as no surprise that she views inspiration, idea generation, and being creative on a rather cosmic level.

Those who steer clear of anything leaning toward woo-woo may be turned off by the thought of ideas as energy beings. In “Big Magic,” Gilbert shares her take on ideas as having a will of their own and desire to be made manifest in the world. And that if your idea is not brought to fruition in a reasonably timely manner, it will leave you and go to someone else who will make it happen.

Are you having a moment? Or maybe you are ready to quit reading now. Consider this…

All of those times you’ve seen a product or idea working in the world and said to yourself ‘That was my idea!’ you were probably right. It was your idea. Until you didn’t do it and the poor little idea was left no choice but to take up residency somewhere it would receive more attention and better care. You not only missed the opportunity to possibly see success with your idea, you missed out on the creation part.

So what is so important about being creative? Gilbert calls it courage. Taking the leap to do something you really want to do, big or small, is more interesting, fulfilling, and creates more meaning in life than letting fear get the best of you.

Who says we are living in fear? Back to those ideas that didn’t see the light of day. All of the notions let go of and desires tossed aside. What else was holding you back other than fear? As Gilbert maintains, fear and creativity go hand in hand.

You don’t have to create the next big best seller or become a famous artist or anything else so public or celeb status-y. It can be as simple as learning to bird watch or rock collect, taking a karate or piano class, whatever it is that trips your trigger or fires up your curiosity.

Taking these little leaps in life leads to learning, meeting new people, connecting with those you already know in a new way, and offering something up to the world.

The next time one of those ideas makes its way onto your radar, give in and see where it takes you. Take the leap and feel the magic.

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The woman in your Yogalates class explaining that the switch from coffee to green tea has changed her life – really “centered” her – she might have it. Your coworker who returned from a two-week service trip to Southeast Asia and promptly bought everyone in the office a copy of Three Cups of Tea – he’s probably got it too. Your friend who just replaced her perfectly serviceable Honda with a brand-new Prius definitely has Eat Pray Love Syndrome. You might have it too.

Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 memoir has received equal parts adulation and derision over the past few years, only some of which is deserved. The fact that it’s being adapted into a Julia Roberts vehicle seems cosmically perfect somehow, if by “perfect” you mean “absurdly self-indulgent.” Now – for a memoirist at least – self-indulgence isn’t necessarily a problem; most of the time it’s sort of the point. The problem isn’t Eat Pray Love itself so much as the way its philosophy is filleted and half-digested into a self-help-based approach to healthy and sustainable living.

The next logical step is – of course – turning the movie into a guided tour run by a Vegas-based “spiritual travel company.” Eat Pray Love Bali is a week-long vacation created by Spirit Quest Tours to “enjoy Bali the way [Gilbert] did, like a native,” offering carbon-offset flights, authentic Balinese prayer costumes (available for purchase), and palm-reading by Ketut Liyer, a prominent character from the book. “Don’t forget to bring your copy of Eat Pray Love for him to autograph,” the website’s authors helpfully suggest.

This doesn’t mean there’s something inherently wrong with going on vacation. Western-style tourism has thousands of both positive and negative repercussions, none of which are the point here. What’s disturbing about EPLB is the wide-scale production and packaging of Eat Pray Love syndrome, the idea that sudden insights can be planned and purchased, quantified and reproduced with the developing world serving as background scenery. Rather than considering how the conservation of resources can benefit the planet as a whole, we Westerners all too often merely shift from one method of consumption to another.

My new Balinese sari sure makes me feel enlightened, though and it looks great with my skin tone.

Image: eoinfinnyoga + blissology

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