NIGHT PAGES

If you’ve read The Artist’s Way, you’re aware of something called the Morning Pages. In that process, you basically dump out whatever is in you for a few pages in the morning before starting your day. Sometimes nothing but junk comes out, sometimes you’re ranting and raving, and other times deep insights and creative ideas splash across the page.

The Night Pages have a different purpose. They are actually composed of a few written exercises, which you can do every night or pick one per night and rotate. The purpose of these pages is to focus on the good in your life; what you have, what you’re grateful for, what you are accomplishing.

These pages are intended to develop an Abundance Consciousness, an “I Have, I Can” state of mind versus “I Don’t Have, I Can’t.” As the ancient statement goes, “To he who has, more shall be given. To he who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away.”

A person with a mindset of having manifests more having, while a person with a mindset of not having manifests more not having. Another way to say it is “What you appreciate, appreciates.”

The Universal Computer doesn’t judge or question, it just reflects back what you program into it. That’s why you don’t want to use negative affirmations. A statement like “I am not an out-of-work actor” isn’t very effective, because the law focuses on the subject — “out-of-work actor” — and magnifies that.

The result is that you feel like you’re peddling uphill with the brakes on! So our goal with these pages is to build a consciousness that focuses on the good, the abundance then magnifies and multiplies that.

Appreciation Pages

This is where you write down everything you’re grateful for, no matter how seemingly insignificant. “I’m grateful for that breath I just took.” “I’m grateful that I ate today.” If this is your first time doing it, you might want to play catch up, reflecting back on your life and listing everything you’re thankful for.

This could take several nights, but it’ll be worth it. You may be walking around thinking your life is seriously lacking. But after doing this process, you’ll begin to see just how rich it really is. The ramifications of a perceptual shift like that are huge. This exercise alone can transform your life and career.

“What I Have” Pages

This is similar to the process above, however the focus is slightly different. On these pages, go through the four main dimensions — mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual — and write about all you have. For example, in the “physical” dimension of finances, if you only have two bucks in the bank, write “I have money in the bank.”

The universe doesn’t know the difference between two cents and two million. It only knows you have — and multiplies that consciousness. If you don’t have any money, focus on your money-making talents, “I have the ability to make money with my writing/acting/musical talents.” It may be hard to find the good in your life sometimes.

Keep looking and keep writing. There’s more abundance here than you can imagine.

“I Can” Pages

This exercise focuses on the active elements of your life, the proactive choices you can make in any circumstance to move your life forward. Let’s say you’re living in Wichita with no means to come to L.A. and start your show business career. You might find your mind focusing on all the things you “can’t” do. That’s human nature. It’s also a path to failure.

In this process, write down all the things you can do, no matter how insignificant. For example, if you’re a writer, you could say: “I can write a script; I can read books on how to succeed; I can send query letters to people in the business; I can submit my script after it’s finished; I can save up money for a trip out West.”

There are more things you can do than you realize. The tendency to focus on what we can’t do is usually procrastination in disguise. What is behind that is fear of failure. As long as we remain a victim of “I can’t” we can rationalize not going for it and risking rejection. But with this exercise, you’ll never have that excuse again. What’s more, as you focus on what you can do, divine guidance and right action will emerge to move you forward in ways you may have never imagined before!

These Night Pages are just a template. There are unlimited ways to achieve the same result. Let your creativity kick in. Maybe you want to draw pictures or create a collage. Maybe you want to write a song about all you have, all you can do, and how grateful you are — and sing it every night. Whatever your process is, trust it — and go for it!

Filling the Well

If you’re actively creating, you’ll need to regularly refill your creative well. I know you have a lifetime of material to work from, but you’ll still need to “sharpen the saw” as it says in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

You’ll need to take time to commune with your inner artist, connect with your spirit, and create a lifestyle that allows you to be fully alive — constantly seeking new insights, ideas, personal growth, and life experience. This can look like many things. But here are a few examples:

1. Study the collected works of Shakespeare, Homer, Plato
2. Learn about World History, Black History, the History of the Letter “A”
3. Take a road trip, hike in nature, go on some adventure that you normally wouldn’t do
4. If you don’t exercise, start. Join a bowling league, find a tennis partner
5. Go browsing in a used book store, smell the books, join a book club
6. Go to the movies, go to two in a row, have a movie marathon
7. Go to more parties and events if you’re an introvert; stay home if you go out a lot
8. Tell your parents how you really feel, give your children permission to do the same
9. Take a different route home, every day for a week
10. Quit a job you hate, get a job you love, take a risk, take a chance, take a leap of faith

 

As you can see, these ideas cover a lot of ground — and I’m sure there are many more you can think of. It’s not just about recharging your creative batteries, it’s about breaking out of old patterns, the inertia (and minutiae) of everyday living, getting outside the box, and being open to more and different experiences — setting in motion an alchemical process that can turn the dross of your everyday living into pure creative gold.

These last few issues have laid out the basic tools of an Enlightened Entertainer. You can add to your toolbox over time, or take something out. The key is to lay a foundation of stillness and connection (Meditation), clarity and vision (Visioning), Abundance Consciousness (Night Pages), and a fertile creative soul (Filling the Well) — all of which allow you to build your entertainment dreams on solid ground instead of shifting sands.

I’ll see you next month…

Until then, Stay Inspired!

To Your Soul Business Success!

Derek Rydall
Founder and President, EnlightenedEntertainer

www.EnlightenedEntertainer.com, derek@enlightenedentertainer.com

www.ScriptwriterCentral.com, derek@scriptwritercentral.com

© 2007 Derek Rydall

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