*Creativity is an act of faith. Believing mirrors give us faith in our faith.*
Julia Cameron writes about “believing mirrors” in her book Finding
Water. These are people in your life that are gifted, interesting, and
generous. They are sincere and optimistic and bring optimism and hope to you.So who are your believing mirrors? Who are you a believer in?
Of course, you would expect a mother to be encouraging to her daughter, but my relationship with my mom is something else. It's more of a friendship now than a mother/daughter relationship, and it's nice to know I have that person in my life to talk to and spend time with. She has seen my best and worst, and still loves me. It's nice to have that.
My friend Chris is a constant source of encouragement, positive energy, and generosity. Just hearing his voice or seeing his name in my inbox brings a smile to my face. We are truly soul mates, not in the romantic sense of the word, but in an even better way. Chris knows me and he is fully aware that I have a tendency to embrace a project and let it consume me. He also knows that I will do everything I can to finish that project, but that I will always begin several others while still working on the first one. He is always so positive about my (sometimes) crazy projects, and even says he admires my adventurous spirit. By believing in me so completely, he helps me to believe in myself.
Another constant source of encouragement is Marcus, who always makes me laugh. I can be having the worst day ever, and then I'll get an IM from him or my phone will ring and I will be laughing in less than a minute. We work for the same company, so if I'm having problems in that arena, he always knows about it and can always offer advice. He is a cheerleader for my professional abilities. On the rare days when I feel like I have no more expertise than someone who has never even heard of public relations, he reminds me that I'm good at my job. Even when I don't need advice or encouragement, he's great to talk to, and always provides lots of reasons to laugh!
I have a few online friends like this as well, and one in particular should not be left out of this! Devon and I started communicating because of NaNoWriMo, and we have continued to read each other's blogs and comment on them. With my writing especially, Devon has been a great source of encouragement and a huge influence. I have learned so much from her blog and her comments on my blog, and I will always be grateful that she takes time out of an incredibly busy schedule to mentor me as a writer. I love reading about her life and her writing. It makes me want to write more and really encourages me to look at my writing as more than just a hobby. She knows so much about such a wide variety of topics and can comment on pretty much everything! I have no idea why such an amazing and accomplished person is reading my blog and commenting on it, but everytime I get a message from her, I am happy to read it and I always take what she says to heart. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Devon because she has really been an inspiration to me!
The second question is a little more difficult. It is natural for me to believe in people. It's part of my personality. I believe in all the people listed above, that their talents and abilities are wonderful, and that they will continue to do great things with their lives. Someone not listed above, but who is a person I truly believe in with all my heart is Rhea. We have known each other for about 20 years now, and have been best friends for about 15 of those years. We have our ups and downs as friends, but I know that she is aware that I consider more a sister than a friend. I believe in her talents and her abilities. I believe in her intelligence and her creativity. I know that she can accomplish anything she wants to accomplish, as long as she decides it is worth going after with her whole heart and mind. I believe great things are in store for her, and that she will overcome all obstacles and win out in the end. She is a strong, beautiful, intelligent person who will not just survive, but will thrive. If only she would believe it, too.
Those questions were great! They really made me think about my relationships with people. I can't wait to read what the others have written!
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