TLDR:
Discover how the joy of creation surpasses consumption through a heartwarming story about making slime with my daughter. Learn why becoming a creator in all areas of life leads to abundance, positive energy, and stronger relationships.
What?
Yesterday I was hanging out at home playing with my daughter and I asked her what she wanted to do. The thing she picked was one of my least favorite ideas as a homeowner: making slime.
We have some rules about where slime goes in the house to protect the furniture. We already got one couch with a ruined arm from slime. But I reminded myself that this was all about her – this was her time, and I was going to get into it and do it and have fun together.
As we sat down and started mixing (I don’t know much about making slime), she pulled out this box full of different slimes she had made before. She showed me all the colors and explained why she liked each one – some with sparkles, some with little trinkets mixed inside.
I was surprised and asked, “How come you have so much slime? You’ve got slime coming out your ears! Don’t you have enough already?”
She simply replied, “I don’t know, it’s just fun to make.”
That’s when it clicked for me. I looked at her and said, “Oh, creating the slime is much more fun than actually having and using the slime.”
She smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s it.”
“Perfect,” I responded. “That’s exactly what we’re looking for.”
Why?
I’m sharing this story because it perfectly illustrates something I’ve talked about many times before: the importance of creation over consumption.
Through this simple moment with my daughter, I was reminded of this fundamental principle. The joy wasn’t in having lots of slime – it was in the act of creating it AND creating it with Daddy.
Initially my daughter wanted to go shopping for more supplies, what was she really seeking? The opportunity to create. And when we only had an hour before my other commitment started, she chose to make slime because the process of creation itself was what brought her joy. Creation, progress and learning.
Lesson
If we create more than we consume, we are creators. If we consume more than we create, we are takers, consumers who use up resources.
When we create, it gets our spirit flowing and our energy moving. Creation helps ourselves and helps other people. It promotes abundance, friendship, and all kinds of positive things.
I also noticed while making my little tiny slime how the consistency changes – how it sticks and then it doesn’t. When you get just the right mixture of activator, glue, color, fillers, and a little bit of lotion, you get the right combination and it doesn’t stick anymore.
This is like relationships – getting the right mixture of listening, hearing, touching, feeling, and being together creates a powerful and strong connection.
Apply
Be a creator. Be a creator of your life. Be a creator in your family. Be a creator in your business, your work, your profession, your vocation.
Learn, grow, and get better every day because we are better together.
Take inventory of your life – are you creating more than you’re consuming? Or are you stuck in consumption mode? Find small ways to shift toward creation each day, whether that’s making something with your hands, writing, building, designing, or simply creating meaningful moments with the people you love.
Tell me something new you’re going to create below in the comments.
Create More Than You Consume: Finding Joy in Creation
