4 Steps to Unlock Your Creativity & Feel More Inspired Every Day

1. 0:00 – 1:35

   Meet the Guest

   1. MRMel Robbins0:00

      When was the last time you felt creative? Not productive, not busy, creative. Well, if you haven't felt like that in a while, you're not alone. You and I live in a world that just moves way too fast. We're always scrolling and comparing and reacting. There's always something more important than making space for your own ideas, for your own feelings. No wonder you feel so disconnected. But you wanna know something? That creative part of you, it's not gone. It's been in there since you were born. It's connected to your intuition. Creativity is a way to tap into something deeper and more meaningful in your daily life, and today, we are gonna unleash it. And to help me do that, I'm joined by one of the most grounded, and fun, and inspiring, and creatively awake people I know, Phil Cook. Phil is a musician and a songwriter. He's played with Grammy Award-winning artists like Bonnie Raitt, he's produced award-winning gospel records, and he's released his own deeply personal albums. Phil is a walking reminder that creativity is human.

   2. PCPhil Cook1:01

      Your creativity hones your intuition, so you start to listen to your inner voice more. Most people, I think, want to know what that inner voice is when they feel lost. "Guide me." When we tap into our intuition, what we're really tapping into is a chance to know ourselves in a deeper way.

   3. MRMel Robbins1:19

      If some part of you knows there's more to life, there's more to you, there's more than what you're currently experiencing, well, this conversation today is for you. Phil and I are gonna help you tap back into it. [upbeat music]

2. 1:35 – 4:55

   How to Tune Into Your Intuition

   1. MRMel Robbins1:35

      Phil Cook-

   2. PCPhil Cook1:37

      [laughing]

   3. MRMel Robbins1:37

      ... I am so excited to welcome you to The Mel Robbins Podcast.

   4. PCPhil Cook1:42

      Thanks, Mel.

   5. MRMel Robbins1:43

      I already feel more creative and alive.

   6. PCPhil Cook1:45

      Hey, I feel very seen. Thank you.

   7. MRMel Robbins1:47

      You do?

   8. PCPhil Cook1:48

      Yeah, yeah.

   9. MRMel Robbins1:49

      You know, Phil, I want- I really wanted to talk to you about creativity because you are living it. You have a very creative life. Something about you and the way that you move through life awakens something in me, and I wanted to introduce you to the person who is here s- with us right now. They may be watching on YouTube, you might be taking a walk, or you're driving a car, and Phil and I are now sitting with you. And Phil, I'd love to have you tell the person who's with us right now, what could they experience in their life that might be different about how life feels? If they really take to heart everything that you're about to share with us today about creativity, about the lessons that you've learned by living a creative life, what could be different?

   10. PCPhil Cook2:43

       Life is hard, and painful, and beautiful, and we are all living in these human bodies, born into this world, and who knows how much time we have. So much is happening around us every single day, so much distraction, so much noise. Life gets, uh, fa- it's like fast-forwarding, right? And sometimes I feel like it's like our senses are this one big inhale of all this information year after year. And creativity allows us to exhale. Works hand in hand with intuition. Intuition is tied to our soul. Our soul, and our intuition, and our creativity all working together at the same time. The thing I wanna talk about today really is your intuition is a voice that's inside of you, that you can come to know this voice inside of you, and come to help you make decisions in your life, like tuning a guitar string to exactly the right pitch of you, you know? And your intuition and your creativity feed each other. Your intuition will, um, inform your creativity, and your creativity hones your intuition, so you start to listen to your inner voice more. Most people, I think, want to know what that inner voice is when they feel lost. "Guide me. Help guide me." So when we tap into our intuition, what we're really tapping into is a chance to know ourselves in a deeper way.

   11. MRMel Robbins4:23

       I love what you said about the exhale-

   12. PCPhil Cook4:25

       Exhale

   13. MRMel Robbins4:25

       ... that creativity is a way to exhale, and you are somebody who's made a living s- being creative, as a musician, as a producer-

   14. PCPhil Cook4:36

       Mm-hmm

   15. MRMel Robbins4:36

       ... as a writer, as, like, all the things that you do.

   16. PCPhil Cook4:41

       Mm-hmm.

   17. MRMel Robbins4:42

       But there's a very big difference between having a career that's creative and introducing creativity-

   18. PCPhil Cook4:50

       Mm

   19. MRMel Robbins4:50

       ... into your life, and you do-

   20. PCPhil Cook4:52

       Mm

   21. MRMel Robbins4:52

       ... both. It's not just a job.

   22. PCPhil Cook4:54

       Mm-hmm.

3. 4:55 – 8:12

   Embracing Your Inner Artist

   1. MRMel Robbins4:55

      You've infused a, this creative spirit into the way that you live your day-to-day life, and I love what you said, that decision making is just like tuning a guitar string-

   2. PCPhil Cook5:10

      Mm

   3. MRMel Robbins5:10

      ... because you're trying to hone in on what actually feels or sounds true for you. What do you say to the person who's listening-

   4. PCPhil Cook5:20

      Mm

   5. MRMel Robbins5:20

      ... who does not think they are creative at all? Like, "This is not a conversation for me. I, I don't know how to write a song. I'm not a good at drawing. I-

   6. PCPhil Cook5:28

      [laughing]

   7. MRMel Robbins5:29

      ... I'm not creative."

   8. PCPhil Cook5:30

      Oh, yeah.

   9. MRMel Robbins5:30

      What do you... Like, what do you say to that person?

   10. PCPhil Cook5:33

       Right. Well, well, well, let's go through the narratives. You wa- you watch somebody play a Be- a Beethoven piece, and you're just like, "Well, that'll never be me." Or like, "Oh, I tried once in elemente- elementary school," and, you know, somebody said an offhanded remark to you, and like, "Oh, I guess that's not for me. Oh, I shouldn't sing? Oh, I shouldn't sing." You know, people get these, like, microtraumas from childhood that they're like, "This is my story. It's never for me. It's never for me ever again." We need to break those narratives because here's the fact: on your way to work this morning-... a certain song came on, and you cranked that song. That's your song that you cranked. Maybe on your lunch break, you got a certain sandwich that just sent your taste buds afire, and you knew it right, 'cause it's your favorite sandwich in the whole world. Maybe your bathroom, you painted a certain color because you love that color yellow. You have information coming into you from your senses, preferences, things that call to you that you actually do love. When- and there's moments that guide all of us towards what the language of us can be. You can speak the language of you. You just have to pay attention to what it is that you notice about life coming in. What do you notice? What are the patterns that you kinda constantly see? There's a key in there to what you have inside of you to exhale in creativity. I simply want for you to make it through your life with a companion. It really is a companion.

   11. MRMel Robbins7:09

       What is a companion?

   12. PCPhil Cook7:12

       Your intuition and your creativity become something that can be like a light in the dark for you. In the cathedral that we each contain within ourselves, we get to explore this, and this is your way to actually explore it and come to know what it is that makes up what has always been about you and what will always be about you, and what there still is to discover. And all of us need a friend in times when it's, like, the loneliest times of life. And my, my hope for you, the listener, is that I can just encourage you to be worthy of taking on this deeper meaning and existence in your life that could even heal the wounds that you have in the process.

   13. MRMel Robbins7:58

       Well, what I'm getting from listening to you is that it's literally like the aliveness of life that flows into you and that can flow out of you. And that brings me to these four principles of creativity that

4. 8:12 – 19:14

   Principle #1: Shed the Weight of Expectations

   1. MRMel Robbins8:12

      we're gonna talk about, and the first one that you have is shed the weight of expectations. Now, what does that mean to you, Phil?

   2. PCPhil Cook8:20

      Shedding the weight is all about worthiness. People have access problems and stories about themselves that are incomplete and limiting. And my, you know, hunch is that most people don't realize how they're already being creative in their life, so many small ways. But to begin to see and hear and understand the language of you, gives you these clues that you have something to say. You can exhale this life, this experience.

   3. MRMel Robbins8:58

      You said that there are small ways that you're already being creative, and you don't even realize it.

   4. PCPhil Cook9:02

      Yeah.

   5. MRMel Robbins9:02

      What... Can you give me examples of that?

   6. PCPhil Cook9:04

      I'll give you an example. Um, okay, so a good example would be for me, if you, um, you know, it's Friday night, it's pizza night. Kids come home from school. You throw the pizza in the oven. You add certain things onto it because your oldest kid likes on half, and the o- the younger kid likes on half.

   7. MRMel Robbins9:24

      Yeah.

   8. PCPhil Cook9:24

      But you like the way that you, you kind of found a different way into it. So even just making a pizza that wasn't there before, you've learned how to make this thing, okay? And then you feed it to your kids. It was not there before, now it's here. Your kids', you know, hunger was not there before, it's here, and then it was satiated. You move on with your day. Maybe there's something that your grandma made for you when you were a kid, and that calls to you, and you decide you're gonna make that for your kids. That is the essential, quintessential version of creativity for me, is to take an existence- something from your existence and your past, in your, in, in your present. You roll it all into a ball, and then you just find a way to put it together in a way that makes sense for you. That can be as simple as that, you know?

   9. MRMel Robbins10:11

      As simple as making a pizza.

   10. PCPhil Cook10:12

       A- uh, making a BLT. Just the way that the lettuce is cut, the way these things happen, or the way that, um, you know... Maybe it's the way you tie a fishing line, just like your grandpa taught you, but you found a way to do it a little bit better, so it doesn't break quite as many times. Eh, you'll know it when you find it, because here's the thing: [exhales] it calls to you. Something is calling to you, okay, across space and time. I don't know what it is, but something is calling to you, and your creativity is in the middle of that. Something is calling to you, and you see it, uh, through your day, you see it through your years, and maybe it's, like, some certain, you know, uh... It could be like a wood carving. It could be something like, "Oh, I always wanted to work with wood. Oh, my gosh, I would love to do pottery someday. Oh, my gosh," you know, and but you've realized it's, like, but not, not surfing, not this. It's like you definitely know, like, "Oh, I really wanna take a pottery class." And why haven't you taken it yet is part of the story you're telling yourself.

   11. MRMel Robbins11:15

       And that's the shed the expectation.

   12. PCPhil Cook11:16

       Oh, yeah.

   13. MRMel Robbins11:16

       So is the expectation-

   14. PCPhil Cook11:18

       Oh, yeah

   15. MRMel Robbins11:18

       ... even the weight that you, you put on yourself, that, "I can't be creative. I can't do that," is that what you're talking about?

   16. PCPhil Cook11:26

       You know, w- talking about, like, you know, shed the expectations is like, understand how you are already living and breathing this life in, and you are already noticing certain patterns in life that you're hearing or you're seeing, certain things you prefer, you like. These are your guideposts. Let them come in. Start to name them, so you understand what they are, and then give these things to yourself in a way that like, is like, "Okay, here's some clues." Sit with yourself, you know? What is it that's calling? What is there- what is it that's calling to you through all of these things? Something is in there that's calling to you, and most listeners, you know what I'm talking about. There's stuff that you know what it is, and you haven't given it to yourself yet, and you've always wanted to do it, and there's, like, an inkling. There's something deeper inside. This is your intuition.

   17. MRMel Robbins12:14

       Could it be as simple-... as being, I don't know, somebody that, you know, I'm trying to think of a job where you're basically a walking Excel spreadsheet.

   18. PCPhil Cook12:24

       Mm-hmm.

   19. MRMel Robbins12:25

       Like, it's all about the numbers. It's all about everything lining up. You, you, you-

   20. PCPhil Cook12:28

       Mm

   21. MRMel Robbins12:28

       ... you consider yourself to be just one of those types of people that's not that-

   22. PCPhil Cook12:32

       Mm

   23. MRMel Robbins12:32

       ... creative, even though I think a job like that's very creative.

   24. PCPhil Cook12:34

       Mm-hmm.

   25. MRMel Robbins12:35

       But could it be just this impulse to wanna wear fun socks?

   26. PCPhil Cook12:42

       Oh, thank you for saying that so much, Mel. The thing is-

   27. MRMel Robbins12:46

       [laughing] Look at... He's lifting up his foot-

   28. PCPhil Cook12:48

       I do

   29. MRMel Robbins12:48

       ... on the table, and he's got-

   30. PCPhil Cook12:49

       Ah
5. 19:14 – 27:46

   Principle #2: Lower the Stakes

   1. MRMel Robbins19:14

      Principle number two, lower the stakes. Phil Cook, what does that mean?

   2. PCPhil Cook19:19

      Creativity and intuition are the language of your soul. I'm gonna speak on this level. This is how I talk. This is me, okay? This is where I've arrived in life. I talk on this level. I'll talk to, on this level to the person who I see outside the door, whoever is near me at any place. This is just the level that I wanna be at and operate and vibrate at.

   3. MRMel Robbins19:41

      Great.

   4. PCPhil Cook19:41

      So this is where I'm at, you know?

   5. MRMel Robbins19:43

      You know what I say.

   6. PCPhil Cook19:44

      Mm.

   7. MRMel Robbins19:44

      Let them.

   8. PCPhil Cook19:45

      Let them. This is the language of your soul. Your soul is... There's no one else in there. It's just you. You're the only one in there, Mel. I'm the only one in here. There's no one else in here with us, right? And it can be a scary place in here, you know? And that voice, you know that drill sergeant voice, when it starts rocketing down, you know, at you and telling you you're doing everything wrong, you're not good enough, and all these things, right? But we have to actually break things down and lower the stakes. How do we do that? In my, you know, in my humble opinion, like, we just have to understand that this is our realm. It doesn't belong to the same time and space that our society is pressing upon us at all times, okay? This is your realm. This is the language of you. This is a place where you belong to you, okay? And in that realm, you assign the values. You have to assign your own value to what it is, nobody else's value.

   9. MRMel Robbins20:41

      And here's the thing about creativity, and I... You may disagree. We get so up in our heads, and I think the reason why we do is because when I hear the word creativity, I think about the output of the thing, and then I immediately think about how other people are gonna react to it. And for me, when I-- when you told me that one of your principles is lowering the stakes, I started to think a lot about the fact m- a lot of us edit ourselves, and we tell ourselves we're not creative-

   10. PCPhil Cook21:17

       Mm

   11. MRMel Robbins21:17

       ... because we think what we're gonna make sucks.

   12. PCPhil Cook21:19

       Mm-hmm.

   13. MRMel Robbins21:20

       And that's not the way to think about this, as I'm listening to you.

   14. PCPhil Cook21:24

       Mm-hmm.

   15. MRMel Robbins21:25

       That creativity has nothing to do with the physical object or the song or the painting or what other people are going to do in reaction to it. Creativity, and the purpose of it, is for something inside of you to come alive.

   16. PCPhil Cook21:44

       Mm.

   17. MRMel Robbins21:44

       And so lowering the stakes for me sounds a little bit like this: It's not that deep. It's not that deep, Mel. [laughing] We're literally talking about allowing yourself to play the piano-

   18. PCPhil Cook21:54

       Mm

   19. MRMel Robbins21:55

       ... or to wear funky underwear, which now I feel like I need to go out and buy crazy underwear-

   20. PCPhil Cook21:59

       Me too, 100%

   21. MRMel Robbins21:59

       ... just to, like, have a funny little secret that makes you feel a little bit more-

   22. PCPhil Cook22:03

       I'm gonna wear them over my jeans.

   23. MRMel Robbins22:04

       Over your jeans. [laughing]

   24. PCPhil Cook22:07

       Out loud. Out loud.

   25. MRMel Robbins22:09

       [laughing] Well, you know what's interesting about that? Is that-

   26. PCPhil Cook22:14

       [chuckles]

   27. MRMel Robbins22:14

       ... if it's not that deep, and you're lowering the stakes, you're like, can you imagine what a day would look like if you came downstairs in your house, just for the fun of it, because you heard Phil Cook make a joke, and you're like, "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna, I'm gonna shake up my family on a Monday morning."

   28. PCPhil Cook22:29

       Oh, yeah.

   29. MRMel Robbins22:29

       "I'm gonna come downstairs with a s- like, just a really serious look on my face, and I'm gonna have a pair of, like, printed Speedo underwear-

   30. PCPhil Cook22:38

       Right
6. 27:46 – 37:00

   Principle #3: Bring Yourself to the Work

   1. MRMel Robbins27:46

      Your third principle is bring yourself to work. What does that mean?

   2. PCPhil Cook27:48

      Oh, my gosh. Well, for example, uh, my career is all about music. My bringing myself to the work obviously can mean spending time at the piano every day, spending time with an instrument. It's bringing yourself to the altar where you are spending time with yourself and developing, right? But, you know, for me, I mean, let's look at this real quick.

   3. MRMel Robbins28:09

      He's got a tray of rocks, everybody.

   4. PCPhil Cook28:10

      Okay.

   5. MRMel Robbins28:10

      He's got rocks and things. What is it? What is this? What-

   6. PCPhil Cook28:13

      This is not work to me-

   7. MRMel Robbins28:14

      [laughing]

   8. PCPhil Cook28:14

      ... which I love so much, okay?

   9. MRMel Robbins28:16

      Okay. [laughing]

   10. PCPhil Cook28:16

       Here's the thing. Here's the thing. I'm clumsy. [chuckles] Like, I have... Like, I always like to say, my gross motor skills are gross. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, gross.

   11. MRMel Robbins28:26

       [laughing]

   12. PCPhil Cook28:26

       Like, I, of my life, I trip and fall in public. I, like, I, I, like... I look around, and I'm like, "Oh, man, am I the only person that trips this much in public?" I drop things when I'm carrying two things. Like, I've always been clumsy, [chuckles] so I have to look down when I walk.

   13. MRMel Robbins28:40

       Okay.

   14. PCPhil Cook28:40

       Okay? This is my limitation. I've realized this about myself. One of my limitations is I'm clumsy, so I have to look down so I don't trip on things. But when I, in the process of that, I started noticing rocks. You know what I mean? [chuckles] 'Cause I'm looking down all the time. So, uh, so it's funny, like, when we assign a value... Like, I just, like, don't know why I pick certain rocks up, but I'm just like, "Okay, here we are. I'm somewhere. I'm somewhere out. Maybe I'm in Lake Superior." And I find, "Oh, here's a rock that has a perfect stripe on it. Oh, my gosh, I love that stripe. Look at it. I don't know why I do. Gosh, I... That's a great stripe in there. Oh, here's another one." I have a whole three windowsills in my house right now that are filled with just rocks that have stripes. This is the one I got. This is yours, Mel, actually. This is the one I got for you.

   15. MRMel Robbins29:22

       Is that a heart?

   16. PCPhil Cook29:23

       Mm, sure.

   17. MRMel Robbins29:24

       Yes!

   18. PCPhil Cook29:25

       There it is, right there.

   19. MRMel Robbins29:25

       It is a heart.

   20. PCPhil Cook29:26

       It's all in how you see it, Mel.

   21. MRMel Robbins29:27

       That's right.

   22. PCPhil Cook29:27

       Hundred percent.

   23. MRMel Robbins29:27

       You twisted it, and now it's a heart.

   24. PCPhil Cook29:29

       Exactly. And I don't know the names of these things. This is just my intuition, but in my, in my realm with, like, just picking up rocks, I just decided that I v- I value these different things, and, like, I like how they look. I like how they feel. I surround myself in my house with them, and I realize over time how much that means to me to just be, have all these rocks around me that I'm like, "Oh, these are all, like, millions of years old, way older than anything I'm ever gonna understand in my life." There's something in there, right? And after I die and I'm gone away, someone will probably throw these on the ground, and they'll just be rocks again.

   25. MRMel Robbins30:00

       Well, you know what? They weren't for them.

   26. PCPhil Cook30:02

       You know?

   27. MRMel Robbins30:02

       They were for you.

   28. PCPhil Cook30:03

       Maybe, well-

   29. MRMel Robbins30:03

       And this is what I wanna say about this, okay?

   30. PCPhil Cook30:06

       Mm-hmm.
7. 37:00 – 48:54

   Principle #4: Find Your Sanctuary

   1. PCPhil Cook37:00

      needs it.

   2. MRMel Robbins37:00

      You know, you mentioned actually the fourth principle. You mentioned the word sanctuary.... find a sanctuary for your creativity. What, what does that even mean, and how does the person who's been listening, and laughing, and starting to come alive as they're thinking about wearing their underwear over their pants [laughing] and finding rocks on the beach, and walking up to the piano, or-

   3. PCPhil Cook37:24

      Yeah

   4. MRMel Robbins37:25

      ... just, like, having more fun or starting to write or color again, what does finding your sanctuary mean?

   5. PCPhil Cook37:33

      Mm. Sanctuary is a place where the world falls away. And what that means to you is what it means to you.

   6. MRMel Robbins37:44

      Mm.

   7. PCPhil Cook37:44

      It's just a place that you find the world falls away. It could be while you're cooking, you know? It could be while you're just taking a walk. It could be that song that you know, and you put it on, nothing else is happening in the world. Nothing else. It doesn't matter, you're singing along, you're one with it, you're in your thing, you're flowing, you're in the- you're in your space. You're safe. Even if it's three minutes, even if it's your car. Sanctuary can be a rock in your pocket that just brings you back to a time where you just... Something was really important and meaningful in your life, and when you touch it, you realize, like, "Okay, I'm gonna get through this." Sanctuaries everywhere, all around us, all the time. You just have to find and notice what yours is, and then start to explore what it is. Start to explore your sanctuary. It can be made out of, you know, all the things that you like, all the rocks, all the things, all the wood, all the jokes you have. You surround yourself by these things and understand, like, this is you belonging to you. I belong to striped rocks.

   8. MRMel Robbins38:48

      [laughing]

   9. PCPhil Cook38:48

      I belong to Curtis Mayfield's voice, you know? I belong to northern Wisconsin and the lakes. I belong to fireside conversations with deep chosen family and friends. These are the things that I belong to. These are all my sanctuary. So practicing these means you're building the thing that is safe from outside intrusion.

   10. MRMel Robbins39:12

       Phil, that is so beautiful, and I, I wanna offer up a couple examples because I love that you said it's all around you, and it's something that you need, and it's something that you can take with you. And so for me, as you were describing the various things, I started thinking about the walk that I take my dogs on. I started thinking about the place that I like to sit at home-

   11. PCPhil Cook39:35

       Mm-hmm

   12. MRMel Robbins39:35

       ... underneath this cover in my favorite old Adirondack chair. And I started thinking about, um... I don't know why I'm crying, but I feel- I- [laughing] I-

   13. PCPhil Cook39:48

       It's there.

   14. MRMel Robbins39:48

       Yeah, because it's there.

   15. PCPhil Cook39:49

       Yeah.

   16. MRMel Robbins39:49

       I'm thinking about, like, just being out in the garden.

   17. PCPhil Cook39:51

       Mm.

   18. MRMel Robbins39:51

       I love to just walk around. It sounds kinda dumb, but it isn't-

   19. PCPhil Cook39:56

       It's so good

   20. MRMel Robbins39:56

       ... and just look, "Okay, what came up today? What little weed is growing to- let me pull that out. Let me admire the flower that's starting to open." There's millions of places, in front of a fire, reading a book. Like, if you really start to think about this-

   21. PCPhil Cook40:10

       Mm

   22. MRMel Robbins40:10

       ... there are places where this happens for you. And what you're saying in terms of tapping into and unlocking the force of creativity and intuition in your life, is it paying attention to those places, and spaces, and times of day, or the thing on the shelf, or the photo of somebody that really allows you to stop and exhale?

   23. PCPhil Cook40:40

       Mm.

   24. MRMel Robbins40:40

       That's what you mean by sanctuary. You don't have to create anything there.

   25. PCPhil Cook40:44

       You don't need an altar. You just have to realize it's, it's in here. It's in here where you're trying to build, you know? This is where you find yourself over and over again and where you meet yourself fully.

   26. MRMel Robbins40:57

       How do you think the person listening or watching right now could go about this? Like, what would you say if so- if somebody's never thought about this? I mean, I kinda believe that even as you're hearing us share what we're sharing-

   27. PCPhil Cook41:10

       Mm-hmm

   28. MRMel Robbins41:10

       ... that there's something inside you, that guitar string is-

   29. PCPhil Cook41:14

       Mm

   30. MRMel Robbins41:14

       ... starting to shake a little, like you're starting to attune to what you're saying. So I think you do know, but if you were to give somebody just a simple thing to do, what would it be in order to start to find that sanctuary, that place for you, where the world drops away?
8. 48:54 – 55:11

   Creativity Is Healing

   1. MRMel Robbins48:54

      I would love, Phil, for you to speak directly to the person who has been with us, and if they take one action out of everything-... that you have shared today, what do you think the most important thing to do is?

   2. PCPhil Cook49:21

      Know that you belong to you. Know that there's nobody else in there, and if you can find a way to talk to yourself and give yourself what you need, like a, like a, like a friend, be that to yourself. That there's so much in store, the depth, not the quantity, the quality of your life, your, your inner world and these things. We go to therapy, these are helpful. We meditate, and we go for runs, but there's a different expression. Our soul longs for things that are older than we know, and we can participate in this life in a way that really tells a story, why we're here, what we're doing here, you know? In a way for others to know, in a way for others to feel. And you paying attention to your inner voice and coming to know what that is through creativity and knowing that you already are, in your own way, you already are, you know, allows you to be a part of that story in a way that you will ultimately understand in some way. And in some ways, you won't, and that's what's so beautiful about it because you know not the seeds you plant when you say yes to you, you know?

   3. MRMel Robbins50:43

      I'll tell you what I'm gonna do.

   4. PCPhil Cook50:44

      Uh-huh.

   5. MRMel Robbins50:45

      Well, first of all, I'm gonna take my worry whittle-

   6. PCPhil Cook50:48

      My worry stick

   7. MRMel Robbins50:49

      ... wood. My-

   8. PCPhil Cook50:50

      Call it the worry stick.

   9. MRMel Robbins50:50

      My worry stick. [chuckles] Okay, it's called a worry stick.

   10. PCPhil Cook50:52

       [chuckles]

   11. MRMel Robbins50:52

       I'm gonna take my Phil's worried- worry stick, [chuckles] I'm gonna stick it in my pocket, and then I'm gonna go out to my favorite place to walk-

   12. PCPhil Cook51:01

       Mm-hmm

   13. MRMel Robbins51:01

       ... and I'm gonna look for a striped stone.

   14. PCPhil Cook51:03

       Yeah.

   15. MRMel Robbins51:04

       And when I see-

   16. PCPhil Cook51:04

       Find it

   17. MRMel Robbins51:04

       ... a stone with a stripe in it, I'm going to pick it up and put it in my pocket next to-

   18. PCPhil Cook51:09

       Mm

   19. MRMel Robbins51:09

       ... my worry stick.

   20. PCPhil Cook51:10

       Yeah.

   21. MRMel Robbins51:10

       And I am going to put it somewhere that I'm gonna see, probably my bedside table-

   22. PCPhil Cook51:14

       Mm

   23. MRMel Robbins51:14

       ... every single day.

   24. PCPhil Cook51:15

       Yeah.

   25. MRMel Robbins51:15

       And I'm gonna have that striped rock be a reminder of you, Phil-

   26. PCPhil Cook51:19

       Mm

   27. MRMel Robbins51:20

       ... and a reminder that I am a creative person.

   28. PCPhil Cook51:24

       Mm-hmm.

   29. MRMel Robbins51:25

       I will never, ever look at creativity the same way-

   30. PCPhil Cook51:32

       Mm

Episode duration: 55:11