Cassie Mendoza-Jones author Love What You Create Writing Creativity workshop

You get in the bowl

There’s an ad on TV that I laugh at, every. single. time.

It’s for M&Ms: a woman is lying on a couch, and asks her partner if he’ll get her a snack.

He goes to the cupboard, and as he opens the door, he gets hit by all manner of snacks being thrown in his face.

The screen cuts to the inside of the cupboard, where several giant, cartoony M&Ms are at the ready—snacks in hand—to hit their target again.

In a flat tone, as if this is a frequent occurrence, the guy says ‘Get in the bowl.’

One of the M&Ms replies with ‘You get in the bowl.’

I’ve seen this ad countless times, and I never fail to laugh out loud when I watch it (I also just laughed when I wrote it!).

My husband laughs at me, because of how much I laugh when I see it.

It’s not a unique quip; in fact, it’s probably said in homes with teenagers, and mumbled under the breaths of thousands of unhappy employees every day, when asked to do something they don’t want to do.

Mum: ‘You better clean your room today, Jack!’

Jack *shouting*: ‘You better clean my room!’

Boss: ‘Please finish that report for me today, Sally.’

Sally *mumbling quietly*: ‘You finish that report.’

And yet…it’s hilarious, because of the simplicity, and the delivery.

The ad company made it their own. They didn’t overcomplicate it. They didn’t try to make it fancier than it was. They didn’t even try to do something no one has ever done before. They just did it their way, and it’s brilliant.

It’s a beautiful lesson and reminder that while sometimes it’s important to ‘go big or go home’, simple is amazing too.

You don’t need to make ‘reinvent the wheel’ one of your goals in what you’re creating.

I’ve worked with clients who’ve said they want to do something no one has ever done before, and I gently guide them to focus within, first and foremost.

Focus on your own voice, your own skills, gifts, talents, path and light; that’s how you’ll create something that is brilliant.

When you’re constantly focused on creating something no one has created before, you’re chasing something that’s completely external to you.

Of course, if you work in tech or science, this is part of your status quo; you’re seeking new ways forward, discoveries and breakthroughs.

But you have to be coming at this—at whatever you create—with passion and heart first. Because only then can you create what you love, put in the hours, deepen your work, and invite others along on the journey with you.

It doesn’t have to be perfect for you to love it; for it to be helpful; for it to make someone’s day; for it to heal your heart; for it to make you happy.

Chasing ‘uniqueness’ for the sake of being difference is like chasing the money for the sake of being wealthy. It’ll be so much sweeter, and you’ll be so much more grateful for it, when you approach it with heart and soul. Chase your dreams, your way. Just don’t worry about whether it’s ‘unique’ or not (as long as you’re not actively copying someone else!).

By chasing uniqueness for the sake of being different, if you’re heart’s not truly in it, or if you’re lacking confidence in yourself and your abilities, you’re focusing your intention, energy and awareness on the wrong thing; you’re trying to navigate waters by hoping no one’s been there before you, instead of focusing on how you can allow your path ahead to feel aligned, and right, and true for you.

If you’d like some support, motivation and encouragement to do just that—blended with energy alignment work, strategy and calling on your soul-based gifts—then I’d love to invite you to join me for my Love What You Create Workshop.

After joining me for Love What You Create, you will:

Have started (or continued to work on) your next writing or creative project, after having brainstormed it during the workshop and received personalised feedback and advice from me too.
Have set your writing, creative and business goals for the next few months, gotten clear on why you feel drawn to these goals, and cleared any stress or blocks around them.
Have a really clear idea of what you’ll be creating over the next year (without being rigid in your expectations or goals).
Have a much deeper understanding of how to write and create your next thing (book, ebook, ecourse, project etc.) with creative clarity, freedom and joy, instead of always feeling overwhelmed, under-prepared or not good enough.
Have connected with a bunch of other wonderful creatives who will cheer you on and support you in your writing, creative and business endeavours.
Know that your work is good enough and feel so much more confident about releasing it into the world.
Feel really clear on how to build your business with more flow, and less force.
Feel so much more confident in how to fully and truly express yourself using your own voice.
Allow yourself to stand in your power, back yourself, and do the work that really, truly, lights you up.
Know that you can open up to finding your own inspiration and step fully onto your own writing, creative and business journey (comparisonitis, be gone!).Feel safe, grounded and confident in how to build your business with words and heart, ease-filled-diligence and devotion, and a lot of flow.
And holy moly, so much more.

‘Love your material. Nothing frightens the inner critic more

than the writer who loves her work.’

– Allegra Goodman