“I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” Before I get to the rest of this post, I’m calling shenanigans up front. If you say this to me, I will look at you like you have 5 heads with 7 eyes each. No, seriously. I will look at you like you are crazy. Let’s just dispel the common thinking that being creative means you have the ability to re-create the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Creativity can be expressed through the arts, but it can also be expressed through how you cultivate your career, how you serve your community and how you pursue your passion. Here are 7 ways to find, flex and strengthen your creative muscle.
- Believe In Yourself – Before you set out to build up your creative muscle, you have to believe that you can do it. Don’t set yourself up for failure before you start with negative self-talk.
- Make the Time – Work, family, organizations, church, etc. can fill your calendar with a long to-do list. Carve out time just to be creative. You would be surprised what you can do in just 15 minutes.
- Switch It Up – You take the same way to work, eat the same thing for breakfast, do the same exercises at the gym…Following the same routine day after day is BORING! When you switch it up, you open up the possibility of seeing something new that can spark a creative thought and lead to something awesome.
- Diversify – Is it comfortable to be around people who share some of your personality traits? Yes…and it also limits you and stagnates any hope of creativity. When you surround yourself with people who have different backgrounds and interests, it takes you out of your comfort zone…and that’s where growth begins.
- Be Open To Communicate – Create an environment of open communication and share your ideas with others. Some of the best ideas can be made better when you get feedback from other people. Don’t worry about someone taking your idea.
- Take Risks – Don’t worry about looking foolish or failing miserably. Worrying will keep you from trying something new. Innovation and fear cannot reside in the same place. Take the leap!
- Give Old Ideas a Makeover – Don’t fall into the trap of thinking creativity is doing something new ALL the time. Sometimes making a small change to existing idea can have a BIG impact.
What are you going to do to strengthen your creative muscle?
With love,
I agree wholeheartedly, innovation and fear cannot reside in the same place. FDR may have quoted nothing to fear but fear itself, but it’s the one thing that gets in the way of success. It has to be overcome. Well put.