Instant reward comes from completing a check list. Give me a list of tasks and I’m an expert at ticking the boxes as I move from one to the next. But this is the easy work of instant gratification. I simply put one foot in front of the other and the job is done. The real challenge is to make something new.
Each week I face my keyboard and monitor with an invitation to inspire you, the reader, to expand into a bigger idea of your life. There are no guidelines to follow and no prescription to fulfill. I am left with only the whirl of my thoughts and ideas as they spin through my mind.
For those who know me, you will know that I can be easily distracted. When faced with this hard work of creative expression, sometimes it takes all the strength I can muster to keep my fingers tap-tap-tapping, allowing my stream of consciousness to fill the page.
This topic of creativity is particularly relevant for me today, as I have the direct contrast of yesterday to compare it with, where I spent 11 hours putting together expenditure receipts for my tax audit. This, versus today, where I am writing my e-column. For some, sorting through receipts seems impossible, but honestly, to me it is just a step-by-step process… "get ‘r done"! After almost two months away from the habit of creative work, however, I find myself staring at the blank page on my screen asking, “What words of wisdom do I have to share?”
Creativity, it seems to me, is the harder work. It is an invitation to make something new and different. This is the foundation of the Science of Mind philosophy I teach and share: If we want a new experience, we need to take a new approach.
Try this simple experiment: Cross your arms in front of your body. Notice which arm is on top, which fingers are pointing down, and which are pointing up. Now, switch to the opposite. How does it feel? If you are like me, you feel awkward and out of balance. You want to go back and cross your ‘natural’ way.
This demonstration exemplifies the challenge of stepping into the unfamiliar and innovative. If we want to experience a new life, a different way of being - if we want a transformed world - it’s up to each of us to make the changes required for that experience. This takes determination and trust.
Where to begin is often the first hurdle. The majority of us have been schooled to do what we’re told, within the parameters of expectations. (“Don’t colour outside the lines!”) Pushing past this conditioning can be challenging. I recommend beginning with simple changes like working in new locations (cafes, parks or even just different rooms in your own home). Try travelling to new places, even if just for a day trip. I often just change the direction in which I hand wash my dishes, from 'wash right, rinse and dry left', to the other way around.
Awkward? Yes, but, is pivoting and exploring new innovations important? Absolutely! Especially in today’s environment.
Creativity demands that we step out of our comfort zones and embrace the awkward and unfamiliar. It's about trusting that inner voice that whispers, "Go this way." I believe — no, I know —that as each of us chooses to do this tougher creative work, as we dare to share our unique expressions with the world, we unlock lives in which we truly flourish. We discover levels of wellness, authentic self-expression and personal empowerment that we never even knew existed.
Here are the side effects of our courage to be creative: empowered individuals make better decisions - for themselves, and for our collective future. Your creativity, your willingness to colour outside the lines, has the power to transform your life and the world around you. So, I challenge you: start small if you must, but start today. Change your routine, explore a new hobby, or simply look at a familiar problem from a different angle.
Remember, the view is spectacular once you learn to fly. And trust me, the exhilaration of that first creative flight is worth every moment of awkwardness it took to get there. Your unique journey awaits—reach beyond your boundaries, grow in ways that scare you a little, and spread those creative wings. Embrace it, and soar.
Inspired by Seth Godin’s blog, Decisions as Effort: https://archive.feedblitz.com/1081591/~18064666