3 simple tricks to unlocking your creative powers, and why we don’t do them most of the time.
Boosting your creative powers is nothing to be ashamed of.
There have been many articles written about creativity and I aim this one to not be one of those.
We all know by now creativity is highly important. We have seen coaching and training programs rise over the past years.
To avoid the discussion altogether whether creativity is important I let that one up to you. I know you know!
If you read on I assume you know creative thinking is the key to the future. And that we need creatives to come forward and share their greatness with the rest of the world. If you are a creative, just keep reading this one is for you!
NOW Let me ask you this question: If you knew a few simple tricks that would make your creativity explode would you make them?
To make my point I will give you three simple tricks that will boost your creativity. Simple? Easy to do? Sure!
I can hear you thinking — huh?
If these tricks are so easy to do and to follow why are so many people still struggling with ideas. Why are there so many people stuck? Why are there still many problems unsolved? Why is it that there are so many non-creative solutions out there that do not help at all?
Why is it that we find it hard to be creative?
Why is it that we aim to make and set out to change things? And still, get stuck.
40% of our behaviour is based on routines. That means that if we want to change our current behaviour we have to start with the existing routines, our habits.
Everybody can run
So while we can think these tricks may be easy. There is a catch.
This is a simple example. You see: Running is easy.
Running every day may not be so easy?
Sticking to a routine of running every day, in the rain, or heatwave, during winter or summer, is not very easy at all.
We — humans- are creatures of habits and our mind loves to keep us safe and secure.
Your mind will always play tricks on you. Make you choose not to run today.
make you choose not to do that new and unknown exercise.
Your mind will always keep you away from any uncertainty -this is what it does.
Be grateful for your mind working fine, but also be aware that this is going on.
The mind is designed to keep you out of any danger, to help you save energy by minimizing the efforts you have to make to do something.
The more complicated something you are trying to do is, the more your mind will complain and make you stop.
Hello Resistance
Resistance is human nature. resisting hard work is common and this is not your fault.
There are however a few things you can do to help you gain more control
help overcome this natural resistance force.
resistance comes in many shapes and forms.
The most common one is the excuses we hear.
Right in our head, we hear voices, voices that tell us what to do and what not to do.
picture yourself standing on a cliff.
Your toes are wrapped around the edge of the cliff. there is a wind and the wind gets stronger by the second. you start to feel a bit wobbly. Your inner voice will tell you to take a step back. To move away from the edge and to find a safe space to be. Fear will create the voices in your head.
the unknown situation _you never know what might happen- will transform your otherwise quite cheerful brain to seek a place to hide.
There are three things highly creative people do that we don’t.
These are their tricks. it is up to you if you know how to apply them. find a way to move them into your daily routine. see the trick here is not to learn how to be more creative. this might be what most creative training programs tell you. you are already highly creative, so forget about that.
The trick is to exercise your mind to not be spooked every time something new comes along.
to get your mind to relax. Make it more comfortable in uncomfortable situations.
Three creative boosters that can be applied immediately for great results.
1. Do not be afraid of the unknown!
Familiarity is not all that it is served up to be. It can be quite comfortable but also boring. Uncommon, is the new black dress. Comfort is highly overrated, and the idea of feeling comfortable is keeping you from doing great things. Comfort itself is just a mere illusion. it’s your mind not having to do much, that is what is comfortable.
A warm sweater when you are in the snow is comfortable. But a situation that requires you to do something, create something, react a certain way, has nothing to do with comfort. It’s your mind not willing to take any action. All the great explorers went out of their way to create unknown situations for themselves every day — to become more creative- to become more themselves- to explore- to discover new things. And if this is something you aspire to, this is the way to go.
2. Do not listen to the excuses you (may) hear in your head when you try out new things!
Wait — Not hearing anything? Then you ROCK. But if you are like 99% of the people, you will hear excuses. It may vary when they will enter your hear. it may vary when they pop up because we all have a different level of fear, anxiety or resistance. This is quite normal. Why don’t you try to find out what your limit is? What can you still do without hearing any voices?
can you draw an elephant?
Is this question alone making you hear excuses?
Give it a try and I am sure you will be amazed at what you will find?
3. Open up your heart.
Not sure what this means? An open heart… I will tell you! Most of us are very strict about what we like or not. We prefer some things and dislike others. This can be our taste or our fear of difference. I want to talk about the latter. different. This is an exercise of empathy. Gaining an open heart to new situations is crucial to boosting your creative mind.
I will tell you something that you already know but may never have heard in the context. Everybody is different. Somehow we think we are the same and we try to be the same. We try to make this true.
We dress alike as to not stand out. We try to think the same as we do not like to have a difference of opinion to other people. we even do the same things, since it makes our lives much easier.
Or so it seems!
When we are all very different and still try to do the same things it is highly unnatural and this fact alone is blocking our individual way of thinking, acting, creating on a large scale.
When we open our heart not only to our way of thinking, yes that is our way of thinking. You think in amazing ways!
When we are no longer afraid of what we think, we can also start to open up to what other people might be thinking.
If this is done on a large scale- things could change dramatically.
Just imagine — you would be no longer afraid of your opinion, your ideas, your thoughts or of your creativity.
If you master these three tricks, your creativity will become your strongest asset.
People will love you for your openness, your ability to share, for not being afraid of uncertain situations. just think of the impact it will have on your life and work.
If you need a personal cheer: let this be it…
Do not be scared, find little things that can make you move forward. Find the courage within yourself and please be kind. to yourself and others. This is the key.
Like I said this is not easy, but it can be done. Many creative rebels have gone before us and showed us how to overcome these seemingly simple obstacles and in doing so they THRIVED.
If this spoke to you, please give a clap or two. It will make me smile. Need to connect with your creative self, want to move into action after reading this.
XX Maurille
