I wanted to write this week about creativity and how it is not some mysterious gift bestowed on the chosen few, but something that we all have, it is who we are. An awful lot of people recently have said to me how they felt they would like to write a book……..but, they are not good enough, it’s not their skill set, it’s not who they are, they wouldn’t know how to start, they are not creative, and so the list goes on.
Wow, I thought, that is the easiest way to block your creativity.
If we start to label what we perceive as our weaknesses, then yes, we won’t ever do/be the person that we hope to be or do the things that we think are beyond us. Labels that we give ourselves, that others give us, that society gives us, can truly keep us stuck, they keep us from not even discovering the genius that is in each and everyone of us.
If we take onboard these labels such as being the perfect mother, partner, friend, business owner and so on, which sadly we all do such a lot, then how can creativity flow through us as it’s meant to? We are actually blocking it before it even has a chance to get started.
The one I hear the most is “I am not good enough”. Really? Is that true? Are you really not good enough to write a book, paint a picture, manage people, pass an exam, play a musical instrument, speak a foreign language…….are you really not good enough to do that?
Could it be that you have just not given it enough time and attention?
You see my belief is that whatever we give time and attention to improves – as simple as that. In fact, this is the only way to improve and if we want to get better at something, be it Pilates, writing, public speaking, relationship, healthy eating, we have to give our time and attention to learn how to get better at whatever it is we are wanting to improve.
We would all love to think there is some magical shortcut, some way of waking up and just being an amazing artist, a phenomenal business person, a speaker of 5 languages, but that is simply not going to happen for the vast majority of us. No matter where our gifts and talents lie, we need to practise, practise and practise, we need to give that area time and attention.
When we give something time and attention, our creativity is allowed to shine through. It radiates out of us for all to see and feel. Whether it is giving time and attention to your work, your health, your money, your relationships, hobbies, YOU. Whenever we do that, creativity flows and we improve.
We have it in us to improve at absolutely everything, the only thing really stopping us is whether WE think we can or not. Start from a place of knowing that we can improve in ALL areas. So, let’s loose those labels that are holding us back and instead put our focus on what we want and notice how, with a bit of time and attention, everything changes.