Stop Running From Your Creative Nature
When you’re stuck and out of time, this is all you need to know.
You’ve had a goal for a long time. You know who you are and where you want to go, but you’re still stuck. Too much time has passed and you’re not where you want to be in your work and your life. Why does this keep happening? What’s the solution that will break the cycle? It’s simpler than you think, and it’s been right in front of you the whole time.
In fact, simplicity is part of the answer. You’re a creative person and you have a rare and powerful gift but have let it atrophy. You’ve fooled yourself into thinking that who you are — the talents and skills that come naturally to you — aren’t good enough. You seek out solutions that don’t fit your personality. You saw your friends and loved ones living comfortable, seemingly successful, lives, and your mind tricks you into believing that you should follow their path instead. So you worked traditional jobs — finance, real estate, law, engineering — and became a full-time cubicle monkey. But that path only ever made you unhappy. It inevitably led back to square one, feeling discontent and frustrated.
Now is your chance
You might be running out of time and financial runway, but you know this is the moment to take the leap. However, you’re still missing the answer — the clarity that will enable you to move forward. You’re afraid to take another step until you figure it out, but the clock continues to tick down. Soon, it may be too late.
In reality, it’s never too late. The past is a sunk cost, so let it go. Forget about the time you wasted, which isn’t a waste at all because it got you here, now. And you’re meant to be here. The struggle points to the answer if you are willing to listen.
And the answer you’re seeking is this: you had what you needed all along. Your gift — your creative talent, your unique way of thinking or seeing the world, your ability to write, speak, create — are your life raft to exit the sea of uncertainty. This gift is the essence of who you are, and it is rare. Your whole life, part of you believed you weren’t enough; therefore, your gifts weren’t marketable or special. They were a defective curse. They prevented you from being like everyone else, but you had it all wrong. Since your gifts are rare, they are incredibly valuable. It just requires the courage to embrace and use them.
You are not like everyone else
Stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. Work to harness your gifts and create flow instead of constantly fighting them. If you can just let go of the monkey mind — the constant voice of doubt — for an hour or two and just trust yourself to create, you can reconnect with that power again. It may come in fits and spurts at first, but you’ll quickly pick up momentum.
Forget about goals for a while. Instead, focus on creating an environment in which you can thrive on a regular basis. What about your daily lifestyle should change to create space to do the work you were meant to do? How should your day be structured? In your gut, you know the answer. Most people are only capable of 4–5 hours of solid productive work per day. Anything beyond that is a nice bonus. In fact, you might only be capable of two hours of truly creative work per day, and that is enough. Don’t force it. Find a time where you can silence all the distractions and just allow flow to happen. Forget about the outcomes; just focus on the process. Build a lifestyle where you are excited to create. You’ll jump out of bed each day with vigor.
Know your limits
Perfection is the enemy of progress. Forget about being perfect. Being good enough on a consistent basis will get you much further.
The truth is you’ve been trying to do too much, and all that pressure has kept you frozen in place. To be successful, just focus on the work that only you can do — the work that creates flow. Delegate, automate, and outsource the rest. You don’t want to spend time on that other stuff anyway. Find people who are better at those tasks than you are.
The key is not to expect more of yourself; it is to know your limits and work within them. If you don’t want to work hard, work smart instead. Let go of the roles that suck energy and enthusiasm, and embrace the roles that create them.
You’ll never be excellent at being who you’re not. You can only excel at being who you are, so be the best version of yourself. You had what you needed all along. Don’t fight it. Embrace it.
