Creativity: An Early Morning Discovery

I woke up at 4 a.m. and was not totally certain why. There is something powerful about the place between awake and asleep. It’s a time of discovery. A foggy-headed thought gradually became clear as I scribbled during my morning journaling routine.

Then it hit me – the answer to the question, “What is your most powerful resource?”

The most powerful resource you have as an entrepreneur is not money, connections or processes. The most powerful resource you and I have to grow our businesses, improve our life balance, and experience joy and happiness is creativity.

Aren’t you always engaged and energized when you’re creating?

As I continued reflecting, I realized that much of the stress in my life is related to how I want to control people or outcomes. My thoughts are about control! Do all of us have a little control freak in us or is that just me?

I realized in that moment how much time I spend obsessing about things that I know I can-not control. Anxiety and frustration in my life is connected with a brain pattern that has me wasting energy.

What if we spent energy on creativity instead of control?

I could start to exercise the mental muscles of creativity – creating joy in my business and personal relationships instead of wishing my friends and family would behave a certain way.

Anxious thoughts can be the bullies on the mental playground. Yet, we all seem to instinctively know that this is not a productive way to live. My belief is that we are designed to be creators and we are at our best when doing so.

Think about little children at play or adults who spend time on art, literature, music, or technology. In every aspect of our lives, we are drawn to creativity, and we admire it in others. It essentially makes the world go ‘round.

The business community is waking up to this reality.

Think about the articles you have recently read about companies that are encouraging space to create. They’re allowing for actual physical space that communicates the value of getting out of our mental and organizational ruts. Aren’t teams at their best when each member is given some level of autonomy to be creative?

But we live in a bland world in many ways, and in many workplaces, creativity is seen as threatening. This is because the modern company is about streamlining and consistency – no hiccups. Admittedly, groups of humans need guardrails, but what about when boundaries are too constricting?

Creativity, however, tends to be an underused muscle.

Our control muscle is usually strong. The good news is that developing the creativity muscle can be enjoyable. Even if you are a novice creative, you will experience positive results.

To grow my creativity, it was helpful to look at the task in small steps that could be practiced daily. Consider these:

1. Admit that most of my frustration comes from wanting to control outcomes

2. Start each day with the intention of being creative and creating something with others

3. Listen to others and search for solutions that I would not have created on my own

4. Be aware of my control “triggers” and practice creating a way to be positive in a frustrating situation

5. Remember to let go of the outcome, reminding myself that I am only in control of my reaction

As leaders, we need some level of control.

Whether we are leading a family or directing a company, we need to ensure our safety and well-being. I didn’t let my children play in the street as toddlers. As my children got older, I realized that the best gift to give them was to allow them to creatively navigate their lives without me trying to ensure outcomes. In that way, I respected them, reduced control, and encouraged their creativity.

Creativity is a muscle that requires daily exercise to become strong and effective. If we exercise this muscle, we will experience less stress and more enjoyment. We will stop trying to control the people around us and instead enjoy what comes through them – the creative spirit that makes our lives richer and more meaningful in every way.