Increase Your Creativity: Identify Its Number One Enemy

by Dan Goodwin

When we think how to improve or increase our creativity, often we tend to look at the things we COULD DO.

But what if we think about this from a different perspective?

Instead of looking at the things we could add to our lives to enable us to be the creative people we want to be, consider what we could take away, the things that stop us from being creative.

Put simply, what are the enemies of your creativity?

And following on from this, what is the NUMBER ONE ENEMY OF YOUR CREATIVITY, the one single thing that prevents you from being as creative as you want to be and have the potential to be?

As you’ll discover, this can be any one of a number of different things.

Maybe it’s a repeating habit or behaviour you have that you feel continually prevents you from being more creative?

Maybe you don’t ever feel you have the time to devote to your creative pursuits? You feel if only you had an extra hour each day, then your creativity would flow freely and abundantly?

Maybe you feel it’s an issue of space and environment? You don’t have a room or area that is just yours, somewhere you can go to and feel comfortable in, and be inspired, relaxed, energised, whatever it is you need to help you get in the right frame of mind to be at your creative best?

Or does it actually come down to a single limiting belief? The one thing that stops you from unlocking the true creative potential within you is simply that you don’t believe you ever WILL unlock it.

Or maybe, deep down, you don’t actually believe that you can be as creative as you want to be anyway. Or you don’t believe you can be as creative as you used to be, so you hold back to spare yourself from disappointment?

Whichever of these resonate with you, don’t be too hard on yourself, we all have these kind of obstacles!

The aim of this is to look at how we can begin to remove the blockages, not to blame, criticise or punish ourselves for not being more creative.

So, being completely honest with yourself, sit down with a pen and some paper and write out all the things that you feel limit your creativity, however large or small they seem.

Once you’ve done this, again being totally honest with yourself, identify the biggest single factor that hinders your creativity, the NUMBER ONE ENEMY OF YOUR CREATIVITY.

Now comes the part where you can really begin to see how much it is holding you back, and what it’s costing you. Write in as much depth as you can your thoughts on the following –

What would you be without the number one enemy of your creativity? What would happen if it simply could not exist, it was totally eliminated? What kind of person would you be? How would your creative output be different? How would your life be different?

Write out every detail possible. Now compare this to your life currently. Don’t you think it’s worth beginning to take steps to reduce the negative impact of your number one enemy?

Just identifying and writing down the things that hold us back is often the most difficult part. Once we can see what we’re dealing with - written down on the page in simple words - their impact is already reduced.

It’s the equivalent of seeing our enemy out in the open with a huge spotlight beaming down. Without any camouflage or disguise, we can see what we’re really dealing with. And, reassuringly, we usually realise that once out in the open, it’s actually far less daunting than when darting elusively around in the shadows of our thoughts...

So, what is the first thing YOU could do, the first step you could take in reducing the restrictive effect the number one enemy of your creativity has?

The sooner you begin putting this in place, the sooner your creative life can be how you want to be. Take this action TODAY and move a little closer to fulfilling your creative potential...

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© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com

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