In the Harry Potter books and films, the main characters are often threatened by evil forces, in the form of both human and not so human entities such as Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Author J.K. Rowling says, “I feel very strongly that there is a move to sanitise literature because we’re trying to protect children, [...]
Playing most of his screen characters, Will Smith exudes assurance and confidence, but he admits, “I still doubt myself every single day. What people believe is my self-confidence is actually my reaction to fear.” [From my post Gifted and talented but with insecurity and low self esteem, and a longer quote in the post The [...]
Do you hold yourself back in order to get along, make others feel good, or for other reasons? Mary-Elaine Jacobsen, Psy.D. – author of The Gifted Adult – notes, “There are millions of unidentified individuals of high potential lost within the fabric of a society that seems to have issued an edict against knowing oneself, [...]
Fear of writing, fear of failing, fear of succeeding – fears of all sorts can keep us from pursuing our entrepreneurial passions and creative dreams. Author Milli Thornton describes a CPA who kept shutting off his dream to write: ‘He’s long wanted to write the story of his life as a fictional novel, but could [...]
Doing anything creative often brings up fears, anxieties, insecurities. Courage may be defined as going ahead in spite of those fears. And many creators not only live with fears, they welcome them. This photo is Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, running for safety after lighting gunpowder to create one of his drawings. “Why is it important,” [...]
“Call it avoidance, complacency, indecisiveness, stubborness or noncompliance. Whatever the term or definition, I have often tried to find some way to delay change or run in the opposite direction from it.” The challenge In her post Change and the HSP, from her blog Inside the Mind of a Highly Sensitive Person, Helen Akers takes [...]
Filmmaker Harrod Blank grew up in the isolated Santa Cruz mountains of California, without a TV and with only roosters and chickens for friends. At 16, driven by a desire to communicate who he is with others, he began decorating cars, beginning with his bland, white Volkswagen. The resulting car,”Oh My God,” introduced him to [...]
In his article The Keys to Self-Confidence, Brian Tracy gives an example of someone who overcame fear to “do what their hearts tell them to do” – here is an excerpt : One of greatest of all impressionist painters was a man named Paul Gauguin. He had a family and worked in the post office [...]
In this clip, Dick (Jim Carrey) is feeling exuberantly self-assured after getting a promotion, and sings “I Believe I Can Fly.” There are many variations of belief and attitudes that can keep us from “flying” and realizing our talents and dreams. In his article Facing the Enemies Within – Courage and Fear, Jim Rohn talks [...]
Einstein’s concept that “time is relative depending on your state of motion” had been explored by others, but “they were too confined by the dogmas of the day. “Einstein alone was impertinent enough to discard the notion of absolute time.” Walter Isaacson, who wrote the biography Einstein: His Life and Universe. Robert Ornstein, PhD, author [...]
One of the creativity-inspiring characters in her book The Nine Modern Day Muses is Audacity, as author Jill Badonsky explains: Audacity in the case of Muse creativity is not disrespect toward other mortals, or toward oneself. Audacity’s influence includes respect — yet this does not necessarily mean a positive public opinion is needed. In fact, [...]
Susan Boyle, 47, is a single woman from a small village in Scotland, and lives with her cat named Pebbles. She inspired and amazed a British talent show audience and judges, and YouTube viewers, with her singing performance. Here is a video and more news:
When something happens to us or we do something that can be called a failure, there are often ideas and feelings we attach to that experience, such as thinking we are lacking or insufficient, or have lost personal power or strength, or we call ourselves a person who does not succeed. So we may think [...]
Michael Angier on change, Brian Tracy on achievement, personal development, self improvement resources “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi’s famous advice is another reason to engage in personal development: to make this a better world, as well as improve ourselves. “Be the change..” may be a simple aphorism, [...]
Many creative people report feeling incompetent, inadequate and having low self esteem at times. But there are ways to shift those feelings. A number of film actors report they don’t watch their own movies. When you can be seen in close-ups on twenty foot high theater screens, it may be especially hard not to criticize [...]
We live in stressful times What with all the political rhetoric and economic disasters, there is plenty to trigger anxiety, on multiple levels. But we don’t have to live being driven by the alarm emotions of our primitive lizard brain. In her article Exceptional Times Call for Exceptional Pleasures (on the Positive Psychology News Daily [...]
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Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.
