If you want to be creative, you must be comfortable with what you do not know.
Because that is where your creative ideas are going to come from.
And even if you don't know what you are doing, that is okay.
Creativity doesn't require you to know what you are doing.
It requires you to be real with yourself, to challenge yourself, to get out of your safe zone,
to be vulnerable, and to think differently.
To develop your creative muscles, do the following.
Be open to new things. When it comes to creativity, do not be scared to mess up.
If you are scared of making a mistake, then you are not going to get better at
what you do. Do not settle for the known. Because that is not where your growth is
going to come from. We grow when we challenge ourselves, when we do new things,
when we master new things. In his book Decoding Greatness: How The Best in The World Reverse
Engineer Success, Ron Friedman writes, 'Creativity comes from blending ideas, not isolation.''
That is why you shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. Why? Because you can't put new things
together without making one or two mistakes. When it happens, be comfortable with it. Do not beat yourself up over it.
Get out of your comfort zone. You have done it all. You know it all. Now is the time to try new
things, things that will challenge your brain muscles, your brain cells. Instead of doing one thing over
and over again, why not try something different. Instead of working with the same people, if it is possible,
why not work with other people? According to Ron Friedman, 'Instead of enjoying the comfort of working with the same team of colleagues, no matter how successful you might be, if you're looking to produce
creative work, it pays to seek out new team members every new projects.'' When you do that, you will have
the opportunity to know how they work, how they think, and where they are going. As the old saying goes,
Two are better than one.''
'You need clear objectives.' If you want to improve yourself, you need clear objectives. Your journey
will be faster if you know what you want. To quote Ron Friedman, 'If you want to develop expertise,
you need clear objectives, immediate feedback, and lots of repetition.'' If you want to improve yourself,
you must practice every day.
You can create your own life on your own terms.
And the best life to live is your own life.
You can live it. Do not let anybody tell you that you
can't create your own life. Of course, you can.
To start, you can start with the following strategies, according to
Paul Napper and Anthony Rao, PhDs.
Never stop learning. ''... to be an effective learner, you need to adjust
or at times suspend your opinions and personal beliefs,
sometimes even deeply held ones , to position yourself to learn.''
You can't learn if all you know is yourself. To learn, you must be present.
Learn how to 'manage your exposure'
''Managing your exposure to external stimuli will increase the quality
of your thinking, the quality of your judgment, and the quality of your life overall.''
Spend time with quality people.
Yes, with quality people. You need it. Why is that?
According to Napper & Rao, ''Spending time with empathetic,
optimistic, open-minded people and weeding out those
who have opposite qualities will boost your mood, elevate your motivation,
and improve your health.'' Life is short. So make sure you are
spending quality time with quality people. It is good for your dreams.
It is good for your life. And it is good for your happiness.
Manage your emotions.
If you want to enjoy your life, you must master your own emotions.
Do not let your emotions master you. If they do, your life is going to be
miserable. According to Napper and Rao, 'Increasing your awareness of emotions
and beliefs drive your thinking, influence your behaviour,
and affect your judgment will help you navigate life with confidence.''
To master your life, you must master your emotions.
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