Do You Know These 5 Mental Blocks To Your Creativity?

In our daily lives, we need to be creative.  If you are under pressure to create a lesson, formulate a project, write an article or write that next chapter, you know how important creativity is to your productive life.  Many times if you can look at your situation from a different perspective, your creativity can come alive. First, you need to know these 5 mental blocks to your creativity.

1.  Fear is the biggest mental block to your creativity.  It can stop your will to create in its tracks.  We have to remember that fear is false evidence appearing real.  It does not exist.  Its okay to have caution in your life, but never let fear take over your mind.  Your creativity is all you and it should not be fear that takes over you.  You may have a fear of success, fear of failure, fear of others, or a fear of yourself.  It’s a time waster for your thoughts.  Leave it in the dust.

2.  Being a good follower can block your creativity in ways you may not know.  When you no longer have the fear, you can become the leader that was always within you.  Being a follower can sometimes have destructive powers over your creative abilities.  Let your ideas shine through and break the rules that others have set for you. You can be a rebel and create something extraordinary that others may be longing to embrace.

3.  Stop trying to find what is “right” and find what works.  There really is no right or wrong when it comes to your creative abilities.  There is only the question of how can the solution be found in the most innovative way for you.  Wrap your mind around that instead of what everybody else says is correct.  You are the only one that matters in your creative environment.  Look at your subject from various angles. You will discover more than way to handle your task.

4.  Don’t take your task too seriously.  Yes, you must get down to getting the task done, but you can have fun with it along the way.  Smile about it and laugh at yourself when those creative ideas spring out of your mind.  You will begin to enjoy what you are doing again.  This should be why you are doing it in the first place.  You will be happy with your creativity and remain inspired to accomplish what you set out to do.

5.  Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. This can keep you standing in one place.  You will never make a step forward on your creative path for fear of making a mistake.  The mistakes will provide opportunities to learn more about your ideas and the environment that you are working with.  Allow those mistakes to litter your creative path because you will be on your way to a beautiful creation.

Once you know these creative blocks, you will be able to shut them down fast when they show up in your creative life.  Get past them and get on with the task of creating.  Your creativity is already within you and just waiting for you to let it out.

The Zen of Writing With Kids: 7 Ways to Get It Done

I know how it is to have words floating around in your head that you just want to get out.  I am releasing these words. Yes, I am releasing these words in the middle of having a job, a husband, kids, a dog and a hamster.  They cannot be contained any longer.  

However, I am releasing these words in a Zen-like way.  Zen is not a religion, dogma, belief, or theory.  It calls for you to concentrate on you and meditate on who you are.  If you can just get 5 minutes for yourself at 12 different times throughout the day, you can complete an hours worth of writing activities.  Believe me, once you experience that accomplishment, you will want to do it again.  You will be devoted to being a writer and you will be a happier you. This can be done, even with the kids running around and the barking dog jumping in your lap.  

1. Meditate on those words that have been floating around in your mind.  Give those words your undivided attention.  Take whatever precious moments you have to concentrate on how you can create an idea from them.

2. Choose what is most important to do in those times you have for yourself.  For example, you can write an outline, chapter headings, character backgrounds, chapter plots, and so much more.

3. You have to write daily.  We all know that in order to be a writer you have to write.  It has to be a practice focused on everyday.  You don’t want to keep dreaming about being a writer. Be the writer that lives in your dreams.

4. Focus on you and the writer you want to be.  Your confidence will grow with daily writing practice.  Believe in your words, in what you do and in what you love.  It is your voice that will shine when you concentrate on you.

5. Protect your personal writing time and space.  It is so special and you can never get that time back.  Guard it with your writing life.  

6. Keep a small writing notebook with you at all times.  You never know when you can take a few moments for yourself and get some writing done while you are out.  The ideas might come to you and you will never remember them the exact way they came to you.  It’s also a good idea to keep your notebook beside your bed when you’re sleeping because dreams can also give you great ideas. Be sure to immediately jot them down when you wake up.

7. Don’t give up on your writing self.  Keep going and going until your writing project is finished. Take daily small steps to get to the end.  When it is finished, you will have your Zen joy in knowing that you are an accomplished writer and what that means to you.

You have taken some moments to read this post, now take some moments to become a writer.  Find your Zen and go write.