The Power of Creativity \(Book 1\): Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and Change Your Life pdfdrive com

Creative Takeaways
Work on your idea for just 10 minutes today, 15 minutes tomorrow
and 20 the day after that. Through the power of small daily wins, you
can accomplish more on the blank page or virgin canvas.
If you haven’t accomplished anything in a while, finish just one of
your creative projects, however small. Through finishing, you’ll
discover more about what to create next.

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9
LASTING CHANGE, JUST AROUND THE CORNER
“Art is the triumph over chaos.”
– John Cheever
I
T
’
S
BEEN
 five  years  since  I  turned  30  and  picked  myself  up  off  the  bathroom
floor. My beard is more grey, and my hairline has receded further up my head,
but I’ve faced some of my fears.
I  long  ago  left  the  job  I  hated.  I  found  another  job,  lost  that  one  and  then
moved into a career that rewards me. Outside of work, I push myself to write a
1,000 words a day, to publish honest articles and stories on a blog once a week
and in books like this one.
These are my choices. Some of them were good, and some were bad, but it’s
better to move forwards than to be trapped in a rut.
I won’t lie, all this honesty and the constant hunt for ideas is a challenge that
sometimes leaves me cowering.
I  still  fall  down,  face  painful  mistakes  and  feel  like  giving  up.  Last  year
instead  of  publishing  a  book  that  was  almost  ready,  I  wasted  three  months
rewriting an old book because I was afraid of what I’d written.
When this happens, I lean on my habits.
I don’t try to knock out War and Peace in a weekend; sometimes writing 500

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words  is  enough.  I  push  forwards  until  I  gain  momentum  on  difficult  creative
projects.
I  practise  strengthening  my  mind  and  body  through  meditation  and  long-
distance  running  because  depression,  anxiety  and  ill-health  are  an  anathema  to
thinking big.
Even if I don’t think of a good idea today or tomorrow, I know with the right
preparation and a consistent daily practise, I’ll find an idea I can use in the end.
I count on these daily habits as ordinary blessings that lead to greater things.
I haven’t discovered some ancient secret or transformed myself into a zebra
who  can  magically  change  its  stripes.  Instead,  I  realised  that  creative  masters
from  the  arts,  business,  technology  and  more  will  help  us  become  more
creative…if we look hard enough.
Look at how McCartney mined his dreams for songs, how Dali held himself
to a routine so he was free to paint or even how Weiner relied on assistant to help
him write while balancing a main job.
We just have to be brave enough to walk the path mapped by these creative
masters.
Look,  most  people  believe  creativity  is  a  natural  ability  you  either  have  or
lack,  but  now  you  and  I  know  to  be  creative  is  to  embark  on  a  journey  that
nourishes and strengthens us with every step.