When Would Now Be The Right Time To Create?

You were born to create. The question is - are you creating? Are you bringing into the world that thing that only you can bring to life? That thing or maybe more than one thing that will make you feel fully alive, fulfilled and excited. It could be a song, a book, a painting, an invention, a garden, a trip, a business idea, a movie script, a design, a speech, a comedy routine, a dance, an app, a new relationship, a new improved old relationship, a calm mind,  a new habit, a new career or a new direction in life.

I’ve found that most, if not all, people have a creative dream inside them that they want to turn into a reality. And if they don't take action on these dreams they pay a price in terms of their happiness, growth and vitality. So if you're not taking action on your creative dreams what's stopping you?

Let’s look at what might be holding you back from going for it. Usually it’s a belief such as:

1. It’s not a priority right now. I’ve got urgent things to address. I’ll get round to pursuing my creative dreams later.

In this increasingly crazy world many of us are dealing with urgencies that seem to demand our exclusive attention. You know, those pesky little survival issues like how do I avoid viruses, make a living, sustain relationships and keep my sanity in tact. You could be forgiven for declaring, creativity will just have to keep itself warm on the back burner while I address what’s on the hotplates!

Nurturing creativity plays a big part in keeping us healthy and sane and operating at an optimal level that enables us to thrive.

But here’s another crazy thing. Nurturing creativity plays a big part in keeping us healthy and sane and operating at an optimal level that enables us to thrive. Connecting with our creative dreams transforms our energy, sharpens our minds, boosts our happiness so that we are better able to do what we need to do to make our finances work and our relationships happening. Your creativity should be a priority and the time for action is right now.

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life." ~ Sophia Loren

2. I don’t have the time/the energy/the resources.

I hear this one a lot! Hey, I’ve used it myself more than once, believe me. It’s almost always untrue. 

When I coach people and we examine how they allocate their time the analysis usually obliterates this excuse for avoiding making progress on their creative goals. Sometimes we uncover hours of valuable time spent on activities that are neither necessary, productive or even enjoyable. I’ve been there too. Have you ever watched five episodes in a row of Locked Up Abroad as the afternoon sun slowly fades - I have! At least I’ll know what to do if I ever end up in a Venezuelan prison. 

The thing to know is that working on our creative dreams gives us energy. It plugs us into a power source deep within that generates vitality and verve. It’s actually resisting taking action on our creative projects that saps our energy. Once you begin working on the creative vision housed in your heart you will be rewarded with energy in abundance.

Sometimes you really don’t have the resources you need to progress a project. But it’s rarely the thing that is actually holding you back. You can tell yourself you absolutely must have that special script formatting software before you begin writing your movie but hey, do the words pen and paper mean anything to you? Get started!

 “One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” ~ Paul Coelho

3. What I create might not be any good. I don’t want to fail. 

Roger that, my friend. The possibility of failure comes with the territory of creativity.

I remember my days starting off in stand up comedy. My first public death was flat out horrible. After being booed off the stage by a hostile audience I took shelter in the dressing room for four hours on the verge of tears until the angry mob had vacated the venue. 

 If I had stopped doing comedy then and there I would have avoided the chance of such a thing ever happening again (it did!) but I would have missed out on the thousands of amazing gigs and fantastic feelings that were to come once my skill level increased.

Once you begin working on the creative vision housed in your heart you will be rewarded with energy in abundance.

Failing as a comic can be uniquely brutal but everyone pursuing a creative goal fears failure. No one wants to be rejected by the tribe. Even if we don’t intend to show anyone else our work we can still fear our own judgement of it. But remember the reward of expressing nothing is safety but the rewards of going for it are excitement, fulfilment, joy, exhilaration, connection and total aliveness. The risk-reward ratio says create!

Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

So what are you waiting for, folks? Ditch any belief that has been holding you back. Drop the excuses and get the rewards. When would now be the right time to create?

Creatively yours, Anthony

Anthony Ackroyd CEO Creative Call

 P.S. Leave me a comment if you have decided to begin working on something you want to create. I’d love to hear about what you are creating!

Get your creative project up and running with Creative Call Coaching. Find out more here!

©Anthony Ackroyd 2022