October 15--Leap into the Creative

When in doubt, make a fool of yourself.  There is a microscopically
thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most
gigantic idiot on earth.  So what the hell, leap!

Cynthia Heimel

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Today's Meditation:

While I'm sure that there are limits to what Cynthia proposes, and definitely times and situations in which this would not be good advice at all, for the most part I think she's right on.  We worry so much about what other people think and say about us that we tend not to take risks at all.  In order to save face, we often pass up opportunities to make something new and different of ourselves, something that perhaps never would have come to be had we not leaped, had we not conquered our fear of looking stupid and did something that we really, really wanted to do.

Creativity is not fostered in a safe environment.  Creativity demands that we try something new and different, or else it isn't creativity at all--it's just copying other people.  I've found that some of my most creative ideas have come after I've said or done something almost ridiculous.  The act of thinking the ridiculous thought or committing the ridiculous act has taken my mind so far out of its "normal" ways of thinking that it's latched on to new ideas out there in Neverneverland.

After all, we'd never know what an octopus looks like unless someone had left the safety of land to explore the sea.  Somehow we're willing to leave our houses, which are the safe refuge of the body, but we're not willing to stray from the regular thoughts of the brain, which are the safe refuge of our minds.  What a shame this is!

Sometimes taking that step and doing something silly--or outright stupid--can open up our selves and allow us to see or feel something that we can't see or feel in our normal, everyday lives.  Perhaps it's time to allow ourselves to be silly for a change!

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Questions to consider:

Why is the safe and comfortable so darned attractive to us?

When do you normally have your most creative thoughts and ideas?  Is there a pattern to when they show up?

How might we allow ourselves to do some silly things for a while, without fearing what others may say or think about us?

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For further thought:

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks,
breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.

Mary Lou Cook




More on creativity.