Articles on 'Authenticity & Creativity' ↓

Do you think in words and sentences, or in images and feelings?

Whichever it is, your mode of thought determines how deeply inspired your thoughts are, and how much you can creatively achieve in life by acting upon them.

Your life’s worth depends on how you think. Are your thoughts bringing you all you are worth? Continue reading →

We should all dispense with the notion that we are not creative, because everyone is creative in some way.

Humanity is an obsessively creative species. We just can’t help ourselves. We create stuff; all kinds of stuff, everyday. And it’s not always pretty. Look around at what we have done to–or not done for–this sacred earth and our fellow human beings.

We clearly need a new and positive creative direction. And before you abdicate responsibility for our mutual state of affairs, think about this… Continue reading →

Comfort zones feel good. They take the sharp edges off life. Comfort zones are a relaxing place to recharge, to heal, and to prepare us for our next adventure.

When my Son was small, my little family and I took many canoe trips into the wilderness. We would spend weeks exploring the middle of nowhere. Each day was an adventure of the body, mind, and spirit. And each day was a challenge to stay safe in sometimes violent weather, or on potentially dangerous alpine hikes. Nature wouldn’t bat an eye if we fell to our deaths or drowned in some river.

So at the end of each day, it was a quiet and profound pleasure to set up camp, cook dinner, and relax, swapping stories about our day on the water or in the mountains. Our evenings in camp were our comfort zones. We needed them and we enjoyed them. Our next day’s challenges were more rewarding because of our evening’s comfort.

But comfort zones can turn on you in an instant, and when they do… Continue reading →

Have you ever had a deep and secret urge to be totally you — to let the persona drop?

That call to be genuine regardless of consequences feels somehow dangerous. It threatens to overthrow the order. Still, it tugs at you from some poorly lit place in your psyche.

Some of us are not living genuinely. Our lives are not an authentic expression of our true nature.

Why do we do it? We compromise and live false lives, appeasing someone, or some concept, that would not even be part of our life if we were to live genuinely. What sense does that make?

If this describes you in any way, your problem may be rooted in one of your greatest strengths — your sensitivity. Continue reading →

How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body?”

Have you ever said that about yourself? When you think of creative people, what sort of person comes to your mind? Most people relate creativity to artists, designers, filmmakers and the like.

We are all creative though, and we express that in as many ways as there are people and circumstance. Our problem is that we often mistake our creativity for something else. We haven’t defined it well enough.

Narrow definitions of creativity that embrace only the arts and design fields rob you of your self worth. The muse visits all of us, not just a gifted few.

If you feel that you aren’t creative, then somewhere in your past, perhaps in early childhood, you’ve accepted some pointless limitations. Remove them and you will be surprised at your capabilities. Continue reading →