Is there anything more important in business than creativity?
Grit?
Perseverance?
I
actually think creativity is limited without grit and perseverance, and
I think grit and perseverance are counterproductive without creativity.
You know people that are always busy but never getting anything done?
That’s a lack of creativity (and self-awareness if we are being honest,
and, well, self-aware).
So here is my list of important traits to have in business (I am even ranking them):
1. Self-awareness
2. Creativity
3. Grit/Perseverance
With
these three things, I guarantee you will be successful. I also
guarantee if you think you have all of these things and you are not
successful, you should focus on self-awareness because something is
obviously off there.
Let’s focus on #2 today. I will hit the other ones in upcoming blogs.
I
am a writer (obviously), but I am also a songwriter (sort of). I am
going to reference those two mediums but the strategies can be applied
to any and everything. It’s all about ideas, right? Finding ways to have
better ideas, more frequently? This can be applied to absolutely
ANYTHING: money, writing, video, podcasts, sports, bogs, management, and
whatever else I didn’t mention.
Here we go.
This is the key:
Attack From All Angles
This is vital!!!
Don’t wait for inspiration, just do it, and do it often.
I used to wait for inspiration.
No songs, no stories, no nothing unless I was inspired.
Problem?
No inspiration = zero productivity.
Not the best formula, but I was an artist, I needed to be inspired (said like a hippie), until I didn’t.
Isn’t that the way it always is? Impossible until it isn’t? Remember that.
Before I wrote my book: Prison Diary(a) — A San Quentin Comedy, Kinda (on Amazon, iTunes, Audible)
I was writing songs. I made a life decision to focus on things that I
loved. Things I would be willing to grind at all day every day, learn
about, develop my craft, and music and writing were two of those things.
But I was only writing when I was inspired.
You know what that means?
I was not writing very much.
So I decided to write every single day, whether I had an idea or not.
I
still noted everything that came up sporadically (my inspired moments),
when I was in the shower, when I was cleaning the house, when I was out
running. I took down notes for everything, but I forced myself to sit
down for 4–5 hours a day and just write something, anything.
It
started out easy. I had a handful of ideas, and just focused on those.
But then I ran out of ideas. The inspiration was gone. What did I have
left? Riffs that went nowhere. Single lines of lyrics. And not much
else.
This is where you become creative.
This is how you become creative.
When you are out of ideas, and you need to actually create.
You are stretching your brain.
You are pushing beyond your limits.
It’s painful.
It’s scary.
But it’s how you grow.
And it’s how you get better.
This is the best position to be in.
I
was forced to find new ways to write. I forced myself to force myself.
Make sense? Strain your brain! That should be the slogan for this
article: Strain Your Brian.
I
as forced to write songs with music and no lyrics. I was forced to
write a songs with lyrics and no music. I had melodies and nothing else.
I even had to start songs with nothing. I played a chord, found a note I
wanted to start the melody with, and went from there. Completely from
scratch.
Know
what happened? I started getting more ideas. I had more riffs, more
melodies, more lyrics, and when I sat down, because I had practiced
“squeezing blood from a rock,” I wasn’t blocking the creative process
with anxiety. It took time, but it was awesome.
That
is when I really started seeing gains in my abilities. I would start
the day with nothing but a G chord, and finish the day with a whole
song, great melody, and written about a topic that wasn’t even on my
radar.
You know what that feels like?
Like an out-of-body experience. Like magic. It’s fantastic.
It
is the same thing with writing. I write about things I know a lot
about. I write about things I know nothing about and need to research. I
write personal pieces. I write sports. I look at what I need to
practice and I start writing about that. I need to work on writing
stories based on interviews, so I took on writing a blog for Chase
Jarvis’ 30 Days Of Genius series. I was sh***ing my pants yesterday.
Why? Because I have never written anything from an interview, and I was
doing it for Chase F’ing Jarvis! I was nervous. But I will keep writing,
I will get better, and then I will have another way to “attack.”
The more avenues of attack, the easier it is to conquer.
Boo-ya!!
This
can be applied to anything. You look for the different angles. You
don’t allow for a cookie cutter approach. Any football fans out there?
The Patriots are constantly looking at different angles to attack.
That’s why they have been successful for so long. You have an idea of
what they are going to do, but you aren’t positive. They can attack you
from so many different angles.
Entrepreneurs
out there? Look at Mark Cuban. He advises cookie companies!! The tech
billionaire? Advising cookie companies? WTF? He is able to do that
because he looks at all angles of business. He constantly develops his
craft by taking on new challenges, and scanning for new opportunities.
Because of that, when one of his companies (even if it’s a cookie
company) needs a shift in strategy, he can analyze and strategies
efficiently and effectively.
That’s
what you need to do. Understand all the routes. Know the ins and outs.
It will make you more versatile, which will make you more successful.
You will have opportunities to make something work that a less creative
person will miss, because you have more strategies.
Just Do It
This
is not a Nike slogan. I mean it is, but I am not using it like one.
Unless they want to sponsor me, then I will use the s*** out of it. Just
saying. I love the state of Oregon.
The
best way to become more creative is to just do it. It’s practice. The
first time you create something or figure something out out of thin air,
it will feel like magic. You will have stretched your brain to it’s
capacity, and in that moment of “something from nothing” you will truly
become creative, an artist in your craft. It is at that moment where
everything changes for you, then you just keep going. You have developed
a new neural pathway. One that you can come back to later. One you
didn’t have before. A new angle. A new strategy. Greater creativity.
Attack
from all angles, then all of those avenues become a part of your
repertoire, and you become a creative machine. Like James Altucher says,
an idea machine. Flex those muscles. Pump that iron. Hans and Franz
time for your brain.
Health
I
will make this brief, but I have to put it in here. The healthier you
are, the better your body works, the better your brain works. The less
inflamed, the less crap is running through your system, the more energy
you will have, the clearer your thinking, the better your output will
be. Are there people who are extremely creative and totally unhealthy?
Yes. But imagine what they would be if they actually took care of
themselves?
What are they leaving on the table?
What are you leaving on the table?
What could you be?
Think about that.
If
you truly care about your craft, your business, your productivity, you
will take care of your mind and body, because that is what gets it done.
Help you, help you. Does that make sense? Because it seems a little
shaky…… and I wrote it. But it’s the most concise way to put it.
Let’s See What You Can Do
Put
yourself in uncomfortable situations. Stretch your brain. Create new
pathways of problem solving. It will be hard. It will be frustrating at
times. And then it will be awesome.
Good luck.
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