In spring of 2008, I had the worst case of writer’s block. All my creative juices had run dry. My mind felt like a desert without a speck of fertile soil. Every creative seed I planted was burned up by the harsh sun of hot-headed judgment consuming my mind.
“That’s no good! Who’s going to like that?” With each word, another piece of my creativity spontaneously combusted.
Despite the desolation I felt, I reached into my heart and discovered another seed of inspiration. Scared of what my mind might do with this beautiful youngling, I reluctantly planted it and started fleshing it out.
As I began working with lyric and melody, a nagging voice built to a deafening scream, “You’re in way over your head! Who do you think you are, signing a record deal?! You’re a fraud! Everyone is going to know that you are not good enough!”
Surrounded by mocking evidence in the form of mountains of crumpled papers with inadequate lyrics strewn across my office floor, I faced the facts: “I am not good enough to be a successful recording artist.” I felt discouraged and frustrated. I had been defeated by my own mind. At this rate, it would be impossible to submit my songs to the record label that had just signed me. It was over. My dream had died. Until…
I inquired within, “Wait, if I’m the one who just stopped my creative process dead in its tracks, then I’m also the one who can get this train moving again! How did this happen? I was moving right along in my brilliant creative process, then got hit by the train I was conducting!” I realized…
The #1 killer of creativity is judgment!
I created this three step process for myself that now allows me to get out of my own way and flow with endless creativity.
How To Get Out of Judgment and Unleash Your Creativity In 3 Easy Steps:
Step #1: Make a commitment to keep judgment away from you and your creations.
Step #2: Any time you feel yourself tempted to judge, picture a stop sign and choose to engage in a loving conversation instead.
Step #3: If judgment persists, stop the creative process and do something else. Take a walk, read a book, take a bath, do anything but continue destroying your creation.
You see, each aspect of your life is a creative process and you are the creator. Your beliefs are the brushstrokes that paint your experience alive with vivid color or lifeless with judgment. What would your life feel like if you learned how to get out of judgment and instead ignite your life with the infinite energy of love?