Living life on YOUR terms using Creativity as your vehicle

By Jan Gutowski, Creativity Coach
October 6, 2021

As I do my morning reflection over a cup of coffee (ICED coffee today, since it is already a hot and humid Florida morning), I am thinking of the timelines that we often set as a measure of our perceived “success” throughout our lifetime. It is natural to consider the concept of time when we set goals. For example, it is typical to finish high school at around 18 years of age, perhaps receive our undergrad by age 22, and so on. We also place the pressure of timelines on ourselves if we are planning to start a family; assessing our ages, and what our kids’ ages might be at various stages in our lives. And then there’s the ticking timeclock of finally achieving financial security – crossing the ultimate goal-line of success! Oh, it goes on and on!

The important thing we forget, however, is that living our best and most successful lives is subjective to the individual; and when we find ourselves in the middle of a timeline template which does not seem to be going the way we think it should, it can begin to appear as though we are unsuccessful. Then, to compound the issue, we have social media in our faces showing us all the incredible things going on in everyone else’s life. (which we all know is just a highlight reel, and not always reality!)

The best thing you can do for your creatively awesome self is to ditch the idea of timeline templates, and begin living your best life on your own terms NOW. I often get asked, ‘well, where do I start?’ – and my answer is, ALWAYS begin with reconnecting with your inner creative to help get you there. This doesn’t mean go run to Michael’s and pick up paint & canvas (although that could be a fun and therapeutic activity that helps broaden one’s mind!). It means there is a super power inside all of us that knows how to see what success really looks like for us as individuals; and to take productive steps to achieve it. When we learn to tap into our broadened mind, our creative super-power, we begin to see our possibilities and can achieve things we never thought possible! It is an ongoing journey, however; one that continues throughout our lives as we learn and grow.

First things first: In order to clear a path for your inner creativity to be channeled easier, we must de-clutter, both physically and mentally. Think of how static electricity can be a magnet… our minds also work that way with all the noise and distractions around us. The emotional ‘dust bunnies’ we encounter in our daily lives often stick to our brains and bog down our ability to see a broader perspective if we don’t learn to clear them out.

Organize and remove those things which do not serve your greater purpose: Think of the great new meditation & yoga space you could create in that room that is storing all the crap you’ve collected over the years! As Marie Kondo has said, “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” We should never keep our big dreams in storage, right? Make room for your bigger dreams and goals by opening up your space! (and if you sell some of those stored things that aren’t part of your every day living, you might also make some extra cash! win-win!)

Clear out the mental baggage: I’ve explored this idea seven ways from Sunday, and I can tell you with the utmost confidence that the only way to clear out the negativity and make room for the positivity is to get comfy with forgiveness, and renew your focus on things you ARE grateful for. Let’s take these one at a time:

Forgiveness: This is simply the ability to come to terms with something in your life that you cannot change, and give yourself the license to move on from it instead of continuing to pay the emotional debt with no returns. Does this mean that you move on with people who have wronged you or not served your greater purpose? Hells no. But drop your bag of bricks, connect with your peace, and continue on your journey without the extra emotional burden to weigh you down.

Gratitude: Make a list of all things in your life that bring you positivity. For example, you may not like your dissatisfying (er, crappy) job right now; but this job is still providing a paycheck UNTIL you get into something more satisfying. Simplify your view of each day and what trials and triumphs it brings. Be grateful for the times you are the bigger person, the one who takes the high road, and the one who does not obsess about what everyone else has, and what you don’t YET have. And for gosh sake, JOURNAL it all so that you can see how you are growing into that creatively best soul you’ve always been. Can’t think of something? I’ll get you started: You are much more than you think you are, and you are destined to be spectacular! (It is the truth, and it that is definitely something to be thankful for!)

So where does Creativity come into play with all this? Creativity is the vehicle by which we learn to see the possibilities within ourselves. We MAKE things happen when we ditch our limiting beliefs about ourselves and start living our dreams. We learn to CREATE our best lives when we finally realize that we possess the power to manifest those things which light our souls on fire. Creativity is the ability to visualize, and then make the visions a reality. There is a creative spark inside all of us, and learning how to ignite it helps to light our path in making our visions a reality!

There is so much more to this, and I would love to take you further as your creativity coach, and collaboration & accountability partner. Message me and let’s get started!

-jg