Let Creativity In - 6 Easy Steps

"I have an article to write, so I'll just start writing."

A few moments go by.

"Hmmmm. Why aren't the words coming to me easily? Ah, it must be because I struggle to write."

A few more moments go by.

"This is hard."

"I'm not very good at it."

You stare at the screen.

"I give up. Maybe I'll feel more inspired tomorrow."

It's not really that you're not a good writer. It's not even that it's hard for you.

It's more about you're not allowing creativity (and your own personal power) in to let the words - your message - flow. See, your message, that soul purpose, is more likely to come through if you allow yourself to be creative.

I'm not talking about painting a masterpiece with acrylics. I'm talking about letting your unique method of being creative out from way deep inside. Because when you allow yourself to be creative, then the words flow more easily, and your message is more clear and powerful.

So how do you let creativity in?

Intentional space - While you can't force the muse to come out, you can set up the mental, physical, and emotional space that tells her you're ready for her. Decide when you're going to write, set that time aside, and know that that time is yours.

Time - It's awfully hard to be creative when you're trying to fit it in the five minutes you have between a client phone call and the kids' soccer game. Set aside a block of time.

Environment - If you're sitting at your cluttered office desk with your to-do list of 29 things staring at you, creativity is going to run and hide. Get out of your normal workspace. Sit outside on the patio. Go to that funky coffee shop down the street. Sit on a park bench by a lake.

Be gentle - In that lovely space you just created, don't force yourself to be creative. "I must be creative NOW!" Let yourself daydream. Let your mind wander. Let creativity know that it's safe to come out and play.

A clear mind - In this day and age, you probably have a million things going on, or so it seems. Do what you can to clear your mind of all the voices. That might mean that you actually do a couple of pressing tasks that otherwise would be sucking at your energy. A word of caution: this isn't permission to do-do-do for three hours when you've set aside the time to be creative.

Manageable chunks - You're not going to get your entire book proposal done in one session. Break your project (even it's a simple blog post) into segments. Schedule additional sessions if you need to.

Follow these steps, and you'll find that you don't struggle near as much, and you'll be much happier with what you actually create.

Happy creating!