I know I have a lot of work to do to add more content to Creators Create, but from what I have seen already the trend is becoming more and more obvious to me.

People frequent Mark McGuiness’s Blog Lateral Action, which by the way is a tremendous Blog.  I can’t say enough good about it.  And there are many more Blogs and Forums that deal with creativity and creatives.

But that’s not what this Blog is about.

This Blog is about Creators and the things they create – creations.  It’s not about creativity.
 
Many, too many people believe that in order to create a creation you must have creativity.

That is the biggest bunch of whooey I have ever heard.  The fact is you don’t need an ounce of creativity to be able to create creations.
The problem is that most people don’t know what a creation is, therefore they don’t know the role of a creator, nor do they understand the process of creating.

So if you don’t mind, I would like to take a few minutes and go back to the very basics of what this Blog is really all about.

Definitions:

Create = to bring into existence.

Creator = one who brings things into existence.

Creation = the thing that is brought into existence.

There you have it.  It’s really not any more complicated than that.  Creators bring creations into existence by the act of creating.
The truth is that every single one of us on this planet are powerful creators.  We cannot not create.  We daily create creations. 
Everything you bring into existence is a creation that you create.

Here let me give you a few examples:

1. You created breakfast this morning.
2. You created a few emails just a few minutes ago.
3. You created a “Good Morning” smile for your boss this morning when you got to work.
4. You created a better or worse relationship with your spouse today.
5. You created a resume.
6. You created a clean room.
7. You created a hungover body.
8. You created an argument.
9. You created a funny moment when you told that joke.
10. You created an endearing experience when you shared your feelings with a close friend.

Are you starting to understand now what a creation is?  Are you starting to see that you are constantly creating?  You are a creator, and you are always creating creations.

The question now is:  Are the creations you create valuable, important, that improve and bless your life?

Or are most of the creations that you create created by default, without purpose and therefore are useless, unimportant, and do nothing to improve or bless your life?

The chances are since you don’t look at the things that you bring into existence as creations that you probably aren’t all that worried about the quality.

Come to this Blog often and I promise you will begin to look at your whole existence in a whole new light.

With that whole new light you can begin to create on purpose.  You will create consciously amazing creations that improve, bless and inspire.

You will find you are a powerful creator.  Come back often to learn how.

Oh, and I did I even mention that it doesn’t take an ounce of creativity to be a creator?

By the mere fact that you bring things into existence is proof enough that you are a creator.

You don’t need creativity to create.  Creativity is only one tool in the creator’s tool box, and not even a very important tool at that. 

Creators create creations, and every once in awhile they might use creativity.
 
We’ll get into the details of this later on.  Come back often to learn more.

If you have thoughts on the subject please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, and engage in a discussion. I look forward to it.

A right fighter will sacrifice happiness, peace, friendship, and almost anything to be right. A right fighter will argue till the last drop of blood has been spilt. A right fighter would rather be right than happy.

Are you a right fighter?

When it comes to discussions with other people do you always have to be right? Do your ideas always have to be validated and heard? Does your need to be right become more important than your need to be happy? Or do you are erroneously belief that being right will make you happy?

I was once a right fighter. I used to sacrifice happiness all the time in order to prove my point’s, in order to be heard, or to be validated. It didn’t matter what I was fighting for I had to be right.  I would fight with my mother, I would fight with my father, I would fight with my wife, I would fight with my coworkers, and anybody in order to be right.  I didn’t care if I hurt other people’s feelings, it didn’t matter to me if I made others angry, all I really wanted was to be right.

Did I mention that I sacrificed my happiness? That was probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I would fight to be right thinking that that would make me happy, but the truth was I never really was happy. I had conquered too many people, had fought with too many people in order to be right. And by the time the skirmishes were over there were way too many casualties to experience happiness.

So I ask you again, are you all right fighter?

Here’s a few signs that indicate that you might be a right fighter:

• You feel angry if people don’t listen to you
• You don’t listen to other people’s point’s of view
• You don’t care about other people’s ideas
• You think that your ideas are the only ones that matter

If you find yourself guilty of any of these then you might be a right fighter. I don’t want to insult you, so I’ll come right out and say it: being a right fighter is a very sad existence. Especially when being a right fighter destroys so many relationships.

But being the creator doesn’t destroy relationships but creates creation’s that strengthen, and improve, and bless relationships. You see, creators don’t have to be right. Creators create. Creators creates creation’s that are valuable and important not only to themselves but to other people in a relationships.

Let me give you a few ideas of creations that creators create:

1. A beautiful day. The creator could decide to create a beautiful day starting with the very moment they wake up in the morning.  They roll over and give their partner kiss and a gentle caress. And then in the shower they hum a happy tune, make a delicious breakfast, and then plan the rest of their beautiful day. Then today set out to create it.
2. Give the gift of love. Creators create gifts of love for the other people in their relationship. These gifts of love are as simple as a smile or a get well card or a small Post-it note that says thank you, or I was thinking of you. These gifts of love could be a flower picked in the yard, or a funny joke to brighten someone’s day, or a piece of candy. It really doesn’t matter, these gifts of life are just random acts of creation.
3. Yield the right-of-way. Since creators are more concerned about creating creations they are not so concerned with being right, therefore, it’s very easy for creators to allow others to be right. In fact, this yielding of being right is a very important piece in the process of creation. Creations require many different pieces in order to be complete, and most times other people’s insights and ideas are integral pieces to the finished creation.
4. Joy. Creators love their creations, and bringing their creations into existence is more important than anything to a creator. The reason for this is that true creators experiences euphoria, joy, a happiness like no other when their creation finally exists.

Next time you feel the urge to be right, stop and think for a moment about the creation’s that you would rather create instead. I guarantee you if you create creations of value it won’t be so important to you anymore to be right.

Every time I talk about creation, creating, and creators inevitably someone brings up the thought that they don’t have a creative bone in their body, that they’re not creative, that they are not imaginative, they’re not artistic, they have no creativity, and that whatever I’m talking about is not interesting to them, because they just have never been very creative, and they don’t want talk about creativity. 

Believe me, I understand.  But what I’m about to say might actually clear this up for you forever.

You don’t need to be creative in order to create.

I want you to put a smile on your face.  Do it right this very second.

Good.

There, you created.  You just put a smile on your face, and that is a creation.  The definition of “create” is to bring into existence, and the definition of “creator” is someone who brings things (creations) into existence.  So by definition you are a creator.  You brought something into existence – the smile that wasn’t there before.

And you didn’t even need creativity in order to create the smile.  Creativity is not a prerequisite in order to create.  It’s not even a necessary component.  Creativity relates to the quality of your creation but it’s not necessary in order to bring a creation into existence. 

So what does all this mean to you?

You need to recognize that you have the power to create whatever you want to create.  The fact is, you are where you are today because you created what you are today.  You are sitting where you’re sitting because you made the choice to sit there; you created that experience in your life.  If you had desired to create a different experience you would be sitting somewhere else or walking somewhere else, or in a different place altogether.  But you are where you are right now because you chose to be where you are right now – you created this experience.

If you recognize that everything you do is a creation then you can start to quantify or measure your creations.  You could start to quantify and measure the creations that you create.

Then you could make your creations more valuable and important to you.

Have you sent out an e-mail today?

If you sent out an e-mail today you are a creator.  You created that e-mail.  That e-mail did not exist until you wrote it and sent it.  Recognize that you created it.

Now you can measure it, and improve it.  You can measure how fast that e-mail went out, how fast you typed it, and you can even measure the quality in which you typed it, how many words you typed, how many paragraphs, or how many sentences.  You can measure how fast you typed it.  You can measure even the quality of what you typed: did it communicate the message that you wanted it to communicate?  Did it accomplish what you wanted it to accomplish?  All those things you can measure and improve upon to make your creation more valuable and important.  And again not a single one of those requires creativity, but nevertheless, sending that e-mail was indeed a creation that you created.

Since you can measure the creations that you create you can quantify the quality and value that you give your creations.

Too many people do not consciously create creations that are valuable in their lives.  Instead they live their lives on autopilot, or they create by default; they don’t consciously create experiences that are valuable and important to them – they just live by default.

This morning did you consciously create a wonderful experience?  Did you create a wonderful creation called “getting ready for work?”  Was it a wonderful creation?  Did you have joy in it?  Did you make it a beautiful creation for the people around you to enjoy as well?  Did you make it a beautiful creation for yourself?  Did you make it a memorable beautiful creation for you?  Or did you just wake up, hop in the shower, brush your teeth; you know, do the regular rigmarole and then come in to work?

Today I challenge you to look at the creations that you create and ask yourself is this a creation that I think is important, is it valuable, or is this a creation that I created by default?

In my work I have chosen the positive approach. I never think of myself as protesting against something, but rather as witnessing for harmonious living. Those who witness for, present solutions. Those who witness against, usually do not–they dwell on what is wrong, resorting to judgment and criticism and sometimes even name-calling. Naturally, the negative approach has a detrimental effect on the person who uses it, while the positive approach has a good effect. When an evil is attacked, the evil mobilizes, although it may have been weak and unorganized before, and therefore the attack gives it validity and strength. When there is no attack, but instead good influences are brought to bear upon the situation, not only does the evil tend to fade away, but the evildoer tends to be transformed. The positive approach inspires; the negative approach makes angry. When you make people angry, they act in accordance with their base instincts, often violently and irrationally. When you inspire people, they act in accordance with their higher instincts, sensibly and rationally. Also, anger is transient, whereas inspiration sometimes has life-long effect.
Peace Pilgrim

What you resist persists.  If you are pushing against something then it is for sure pushing back.  This just happens to be one of those irrefutable laws that cannot be changed.

It’s as powerful as the law of gravity.  In fact the law of gravity helps this law out.  Think about pumping iron.  What force pulls the weights downward?  Gravity. 

I’m just want you to think about it for a few minutes.  Is there something in your life that you don’t want, but day in, day out you push against it, you resist it?  If so, then know that you are giving it life.  You are the one giving it the strength to live on in your life.

If you are poor and you are resisting poverty then you are the one who is allowing poverty to live in your existence.  If you are sick and you keep popping pills, or going to the doctors, or thinking about how awful you feel – you are the one who is giving that disease the life it needs to live on.

I know this is all so much easier said than done, but you are your creator.  Always have been – always will be . . .

Create something great!

Each day from now on look at all the headers and strive every day to accomplish the dreams that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them off when you have accomplished them.

As you slowly are able to check all of your dreams under that heading, try accomplishing the dreams under the other header – the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As the items you wrote under things I might be able to do are accomplished, move them to the list of things that you know you can do. 

As that list becomes smaller move the dreams that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the dreams you thought were impossible become increasingly easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, dream big, and start working towards that goal little by little.

Also, one of the major side effects of this little exercise is that not only do you find yourself accomplishing more of the most cherished and long valued dreams that you have had throughout your life, but you find an increase in your faith, and confidence in your own abilities to accomplish – even the impossible.

So go out there and make the impossible possible.

We dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, too often our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily become faint memories in the past.

It is truly a sad story – instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day and just barely existing.

You know what? I used to be there.  I lived there.  And I have a feeling that you are familiar with it all too well.  Life could be so much better, if only . . .

If only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to achieving our dreams is the word “impossible”. Like me, most people get hung up thinking they can’t do whatever is set before them. It’s too hard. It’s too impossible. No one can do it.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.  But thank goodness for the creators who have created these wonderful things that have changed and blessed our lives.  Thank goodness indeed!

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble bee no one has told it so. So it flies anyways.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result?  Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.”
-Theodore Hesburgh

There is a well known proverb that says, “Where there is no vision the people parish” (Proverbs 29:18) This is true. 

Start on a trip without a destination and you will never know if you arrive, because you don’t know where you are going.  There has to be a destination, some place that you are trying to get to.  Wandering aimlessly will lead to aimless discoveries and locations. 

Too often people live this way.  They never chart a course, look at a map and much less never know if they are even heading in the right direction.  They say they know where they want to go and what they want to do with their lives but they have no idea where they are headed.

Creators start at the end. They ask the vital question, “What do I want to create?”

Most of the time we go through life as if we have been given a car and told to drive down the freeway of life with no particular destination in mind. The signs let us know an exit is coming up soon, and we must make a choice, “Do I stay on the freeway or do I take the exit?” When we feel a need – hunger, pain, thirst, etc. – we turn off looking for relief. We make a choice. Once we are satisfied we usually get back on the freeway driving aimlessly in no particular direction.

Many of us stay on the freeway of life because it’s the easiest; society hands us a set of keys and tells us to go for a drive. We may not have anywhere special to go but parents and peers expect us to take our place on the freeway. So, we just keep driving until we have to make another choice out of need.

Creators start with their destination fully locking in their mind. It may be across the mountains where there are no roads. If that’s the case, they get rid of the car and get a mule or start walking. If it’s on the other side of a lake, they find a boat. The process becomes dependent upon the desired destination.
 
The destination is the creation. The true creator knows what they want to create and they set out to create it.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” -The Koran

In order to create you must have a destination, a vision of where you want to be when you finally get there.  Even though great artists’ works sometimes look like they just threw the pain on the canvas, and many times that is just what they did. 

World famous Jackson Pollock is a good example of this (Look Above).  But the absolute truth is he never did it without calculations.  It was purposeful and in a destination of his vision.  He set out to make a painting look a certain way or represent a certain feeling or emotion, or elicit a purposeful response, or was designed to generate many different responses – but that was the vision in the very first place – not aimless wandering, or aimless splattering of color on a canvas. 

If you don’t know what outcome you want, or even a slight idea, how can you possibly know what to do or how to do it to generate any outcome that would be valuable or important to you as the creator.

Creators create creations of value – remember that.  Set your course and create!

Most true creators are guided by a mysterious thing called “purpose”.  They follow their purpose and create lives that are filled with value and splendor.

We all want a purpose, yet to many it seems like an all-important unobtainable thing. So how do you find your prupose in life?

First, accept that it may take time to find your purpose in life. It may reauire trial and error before you get it right. Mistakes are a great way to uncover your purpose because you have the opportunity to find out what you like and don’t like. After many, “don’t likes”, and “why do I keep doing the same things over an over again”, comes a time of personal freedom and peace. Once you figure out what’s not working, you can make room for what does work.
 
Second, believe that you will know when you find it. How will you know? You will feel it in the pit of your stomach. It’s something that feels so right that you can’t imagine doing anything else. And, you will feel a strange “high” when you’re doing it. This “high” feeling may even frighten you. Don’t be afraid, it’s your inner power talking to you, letting you know that you are doing the right thing.

Third, you know you have found your purpose in life when it doesn’t revolve around you. It’s not the bigger house or the shiny new car that will make you happy. These are just goals, but they are not a substitute for your purpose in life. Your purpose in life will bring you happiness and that happiness only comes when serving and contributing to other people’s lives and making a difference for others. We were put on this earth to help each other, and that is the greatest feeling of all!

So, How Do You Create Your Purpose? Ask yourself these following questions – the answers will lead straight to your purpose:

“Who Am I”?
What kind of person are you? What’s been true of you since you were younger? Write down all the attributes that you can think of that are truly you. List the things you naturally have learned and developed over the years. You probably take these things for granted, not recognizing them for the special, significant and unique gifts they actually are.

“What Do I Love To Do?”
What do you absolutely, truly enjoy doing in your life? Consider the gifts that have helped make doing those special things possible. Your purpose will involve doing something that you love.

“What Experiences In Life Are Really Fulfilling For Me?”
Look for the times in your life that are fulfilling for you. These are times when you are just being yourself. Consider, what is it like for you while you are doing those things? What are you feeling? What’s important, special or meaningful for you? These answers hold the key to what you should be doing with your life.

“What Is My Purpose In Life?”
Once your purpose becomes clearer, create a purpose statement. A Purpose Statement contains: an action, a focus, and an intended impact. Once you write it down, you have a roadmap to follow.

“Who Can I Tell?”
Speaking your purpose will bring it into reality; and once you tell people, it becomes real. Plus, you’ll have the support of those around you who want to encourage you to live that purpose to its fullest extent.

And what if you’ve done all this work and it hasn’t come to you yet? Be patient, it will. We were all created for a reason. And, if you are determined to find your purpose, it will come your way. When something that strong is in your heart, it’s only a matter of time before you discover it. The answer is found within; it’s just a matter of time, before you can begin to create the life you truly desire.

Most people don’t discover what they want to create until it’s time to die – and that’s a shame.

Most people spend the best years of their lives watching television or doing things they dislike. An author described humanity by saying, “Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Are you one of the living zombies?

What do you really want to create?

Some people struggle in answering this question. When asked what they want or what their goals in life are, many are unsure. They dillydally in their decision, hardly giving any thought about what they want.  They live their life on auto-pilot – never realizing they have the power to create whatever they desire.

They are people without definite goals, or plans, or ideas and are letting time pass them by. Are you one of these people?

If you are undecided about what you want to create in your life, do not worry.  There are many ways of discovering your purpose in life.

To discover what you want to create, try looking deep into your heart. Oftentimes, people are ruled by logic. People live by what they think they should be or by what others would like them to be.

The discovery process is the perfect time to listen to your heart. What your heart desires comes from the whispers of your authentic self. Your authentic self is the real you; the creator.

Listen to your heart to be able to listen to your authentic self. What your heart says usually feels right. What your heart desires is what you usually love.  And what you love represents your passion, and most often your passion is what you want to create.  Anything done with passion is like play where the task is accomplished without hesitation. You pour out your very best and feel no pressure or resistance. You create the creation you are passionate about.

You will totally enjoy creating things that are your passion. Setbacks, difficulties, and obstacles will arise and make it more challenging, but should not deter you from pursuing your goals.

Naturally, there may be barriers that may prevent you from reaching your goal, but your heart’s desire will find ways to overcome these barriers so that you may ultimately create what you want to create.

Remember this: the universe supports people who are pursuing their passion and those who are pursuing their destiny.  The earth was created by a creator.

However, this does not mean that you don’t use your head. People are born with both the mind and heart. Your duty is to live your best life and be in harmony with your mind and heart.

The poet Rumi wisely said, “Live completely in the head and you cannot feel the breath and rhythm of life. Live completely in the heart and you may find yourself acting like a love-struck fool with poor judgment and discipline. It’s all a fine balance – the head and heart must forge a lifetime partnership if one wants to live a beautiful life.” 

Listen to your inner voice. Your authentic self communicates with you and guides you via an inner voice. They are those gentle nudges that urge you to act and follow a certain path. Your role then is to listen attentively.

Often times, we listen to what others say and allow them to run our lives. Parents often do this to their children. “We come from a family of doctors, so my son must also be a doctor.” How often do we hear this from parents who have good intentions for their children?

Parents unconsciously block the true expression of their child’s real self and calling. Friends and critics will discourage you and point out the impossibility of your dream. Before heeding their advice, evaluate the accomplishments of the critics. Did they achieve theirs dreams? Do they dream big at all?

Remember, it is your destiny that is in line, not theirs. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will not listen to what other people say. Hear them out just the same. But the final decision should be yours.

There is only thing to remember: Every person, to live truly and greatly, must define how he wants to live and what his brightest life will look like.  Listen to your instincts and follow your heart’s desire. You will never go wrong.  Set out to create – and do so: create creations!

The first thing I want to do is define the word “Create.”  Who better to do that then Webster himself. 

To bring into existence.That’s it.  Pretty simple really.  The act of creation is to bring into existence that which was not there before. Let me explain.  One day I was surfing the Internet and came across a personal web page of some internationally renowned speaker. I have searched for that same site since and cannot find it. I’m sorry that I don’t have more specific information to give you.On the site he had some downloadable snippets of some of his speeches. I downloaded and listened to many that day, but one caught my particular attention. It went something like this:(I paraphrase because I don’t have the actual)
“Have you ever seen a dog give birth to a cat? Have you ever seen an elephant give birth to a parakeet?

“God created the Heavens and the Earth and everything that in them are. And He created man in His own image. We are created in Gods image. God is a creator. We are created in His image. We are creators.”

That was pretty profound. We are all creators. Creators of what? Creators of our own lives. In fact what I am about to say I want you to never forget – YOU CANNOT NOT CREATE!

Stop and think about it. Everything you do is a creation. Everything!

With that in mind think about it.  YOU CANNOT NOT CREATE!  Everything you do is to bring into existence something that was not there before.  Take it to its rudimentary form – the next breath you take did not exist until you created it.  The thought that you are thinking did not exist until you brought it into existence. When you really think about it, everything that you do is to create.

That being the case then understand this next truth. You are the creator of your life.  Believe it or not, you have been creating you from the first breath you drew as a baby.  Every experience you have had since that first breath has been yours and only yours to do with as you wished.  Nobody forced you to act, or react, or think the way you do.  Indeed, you have had free will since that very first breath.

You are where you are, doing what you do, and thinking what you think, and being what you are because you created it that way.  Whether you are happy or unhappy, rich or poor, fat or thin, successful or unsuccessful, you made it that way.

Your assignment today is to do a simple exercise.  Walk outside and yell at the top of your lungs, “Hello world, I’m (say your name) and I’m here to create the greatest day I’ve ever had!”  Then go out and do it. At the end of the day get out a piece of paper, a journal, anything and write about what you created.  How did it feel?  What was different about it?  Did you notice anything new?

Literally, you are your own creator.

To your creations,

Michael Claridge