And I say, "Really? How hard are you trying?"
So, how hard are you trying?
You already know the next two questions.
First, have you identified a creative goal? Have you spent even ten minutes reflecting on what you would like to achieve?
Second, are you making time, by making hard choices about how you pass your time?
Now, third, are you putting some skin in the game?
3. Invest In The Goal
In years past, I touted the idea of dedicating a 90-Day Self-Education Budget.
So what's your budget for supporting your creative development during the next twelve months. You already know — perhaps from painful personal experience — the idea of tuition. You pay for education.
This is like that. You want to grow? Lay out some tuition. What for?
- Books. What can you find at Barnes & Noble to help you grow?
- Teachers. Who is the person who can show you how? What can you learn for the price of a lunch?
- Materials. You'll need the basic materials. You can't say, "I can't draw," if you haven't even bought a pencil and a pad of paper.
After the first two steps, this one seems obvious. But I see people all the time invest nothing — no money — in their personal growth. And then they wonder why they are creatively starving.
It's no wonder. It's a self-inflicted hunger fast.
Feed your creativity.
Divert toward creativity some of that money you easily spend on comfort.
Money spent on your creativity is not self-aggrandizing or extravagant. It's humanity's best bet on your highest productivity. Which is good for everyone. Because you just might change the world.
Are you trying? No? Then you aren't trying.