#74 - Awaken the Creative Power

In month 2 we mentioned briefly how to find what you love, and a little bit about the state of flow. To live a life filled with a purpose means to live a happy life. This topic is crucial to make the best usage of a given time. You can also consciously decide to not have any purpose, nor to look for it - if this carries a positive core, go for it :)

I can say the most challenging part is to find out what it is, this often requires time and active search. It's totally worth it, once you find it, life becomes filled with amazing quality, and you open the possibility to make a living on it.

You already know (from the previous week), how being proactive is important to open yourself for new opportunities, that's essential for finding what you love. I bet many of you, already found out what drives you to wake up every day. If so, that's wonderful, keep on reading as maybe you will use some additional tips to inspire others.

Passion is connected to something you enjoy doing. Once you will be able to figure out what brings you joy, with constant (everyday) repetition of activity, you can become very good at it and, possibly monetize it. Just like with everything. Consistency is a key to master what you enjoy. Everyday routine can help you make it happen.

(small reminder from Month 2) Few tips on how to recognise passion:

• Identify the high points of your day - try to note when you’ve got that happy, joyful, “in the zone” feeling. Or reflect back at the end of the day to see what made you feel good. Then try to do those activities more often.

• Find out what brings you in a flow state - whatever your flow is, it will make you feel effective, confident, and in control.

• Loose track of time, the time passes so quickly in this passionate state of mind, it actually seems that time does not exist. You have great fun and get things done.

• Have a look at what you spend hours exploring: reading, watching videos, browsing information on that particular interest of yours. You can find browsing about it for hours.

• Find the answer to the following questions. They will bring you closer to finding your passion:What drives you? What truly matters to you? How do you want to bring value to people’s lives? What would you do if money weren’t a thing? What excites and fascinates you? Who inspires you? (and why?)

When we are talking about finding passion, or working passionately on something we enjoy we must mention flow state. You probably experienced it yourself.

"Flow state is also known as being in the zone. It is a mental state in which person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of organized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity."

It is a complete absorption into the activity that often results in the feeling where time doesn't exist. As a result of being in the zone, we perform our best while being relaxed at the same time.

It happens when you using all currently available processing power at one activity.

It is important to find a positive creative activity that will deliver you - state flow might appear if you are engaged in less productive tasks like - playing video games (it's not desirable if you are not, or don't want to become a professional gamer, of course).

Be mindful of this state, as it can be both positive and negative. If it comes to the negative aspects of it, it's when one is so absorbed that forgets about basic needs like food, water, or sleep.

If you are worried to stop flowing creativity, keep your notebook with you, and leave important notes which will help you to not miss any important element of your work. That will help you come back to tasks which you left before.

Being able to focus for an extended period of time is a core skill for the success of many professionals. That's why it's important to eliminate distractions so you can create a space to let the flow occur.

The better you get in some activity, the more "feel" of it you get. The more "feel" you get, the better you get in some activity. More things get done subconsciously, through repetition.

That's creating a positive feedback loop. That's another sign that we are in the flow.

Other factors which can contribute to achieving a flow state are:

• It needs to be a task that you find intrinsically rewarding. (product of flow becomes its own reward)

• Clear goals and a sense of progress.

• Task needs to be clear and provide immediate feedback.

• The challenge must match the perceived skills. (high challenge + high skills)

• It requires intense focus on the present moment.

Flow state for me happens when I am being simply myself. Doing things I love. Sharing all the best in me with the world. Giving from the depth of heart, without any expectations - is one of the ways to get into it.

Flow state is like being one with this inner meaningful purpose or a soul calling. Put your attention to your inner purpose and invite a flow state.

Find out:

• When do I find myself most being in the flow state?

• What am I doing when being in the flow state?

• How can I get into a flow state more often?

Pareto rule again comes into play here.

86400 seconds each day - distribute them wisely. 80% should be focused on the active creative process and only 20% (or less) on passive consumption of others people's creations.

Key questions to answer:

• How many seconds during this day did I spend consuming other people's creations?

• How many seconds during the day did I spend on active creative work?

• Based on answers. What is the Pareto distribution during this day?

If you truly want to do something, you need to accept that it takes time and deliberate effort. Keep track on the Pareto distribution every day and become an active creator.

If you don't have something you can call a passion. One of the ways to find what you love to do is to actively look for it. "Seek and ye shall find" - carries so much of truth...

Trying new things, determination, and being open for new are keys to give yourself a chance to find out what drives you. Remember, even chaotic random action grants you more chances to success compared to lack of movement.

What is my purpose? Ikigai (Japanese: Iki - life, Gai - worth) is the philosophy and a way of life which like Kaizen requires practice and constant appliance. Ikigai means a reason for being, or a life purpose. It's a constant process, a pursuit in looking for meaning in a constantly changing environment.

If you deliberately practice Ikigai, you will have a reason to get up every morning. It's about getting into this deep immersion in the things we love - the state of flow. Ikigai is to make our pursuit sustainable and useful for the world.

Finding your Ikigai requires deep experimentation and self-exploration. You need to pursuit concrete actions and reflect back thoughtfully.

Ikigai stands at the crossroad of four main qualities:

We should focus on the pursuit of all those things at the same time:

• Do what you are good at. What is that I want to put time and effort in order to get better skilled? It doesn't mean that you must have some talent "that you are born with."

• Do what you love. What makes me dissolve in the current moment? Things that make you feel good and let you just be fully present and engaged in the activity.

• Do what the world needs. What does my work give to others? Things that have positive effects on others. It can be tricky to recognise, especially when we got a small part to work on in the gigantic process.

• Do what you are well rewarded for. How nice it would be to do what drives me to wake up each morning as a full-time activity? You need to make money in order to reinvest back into your Ikigai, pay bills, provide for family, etc.

All of those things have to be in check, and you cannot miss any of them. That's what we should all actively look for to find the Ikigai.

How to find your Ikigai?

This model is interesting as you will be able to see what components you have so far and what other components you have to actively work on to get.

• Passion - if you have something that you love and something you are good at.

Let's say you are an aspired artist. The main thing that is stopping you from being happy is that you aren't getting paid enough for your skills. Nobody seems to notice your talent.

Focus: How can I make money on what I love and I am good at?

• Mission. If you have something that you love and the world needs it.

People who want to see positive change in the world. They aren't good enough at all required skills. Amateur bloggers and activists.

Focus: How can I become better at my craft? What skills do I need to acquire?

• Profession. If you are good at something and you get paid for it.

That's what most people have, a job that pays their bills. What is stopping you from happiness is that you don't love your work, and you don't see actually what change it brings to the world.

Focus: Try out new things and actively pursuing what I truly love doing.

• Vocation. If you have something that pays you and the world needs it.

A good example is a school teacher. They get paid and also help to raise future generations. But they have to teach each year almost the same things. That stalls their improvement.

Focus: Make sure you are constantly getting better at your job.

There isn't any magical formula that will help you to discover it, in less than a snap of the fingers. Everybody is individual and unique, and that's why every path is different and requires not an equal amount of time. There are however some hints on how you can begin.

• Look for it actively - every day. Make a habit of looking for it. A proactive approach is the key.

• Do new things. It's a matter of statistics. Chaotic movement grants higher chances of success than lack of any.

• Part-time Ikigai. Start a side hustle. Something that you will actively work on in your free time. That opens up opportunities in front of you.

It's crucial to understand that Ikigai is also about being able to adapt to the current circumstances. What I want to highlight is that - if you will your Ikigai, it doesn't mean it's going to stay with you until your last breath. Life changes, so do you, and if something is very interesting for you now it doesn't mean it has to stay this way - forever.

BTW.

There is one important question which I love to ask others. When you meet somebody who is working on something that really enjoys doing, ask him:

• Wow, I feel so much positivity from you. How did it all happen that you started doing this?

• I found your work very interesting. What is your story?

• Who inspired you to start working on it?

And so on... Actually a great opener for a conversation.

It gives a lot when you find out about steps which person had to take to get to the destined place. If it's the same industry you are interested in - it might be especially useful to find out what has to be done in order to become self-realised.

Interesting Fact.

Did you know that Ikigai was born in Okinawa, Japan? That's the place where many 100 years olds live. Interesting...

"Creativity and the ability to innovate are like muscles. The more we use them, the stronger they get."

Everyone is capable to unlock their creative genius, therefore it is not something exclusive for units.

You are deeply focused on solving some problem, some part of the job is being done until you meet the wall and get frustrated. Then all of a sudden something happens and by a touch of the mysterious force - the answer is being revealed (by external, internal, or both - inspiration). Then you need to work even more until you get a full pledged solution.

What we can understand by that? It is that an inviting moment of creative epiphany requires a lot of active action of both conscious and unconscious minds.

'AHA' moments!

It's interesting as after prolonged deeply focused work and the moment of almost impossible to solve the problem feeling, it's possible to invite this 'EUREKA' moment. Stop focusing on the problem by either relaxing or getting distracted, the subconscious mind will still work on the solution in the background, and thanks to a relaxed state of mind dense clouds will be pushed away letting light (insight) flash through. That's why when working on something intensively it's good to take breaks, naps, walk, and chat to break from focused work.

When working on some idea it's important to maximize information flow between people that can ignite solutions. I am not talking here about brainstorming as for many teams this way is not effective. Sharing common space and regular time spend together will create more creative connections which can turn into the practical materialization of ideas. That's important while creating offices and systems that allow the free flow of high-density information.

There are plenty of ways to charge up and invite creative powers. Actually many processes you went through did the job to build up this force within.

Check up on what else can be done:

• Let the creativity flow. Don't judge if something is worth a prize or not. Just focus on the spontaneous natural flow of creation. No matter what you are creating, show gratitude to those powers and keep all your work. It might turn out, from a long page there will be one paragraph that will be outstanding. Let yourself create "junk", or better don't judge and just let the creativity flow. Important one!

• Fall in love with resilience. No matter what other "critics" are saying about your art, you have the power within, you believe in what you do. Keep on doing as it's a matter of regular active work to achieve creative success. To get to something (possibly) you need to fail many times until you find something that sticks. Commit to the process despite the obstacles.

• See new things. Experiencing new things is one of the most amazing ways to create new paths of thinking. More resources are available, more creative connections can be derived from them. Set your mind to look for inspiration in the world around you. It's also helpful to watch, talk and listen to experts in their fields. Thanks to that you will be able to connect experiences to create something which becomes "obvious" to you.

• Learn to use old ideas and connect them in a new non-existent way. New ideas are often a combination of old ideas. Don't get into one of the mind traps, keep letting the creativity flow. A great example is this course. Most of the processes are already somewhere there. For many, I don't know all the original sources involved. However, there isn't any online course that would this particular combination of step-by-step practical guidance at an affordable price for everyone. Or another example: wheels + trainers = roller skates

• Explore variations of the idea. Find the role model you admire, study everything about him including people whom person spend the most time with.

• Document everything. Get in a habit of taking and printing pictures and images. Surround yourself with the external influence which can light the spark when you will need it the most.

• Creative space. When you collect things that brought internal excitement. Place them into your special room. This space is to soak with creative force. This has to be the only place for you, arranged in any way you want.

• Get a great use of your emotions. If you feel strong emotions both pleasant or unpleasant, that's a great time to pick up a guitar and start playing. Remember to turn on the recorder :)

Check up on what else can be done:

• Use what you got instead of stoping flow due to lack of resources.

• Remove all potential distractors. You know what it is in your case, keep it away when you want to fully engage in creative activity.

• Set healthy deadlines. For some people, it can work as a way to fully concentrate and focus when they feel pressure due to limited time.

• Open yourself for new opportunities. It's important to learn to focus on one particular project to finalise it, however if you have space for something new - invite it into your life. You can always keep doors open, so when the right time will come you will be able to connect the dots and make use of it.

• Surround yourself with like-minded people. That's powerful! Be proactive and organize regular creative group meetings.

• Always remain yourself! Enjoy being different from others. That's what nourishes creative power.

• Consistency is a key - again. The same story. You need to make a consistent habit of regularly scheduled creation. Create as often as possible, even if that would require some forcing yourself to do it. That's how you can actually get somewhere. Leave the illusion that things will happen on their own, and just work actively! Prioritise your creative work, minimizing the number of activities during the day.

• Vibrate high! When you are in a high state of flowing, creativity is natural, spontaneous and it brings more of what it is. Practice MySpiritWay Breath regularly :)

• Do something physical. Running, stretching, aerobics - anything that involves body movement will sharpen mental clarity. It's especially helpful to do it during the breaks.

• Allow yourself to daydream - mind-wandering :) If you like an organized schedule you can even set a time to engage in this "activity".

There are probably dozens of other creative ways to become more creative.

What works best for you? What are your ways?

Open yourself and just create!

Sometimes where you are really focusing on achieving something which requires a lot of time, determination, and consistent work. After extensive sessions, you might find yourself mentally tired.

These moments where you face the wall and your creative faucet seem to be plugged. I actually experienced this many times, when I was working on my projects. Active work creates some background tension and pressure (especially if you are limited by imaginary deadlines).

That creates a great stuck of energy which makes it impossible to stay focused for a longer period of time, and if you push further, these blocks of focus start to decrease exponentially. It can lead you to burnout, you may stop enjoying what you used to, and take flow state of mind away from you.

Each of us has a different limit of hours spend on active work. Pushing too much beyond the current capabilities might cut you away for a longer period of time. It takes a lot of humility to accept and in a smart way incorporate interspersed work and rest.

So the key to not let it happen is to find a balance between active work and rest.

• The great way is to do something which you have never done before, that greatly takes away the pressure.

• Simply relax. Take a warm bath or shower. Any other pleasant ideas?

• Do simply nothing. (the best one) Lay down on the back, and mindlessly look at the ceiling. When you feel extremely bored, your creativity might arise.

When you will start feeling the pressure, but you "must" keep on pushing, check on the methods below on how to let your creativity flow to come back.

Reboot creativity:

• If for any reason you are stuck. A great way to unclog the stream is to simply begin. That's one of the ways to invite inspiration;

• Change surroundings. Coffee house, different room in your house, green park. Or choose a completely different time than usual;

• Play music that changes the mood, or change the genre of music you were listening to;

• Work on different parts of your project. Starting in the middle, on the end whenever you feel this creative drive. It brings freshness, and when you will come back to the part you might move forward;

• Meditate, do some yoga, go for a walk. Best with no music, no phone, just you;

• Call it a day. You did all you could. Rest and let yourself relax. Forcing creative power to come back to you have the opposite effect. Be wise about this one, as cheating yourself, keeping yourself busy will make your job done. Observe how much have you done in the last hour.;

• Do mentally less demanding tasks connected to your project;

• Revisit some of your best work;

• Let yourself get inspired by others, read some good books, watch practical talks;

• Exercise. Be flexible about your schedule, and consider an exception to hit the gym now instead of later;

• Connect with supportive friends, and ask them for their feedback;

• Surround yourself with other creative people, or completely opposite, lock yourself in solitude;

Understand that in long-term you must take longer breaks (how long varies from person to person).

PS. Mindlessly browsing social media or consuming other content on screen seems to contribute to adding extra stress to the bucket.

Sometimes you might be too busy with life, or by randomness, you couldn't get yourself to work on your creative work. Days are passing, even weeks. You realize that it's time to get back on track, but it's not easy...

• Forgive yourself. Feeling guilty, that you couldn't do anything? Do you think what this core will bring to your creation? Step number one is to accept and let go. You are very lucky, as you have space to make a choice.

• Prepare your space.

Internally: How do I feel? Time for self-reflection and a bit of meditation.

Externally: Bills paid? Am I fed and not thirsty? Is hygiene in check? What else?

• Take a deep breath and get back to work.

Constant stress, endless pressure lead to complete exhaustion, and feeling helpless might lead to burnout.

What is burnout?

It's a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Feeling overwhelmed, unable to meet constant demands, and emotionally drained are factors that lead to a build-up of stress.

Physical signs and symptoms:

• Lack of energy, tired and drained for most of the day;

• The decreased immune response, therefore, vulnerability for flu and cold;

• Frequent headaches, muscle pain;

• Decreased ability to sleep;

• Lack of appetite;

Emotional signs and symptoms:

• Lost motivation and interest;

• Feeling helpless, cynical, resentful, hopeless;

• Feeling completely ripped off from creativity;

• Lack of sense of accomplishment mixed with a sense of failure and self-doubt;

• Social alienation;

Behavioural signs and symptoms:

• Reduced productivity;

• Looking for a distraction during work;

• Looking for (often negative) dopamine injections like overeating, drugs or alcohol;

• Procrastination;

• Skipping work or coming late and leaving early;

You may be on the road to burnout if:

• Dragging yourself out of bed is a great challenge;

• Every day you feel overloaded and unappreciated;

• Your work feels like a waste of energy;

• You’re exhausted all the time.

• The majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.

• You feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated.

It's important to realize if you are on the path to a potential burnout before it actually happens. Observe your everyday routine.

What causes burnout?

Work-related causes of burnout:

• Not being appreciated, rewarded, or recognized for a well-done job;

• Over demanding job expectations;

• Working in a chaotic, high-pressure environment;

• Doing the monotonous job;

Personality traits:

• Perfectionism. Nothing is good enough.

• Pessimistic mindset;

• Lack of ability to delegate tasks to others;

• Type A personality;

Lifestyle causes:

• Working too much, without time for relaxation or socialisation;

• Putting too much pressure, to do things too quickly;

• Taking too many responsibilities at once;

• Not enough sleep;

• Lack of meaningful relationships;

Deal with it!

• Educate yourself about it and recognize if you might be on the path to burnout or you already have symptoms.

• Understand the problem and consciously decide if you want to heal yourself.

• Make a plan to greatly manage stress.

• Build resilience to stress, and try not to get into the same thinking and behavioural patterns.

Tips:

• Ask others to help you. Surrounding yourself with supportive friends, family members will let you unload some of the stress. Spend some fun time with close people. Be open and tell them about your ailment.

• Connect with your coworkers. They work in the same environment so it's easier for them as they understand all the stressors. You spend with those people most of the time, it's time to deepen your connection with them.

• Surround yourself with positive, open-minded people. Instead of sticking to complainers and people focusing on negative world view, find those shining with love.

• Engage in social activities. Volunteer, serve the community. Giving to others seem to have a relaxing influence.

• Love or quit your job.

• If you decide to stay, find value and meaning in your work. What good actually your job brings to other people and community.

Tips cont:

• Generally, it is better to change something that you hate rather than forcing yourself to love it. But if for some unknown reason you must stay there, balance it with other parts of your life.

• Time off. Vacations, use your sick days, ask for temporary sick leave. You need to recharge your batteries.

• Sleep a lot!

• Increase relaxation techniques over other activities.

• Set boundaries. Learn to say "no" for extra commitments.

• Reduce nicotine, alcohol, sugar, refined carbs.

If you fully let yourself give enough time and effort to work on your passion, it's very possible you will start making money on it. That's the magic - path of financial freedom. Understand, freedom is not purely about money, it's about having time and enough resources to grow as a unique individual.

If you still didn't find your passion. Heads up! Simply let life flow... Experience wonders around you. Stay open and ready to respond to the calling. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear", same goes for finding life's purpose. When you will become a person (through practical development) you will find yourself in the right time and moment and it will be given to you.

For some, personal and spiritual development becomes a passion. Consciously growing and mastering yourself is an interesting process. We are all here an inspiration for our brothers and sisters. What about doing it full-time?

Small tip.

Whatever creativity you do, consider on the occasional documenting and publishing it. Do it on the occasion, the more you will publish about what you love to do, the more chance you get to build a community around it, find people ready to support you, potential customers and business partners.

Stay creative! And let the flow make wonders in your life.