Here's the 9-Word Creativity-Block Antidote for Creative Breakthrough!

Recently, I had an interesting coaching call with a client that helped me understand how we become stuck with our own creative blockages.

She wanted to become a trainer and has devoted much time, energy and effort in consolidating her expertise into a program. However, she held back from bringing it to the market.

Her obstacle?

The name of the program. She just felt that she couldn't find the right name for the program. She loved the original name she came up with, but when she shared it with clients, they couldn't connect with it.?

As the conversation went on, I could sense her frustration and anxiety.

This is actually a familiar feeling for me, and it got me reflecting on my own experiences.?

How I Unblocked Myself During Pandemic Anxiety?

Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic and facing cancellations of my speaking and training programs, I was feeling very stuck. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of how I could pivot my business.?

It could have been a great opportunity to work on my book, but I was creatively stuck as well. Usually, one of the best things that unlock my creativity is travelling, but with the lockdowns at the time, that wasn’t much of an option.

As I was chatting with my friend Gary Hubbell , he suggested “you’re getting too much in your head, Coen! What you really need is true connection, so I’ll suggest you reach out to friends around the world and have conversations with them.”

Wise advice...

That worked a treat. Through chatting with people, and reaching out to friends, and then my clients, I got valuable insights into what their needs were, and that helped me to create new programs, services to pivot my business.

Not only did I survive through the pandemic, but I also grew my business.

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Back to My Client - How I Helped Her Unblock Herself

With this realisation, I called a pause to the coaching conversation, and offered her my observation.

I shared that I could see she was frustrated and anxious, and that is actually taking her away from creative breakthrough.?

And in that moment, I spouted out the 9-word advise that even surprised myself!

Are you ready for it? Here it is…

“Wisdom is Within You. The Genius is Out There”

My client’s face lit up with a sudden bolt of clarity.

Confused?

Here, let me break down this phrase for you.

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“Wisdom is Within You…”

Think of this common scenario…

After working through a problem and ruminating long and hard about it, you were still stuck, confused and vexed about but not being able to get a breakthrough idea. However, have you noticed that the creative spark that you were seeking came when you were doing something routine, like showering or walking?

Scientists have been wondering why this is so, and from their research, they found that when you're on autopilot doing simple tasks, a part of your brain called the “Default Mode Network (DMN)” gets busy. This part helps you daydream and think freely, which can lead to cool new ideas or sudden realizations. It's like letting your brain roam free in a playground, and sometimes it comes back with a shiny new toy (idea) you've never seen before!?

What this shows is that we usually already have the wisdom within us. However, when we are anxious, we stop ourselves from accessing this inner wisdom. According to the book?“The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain” by John Kounious and Mark Beeman, anxiety is a barrier to deriving insights. When we are anxious, we cannot think outside the box, and form connections in the mind.

However, when we take a pause from our conscious cognitive mind, we allow the inner wisdom to bubble up.

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“The Genius is Out There”

Often times, as creators, we are often too close to our work to be able to see the full picture. Much as we like to think that we are such creative geniuses, we cannot seem to figure the way out.?

This is when I am reminded of the story of Airbnb…

In 2009, the budding enterprise Airbnb faced an uphill battle, with weekly earnings barely touching $200. While many might have opted for a traditional business turnaround strategy, Airbnb's founders recognized that true wisdom lies in experiencing the world firsthand. They chose to personally visit hosts in New York and even other cities, understanding the essence of their struggles and needs. Brian Chesky, one of the co-founders, immersed himself deeply by living exclusively in Airbnb homes for years. He believed that directly experiencing the world – in this case, the company's offerings – was the ultimate way to truly grasp its heartbeat.

Most entrepreneurs start a business because they have an idea. They believe that their ideas are so good that they cannot imagine people not liking it. They suffer from what’s commonly referred to as “the curse of knowledge,” which is the phenomenon where the communicator knows something so well that they cannot imagine others not knowing it.

In short, they are too close to the work, that they think the genius lies within them.

“No Einstein, not quite!"

The genius is out there in the world, in your prospects’ brains, in your audience’s hearts. Go out and seek it!

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How to Apply the 9-Word Creativity-Block Antidote

Knowing that we have the wisdom within us, and that the genius is out there is a very freeing thought. It takes the heat off us needing to become the genius that our business needs.

Here are 3 Useful Actionable Tips:

1)??? When you’re stuck trying to figure things out, Stop Thinking!

Yes! Stop thinking because it may only cause you more anxiety. Instead, you may want to hit pause, take a short nap, head outside for a walk, or just take a shower! Slowing down your conscious mind will allow you DMN to free-associate. Your subconscious mind’s wisdom may just bubble up!

2)??? Quit trying to be the genius, go talk to people you’re looking to serve.

Instead of trying to figure everything out ourselves, it pays for us to be curious, to reach out, ask powerful questions and truly listen. You may just learn new insights that will move you forward.

3)??? Don’t take yourself so seriously! Have fun!

Most people get the totally opposite idea! They put pressure on themselves to be the genius, and beat themselves up about their apparent inadequacies. Yet, they think the wisdom lies outside, and therefore go around seeking it, when it was sitting there all along.

I hope this article has been helpful for you! Try these techniques, and I look forward to hearing from you!

After all, if everything fails...

You can always take a shower...

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