"How do I unlock my creative potential?"

People ask me this question often. And expect a simple formula as an answer. “Don’t give me a lecture. Don’t give me theory” they add.?

“So what do you do Sridhar? Come to the point.” Prasna* had arrived.

Here is what I have tried. And it seems to work. Here are two questions I ask.

“How would things be different, if you are creative?”

“How would things be different, if you are operating to your potential?”

Let me share people’s answers to the first question. “How would things be different, if you are creative?”

“I will try new stuff.”

“I would experiment a lot more.”

“I might do some crazy stuff.”

“I will look at a lot more options before I arrive at a solution.”

“I will follow my passion.”

“I will not be afraid of failures”

There are many detailed answers but the gist is similar.

Here are the answers to the next question “How would things be different, if you are operating to your potential”

“It would be like driving my car on 5th gear on a highway, instead of getting stuck in traffic and moving at snail’s pace at first and second gears.”

“I will not be easily satisfied with my initial answers. I would want to explore some more new options. Because I know I can do better than this.”

Then I ask them this question. “What stops you from driving on 5th gear? Or explore more new ideas?”

Here are a few answers I get.

“I feel stuck. Not able to think of new options. The harder I try, the more difficult it becomes.”

“Mental block. That is my problem. It feels like my brain is frozen and refusing to thaw.”

“So if you unlock your creative potential, none of this will be a problem. Is it?”

“Absolutely. Then I can zoom as I wish.”

“So unlocking creative potential is all about thinking and operating without restraints. Would that be correct?”

“Correct.”

“Have you ever tried solve this issue?”

“Yes, I have read books, spoken to creative people from various fields etc to figure out what to do.”

“What happened?”

“It worked for a while but I sort of got back to where I was.”

“So what would you like instead?”

“Would like some tips on sustainable ways to crack this. Maybe some handholding support in the initial days so that I become more comfortable with different ways of thinking.”

“Got it.”

“Very clever Sridhar” *Prasna quipped.

*My friend and Executive Coach Anand Kasturi offers an interesting way to find out your creative potential. It is called Unlock Your Creative Potential 360 (ULYCP360). It gives you an excellent insight into what you need to do to improve your creative potential.

**Prasna is my uninvited coach. He steps in every time I start writing. His questions are sharp and piercing. He is relentless. He is always asking questions that the readers like you wish they could ask. So he is always on your side.