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creativity motivation

Creativity Takes Courage

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It might not work. Some will like your style while others don’t. There are those who will get what you are conveying while others have no clue. Let’s face it. Matisse knew what he was talking about!

“Creativity takes courage.”

Henri Matisse

Whenever we do something new, we are going to welcome critics. Let’s face it, we don’t get what others are creatively doing either. We have our tastes and preferences. An artist could spend years working on a technique that appears effortless. And that appearance of effortlessness will make others dislike it.

Creativity is messy. It is also noisy. After all, one person’s musical symphony is another person’s rude noises!

Cartoon of two girls and two boys
Copyright ©2017 Kevin Spear & Kidzmatter Magazine

Perfection and Creativity

Not every creative endeavor is meant to make money or be popular. Who can really predict what is popular next week anyway? If we make those our goals, we may be in for a disappointment.

The pursuit of perfection can kill creativity. If we are searching for the perfect pitch, technique, or approach that will knock everyone’s socks off, good luck! That pressure will squelch creativity.

Besides, my view of what is perfect can be very different from yours. How can perfection be defined in artistic endeavors? Is it the reaction of the public? Or the guarantee of an award-winning project? Perhaps it’s the approval of a client. What if they had a bad day and you didn’t know they hate that shade of purple?

Business and Creativity

If we are working with businesses, creativity takes courage. Very few business leaders have that chutzpah. Editors will turn down books that become bestsellers. Movie producers will reject movie concepts until they become popular and demands sequels. That song that a producer was convinced was a flop is suddenly his favorite when it becomes viral on TikTok.

Creativity takes courage. It isn’t easy to put our ideas out there. But it is worth it. It is far better to try something and see whether it works than to stay safe and churn out the same old concept.

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Bible motivation

The Crucible of Suffering

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Who wants to experience more suffering? Nobody? Me neither! Whenever anybody sets up goals, nobody but a sadist eagerly plans for suffering. Yet, it is in the crucible of suffering we can become much better than we imagined.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

Helen Keller

7.9 Billion Crucibles

As I write this, there are 7,931,373,700 billion people in the world. There will be more by the time you read this. And every one of us on this planet experiences suffering.

  • Newborns come into a cold, disorienting world
  • Toddlers impatiently suffer when their needs aren’t meant and they come face-to-face with the word, “No!”
  • Children suffer rejection on the playground
  • Teens suffer through puberty and family vacations
Cartoon about two teen girls and vacation

And adults suffer in a myriad of ways. Even the most successful person experiences suffering. We can avoid it. It is part of life.

We have scars of suffering from the past. Some we can laugh about. An old football injury, in retrospect, can be a badge of honor. When someone says, “That had to hurt!” the old linebacker can smile and weave a tall tale about that fateful night against the crosstown rival.

The Choice in Suffering

So if it is unavoidable, what choice do we have in the crucible of suffering? First of all, don’t be surprised! We all go through it. The Apostle Peter knew this very well.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12–13 (KJV)

We may suffer when doing good. And we may suffer for evil or foolish acts. We may not have a choice on whether we will suffer or not. But we do have a choice in how we react when suffering comes.

Helen Keller’s quote is so powerful when we consider the suffering she endured. She lost her sight and hearing at such an early age. Yet through the patience of a faithful teacher, and the right attitude, she made an indelible impact on millions.

We will all experience the crucible of suffering. Our choice is not whether we can avoid it. Rather, it is how we respond in the midst of our suffering. That is what develops our character!

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creativity motivation

Creativity as a Fountain of Youth

One of the ways a person can stay young in their thinking is to pursue creative endeavors. I love this quote by Sophia Loren about creativity as a fountain of youth.

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”

Sophia Loren

This reminds me of a blog post I posted twelve years ago. In it, I commented on another blog post that claimed age is no excuse when it came to creativity. Twelve years later, I am even more convinced of this.

The temptation to believe we know it all and have seen it all makes us older. However, when we consider creative endeavors and begin thinking about how to do things differently, our thoughts can rejuvenate our minds.

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Creativity Frees Us

When we are faced with a situation that makes us feel stuck, we get impatient and myopic. If we are convinced there is no solution to a problem, then we are prone to give up.

However, if we consider there is a solution to a problem, it frees us. When we use patience and determination to address the issue, creativity can free us from being stuck.

And if we have the audacity to believe there is more than one solution, that enables us to find the best one. Our minds have the capability to do more than we realize.

Patience and Creativity

Have you seen a situation where someone gets flustered easily? We are working on a new system and software at my work. It can be hard to learn something new when the old system has worked for many years.

I have noticed the biggest challenge to learning this, or any new system is having the patience to continue. I have heard, “The old system works fine! Why are we changing it?” But the truth is the old system is clunky and is far less automatic than it should be.

The transition is hard. But change comes whether we adjust or not. Patience and creativity go hand in hand. And when we decide to embrace these qualities, a side benefit is we can see creativity as a fountain of youth.

Categories
motivation

The Line Between Good and Evil

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This week has been full of international turmoil. We see images of war and destruction coming out of Ukraine and wonder how people can be so cruel to others. It reminds me of a quote Aleksander Solzhenitsyn said about the line between good and evil.

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart —and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained.”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 (Abridged))

The Line We Cross

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Each day, we have a choice on which side of the line we cross.

  • Do we waver to the side of good or evil?
  • Do we make our own world better or worse?
  • Are we part of the problem or solution?

Good is worth fighting for! Throughout history, we have seen violence and barbarism directed against others. And unfortunately, we have seen individuals hide behind the actions of their country and claim they were only doing what their leaders told them to do.

Yet, all nations are made of individuals. Each of us has the choice between good and evil every day. While we can justify any actions, in the end, we are all accountable for our individual actions.

Too often, we ask, “What can I do? I’m just one person.” Indeed, what can we do when there is so much evil in the world?

When each of us chooses to do good towards others, we sow seeds of goodness. Consequently, when we sow seeds of evil, we reap what we sow.

Solzhenitsyn paid a price for choosing good and standing up against evil. We too can be part of the problem or the solution. Each one of us is required to make the choice as we stand on the line between good and evil.

Categories
motivation

Keep the Children Laughing!

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It appears we are living in heavy times. Between plagues and wars, it is enough to bring a person down. But the heavier the situation, the more we need to keep the children laughing.

It is their innocence that gives us hope for the future. Besides, can you really trust someone who hates a child’s laughter?

“Beware of him who hates the laugh of a child.”

Johann Kaspar Lavater
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When a baby discovers something surprising for the first time, their spontaneous laughter can be contagious. I suppose this is another reason I love working in children’s ministry. The pure joy of a child’s laugh is a balm for society’s ills.

I once asked in a post, “Can a baby be too happy?” I thought it was possible then, but not so much today. Bring on the laughter! We could use a lot of it this year.

One redeeming quality of YouTube is it’s easy to find laughing baby videos. I leave you with this clip and pray you will find some joy and laughter on this day. And keep the children laughing!

Best Babies Laughing Compilation