How do you begin your day? With a cup of coffee? A cold beer? With steak and eggs? Or a doughnut? Do you drag yourself out of bed wishing you could spend the day sleeping? Are you wide awake and full of energy? Do you hit the snooze button again and again trying to steal a few more minutes of sleep? Do you sing in the shower and dance about the room?
While my wife and I are both early risers, we approach our mornings differently. She loves sound and light. She turns on the TV so noise fills the room. She turns on the lights around the house chasing away the darkness. I, on the other hand, prefer silence so I can give free rein to my thoughts. Mornings are my creative time. Ideas seem to spring out of nowhere. I don't want to talk. I don't want any external noise disrupting my thoughts. My thoughts are enough noise. We both are enthusiastic about the day but approach it differently.
Some people get up in the morning and say: "Good morning, Lord. It is great to be alive!" They are full of energy and enthusiasm. Other people get up and say: "O Lord, it's morning again." They start the morning in reverse and keep going backward. Which person are you? Someone who appreciates each day she has been given? Or someone who finds no joy in living and finds fault with the world?Â
How you begin your day can have a positive or negative impact on your creative work. Do you begin your day with meditation? Or prayer? Do you take a walk? Or lift weights? Do you eat a healthy breakfast or do you skip the most important meal of the day?Â
Be thankful for every day you wake up. The alternative to waking up is being six feet under. Celebrate the day and give thanks for all you have been given. Every day is an enchanted gift — an opportunity to begin again. Greet the morning with enthusiasm and hope.
Many of us waste energy complaining. We need to learn to transform our frustrations, fears, and failures into positive energy that inspires us to create great works of art. Are you feeling down today, maybe even depressed? Great. Use that negative energy to create. Write through the frustration. Paint a picture with large dramatic brush strokes. Â
Are you angry and upset? Transform that negative energy. Splatter the canvas with paint. Quickly write a poem in very large letters and don't rewrite it. Read the poem aloud to the universe. Â
Is your heart broken and you can't stop crying? Give yourself a hug and sing in a loud voice a country song about your broken heart and the mean person who broke it. Be sure to sing off-key. Paint a picture of a heart in agony. Dance wildly about the living room and do a belly laugh.
Emotions are a part of being human. What most people don't realize is that they can control and change their emotions. Don't wallow in self-pity, take charge of your life and choose to change your emotions. Do something that gets you out of that rut. Climb a mountain in your backyard. Take photos of squirrels chasing each other for fun. Go for a swim. Listen to Duke Ellington.
Do you know when you are the most creative? Do you pay attention to your energy levels and when you work best? For years my most creative time was in the morning and I would schedule my creative work during this time. In recent years, I have found myself to be most creative in the late afternoon or late evening. As a creative leader, you should schedule your creative work during your best hours — when you have the most energy.
One of my several thousand sales pitches to generate sales leads for a heating and cooling company is this: "Most people don't want to hear you complain. I do! I want to hear you complain about your old heating and cooling system." ðŸ¤