Most of us say we want to write and sell the book, or be cast in a film, or perform on stage, or coach a client and even take a few steps toward the dream. But when fear rises, time becomes the scapegoat. We tell ourselves, we just don’t have the time…we mean to, but darn it all, the time just got away from us.
Don’t let it! Use time to support your creative dreams instead of sabotaging them.
- Own your dream. Is it calling to your heart and soul? If so, fully accept the invitation, no matter how intimidating. Then create a roomy time frame for it, one that doesn’t feel too restrictive.
- Make it a priority. It doesn’t have to be the number one priority. Things like time with family and earning a living are important and need to be at the top of your priority list. But your creative dream should not be at the bottom of the list, either. See if you can slot it in somewhere in the top five.
- Get rid of time wasters. You know what I am talking about—the things you do when fear is chasing you away from your creative work—like watching TV, playing spider solitaire (guilty), talking on the phone, etc.
- Work with your creative rhythms instead of against them. If you feel most creative in the morning then do your creative work in the morning, or, if your imagination really kicks into gear in the evening, then do your creative work in the evening—if only for 15 minutes. Even 15 minutes of doing your creative work has the power to fuel the rest of your day, or help you sleep well at night.
- Go on a creative retreat for a day or a weekend. You don’t have to go anywhere. Just mute the phone, sign off of social media, and give yourself over to thinking and working with your creativity. While regular time for your creative work is important, having chunks of time to daydream, imagine, and then work will often give a real boost to a creative project.
Don’t have enough time for your creativity? Is that true?
Or are you making time the scapegoat?