Creativity & Wellness

Act As If You Trust Your Instincts

By Jill Badonsky, M.Ed.

Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.
~ Rita Mae Brown

Previously on Body Blissmas and a Happy New Rear, an array of imaginary friends landed on the islands of our podgy lives. They served as convenient, malleable coaches, cheerleaders, men-in-waiting, nannies, and fairy god mothers assisting us in the quest to live a healthier life. That's because imaginations can do that when given practice and significance and more practice. We can cultivate our elastic, versatile creative imaginations to better our lives. I know that because my imaginary assistant, Tina Fey DeGeneres Hepburn told me so.

As so many writers, researchers and psychobabblers will tell us, we use a very small percentage of our brains' potential. We are ever so grateful for being told we only use 15% of our brains. Articles and data entice us by mentioning the "elsewheres of possibilities" and the promises of multi-dimensionality — meeting up with our inner Einsteinism, Edisonism or even Robin Williamism. But we are really not given realistic portals of realizing these prospects. We most often are inundated with overwhelming exercises, lists, activities and adventures that fall into our overflowing mental basket labeled OVERWHELM — NEXT? So we read all these suggestions, (how many books on creativity do you have?), because to actually do everything they tell us to do seems unrealistic. We intend to…really we do, when we have time.

The Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching coalition believes the only way to create lasting solutions in your life is the repetitive practice of very tiny new ways to think and act; so tiny that not doing these things is hard. Repetitive because then these thoughts and actions become a habit when we repeat them, not a novel idea running only on enthusiasm and gone when the enthusiasm wanes. So instead of providing you with ten, five or even three ways to use more of your brain to embark upon the wellness that comes with better food choices, or the joy that comes with living more like your authentic creative self, I give you one idea.

1. Act as if

You probably have heard this before, but have you practiced it? Over and over.

Add a dollop of imagination and act as if you have will power when making food choices. Why is this important to creativity? Sugar can make our creativity fuzzy, simple carbs can make food cravings more important than creative cravings.

Act as if you are the poster child of using small steps to sneak past fear to your creative passion of writing, art projects, music, or whatever creative passion you have. Notice how 5 minutes a few times a week can get you further than an hour you never get to because it's too unrealistic.

Act as if you are more confident, even if it's only 5% more confident, about your creative potential. Imagine for 15 seconds what that might feel like, (you can do that right now). Act as if you trust yourself to create and deliver ideas.

Confidence imparts a wonderful inspiration to its possessor. ~John Milton

The trouble with the average person is that he doesn’t trust himself sufficiently to create and deliver ideas. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Act as if you are passionate about being more creatively in tune with your life, your health and your mind's potential — get a live experience to reinforces that: Sign up for the free Kaizen-Muse Creative Coaching Call with Jill Badonsky on April 3rd by visiting www.kaizenmuse.com.

Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is the founder of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training. She lurks upon the floating icons at www.themuseisin.com.

About the Author | More by Jill Badonsky
Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is a nationally recognized workshop leader, artist, performer, humorist, and author of the book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard): 10 Guides to Creative Inspiration for Artists, Poets, Lovers and Other Mortals Wanting to Live a Dazzling Existence. She teaches creativity lovers to facilitate classes and workshops based on her book and along with UCLA psychologist, Robert Maurer, she trains people to be Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaches. She can be found lurking at www.themuseisin.com.

03/25/08