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5 Lazy Excuses You Give about Why You Don’t Create

By Dan Goodwin

Each of us have our unique set of circumstances in our personal lives. Our careers, our relationships, our dramas and celebrations, our ambitions and aspirations, our fears and insecurities. We all have a loosely connected mix of events and feelings going on at any one time.

But whatever’s going on in your life, and whatever outside influences permeate you, the fact remains that the only person who can ultimately decide how, what, when and how much you create is YOU.

Here are 5 of the most common excuses we tell ourselves and others about why we don’t create more, and how we can begin to challenge them:

1. “I don’t have enough time.”
   A very wide reaching excuse that covers a great number of things without us having to question it in any depth. Can you make just 15 minutes a day to write or paint? How important is it for you to create? If it’s important enough, you can find the time.
   
   
2. “I have to be in the right frame of mind to create.”
   This is often linked to the excuse about not having enough time. Maybe you feel you do have some spare time here and there to create but then you never seen to quite be in the right mood? There is no such thing as the right time, there’s always something going on in our lives and thoughts. The key to consistent creativity is to accept this and create the best we can anyway.
   
   
3. “There are too many distractions around.”
   People keep walking in and around where you’re working, there’s music and talking coming from the next room, the TV’s calling you... Like the excuse about being in the right frame of mind, there will always be distractions. Do all you can to minimise them — shut your door, put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign, wear headphones — and then create as deeply and freely as you can anyway. The more you do this, the easier it becomes.
   
   
4. “I’m too tired at the end of the day.”
   Most of us perform some kind of work that’s not directly involved in creativity, that we do to support ourselves, and this can leave us tired and unmotivated. If this happens to the point where you feel you can’t create at all, question whether this particular job is the best option right now. An alternative is to get up a little earlier and create each morning before you do anything else.
   
   
5. “I don’t have the right equipment.”
   It may be that you’re a painter without paints or a DJ without any record decks. In which case, what other ways can you get use of the equipment you need? How can you work towards investing in your future creativity? It’s also easy to get lost in the lust for new technology. “I can’t possibly create music without the latest laptop and music software…” It’s a dangerous myth, some of the greatest songs of have been written on just a cheap guitar or keyboard…

How many of these can YOU relate to? Which do you tell yourself most often, to justify the fact that you don’t create as often, as consistently or as deeply as you want to?

Which of the above excuses, if you were able to eliminate completely, would have the biggest positive effect on your creative life? Isn’t it worth taking steps towards eliminating, or at least reducing its impact?

Remember, the only one who can control your creativity is you. Yes there are major events in our lives that set us back and cause us pain, discomfort and difficulty. But recognise the difference between these, and the all-too-easy-to-churn-out-without-thinking excuses that slip by unchallenged. •

© Copyright 2007 Dan Goodwin

About the Author | More by Dan Goodwin
Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at www.CoachCreative.com.

02/09/07