7 Goals to Give Up to Be More Creative

When the only way to move forward means letting go

Photo via: “Les Pegas” by Gordon W. Gahan/Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Barbara Robinson

It’s tempting to think of improvement as constantly adding — applying a new insight, adding a new tool to our process, listening to more interviews — but there can be just as much value in reducing and letting go. Similarly, giving up often has a negative connotation — “Stick with it!” we say — but our tendency to quit can be extremely valuable if we use it to get to where we want to go.

Creativity is about channeling chaotic energy. It’s not about imposing structure and judgement in the beginning. For example, writing requires a very different mindset than editing. The conventional creative process involves four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. The first three stages all involve varying degrees of work, but letting go of the outcome. That’s what this piece is about — preparing and cultivating creativity. Here are seven mindsets that sound like common sense, but actually get in the way of creativity:

1. Give up on sounding smart.

Instead, focus on expressing your perspective and experience.

It’s easy to buy into charisma and authority — but true credibility comes from what you’ve done and are doing now, and the results that came from it. So…