Loosen the grip of negative thoughts that delay starting

When a creative person starts from scratch, it means they have no prefabricated parts.

They begin making art with nothing provided in advance, don’t use any work done before, and have been allowed zero odds in their favor.

Wow, that sucks. Who in their right mind would want that job?

You’re basically struggling to flow uphill, against the current, against gravity, and probably against your own nature. No wonder so many artists procrastinate when it comes to doing their work.

This dilemma has bothered me for most of my career. Because in my experience, both as an entrepreneur and as an employee, you never have to start from scratch. There’s absolutely no need to make the already difficult process of executing your ideas any harder.

Unless you’re masochist and you like doing things the hard way, in which case, god speed.

The good news is, there are numerous efficiencies waiting to be gained. You simply have to open yourself to the new philosophy.

Imagine if you could sit down to do your work every day, knowing that you could begin where you are, trusting that you had everything you needed to get the project moving in the right direction?

Might that alter the way you execute your creative projects?

Here’s a tool that has been transformative in that regard in my own life. It’s called a centering sequence, which is a daily ritual that brings your brain up to operating temperature in order to run properly.

Each morning before starting my daily writing, I take a few minutes to affirm rather than dismiss my chances of coming up with new things to say. I employ a series of affirmations and short cognitions that point my mind in the most useful creative direction.

This helps me avoid the pain of the cold start in my work and loosens the grip of negative thoughts that delay or derail you from starting. It doesn’t guarantee creative outcomes, but it does improves the experience of creating, and that’s no small victory.

Do you have a centering sequence?

If so, then you will go from beginning with nothing provided in advance to tipping the odds in your favor. And that exhausting fear of starting from scratch will fade away like a gentle breeze.

Why are you making the already difficult process of executing your ideas harder for yourself?