Shift your frame of reference from the sporadic to the systematic.

Lightning has historically been a prominent symbol of creativity.

And yet, few innovators hang their hats on the almighty thunderbolt.

They’re more likely to reject the notion of the elusive eureka moment and promote a more systematic approach to their creative process.

Edison didn’t file for a thousand patents in his career because lighting just happen to strike a thousand times. He and his team pulled the plow daily and cultivated fertile ground so that the spark of conception kept firing every time they went to work.

This is the number one misconception about creating. People assume good ideas only arrive sporadically and magically.

Now, sometimes they do. And that’s a wonderful thing. But this enchanted approach to getting ideas is not the norm, despite its romantic portrayal film and television.

Like when all of the character’s complex problems are solved by sudden epiphany. The artist or detective or lawyer gets hit with some external inspiration, apparently completely unrelated to everything, which becomes the key to their salvation.

Fade to black, roll credits.

Sure, this eureka moment certainly makes for a memorable scene, but sadly, it’s not as common as people would like it to be. A high percentage of the time, innovation is the result of systematic and mechanical labor. It’s less of a mysterious art and more of a disciplined science.

Fewer lightning bolts, more hours at the workbench.

Not exactly the glamorous picture of creativity that we were told about as kids.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no magic or beauty or joy in the process. Quite the opposite, in fact. Because once you’re willing to shift your frame of reference from the sporadic to the systematic, creativity becomes magical in a different kind of way.

When you emphasize the unspectacular reality of the process, you’re reminded that bringing new ideas into the world is, at its fundamental core, labor. You punch the clock and do your job. And that reminds you that you’re a real person living in the real world making real things.

That’s a priceless experience no thunderbolt can provide.

If you want to become prolific, you need to abandon your dependence on lightning and build a trusted, disciplined system instead.

What outdated narrative about creating is holding you back?