“The way to activate the seeds for your creation is by making choices about the results you want to create. When you make a choice you activate vast human energies and resources, which otherwise go untapped.” – Robert Fritz
There are two elements to the creative process. That’s it. Just two. The first is determining what to create, and the second is gauging where you are in relation to your goal. The difference between them is a discrepancy that Robert Fritz calls “structural tension.” The further you are from your goal, the greater the tension. This dynamic works in your favor because tension inherently yearns for resolution.
Having goals is the easy part of the creative process. The hard part is grasping the reality as to where we are in relation to our goals. Critical to our ability to create is to be honest about where we stand. While reality may be painful, not accepting it will make achieving one’s goals difficult, if not impossible. Fritz says, “Reality is an acquired taste.” The more I learn, the more I find this to be true.
One of the keys to accepting reality to look upon it with fresh eyes. This is a hard thing for many because they have preconceived notions of their reality.
I recently spent a week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where each night around the campfire I looked at the stars. It had been a long time since I’d done that, and it reminded me that the night sky is constantly changing. I spotted four shooting stars. If you’ve ever seen one, you know they appear and disappear in a flash. You have to be looking to catch a glimpse of one, and that takes studying anew the night sky you’ve seen a thousand of times already. The same goes for spotting one’s reality.
What attracts me to the creative process is that it’s propelled by truth and love.
The truth is your current reality in relation to your goal. If your goal is to weigh 120 pounds and you weight 160, you have 40 pounds to lose. It’s not personal. It’s the truth. Truth doesn’t discriminate. It’s important to know where you stand.
Love is what guides a goal to completion. What do we love enough to bring into existence? When my wife and I learned we were having our first child, we loved him before he was born. You can have that kind of relationship with everything you create. A songwriter can love a song before it’s written, a business owner can love a business before the first customer comes in the door.
The best creations are those that are created for their own sake, not for the money or fame one hopes they will bring. We should create regardless of the potential payback. When we create with no strings attached, the driving force is love. The focus is on what’s being created, not the creator. That’s called giving of oneself, and that’s all about trust and love. Does it get any better than that?
Excerpts from Chapter 10 of Dennis Smith’s book, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Martial Arts & God: Tips on Success from the Masters. Dennis’ book is available on Amazon.
