“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it – then I can achieve it.”

Muhammed Ali

Yes, it’s a question I’ve asked myself often too; ‘What might I have been put on this earth to do? and it’s a different question now to the fearful one in my head as a young person trying to find my thing; my direction, ‘Where am I going in this life. What will I be?’

For me back then, ‘where’ and ‘going’ were about feeling lost, a sense of failure; directionless. The concern and the focus was finding the fixed destination and the clear pathway; to conform, not disappoint, the search for certainty, control. Closed, fixed thinking. Frozen.

But the truth that I’ve learned is that you create your own life by living it. You just have to trust your gut, staying in touch with the things that have stirred you in your education and your life, your natural abilities, the things you care about, your empathy for the problems you see for others, make a start and take a step to uncovering your latent talents, learn new skills, gain new insights. You have to trust that it will all come together at some point in one place with one group of people who believe what you believe and are striving for the same change as you.

Self discovery through the experiences you choose, shape you as you join the dots and connections to find your ‘thing’; you discover the change you want to make or be a part of for people, the thing you were put on this earth to do.

The quality of the questions we ask ourselves and the way we frame them, combined with our belief systems about ourselves can have a huge impact on our what we do or don’t do next. The question framed with ‘what’ and ‘do’ invites a more positive and creative exploration. Action. Might suggests options, not a right or wrong answer.

Had I had the awareness to frame the questions and explore more positively as a young person might I have taken the mindset of an explorer rather than a wondering, directionless soul?

‘What might I have been put on this earth to do? What is my why?

I know now…what I was out on this earth to do. Reframing has helped me to discover my self awareness and my thing; I have the capacity to imagine and build on new-to-the -world ideas, but the real value doesn’t come until you are brave enough to act and try things out. I can still often be paralysed by fear of failure. It sometimes caps my ability to act, to make real change happen.

I’ve read a book ‘Creative Confidence’ by Tom and David Kelley, Pioneers of design thinking and founders of the d.school at Stanford University in the USA. The book is telling me that creativity is a precious resource to be nurtured in all.  It’s a natural part of thinking and human behaviour but it gets blocked as we transition from kindergarten where there is no fear or shame, just imagine, play, make, learn, repeat…to adulthood where fear of failure and social rejection is learned. 

The ability to think creatively is the key to solving some of the worlds biggest problems. And we need creativity in all. Creative policy makers, doctors, dentists, designers, administrators. Creative confidence according to the Kelleys is believing in the ability to change the world around you; Belief is key and it’s one of my barriers from time to time. The belief that actually,’I can. I just need to stop thinking and act.’ Just simply start, and act in small ways to build the belief and the confidence.

I’m not alone. According to the book, in an Adobe Systems poll of five thousand people, eighty percent see unlocking their creative potential as a key to their personal growth and economic growth. Yet only 25% feel they are living their creative potential in their work and their lives. 

So how can I and how can we all overcome the mental blocks that keep creativity thinking and solutions at bay? How we all re-learn the lost ability to imagine, play, make, learn, repeat without fear of judgement or failure?

David and Tom and David Kelley wrote the book to ‘…reach out to as many people as possible. To give future innovators the opportunity to follow their passions. To help individuals and organisations unleash their full potential – and build their creative confidence’

Me too. But I need to nurture that creative confidence in myself first by taking the how and what from the book, applying and then sharing what I learn with others; and I will.

If I could go back in time and coach my self as a young person,  I’d say, “Worry less about the fear of ‘where, what and be’. Reframe, become an explorer and focus on,’What might I try, do, learn and become?’ “.

‘Creative Confidence, Unleashing the Creative Potential in us all’ is available on Amazon

Into Action

You can assess your current creative problem solving abilities using this on line creativity quiz from Mind Tools.

Use what you learn to start exploring and sketching out ‘you’ check out these tools below from ‘Business Model You’.

Sketch out what excites you and what you’ve enjoyed in your life and what you don’t using the  Lifeline Canvas  – don’t get hung up on getting it right – just thrown some ideas on on post it notes so you can change it later. Keep ideas moveable.

The Business Model You canvas is a great way to start to identify your value and what you have to offer. You can use it to sketch out where you are now and where you want to be.