Dr. Michael R. MacDonald
On the path toward our goals, we will have to overcome obstacles. And, unfortunately, some of these obstacles will be ones we create ourselves.
For instance, obstacles such as fear, doubt and perfectionism can get in the way and hold us back.
A Creative Way Through
Lydia Bouchard is a dancer, choreographer and show director at Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun). I am sure you have heard about this amazing group of highly creative artists.
In her video below, Dreaming is Not Enough, Bouchard explains how we can get out of our own way and grow to new heights.
Here are a few of my favourites from Lydia Bouchard.
Break out of the box. When others label you or try to box you in, recognize what is happening, label it as a box, and refuse to be bound by it. A label gains power when you accept its truth and internalize it. If their characterization of you has some useful truths, take them in and put them to use. If not, discard them as irrelevant.
Use creativity to discredit a label. Embrace your own ideas and your unique individuality. Build on your creative ideas with new learnings and ambition. Creativity works better than power. You can invent who you want to be.
To overcome a fear of rejection, embrace a spirit of play. This attitude helps take some of the pressure off of you. A playful approach allows you to experiment and to be less frightened of failure. Cirque du Soleil shows are a serious billion-dollar business. But they all start with a spirit of play.
Consider your personality like a patchwork of colours. Everything you are and do is relevant to the creative work and life you build. Let all of your personality come to work for you like a type of alchemy.
Use humility to cope with your doubts and perfectionism. Remember you are always a student, like every creative person. Perfection is not the goal, learning is. Your goal is to create work that is genuine, honest and true, not perfect.
Remember you are a work in progress. And always will be. This is the creative way. This is also how great athletes approach their never-ending professional development.
When we succeed we learn. When we fail we learn. Doubt is normal. We are improvising as we go. And not waiting for approval.
Generosity Works
Here are some more of my favourites from Lydia Bouchard. They show how a generosity of spirit can both help us and the people we work with.
Open up to others’ generosity. Learn how to receive with kindness and appreciation. Not everyone has an ulterior motive. Many people just like the good feelings they get when they help others.
Learn from successful teams. In sports, relationships and business, good team members know how to give and receive. Both are necessary for success. This is one of the great joys of winning as a team. Even losing is easier when shared with your teammates or partner.
Let others elevate you. Get out of your way. You don’t always have to do everything yourself. Let others share in your success. This may not seem like a type of generosity, but I believe it is. You are putting your trust in another person by asking and allowing them to help you.
Thank you Lydia.
Learn from your success.
This powerful lesson comes from my own experience. It was very stressful at the time, but this lesson has paid off all throughout my life.
Many years ago, I was laid off from a bartending job I desperately needed. This was during my early university years. I needed to find a new job or else I would have had to drop out of school.
So I started going around to bars and restaurants in Toronto looking for a new job. There weren’t any jobs advertised. This meant that I had to visit potential employers without much hope that I would succeed.
Each place I visited was a long shot. I soon started to doubt that I would find an employer to hire me. As I approached each new bar or restaurant, I was filled with a certainty (or so I thought) that approaching this particular employer was a waste of time. I was filled with doubt – many places just didn’t look that inviting.
But I made a decision, mostly based on desperation, that I would not limit myself to places that I guessed might have potential. I forced myself to visit every single place on each street I searched.
After about 10 more visits, I found work. And it was at a place that I would have avoided, based only on the outside appearance of the restaurant. It turned out, that the owner of the restaurant that hired me, also owned two other bars nearby. So now I had three places to work.
The lesson for me, which I have never forgotten, is that doubt and fear can make a person give up prematurely. Doubt and fear can make you think of all sorts of reasons to give up or avoid trying all options. And these reasons will appear logical and certain – and can be very convincing.
The decision rule that worked for me was to ignore all doubts, no matter how convincing they seemed at the time, and to try each and every option. That was the only way I would know for sure which option would work out.
Maybe this approach might work for you.
Until next time, let our warm hearts soar!
Michael
michael@aWarmHeart.ca
And thank you for caring that little bit extra – it really makes a big difference.
