Staying Committed
Even giants start small
Part 4 of The Corporate Creative Series
I warn Gen Zs about these 3Ds:
Distraction
Disruption
Demotivation
They come for all of us. They respect no positive intention, ambition or past success at any big age so I mention them here too.
Once we uncover our creative passions and decide to pursue them, like me, you might feel some or all of the 3Ds encroach mentally or spiritually.
Distraction isn’t something I generally suffer from. Once I lock in on something, I seldom entertain potential distractions. This has gotten stronger since practising the Year Compass: https://yearcompass.com/. It’s very clear to me what actions advance or hinder my goals so I quickly eliminate distractions.
Disruptions aren’t in my control and I had one health-related disruption this year that required me to halt all endeavours for a month. I wasn’t anxious about the manuscript during this time. I rested, regained perspective and returned in full “beast mode”. In a way, the project benefited from a forced time-out.
While all that’s lovely, I am a mere flawed mortal so my cross to bear is that of occasional discouragement. I am a positive person but have learnt optimism has limits when doing hard things. Some of the issues that arose during this 3.5 year process:
I felt blocked at times, knowing the content wasn’t my best but not knowing what to do about it.
I felt doubt. The world has enough books already. Why does mine need to exist?
I felt overwhelmed. Self-publishing is a special kind of torture. I understand why professional authors hold out for a publishing deal - that means it’s someone else’s headache to do the admin, marketing, print and distribution. I did it once and I’m doing it again. Why? Don’t most people like to remind me that Gen Zs don’t read personal development books?
This mental thread I found particularly annoying. Yes I do annoy myself occasionally! This one felt more like whining since I do have some experience and have simple repeatable processes in place.
The good thing is that feelings aren’t facts, as psychologists like to remind us.
Here’s what I learnt to do to limit the impact of demotivation on my creative experience:
With my close circle, I would talk about my progress and target timelines. I wasn’t bragging. I was verbalising my personal commitment and reminding myself that I had completed interim milestones which I should be proud of. Things were moving forward!
I am collaborating with more writing professionals who review and critique my output #worksmart.
I re-committed to why I write. I have a very clear conviction about mentorship and the role of books in reaching more students with frameworks they can repeatedly reference. There ARE many books, and that is a wonderful thing not a fearsome thing. I’m playing my part to make sure that some of that knowledge reaches the students in my orbit.
We all relate differently to the triggers that evoke demotivation, distraction and disruption, some of which are quite serious and deep-rooted. It’s okay if your creative journey doesn’t match any cliches about how easy it is and how everything aligns perfectly when you follow your passions.
All I want to say is keep going.
Make time.
Enlist accountability partners.
Pursue your goals in partnership with a team at some level.
When you tap into your creative flow, truly embody the joy it brings. Recall that feeling when it gets tough. You’ll need it.
What’s your experience with staying committed to your creative work? Have you encountered challenges? Please share a comment below.
Also, share this article with a friend or colleague who’d be interested in this conversation.
