Become a Creative Doer, Not Thinker

© Krista Stryker 2011

Everyone loves a great beginning.

At the beginning of a new diet, it's easy to be motivated (not so much so after a few weeks).

At the beginning of a new relationship, both people easily look over one another's faults, spending their energy instead on the intoxicating feeling of new love.

At the beginning of a road trip, driving sounds fun (not so true by the end).

Let's face it: beginnings are exciting.

And the conception of a new idea is one of the most exhilarating beginnings of all.

But when it comes to ideas, not only is it important to be passionate and motivated at the start, it's crucial to stay enthused throughout the process of making the idea happen, or you'll risk turning into a thinker, not a doer.

Committing to an idea

When creative people first conceive a new idea, the idea is treated as if it's the most brilliant, exciting thing ever dreamed up.   As someone with an idea, if you're really passionate about it, you may find yourself jumping up and down, telling all your friends and family, and becoming obsessed with the idea. It's going to be the greatest business/book/website/product ever, you'll tell yourself.

But as the reality of actually doing the idea sets in, your enthusiasm will most likely fade.

You'll realize it's going to take a lot of work.   It may also take time, and money, and make your friends and family mad at you because you no longer are focused on them, and take away any social life that you previously had.

In fact, after giving it a lot of thought and maybe even trying out the beginning stages of creating your idea, you may start to doubt that this idea was ever that good in the first place.

If you're a freelancer, or thinking up a project outside of your normal workplace, you'll become highly aware of the fact that you are trying to tackle this idea on your own, with no one to be accountable to, no one to tell you what to do, and worst of all, no outside support.  You may suddenly realize what you hadn't fully thought of before: it's all on you to complete this idea.

As if all that isn't enough, you'll also become hit with the reality that this idea, if you actually try and do it, will take over your life, leaving you no room to tackle any other brilliant ideas that may come your way. Everything else will be put on the back burner - this idea, if you make it happen, has the potential to take up months, years, even decades of your life.  (Whoa!)

Facing Resistance head on

The actuality of completing an idea and all the work that you'll need to put into its creation is scary enough in itself, and Resistance doesn't make it any easier.

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, explains Resistance as the negative force that keeps you from doing your real work.

Resistance will undoubtedly show itself differently to different people, but here are some of the ways Resistance may show up when you try to make your idea happen:

• You may all of a sudden think you're not a good enough writer/artist/musician/businessperson to complete your idea
• You may be so obsessed with being "perfect" that you never actually ship your idea to the world
• You may encounter writer's block (if you're a blogger, novelist, etc.) or a block in your creativity 
• You may become deathly afraid of failure
• You may become deathly afraid of success 

Resistance can show its head in countless other ways, but it always acts as a form of doubt - the voice inside your head that tells you that you can't do something.

Don't let Resistance steal your dreams

Don't give into the Resistance.  Yes, attempting your idea will take a lot of work, time and maybe even money, but if you're really passionate about it, if you really believe in it - it will all be worth it in the end, I promise.

Don't think.  Do.

The world needs you to make your idea happen!