What are you Creating Lately?

Have you given any thought lately to what you are creating? ARE you creating anything at all in your life? Do you think of yourself as “creative” or as someone that is NOT creative at all?

We are ALL creative. We create all the time. The question is… what are you creating?

What about a new Listing or Buyer Presentation?

What about creating a saleable database?

What about a vacation/travel plan for the next 12-60 months?

What about creating a retirement plan?

What is it you want to IMPROVE?

“Creating” is a mindset and an attitude, yet it does require a “creative process”. The question is, do you take the time for this process? If not, do you want to continue to move through each day without it? Or, would you prefer to start CREATING your life and your future?

Here’s a Newsflash: YOU have everything you need to start this process right now.

You may not REMEMBER right now, but you do. Think about the memory game where you study 10 things on a tray for a period of time. The tray is then covered and you write down the items. Even if you can’t remember them all, when the tray is uncovered, rarely do you say “What? That wasn’t there before!”…. No, you say “Ah, yes, now I remember seeing that”. This is the same. You KNOW, you just don’t remember right now. And you need the process by beginning to remember.

You don’t need anything or anyone else to get this started. Just start. I saw a quote this week where Abraham Lincoln said “If I had 6 hours to saw down a tree, I’d spend the first 4 sharpening the blade”. That’s exactly what we’re talking about here.

Here’s the Process in a Nutshell:

1. Schedule it. Put time in your schedule on a regular basis for creating. Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually. The biggest EARNERS and the HAPPIEST people take a large chuck of time to create.

2. PREPARE. Take the time you’ve scheduled to start with a deep breath and remember what it is you are looking for. If you meditate, you might want to start with that and a pad of paper to write down thoughts as they come to you.

3. INCUBATE and IMAGINE the creation complete and as detailed as you can make it in your mind. Jot down the details. If applicable, draw a picture of it. Add color, etc. The more detailed it is, the easier it becomes to create. It’s the time you take to “percolate” and it does take time. It’s OK for this step to take many of your scheduled appointments. Don’t rush it.

4. IMPLEMENTATION makes up the rest of the steps. Start with list of actions to be taken in the completion of the creation. Broad general actions first and then break the bigger action steps into smaller ones.

5. Put a timeframe on each step. Action Step 1 may be by May 1, Action Step 2 by May 7, etc.

6. BE FLEXIBLE. Be willing to change the dates if/when necessary. Move them up or move them out, but don’t SKIP them. It’s OK to change the timeframe, it’s not OK to give up the creation. Just keep plodding along and never ever give up.

7. Post the Steps where you have to look at them all the time. On the fridge, on your office wall, on your mirror, etc. Check them off as you complete. Cross of due dates and change so you SEE how many times you’ve done that. It’s OK. It’s part of the process.

8. Get someone to hold you accountable. Have a friend, a manager, a family member or even a Coach. When this is skipped it is way too easy to let it go… again. Do you want that? Then get serious and TELL someone about it and have them hold you accountable!

What ARE the next creations you need to focus on next in your life?

How will those creations help you? How will they help others?

I hope you’ll give this some thought and if you need someone to hold you accountable, just let me know...

:)

Donna Stott

Donna.Stott@mac.com