In the last post, we began a discussion about internal creativity saboteurs and how to move from creative panic to creative power. We talked about the fact that no matter how far we get in managing our internal naysayer voices, they have a tendency to stick around.
We may hear them less and less and, ideally, we get to the point where they are mere annoyance. But they rarely disappear completely. We just get better at managing them. That’s why we say “navigation” and “management,” rather than “obliteration” or “abolishment.”
The idea behind internal creativity saboteur management is simply to become so adept at navigating through saboteur territory that your saboteurs lose the power to stop you from creating.
No matter how nervous or downright terrified we get, we’re okay as long as we move forward anyway. Even though we do want and need to learn to navigate our saboteurs effectively, acting in spite of them is what’s most important. In fact, we don’t even necessarily want our creativity saboteurs to go away.
WHAT??!! Wait a minute! Isn’t that the whole point of this? To shut those internal voices up? Of course, the answer is yes – and no.
Just ask yourself this question: When do saboteurs (of any kind) generally show up?
If you’re like most people (and, now, really putting the focus on the creativity saboteur), your answer is probably something like: When I’m doing something unfamiliar, new or scary. When I’m uncomfortable.
Think about that.
Internal saboteurs show up when we are stretching ourselves. They get louder when we are moving beyond our comfort zones. And they get especially BIG when we’re about to get especially BIG. Like when we have a big idea or are going after a big dream.
When we’re about to do something so incredibly bold, forwarding and remarkable, our saboteurs appear on the scene. The bigger and bolder our ideas or planned actions, the fiercer and more menacing the saboteurs can become.
In this way, internal saboteurs are actually a great sign. They tell us that we are playing a bigger game, and they show up en force when we want to, are about to or ARE creating FULL ON.
Ultimately, we want to be able to see that the saboteur would not show up if we were playing it safe. If we can see our creativity saboteurs this way, they can lose some of their power over us. Of course, there’s much more we need and will do with our saboteurs, and there’s much more we’re going to learn from them, but for right now let’s each just remember this:
When my creativity saboteurs show up it’s a very good indication that I’m headed in the right direction.
To BIG, BAD-ASS saboteurs and BIG, BAD-ASS ideas,
Susan B.