Growth mind set New Year's Resolutions for Creatives and artists

I was talking to a couple of good friends last night about new year's resolutions, it being New Year's Eve. They both said that they do not believe in new year's resolutions because it just sets you up to fail. Yup- I get that. We resolve to go to the gym and after two or three weeks, we stop. And feel yet again like a failure. Yuck.

So when I was on my walk this morning, with a beautiful fog ahead of me and delicately naked drippy dark trees all around me- I chewed on this idea. What if... What if there was a different way of looking at this?

The life of a creative is all about curiosity- the big and little "what ifs". Apparently John Grisham started writing his novels while being a full time lawyer and active parent. He wrote one page a day- only 1/2 hour of writing each day- squeezed in. And it was curiosity that helped him stick to it. The basic question was can I do this? But I am sure it also became what is going to happen next? Because this is what happens when you start something creative- it sucks you in with curiosity! 

So what if instead of declaring that you are going to lose 25 lbs or get into the studio every day or whatever you are deciding you want to do- and then gritting your teeth and charging into it, you approached it differently? What if you approached it with curiosity?

There is a lightness and play that comes with the open questions and a pull that is engaging and enticing. It keeps you going, draws you back into the journey.

On the other hand when you declare a goal and try to focus your mind around it, there is a heaviness and density of being- like you are set against the world- it is all opposition and effort. That kind of push can feel good for a while, and make you feel powerful with the effort you are putting in, but it will exhaust you because it is relentless. 

So what does it look like to approach a goal with curiosity? I recently lost 25 lbs with curiosity. I kept asking questions I wonder if I can make this program work for me? What if I did not eat anything after 7? What if I log all my food, what will I discover? Does it help to have an on-line community? etc.
 
There are a ton of little questions and you tested them out. It is very much like making a sculpture- I start with the bigger question of what if I set up these parameters- what will I find? And then as I move through it, the questions become minute design decisions and I do not even notice that many ideas fail because I continue to be curious and try anther idea. And eventually the whole thing is miraculously working together and I back up from it and notice that I have made something that looks really interesting to me and then I get curious about what it is saying... and that is another round of questions.

So try it for yourself right now. What is the goal that you would like to set for yourself, and that you are afraid will fail if you set it as a resolution? Now make it into a question- something like What would it feel like if I ... or I wonder if I can... or what if I...  How does it feel in your body and your psyche to reframe it? Can you feel the lightness and play coming in as you engage the curiosity? Then break it down to a smaller doable test- try it for a week or a month and see how it feels and make adjustments so that it is always about curiosity. Have fun!

If have creative urges that you want to move into this year, I want to encourage you to go for it! Your creative work is essential to you and to the world you are in! I also want to encourage you to get help with it. There are many good coaches and classes and communities that you can engage so that you do not have to feel isolated and suffer for the art. 

And if you are curious about whether I might be the right coach for you, please check out my quiz for creatives by clicking the link below.