Creatively Overcoming Fear

F.E.A.R. =
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real


Some people are highly motivated by fear, yet others can't stomach the pressure. What can you do to achieve optimum creative success without being in constant panic mode?

Theresa Amabile, head of the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, has been studying creativity for 30 years. For the past 8 years, she has collected nearly 12,000 daily journal entries from 238 people working on creative projects in seven large corporations. She and her team scoured journals for moments when people struggled with a problem or came up with a new idea.

The following rules for using fun to motivate creativity are inspired directly from Amabile's research:

Deadlines are fear-based; if you want to be creative you must give yourself an "incubation period." Deadlines create distractions that rob your attention, the research indicates. Even with a deadline looming, to get creative you should focus on your work in an environment protected from distractions.

Competition is fear-based; collaboration is fun-based. If you want to amplify your creativity, the research tells you to foster the confidence to share your ideas with others. Be open to debate with collaborators and create a noncompetitive environment. You'll hit new heights of creativity!

Catching people doing things right, rather than punishing them for doing things wrong, is fun-based. Public celebrations, according to the research, of accomplishments are a boon for creativity. If you want to spark creativity, publicly recognize someone's work or contributions!

Sparking intrinsic motivation is what fun accomplishes when you use it as a motivator. Intrinsic motivation, the research proves, is critical to creativity. Anyone, it turns out, can be highly creative - when they become intrinsically motivated! Motivating yourself with fun clears away barriers and allows your experience, knowledge, and skills to foster new, creative ways of thinking.

You are more likely to have a creative breakthrough if you were happy the day before. When you're happy, which usually happens as a byproduct of fun-based motivation, the research clearly indicates a great chance of your happiness "incubating" overnight to show up as a creative idea the following day.
How about that?

I couldn't have asked for more compelling evidence that fun is a better personal and professional motivator than fear.

Brian Tracy has a good audio series that I recommend on the "Psychology of Success" where he explains these things very effectively. I found his steps and his ideas to be very easy to implement and a great listen in the car on your way to the next sales or work meeting. In fact, I would listen to his Psychology of Sales Series before each sales call to get majorly confident and PUMPED! My first year, I took his challenge and actually doubled my income with those ideas. I really liked his unconventional closing techniques and objection handling.

In any case, he offers new customers a free audio book and a free newsletter if you are interested. Check it out.

Have creative fun today!
-Pagelessbooks