I found myself talking to my sister and expressing how I just feel like I have so many ideas in the works, but for some reason, feel like I have not accomplished everything I desire to. For years it has left me feeling pulled into writing this book idea, then a screenplay, then creating children’s books, researching, writing, art…it has seemed to go round and round for years, leaving me feeling troubled and wondering why I seem to start and stop projects.
I then came across this—The Hyper Creative Mind. Wow!! Did I instantly resonate with the ongoing circles of thought processes and a true understanding that this could possibly be what I have been struggling with. I always have struggled wondering if there is some underlying fear, laziness, no focus, etc.
I just began researching this idea to see what could help me focus. The following are some tips that I have come across. If you seem to be struggling from some of the same feelings or actions, I highly invite you to find your way through the hyper creative mind and find focus. Bless you on your journey.
Here are some articles that may help you understand this whole idea better:
Great article “Too many ideas in your mind? How to let your hyper creative mind achieve success” https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-focus-your-hyper-creative-mind-to-achieve-success.html
Which means if you are hyper creative your inability to remain excited about a project once you get part way into it, is not simply because you are lazy, have no stick-to-it-ness, or just don’t care. Part of your brain is hardwired to want to spend all it’s time just creating those new brilliant ideas that get you so stoked up. [this is so me!]
ME: I fall in love with projects, work so hard for so long, but then my mind wants to jump to something different. I have numerous books & book ideas that have been started; I have so much research on so many varying topics; I have a screenplay I wrote and created visually; I have numerous children’s books that I wrote and did the artwork for; I have brainstormed and created layouts for a children’s museum; I have entered contests; I have also created business proposals for a variety of business ideas, marketing campaigns, blogs, web sites… The list goes on and on. This doesn’t even include all the books I begin reading on so many different topics & some I finish and some are still waiting.
As I read some articles on the hyper creative mind they keep saying: And if you remember anything…THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. I smile to myself and find some VERY needed explanations for the years of feeling like I cannot focus & the frustration that accompanies those feelings. In each article I read examples of this “hyper-creative mind” and I keep saying to myself, “that is me!!” This is a very big AHA for me. Thank God. There is hope. smile. smile. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.
For me personally, I have definitely had some internal battles and misdirections from one project to another, so nothing gets completed and I am emotionally depleted.
I just came across this great analogy on girlbosstips :
I read a really cool analogy about a rose bush that I want to share with you. As a rose bush grows, it buds off more than it can sustain. You must prune rose bushes to maintain the appearance. If you don’t, the bush will eventually exhaust and die. There is only so much nutrients that can go around. If the bush just keeps on shooting out new buds and nothing is done to control it, then the result will be a negative one.
Like the rose bush, it is natural for you to have new ideas pop up into your head. And it is super cool when that happens. But, to allow yourself to have the energy, drive and excitement we sometimes have to prune the ideas. What I want you to take away from the prune analogy is that we sometimes need to remove and clean up our ideas to help ourselves be sustainable in our business / studies / careers /life.
ASK YOURSELF
Which ideas do I have TIME to focus on right now. You may have an app idea, or a novel playing on your mind, or a song you want to write, or…so many ideas may swirl and pop in trying to grab your attention. Ask yourself, What do I truly have time to focus on considering my other responsibilities.
How can I create more FOCUS? You need to truly focus in on one idea at a time and ask further questions that will help you see if it is worth your time and focus. Is the idea exciting? Do you feel a real connection & why? Is it something that is waking you up early in the morning to work on? Do you feel energized by it? Think and ponder an idea to see if the excitement grows or begins to fade. This is your life…your time…the idea needs to light you up, not just grab your attention.
Do you feel committed? For a hyper creative mind it is very easy to get distracted, fall in love with another idea, shelf something, get busy with life…When a project comes along that does light you up, you need to begin to act and then see if you feel deep within you a real commitment. Does your heart continue to light up? This is your life, so begin now to notice the distractions, look at the varying levels of commitment and begin to go within and ask yourself deeply what projects could you truly be committed to and one-by-one bring them to life. If you have so many side projects that are just daily distractions, begin to eliminate them one-by-one and say thank you, but no, my time is too precious. Find those projects that truly light you up & you could spend hours and hours getting lost in the creation.
Do deadlines or milestones work for you? For me personally, I struggle holding up an accountability card if no one else is involved. What about you? Having a visual deadline date on your calendar, would that work for you? Maybe if you treated yourself to a special weekend getaway if you finish a specific project?? [while I am typing this I am feeling like this could be something that appeals to me ;]
A couple more GOOD TOOLS
Having so many great ideas but being unable to apply them in a way that leads to the success you crave can be more than frustrating – it can be hugely depressing. -KarenDaniels
Here is an exercise from Karen Daniels work on finding your goal as a hypercreative-–What your goal is not: Your goal should NOT be to learn how to put a stopper on your creative flow so you can fit in, learn to love the details and get things done. So please, stop trashing yourself for being something you are not.
What your goal is: Your goal SHOULD be to learn how to harness your ideas in ways that allow you to better distinguish the ideas with more potential for your life and how to follow through in ways that will vastly improve your success, both personally and professionally.
How? You are going to sit down, right now, and create what you can think of as your hypercreative filter. This will be 3 core questions through which you will run all your ideas to see if that idea is going to help, or hinder, your forward progress to the life and business you want. To get to your core questions, I want you to sit down right now and think about some adjectives that describe how you would like to feel such as…fantastic, cheerful, lively, perfect, calm, wonderful, enchanting, funny, joyous, delightful, comfortable, pleasant, elated, amused, splendid, thankful…
READ THE REST OF HER ARTICLE. IT IS A GREAT TOOL Here is the rest of her article with additional details on this exercise https://karendaniels.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/How-to-Harness-Your-Hypercreativity-for-Success.pdf
ANOTHER GOOD ARTICLE that has some good information about the hypercreative mind http://artistmyth.com/hypercreative-know-one/
A few tips from this article: Hypercreatives, due to their sensitive nature, might become vulnerable to negative emotional states such as cynicism, apathy, depression, and frustration. This might even lead to negative physical states as well.
Another tendency for many hypercreatives to overcome is abandoning their current project or idea when another newer idea comes along. They need the diligence and discipline to be able to focus and maximize their efforts in order to accomplish their creative goals. This can be especially difficult when challenges come up, therefore problem solving skills are also an essential trait of successful hypercreatives.
Best wishes in all you do. May you find your calm.
Peace. Love and Light to you today. -H
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