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4 Ways to Get Unstuck and Start Creating Again · The Daily Writer

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create podcast.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher, but most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show, we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 12, and today we're going to be talking about four ways to get unstuck and start creating again.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links at KentSanders.net slash unstuck.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: I recently sat down with an artist friend of mine to see how she was doing.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: We'll call her Diane, which is not her real name.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: She's a talented leader, writer, and event planner.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Diane was feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: She had said yes to too many commitments and didn't feel she could get out of any of them.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: She wanted to have more time to do creative work that refreshed her soul and would help her move forward.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: In a word, Diane felt stuck.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: She was on a hamster wheel and didn't know how to get off.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: There are two things that I said to Diane.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, I understand how you feel, and I can see why you feel frustrated and stuck.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: And it was really important for me to validate her feelings because I've been there and honestly I'm still there sometimes.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Probably we all are.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, I said, you always have a choice in how to spend your time.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Your choices might be limited depending on your life situation, but you always have options.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now this second statement is the key to getting unstuck.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: For many years I felt imprisoned by my circumstances, as if somebody was holding a knife to my throat almost and preventing me from creating.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I blamed my busy schedule, my list of commitments, other people's expectations, and just about anything else I could get my hands on.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: But when I came to realize the power of choice, that was the day I became a free man.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: I realized that I could choose my outlook, my attitude, and my perspective.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: If you're feeling stuck, you'll recognize the struggle contained in each of the choices that I'll mention here in just a second.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: As you think about these choices, I hope it will empower and motivate you to get unstuck and start creating again.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Choice number one, being a creator versus being a consumer.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: A few days ago, a friend of mine was telling me about a great show he was binge watching on Netflix.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to watch it, but I knew it would require an investment of several dozen hours to watch this whole series.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have anything against Netflix, after all.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm the guy who's watched the House of Cards series more than just a couple of times.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: But at the end of the day, we all have a choice in how we spend our time.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you're struggling to find time to be creative, consider cutting back on your consumption.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Better yet, track your time to see exactly where it's going.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I share exactly how to do that in episode eleven.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Choice number two connecting with others versus going it alone.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: One of the best ways to get unstuck is connecting with other success-oriented people.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Charles Tremendous Jones once said, You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe that's absolutely true.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you feel stuck, connect with people on a Facebook group like our Born to Create group, start or join a mastermind, or attend a local meetup group.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you try to forge through the creative journey by yourself, it's going to be a very lonely road.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's no need to do that.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Start linking up with other people who are positive and encouraging, and they're going to help you be more successful much faster than you can be on your own.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Choice number three, focusing on your priorities versus making everybody else happy.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: The great thing about having clarity in your creative life is that you know what your priorities are.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: When you know yourself, your gifts, and your purpose, it's a lot easier to understand where you should invest your time and your energy.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And in episode four of the podcast, I show you exactly how to get more clarity in your life.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Even though I'm pretty clear about my own priorities, I still really don't like disappointing people.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: But sometimes it's necessary.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, you can't make everybody happy.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going to make any progress in your creative life and in your art, you have to be okay with that.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, choice number four, saying no to most things versus saying yes to everything.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Back to my friend Diane.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: She struggles with a problem that many of us face as well as something that I face.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: She feels obligated to say yes to every opportunity.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: This can be especially a problem in ministry settings or a nonprofit organization where it feels like we're letting God down or we're letting other people who need something from us down if we say no.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: But remember this, not every opportunity is an opportunity from God.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: You have limited time and resources and you can't do everything.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you choose?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: The answer is to switch your default answer from a yes to a no.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: When it's possible, only focus on the things that are more important and that are producing the results you want.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that with every yes you give to somebody else, you're saying no to something else that you want to do.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel stuck?
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: If so, consider these four choices and remember that you have the power to control your life.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: What are some other choices you can make to help you move forward in your creative life?
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash unstuck.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out and learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect and you can send me a tweet at Kent Sanders or connect with me on Facebook and Instagram as Kent Sanders.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you'll also check out our Born to Create Facebook group by visiting KentSanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?