Latest / The Daily Writer / The Real Reason You Feel Stressed Out, Confused, and Overcommitted

Transcript

The Real Reason You Feel Stressed Out, Confused, and Overcommitted · The Daily Writer

• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and a teacher.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: 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 five, and today we're going to be talking about the real reason you feel stressed out, confused, and overcommitted.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links, at KentSanders.net slash the real reason you feel stressed out.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the last part of that URL, The Real Reason You Feel Stressed Out, has a dash between every word.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if I don't start shortening these URLs, I'm going to start getting really stressed out and you might as well.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite activities to do with my son is geocaching.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Geocaching is a worldwide scavenger hunt that requires only the geocaching smartphone app or a GPS device.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: I live in St.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Peter's, Missouri, which is a suburb of St.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Louis, and there are literally thousands of caches hidden around our city.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Most caches consist of a small container with a log where you sign your name, and often you can take a small trinket and leave one in exchange.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Geocaching is all about the joy of finding something that's hidden.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: But it's a lost cause unless you know where to find the treasure.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's why using the geocaching app or a GPS device is so critical.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: While no one would attempt to go geocaching without a GPS device of some kind, many of us do take this approach when it comes to our creative lives.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: We want to make a difference, we want to create something meaningful, we want to serve others, but we don't really have a clear direction or the right tools that will lead us there.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: The result is that we sometimes feel stressed out, confused, or overcommitted.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Previously on the podcast, in episode number two, I talked about the five cups of creativity, which is a framework that will help us get a handle on the complex, confusing, and often downright mystifying topic of creativity.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And today on this episode, we'll dive into the first cup of creativity, which is clarity.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Why do I consider this the first cup?
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you don't have a sense of clarity in your creative life, you'll only operate at a fraction of your potential.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Before we go any further, let's take a little bit of a test.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm a college professor and you know tests are kind of a natural part of my DNA, I guess.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: So here are a few questions to help you determine if you lack clarity in your creative life.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you're overcommitted and feel stressed out all the time, you might not have creative clarity.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you can't say no to other people, you might not have creative clarity.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you feel confused about your direction in life, you might not have creative clarity.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you feel paralyzed by too many options, you might not have creative clarity.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you're afraid to truly be yourself, afraid of disappointing other people, or afraid of not fitting into the mold others have put you in, you might not have creative clarity.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now maybe you relate to some of those statements.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know I certainly do.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: I define creativity as doing what you were born to do.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: In order to be creative, you must number one, know what you were born to do, which is your purpose, and number two, take action toward fulfilling that purpose.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: When you have creative clarity, it just means that you know your purpose and what you must do to fulfill that purpose.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think that anytime we feel confused in our creative lives, or really in life in general, it's because we're not clear in one of these two points.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you don't know your purpose, you're missing the why of life.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: When you don't know what actions to take to fulfill that purpose, you're missing the what and the how of life.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: So in essence, clarity is knowing where you want to go and how to get there.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up here in Missouri, and when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time canoeing with my family.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when you're in a canoe, you try to avoid the riverbanks unless you're stopping for lunch or taking a break or something like that.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now, why do you try to avoid the riverbanks when you're in a canoe?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the reason is because you can get easily hung up on the gravel, tree roots, and unseen obstacles that are lurking just underneath the water.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: On the other hand, the banks give direction and shape to the water.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: The river banks provide boundaries that produce a river current, and they make it possible for the canoe to travel downstream.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Just like the banks of a river, clarity gives direction, shape, and momentum to your creative life.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity gives you boundaries that take away options so you can truly focus on the direction that you need to go.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: The reason we often feel stressed out, confused, and overcommitted is because we have no boundaries in our lives.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I've known a lot of highly gifted people who don't have any banks in their lives.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: They're confused about who they are and what they want to accomplish.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: As a result, they're trying to be all things to all people.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: But you can't make everybody happy, and you shouldn't even try to make everybody happy.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: A lack of clarity in your life results in confusion that makes you constantly frustrated.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're spinning your wheels, you're going from one thing to the next without making any progress.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: When you have creative clarity, it greatly narrows your options so you can use your time and your talents in a way that gives you much more joy and produces more results.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: So let's be just really honest for a second.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to get clarity when there's so many options and possibilities.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: As artists, we're driven by curiosity and sometimes we find it a little bit hard to focus.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to ask the tough questions and make decisions about our future.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Change is hard, and sometimes we're just downright afraid of success.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we approach life sort of like a fortune cookie, just hoping that when we crack it open, a good fortune is going to fall out magically.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: But your creative life is way too important to leave it to chance like a fortune cookie.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let other people set the agenda for your creative life.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Take initiative, take responsibility, and take the reins of your future.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Do you relate to this?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Do you struggle with saying no to other people and taking the reins of your life?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash the real reason you feel stressed out.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, the last part of that URL has a dash between each word.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out as well as learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect and you can tweet me at Kent Sanders or find me on Facebook and Instagram as simply Kent Sanders.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you'll also join our born to create Facebook group by visiting KentSanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?