Do you spend more time creating or consuming?
It’s so easy to be a critic.
It’s so easy to sit in the stands and comment on sports, movies or politicians.
It’s so easy to criticize.
It’s tempting to be a critic, but do we really need more? When was the last time a critic or commentator created something that mattered? Instead, the world needs more people willing to push themselves in order to create stuff that matters.
We need more creators and fewer critics.
But creating stuff that matters means you’ll have to take risks. It means you might fail, be embarrassed, make mistakes or all three AT THE SAME TIME.
I realized, though, that the reason why so few of us create stuff that matters is not because of the possibility of failure, embarrassment, or choking.
It’s connected to public speaking.
Say what?
Let me explain…
When reviewing lists of top fears people have, public speaking is always on the list. It’s even scarier than zombies, the dark, and scary clowns! But seriously, it’s not the speaking we’re scared of, it’s the fear of failing publicly or getting our ego hurt that we’re scared of the most.
But why do we care so much about what others think?
I was speaking Amanda Truscott from Creative Unblocking about creativity recently. And one of the things I explained was that I’m motivated to create by the fact that I am going to die one day. Knowing that my death can come at any minute motivates me to create stuff that matters to me without worrying too much about what people think.
Why should you care about what critics think? The people that matter the most to me are those who will sit in the front row of my funeral.
You were born to be a creator and not a consumer. Create something that matters to you regardless of how big, scary, or challenging it is. It’s your mission and no one else’s. It’s not supposed to make sense to others; it’s yours.
Create a great family.
Create a great company.
Create a great working environment.
Create a charity.
Create beautiful art.
It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it matters to you and it makes a positive impact.
Just create.
The only thing you have to focus on now is the next step. What would you create if you couldn’t fail and didn’t have to worry about protecting your ego?