Creative Commitments

If you want to truly understand your gifts, hone your process, and contribute consistently better work, it's time for a "creative commitment." This week's video will help you find and elevate what's inside you!

How do you find the insight and art that's inside you? This week we're keeping creative commitments.

People often ask me, "How do you come up with fresh ideas and produce a new video, every single week? You must be so creative!" That's not it. I'm creative because I produce a new video every single week. This commitment, which constantly tests me, keeps me "on the hook." And because I've kept it going for years, ever-increasing the standards, I simply must follow through.

Quite often, after a video publishes, or approaching the next deadline, I struggle: "What am I going to say next? What do people really need to hear?" And before I have the answer, I start writing. And before I have the shots decided, I start filming. And before I know it, the process has, once again, delivered the goods. It comes from me, but it really comes through me, because of a promise that I made to you.

Creative commitments can help us reach others, but first they help us to better understand ourselves. For years, before I ever spoke or wrote for an audience, I honed my thinking in a journal: Morning appointments with a cup of coffee and a notebook, putting pen to paper to play with words and discover what was inside. My mother has always been a fabulous artist, and I grew up watching her keep self-imposed commitments to confront blank canvases. The unfolding of art always seemed to surprise her.

And if you're thinking, "Okay Dan, but I'm not an artist, or a writer. Heck, I'm not even creative," well I beg to differ. You are creating your reality through your thoughts and words. The way you live, write, and speak is an artistic expression of what matters to you. Your unique perspective has value. How much value depends upon how well you understand your thinking, your process, and honing the skills to elevate your voice.

Make a commitment to yourself. Write in a journal every day for a month. Or, practice your art, music, photography, or whatever expression sparks you. And if you really want to see what's inside, make a commitment outside yourself, to those you respect, admire, and seek to influence. Then show up for that commitment, completely. This will frighten you, frustrate you, and ultimately free you. Until next week, stay Off Balance On Purpose.