Two Lists – NEERA MAHAJAN

Make a list of all your excuses and then put them on your pin-board.

Then make a list of all the reasons why you want to be creative and put it next to your Excuses List.

Whenever you feel disheartened read the Excuses List first. If the reason for your dismay is something new, add it to the list.

If it is something already on the list, read the Reasons for Being Creative List and get back to work.

The lists could look something like this.

Excuses List

I am not good enough.
I will never be good enough.
I don’t get time; housework and family take up all my time.
Holidays break my routine.
It is so hard to get back to routine.
There is so much to learn. I will never be able to learn it all.
Until I know a substantial amount I can’t become an authority on it.
Unless I am an authority I can’t share/publish/write.
Other people know so much more and are better writers.
No one will ever want to pay for what I write.
I am good for nothing.
I can’t keep up a simple routine.
My work is not original. So many others have already written about it.
My body is not the same. My eyes get tired looking at the computer. I am getting old.

Reasons for Being Creative List

My creativity gives me a purpose in life.
It is the reason I live.
I am happy when I am creating.
I write for myself. I am writing a book I want to read.
My creative projects are better than mindless TV, endless cleaning and unnecessary shopping.
I know I am getting better each day.
I can see that, over time, I have written so much and some of it is really good.
I am learning new things every day.
Creativity keeps my mind active.
I am meeting like-minded people through my creative pursuits. They are the kind of people I want to be friends with. They are the best assets I have.
Creativity is my second nature. It is god-given and I have it as much as any celebrated artist does. All I need is to practice more.
I could write, I could draw and I could paint like a child. I can do them all as well as an adult.
With my creativity, I am bringing the best out of me and the best out of others.