Coaching Corner: Are you creative?
By Marilou Butcher Roth, Master Coach
This question might bring an immediate response from some of you, and I am guessing that answer might just be NO! Not so fast! Most of us think of creativity as music, writing or art -- today, let’s go beyond those particular categories. Creativity is something that can present itself in countless ways.
Let’s think bigger (and more creatively!) -- think about your normal activities. Cooking, gardening, arranging your home or office space, etc. How can you bring more thought, more consciousness, into those tasks that can be construed as mundane? Is the idea of creativity feeling different?
Creativity is about self expression. Bringing yourself fully into whatever you engage in, allows creativity to come to the surface. One of my favorite things to do is set a beautiful table when we have dinner guests. After a year of not having people over for dinner, I am excited to bring this avenue back into my life. You all have your own ways of being creative, it just requires you to pay attention.
There is a book by Julia Cameron, called “The Artist’s Way” and also “The Artist’s Way in Business,” which addresses this concept and brings forth some great ideas. One of my favorite suggestions in the book is something she calls Morning Pages. This process begins first thing in the morning, with paper and pen ready to go. You write three pages of whatever comes to mind without editing or second guessing. Seriously -- anything! The idea is to purge whatever is in your brain, then allowing more creative thoughts to come forth. If this is something you would like to try, I would suggest choosing writing material that is pleasing to you, rather than just grabbing whatever you have handy. I have had clients that have done this for years and swear by its effectiveness.
Let this be enjoyable and easeful and you will find you are so much more creative than you think!
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati. Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee. Feel free to contact Marilou to see if coaching is right for you.
