In order to exercise your creative instincts at work, you need an open mind that allows you to consider limitless possibilities to think outside the box. Creative instincts release you from the grip of the rational mind where your inner critic resides and immerses you into an intuitive wisdom of another kind — a wisdom that helps you see and make healthy, productive decisions from an entirely different place in a totally different way. Creativity goes hand in hand with clear-mindedness and the courage to risk letting go. It fosters being synchronized with the ebb and flow of life, a creative harmony that manifests as peak moments, oneness, and a rich sense of being fully alive.

When you exercise your creative instincts, you don’t push the river, because you’re flowing in the moment. Wonder what it would be like if each workday were involving, fun, and creative? Contemplate some mindfulness actions you can take to participate more fully in the creative process. Then, commit yourself to when and where you might implement these new ideas.

Take care of yourself

From time to time, you may find yourself putting your needs at the bottom of the list in order to take care of others. 

You even may be attracted to friends, loved ones, and business associates for whom you feel sorry and who need help. Rescuing keeps the focus off you and on someone else. You may hear a lecture and think, “Now this is what my spouse or friend needs to hear,” instead of absorbing the advice for yourself. Self-sacrifice is a virtue, so we are told, and putting yourself last shows strength of character. Truth be told, if you want to help others, the key is to take care of yourself first from a place of strength, not weak- ness. When you sacrifice your well-being (nutrition, rest, and exercise), you become overly stressed and burnt out, which limits the amount of energy you can give to your job, loved ones, and friends. 

When you’re already overloaded, the key is self-care —to do things that interest and replenish you. If a colleague asks you to do something you don’t want to do, say no. Speak up when a friend takes ad- vantage of your good nature. Refuse to bail a loved one out of trouble for the umpteenth time. 

Sometimes the best way to care is drawing a line that protects you. Self-care prepares you to give more love and nurturance to others. When you put yourself first, there is more of you to go around.

Excerpt from #Chill: Turn Off Your Job and Turn On Your Life with permission from the author and publisher.

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Author(s)

  • Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.

    Journalist, psychotherapist, and Author of 40 books.

    Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.

    Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. is a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, psychotherapist in private practice, and award-winning author of two novels and 40 nonfiction books that have been translated into 15 languages. His latest books are CHAINED TO THE DESK IN A HYBRID WORLD: A GUIDE TO WORK-LIFE BALANCE (New York University Press, 2023)#CHILL: TURN OFF YOUR JOB AND TURN ON YOUR LIFE (William Morrow, 2019), DAILY WRITING RESILIENCE: 365 MEDITATIONS & INSPIRATIONS FOR WRITERS (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018). He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com, Psychology Today, and Thrive Global. He has appeared on 20/20, Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, ABC's World News Tonight, NPR’s Marketplace, NBC Nightly News and he hosted the PBS documentary "Overdoing It: How To Slow Down And Take Care Of Yourself." website: https://bryanrobinsonphd.com.