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CD-ROM Aktief 1995 #6
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CLAIM.TXT
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1994-10-28
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CLAIMING YOUR CREATIVE STRENGTHS
Copyright 1994 Marcia Yudkin. You may reproduce this
entire electronic disk and pass it on as shareware. All
other rights reserved. Excerpted from THE CREATIVE GLOW:
HOW TO BE MORE ORIGINAL, INSPIRED & PRODUCTIVE IN YOUR
WORK, Volume I, #2.
In my favorite scene of "The Wizard of Oz," the Great
and Fearless Oz, unmasked as a mortal, certifies that the
Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Cowardly Lion had all
along possessed the strengths they had sought through their
perilous journey with Dorothy. Similarly, I've noticed that
many people diminish themselves by labelling certain
idiosyncrasies of theirs weaknesses. Though I'm equally no
wizard, I've devised a process that demonstrates that what
you presume is a shortcoming may instead function as a
strength.
For example, in one of my workshops a social worker
identified as one of her writing obstacles the fact that
she got easily distracted. After she had briefly sampled
several writing exercises, I asked if she had had a hard
time concentrating while she was writing. "No," she said.
"For ten or twenty or maybe even thirty minutes I'm OK.
After that I have trouble." By the end of the process that
followed she had learned to acknowledge that she was
actually very good at keeping away distractions for about
twenty minutes at a time. She also understood how to take
full advantage of that capability in her creative process.
To claim your creative strengths, first make a list of
what you view as your weaknesses. Complete these phrases
that point toward things that give you difficulty about
writing: "I can't ..." ("I cant come up with ideas when I
need them"); "I can only ... when ..." ("I can only write
dialogue when I'm in the shower"); "I can never ..." ("I
can never make paragraphs flow smoothly"); and "I always
have to ..." ("I always have to look words up in the
dictionary"). Notice the negative aura of all these
formulations.
Now imagine that each problem statement on your list
represents a talent masquerading as a problem. What is the
hidden skill in each? Ask yourself what is different about
you compared with those who do not possess each
characteristic. Then write a sentence expressing the
concealed strength.
Enlisting friends to help you flip your viewpoint makes
this part easier, and fun. One friend of mine, discouraged
with how things were going for her, started a list of what
she'd accomplished in her life with a bitter "spent my
quarter-of-a-million-dollar inheritance." "Hey," I said, "I
couldn't have managed to spend that much money completely.
You're good at spending money." We both laughed hard.
Some examples:
Problem: I can only finish when I have a deadline.
Strength: I finish very well when I have a deadline.
Problem: I always want to go in twenty directions at once.
Strength: I am blessed with an abundance of ideas.
Problem: I can't stop worrying about what people will say.
Strength: I know how to anticipate reactions to my work.
Once you've formulated your key reversal, ask yourself
how you can truly capitalize on each strength. One fellow
wanted to create musical plays, but could only write the
words, not put them fetchingly to music. He phrased his
peculiarity to himself as "I'm very good at librettos," and
a way to take advantage of his true talent flashed on him.
He teamed up with someone who was very good at creating
melodies, and together they conquered Broadway.
Unlike "positive thinking," in which you ignore reality
in favor of a vision of what could be, this approach
encourages you to value what you already really do have.
If it helps you get in the mood, close your eyes, click
your heels together three times and repeat, "There's no
place like home."