"There will be good days and bad, which
means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky!"
- Peter Jennings
How to Conquer Your
Greatest Creativity-Killer
Despite all
the great things going on in my life, I began feeling a little down in the
dumps last week.
That's not
good. For creative folks like me - and for all marketing pros - depression can
be a career killer.
When you're
depressed, your energy flees, your focus fuzzes up, your creativity goes AWOL -
and if you don't do something about it (and quick!), your income craters and
your reputation and career chase it right down the tubes.
In short,
depression is one of the costliest business problems any of us ever
deal with!
Conversely,
the ability to identify and neutralize depression quickly are two of the most
valuable skills any entrepreneur or marketer could possibly acquire. They
empower you to add scores more productive and profitable hours, days, and weeks
to your year.
In my
experience, depression comes from three places...
1.
Too many drugs, so little time
When I say
"drugs," I'm referring to my three personal favorites: (1) Grey
Goose, (2) Starbucks, and (3) Marlboro Lights.
Once upon a
time, I could pretty much party for 48 hours straight and never pay the piper.
I could do Friday and Saturday at Sloppy Joe's, ride the 14 or 15 hours home
from Key West, and still show up for work bright and bushy-tailed first thing
Monday morning.
These days,
not so much. My 54-year-old body demands at least 72 hours to get over a
weekend like that. And it puts me through a period of pretty intense chemical
mopery before my wife, friends, total strangers, the local constabulary, my
lawyer, and my creative muse begin speaking to me again.
Goes
without saying: Losing 72 hours of creative time each week would make it nearly
impossible for me to continue living the comfortable life to which I've become
accustomed. And so I've been forced into a life of relative abstinence -
punctuated, of course, by the occasional not-so-graceful swan dive off the
wagon at vacation time.
Caffeine
and nicotine are something else altogether. I can't walk, speak, or think until
I've had a couple of mugs of Joe in the morning. Problem is, it's 2:00 p.m.
before I know it, and by then, my get-up-and-go has got up and skedaddled.
And of
course, it's even worse if I'm inhaling nicotine - an infamous depressant -
with all that coffee.
What's the
solution? The dreaded "M" word: Moderation.
On the plus
side, there is a mood-brightening drug I can't recommend highly enough
- one that I absolutely hate getting.
I'm talking
about endorphins. You get them by doing exercise: swimming, walking, running,
that kind of stuff.
Work out
for two weeks in the morning before you go to work, and you'll be absolutely
amazed at how much happier you are, how much more productive you become, and
how much more moolah you rake in!
2.
Lies your brain tells you
Has some
terrible thing happened that gives you the right to be depressed? The promotion
you just knew would make you a gazillion bucks flopped flatter than a flapjack?
You're broker than a sailor after shore leave, and the bill collectors are
calling non-stop?
Hey - I've
been there. It sucks.
But it
doesn't mean you have to suffer from depression-related brain-block, too!
The fact
is, you get to choose how you feel in response to just about anything that
happens to you.
See,
everything that happens to you passes through a little "belief
filter" in your brain - a conviction you've come to hold about yourself
and/or the world around you.
These
filters can be positive - as in "I'm brilliant," "I'm a
winner," "I always come out smelling like a rose"...
... or they
can be negative - as in "I'm a dope, a fraud," "I'm a
loser," "Everything I touch turns to crapola."
Here's the
golden key: Nearly all the belief filters we have are utter nonsense.
The
objective truth is, nobody is always a winner or a loser... creative
or dull... brilliant or a dunce.
So the next
time depression has you creatively hog-tied, try this...
First,
identify the negative thought that triggered your lousy mood.
Then, ask
yourself, "Is that thought valid?" (99.9% of the time it is not!)
And then
ask yourself, "Is the belief filter that triggered that negative thought
valid?" (Again: Almost never.)
Finally,
ask yourself, "How should I change that belief about myself and/or the
world to bring it in line with reality?"
You'll be
amazed at how quickly even the lousiest mood evaporates in the blinding light
of the objective truth.
3.
Self-obsession
I learned
this simple fact of life many years ago - and re-learn it all the time. In
fact, you could say it was my guiding principle for launching The Total
Package e-zine last year.
The simple
fact is, when my focus is on others' well-being, I'm happier.
Conversely,
I notice that when I'm trying to find things that will make me happy -
new toys, vacations, etc. - I'm actually less happy.
So where's
your focus? Are you obsessed with your own feelings and the state of your life?
If so, there's a good chance those feelings are not positive ones.
Try doing
something to improve someone else's life today. You'll be amazed at how quickly
your mood lifts!
[Ed. Note:
Clayton Makepeace has spent the last 35 years creating direct-mail, Internet,
and print promotions that have sold well over $1 billion worth of products.
Plus, as a direct-marketing consultant and copywriter, he's helped four major
direct-marketing firms at least quadruple sales and profits to well over $100
million per year each. Clayton publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine The
Total Package (www.makepeacetotalpackage.com)
to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits.
Check it out.
For dozens of goal-setting strategies that can help you bypass
stress and other obstacles to your success, sign up for ETR's Total Success
Achievement Program. Learn more here.]
This
article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health,
wealth, and success ezine. For a complimentary subscription, visit