Are you aware that you can create virtually anything you want? All it takes is understanding some fundamentals, thinking and clearly seeing what you want, and making it happen.
If you are intrigued, read on. What you are about to read could change the view of your potential forever!
Creating
Are you aware you can create anything you want? Create anything?
Yes, anything!
No magic or voodoo required. All it takes is some good old common sense. Creating is straightforward and done by countless people every day. All you need is some knowledge added to your common sense and a bit of action, and you will be off to the races!
One of my favorite authors, Robert Fritz, wrote the first edition of his seminal book on creating in 1984. It remains the top book on my list for creating anything in life. More about it later.
A favorite subject in Fritz’s books is his explanation of how many of us are in a “reactive/responsive orientation” instead of a “creating orientation.” Learning about these orientations changed everything in my business and personal life. Understanding them has helped many people become creators in the truest sense of the word.
Let’s take a quick look at these two life orientations.
Reactive/Responsive Orientation
What does it look like when you are in the reactive/responsive orientation? Reacting or responding makes it nearly impossible to create anything. Why? When you react or respond, the situation or circumstance is in control. Reacting requires little or no thought. It is simply that, a reaction.
You may be more thoughtful when you respond, yet, you are still only reacting. Think about it. Responding is a reaction based on what you already know, rarely on something new. Reactions come from how life has conditioned you. You may think, “this worked in the past, so that is how I will respond,” or “so and so would do it this way, and that is how I will do it.” Additionally, the possibility exists that you respond out of coercion.
Creating Orientation
In the creating orientation, you produce something new. This new creation has not come into existence yet. You are deliberate and thoughtful. You see the reality of the current situation, but it does not control you. You know what you want as an outcome.
When attacking an issue in a reactive/responsive orientation, you can get trapped in a problem-solving mode. The “problem” with most problem-solving is you fix one thing, and something else pops up, requiring you to fix another problem. Problem-solving rarely, if ever, gets to the root of what is causing the issue.
Instead of getting trapped in a problem-solving mode, create a solution that eliminates the problem once and for all!
“Creating is no problem — problem-solving is not creating.” Robert Fritz (1943-present)
An example of this is in our medical system. Too many doctors treat the symptom rather than help the patient find a way to create a solution or path that eliminates the problem.
The Typical Approach
An overweight person may develop high blood pressure, diabetes, and other issues. The doctor often provides only band-aids. These come in the form of medicine to lower their blood pressure and help with their diabetes. Some doctors may suggest the patient lose weight and begin exercising.
Unfortunately, little change will likely occur from this simple problem-solving technique. Perhaps many doctors react or respond this way because they have little faith in the patient’s ability to change. Or it could be it is how their training conditioned them to respond!
The Creating Approach
In the creating orientation, the doctor helps the patient see the current reality and the consequences of their situation. They help the patient understand what will result if changes do not happen. Then the doctor allows them to create what they need to eliminate the problem.
The Result
Patients who value their quality and length of life may be open to creating a new path to a different outcome. Should patients not appreciate their life, they must accept the consequences of reacting or responding to their situation. The choice to embrace the new outcome is on the patient, not the doctor.
However, the doctor influences and helps the patient understand it is in their ability to create a different outcome. The doctor can then be free of guilt and fulfill their Hippocratic oath of doing no harm.
“You can get rid of all your problems and still not have what you want.” Robert Fritz (1943-present)
How to Create
One of my biggest takeaways from Fritz is his suggestion to create something new rather than just trying to solve a problem. Instead of fixing the problem, eliminate it. To do this, you must understand the current reality, clearly see the outcome you desire, and become intentional about making it happen.
Moving to a creating orientation is simple, yet not always easy. Here are some steps you can use to create something new:
- You must see and acknowledge the current reality. This is not always as easy as it may sound. As Fritz says, reality is an acquired taste. It is not natural for most people to see what exists instead of their preconceived notions. Reality grounds you in what is real instead of fantasy. You are subject to deception without a solid grounding in the current situation. Unless you have a firm grasp on what actually exists, you will unlikely find the resolve to create something new.
- Carefully consider what it is you want to create. Examine it from as many perspectives as you can. By the time you finish, you are ready for the next step
- Develop a thoughtful picture of what you want to create. The more clearly you see the outcome, the more you increase a healthy tension to move you toward the result.
- Use the tension to create steps to move you from what you have to what you want, the new creation. When you want what you see bad enough, the tension will draw you toward it. So long as this tension between what you have and what you want is maintained, you will continue to move toward the new creation.
Some years ago, I developed an easy-to-use form for clients to walk them through the process of creating. You will find it at the end of this article
With the new awareness and approach of this method of creating, you can more easily create the outcomes you want in your personal and professional life.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
Final thoughts
Robert Fritz’s work on creating is known worldwide and has helped many thousands of people shift from problem-solving to creating. His books are must-reads for anyone serious about creating in their life, although my favorite is The Path of Least Resistance. The book is easy to read and understand and will help you see creating in a new way.
To uncover more about how you can become what Fritz refers to as “the creative force in your life,” I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Path of Least Resistance. The book is filled with wisdom and will help you grasp his straightforward and powerful process of creating.
Why not embrace the fact that you are a creator and work on this invaluable ability in your life?
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