highly creative people

I am ever amazed at how powerful creativity can be - how the biggest obstacle is reduced to nothing when focused, out-of-the-box thinking comes into play.

We are all creative in our own way, and this is not a designation that only a select few share. Everyone can benefit from understanding how to creatively leverage their strengths, from a doctor to an art student.

However, when I talk about "highly creative people," I am referring to a specific group. What differentiates highly creative people is that they are dedicated to honing their natural talents more than most. And, when fully realised, these talents help them break through far more boundries than most people.

Postitive Psychology - a study that lends itself to pursuing strengths rather than always trying to fix weaknesses - has taught us a great deal about highly creative people. Some of the shared characteristics include:

Find order in chaos
Find solutions quickly
• Challenge existing solutions
• Passionate about a specific topic
• Incapable of being "well rounded"
Face social anxiety

What if the world had never met Einstein? What if the brilliant child, who scored poorly in school, was discouraged to the extent that he never pursued physics? What if Shakespeare had been told that writing was not a worthy profession, or Abraham Lincoln hadn't believed in his ideas?

Said simply, we would have missed out on greatness. In our greatest moments, we reinforce the highly creative to do their best work and give something wonderful to the world. In our worst, we tell these individuals to be more "normal" and ask them not to stand out as much. More than for any other group, conformity is a restrictive and devastating thing for the highly creative.

And given our increasing problems in this world - climate change, poverty, prejudice, conflict, and on and on - now is not the time to extinguish our greatest hope. Highly creative people have more potential than anyone else to reshape the world in which we live. Each of us should encourage their efforts.

As a Creative Development Coach, I work with people to maximize their creative gifts. If you would like to connect and understand how I can help you, please contact me by phone at 785.979.8111 or by e-mail at lemon@betterbecauseofyou.com.

phone: 785.979.8111 | e-mail: lemon@betterbecauseofyou.com | share:

© copyright 2009 Michael Lemon