Seeds of Anxiety

LULLABY #6

“When we tell stories about creativity, we tend to leave out this phase. We neglect to mention those days when we wanted to quit, when we believed that our problem was impossible. Instead, we skip straight to the breakthrough. We tell the happy ending first.

The danger of this scenario is that the act of feeling frustrated is an essential part of the creative process. Before we can find the answer — before we can even know the question — we must be immersed in disappointment, convinced that a solution is beyond our reach. We need to have wrestled with the problem and lost. Because it’s only after we stop searching that an answer may arrive.”

The Importance of Frustration in the Creative Process…
ᔥ Brain Pickings

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“Well, the worst thing we can do is try and fix the negative thought. Which, by the way, is a productive thing. It’s just thought. There is no reality to it. Understand what really is happening. A thought produces a feeling which produces a mood. The feeling is a navigational instrument. It’s telling us we’re not seeing it clearly.

The worst thing is to wage war on this. It’s normal to think negatively. That sign is there to guide you and if that was the right move to make you wouldn’t be feeling that way. You would feel free. You would feel enthused. You would feel passion. You would feel determination.

So, a negative thought is a great thing. Why would you ever want to mess with your own mind’s ability to direct you?”

Garret Kramer in Stillpower: The True Path to Flow, Clarity, and Responsiveness
ᔥ 99U