A delicious irony:

There’s a skill which nearly everyone on the planet has spent decades practising, polishing and getting surprisingly good at.

Yet it’s a skill which is as useful as a chocolate teapot.

That skill?

The art of being a critic.

Of course, most people don’t realise they spend years rehearsing a skill that tricks them into thinking they’re stuck. But once you realise you’ve mastered the fine art of getting in your own way, the more it starts to look like a bad idea. 

So how do you catch wise to it?

By noticing if you’re a creator or a critic.

Here’s how you can tell:

*** Critics talk about what they’ll do. Creators talk about what they’ve done

*** Critics take feedback to heart. Creators take what helps and ignore the rest

*** Critics wait until they have the skills. Creators build the skills by getting started

*** Critics worry their project will flop. Creators assume it will flop and still keep going

*** Critics are experts in what doesn’t work for others. Creators are experts at what works for them

Now, perhaps you’re feeling smug and thinking “oooh, I’m definitely a creator”.

Or maybe you’re scratching your chin wondering “hmm, I think I’m a critic”.

But here’s the twist:

Being a critic is still a creative act.

See, who created your critic?

That’s right. 

You did.

You created an entire character that sounds exactly like you, knows all your weak spots and shows up right on cue.

That’s some creation!

Even if you think “but I haven’t created that critic Tom - that’s just how I roll”, that’s your thoughts creating your critic right now, in this very moment.

Read the list again if you don’t believe me. 

Critics do everything the creators do in the way they create their critic: 

*** They talk about when their critic’s been right

*** They take what strengthens their critic and ignore the rest

*** They practice being a critic every day

*** They assume things will flop, but still show up as a critic

*** They’re an expert at being their own critic

The bottom line is that even the lifelong critics are just as creative, inventive and overflowing with potential as everyone else.

Honestly, this is far more important than it sounds.

In fact, it’s the sort of thing that can change your whole life.

No-one needs to learn how to be a creator when everyone’s a creator already.

Which means the question then becomes…

What happens when we point our creative powers away from being a critic and towards whatever we’d simply LOVE to create?

If you’d like help with that:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

To fulfilment,

Tom