Stop limiting yourself and start living

It is said that there is a common exercise for first-year art majors in which the teacher divides the students into two groups and assigns different assignments to each group.

The first group had to work out how to throw a perfect pot onto the potter's wheel and spend a week perfecting the process to get the proportions just right.

They have to create a jar, refining as they go, in pursuit of the perfect final product. In essence, they are created systematically according to a system or plan.

The second group was tasked with making a large number of POTS by simply throwing a large amount of clay onto a potter's wheel.

At the end of the week, they will choose which of the many creations they have created is the best. In essence, they are going to "mass" or create in bulk.

At the end of the week, the art teacher evaluates their work. Guess which group tends to do better work?

A productive group. Guess which group was more fun?

A productive group.

Being productive requires you to let go of perfectionism and instead aim for the act of creation itself. The goal is to create, not to perfect. Paradoxically, in these art studio experiments, focusing on creation seems to produce more "perfect" work.

I thought about it and couldn't help but wonder: How does this translate to everyday life?

How is it displayed

My entire career has revolved around our experiences of fear and how we practice courage, and I've encountered many different "forms" of fear. Contrary to popular belief, there is more than one form of fear. There are dozens of them.

Fear can manifest itself as classic anxiety, but it can also manifest itself as chronic forgetting, resistance, deflection, and -- related to this particular example -- doubt, hesitation, and second-guessing.

The enemy of a productive life is a lot of doubt, hesitation, and second-guessing. If you're killing time dealing with that trifecta, you can't be productive.

Why do people enter the space of doubt, hesitation and second-guessing?

Because they're moving into the realm of perfectionism, and that's where the second-guessing comes in. They're on the metaphorical potter's wheel, trying to make one jar so, rather than creating many jars and believing that one of them, somewhere in the pile, will turn out to be good - and enjoying the creative process, along the way.

Impact on your life

Think about the last time you were stuck in a decision-making process.

Chances are -- if you're like me, and most people around the world -- when you're in this process, you feel like you can't move in any direction until you know what you want to do.

This can become very real, very fast. The stakes feel high. Maybe you're dealing with a possible divorce, a job loss, or deciding what to do with a teenager in a downward spiral.

Deciding how to move forward in this situation is not easy, and you are presented with several options, each with pros and cons. It can be overwhelming.

Now -- and I don't mean this to be corny, given the example I just cited -- think of the artist, the creative person in their studio. Think of a thousand ways to take a picture, a million ways to create a painting, and the artist has to decide which one to start with, or the creative process won't happen.

People from having a way to create their lives or art will feel stuck until they find a way. Their inner "consequences-critic" will always dominate them, waiting for mistakes to be made.

Make your own luck

In contrast, some people decide to make more places closer to their lives (or their art). This person believes that any move forward is worth the effort.

They believe that by making lots of choices and being prepared to correct course as needed, they will quickly learn what works for them and what doesn't.

The first person might get lucky and everything will go according to plan. If they are unlucky? Listen for frustration.

The second person may also get lucky, and everything will be done in the first place. Or, if the first decision isn't quite right, they make their own luck by making more decisions as needed.

They would throw as much clay as they could onto the wheel to get to where they needed it. They will probably make a better "work".

So here are three questions to consider, especially if you're currently in the middle of a tough decision-making process and there's doubt and hesitation:

What if we actually shackle ourselves to the idea of carefully considering and choosing the best course of action?

What if the ultimate relief from fearful thinking is the realization that there is no best path -- that, instead, multiple choices can lead to multiple outcomes, and we can never really predict how things will turn out?

What if the best "insurance" for living a good life isn't trying to chart the best course, but exploring how to handle and pass a wide range of outcomes?

Productive life

Recently, my husband and I were invited to dinner at the home of a local designer. There, it turned out that the designer's (now deceased) father was a famous Spanish photographer.

We began thumbing through several of his father's coffee-table books, a vast collection that eventually formed a complete review of his work.

The designer shared a few anecdotes about his father's work and what his father thought at the time.

But this really stuck with me: When I asked his father if he had any preconceived plans for what he wanted to create with his creation, the designer smiled affectionately, shrugged and said:

"No. He just follows what interests him."

Ah. So the photographer didn't outline a complete plan, try to make it perfect, and then get frustrated if life took him in a different direction.

He didn't wait for the right idea to hit him, one that would succeed commercially or be well received by critics.

This photographer has followed his passions, living and creating, and look where he ended up! These pictures are full of life and passion. I don't know the details of the photographer's private life, but I have no doubt that he had a full creative life.

Consider where in your life you try to plan everything out, stick to the plan, and wait to make the big decision until you know if it will go down well with critics (critics can be anyone, of course).

Regain power

What would happen if you dared to be productive? What if you start making a lot of decisions, taking on a lot of challenges, or creating a lot of happiness?

What if, on the verge of divorce, you decide to take a lot of couples therapy classes?

What if you've just lost your job and are brainstorming creative, out-of-the-box ways to find a new job or find a new line of work?

What if, faced with a family member who seems bent on self-destruction, you ask a lot of people for advice, or have a lot of heartfelt conversations with this person, or spend a lot of time being quiet with yourself? Trying to figure it out for them?

Of course, these are just examples. Well, there are a lot of "productive" ways to live. The point is, it's a shortcut out of indecision.

Options? It goes on and on.

Power? Back in your hands.

You can gain a lot from living your life by following what interests you rather than mapping it all out and trying to make it just right.

If choosing to create your life systematically or multi-productively, choose the path of productivity.

This is a brave step in the direction of trust and faith - trust and faith give you unlimited power to design the life you love. There is never a time that is not available to you. It requires you to start by taking the first step.