How to Listen Creatively

“Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice as much as we speak.”
-Epictetus

This morning I grabbed my iPod and took a walk through the streets of my neighborhood. I had my headphones in and my favorite tunes going. I was humming along, enjoying my walk, when I became increasingly aware of even louder music playing around me.

It was getting annoying, because I couldn’t hear my own music. So I turned up the volume on my iPod. But that didn’t work - the other music was too loud.

In that moment I decided to give up. I paused my iPod and surrendered to the blaring music.

What was it? Trucks. Car horns. Children shouting from school buses. Motorcycles. It was a symphony of chaotic street noise.

The rumble of a passing semi? Drum n’ bass. The swishing of trees in the wind? Soft cymbals. The shouting kids? Trumpets and sax.

The moment I surrendered to the street noise - the moment I fully accepted it - was the moment it became interesting, even enjoyable, like music. I was in a state of non-resistance to reality, fully embracing the sounds. It was a welcome relief.

The logical mind filters out street noise. It doesn’t consider it important, much like shadows on a sidewalk; we take these sounds for granted.

Even in a quiet room, there’s sound.

Close your eyes. Can you hear it?

Give it a try, and tell us what you hear. Leave a comment!

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“Do not believe in me or any other teacher, rather trust in your own inner voice. This is your guide, this is your teacher. Your teacher is within not without. Know yourself, not me!” - Peace Pilgrim

Wow. Talk about a creative journey! Peace Pilgrim was an extraordinary woman who walked around the United States for 28 years promoting peace. She carried nothing but the shirt on her back and a toothbrush in her pouch. She carried no money or food.

People saw her tunic with the words ‘Peace Pilgrim’ on it and were drawn to her. They fed her and gave her shelter. When they didn’t, she slept on the side of the road.

She spoke constantly about embracing life and having total faith in God and people. She always emphasized that true inner peace isn’t found in material possessions but in connection to spirit and service to others. Peace Pilgrim walked from 1953 until her death in 1981.

There’s a book containing her inspiring messages. You can buy it here, or visit her website.

I hope you’ll spend 8 minutes watching this interview that she did back in the 1970’s. Hear her talk about the Law of Attraction before it was hip! Watch the whole thing (there’s also a Part 2) - her energy is infectous and her words just might change your life. (Be sure to leave a comment!)

Ray: I have just created something totally illogical.
Annie: That’s what I like about it.
-  Field of Dreams

When was the last time you saw Field of Dreams? It’s one of my all-time favorite movies, and it has a lot to teach us about creativity.

The movie was adapted from W.P. Kinsella’s first novel Shoeless Joe. Kinsella spent a year writing the book. Screenwriter/director Phil Alden Robinson loved it and spent two years turning it into a screenplay. It took three more years for the film to get made. That’s five years of development.

Test audiences loved it, but there was a problem…

The studio wanted to change the title from Shoeless Joe to Field of Dreams. Can you imagine the horror Phil Robinson must have felt? He devoted five years of his life crafting this perfect screenplay only to have the studio arbitrarily change the title to something he considered really cheesy.

Robinson phoned Kinsella, the creator of the novel, and said, “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is the movie is testing well. The bad news is, the studio doesn’t like the title Shoeless Joe.” And to his utter shock, Kinsella replied, “That’s okay. I never wanted to call it Shoeless Joe anyway - that was the publisher’s idea. I wanted to call it Dream Field.”

That was good enough for Robinson - he knew it was destiny.

Field of Dreams is about listening to your inner voice. It’s about creating illogical things that come from your heart. It’s about doing all this despite the critics and people who think you’re nuts. It’s about living the mystery, taking leaps of faith, not knowing where the road will lead you. It’s about connecting with the people you love while you still have the chance.

I encourage you to make Field of Dreams your next DVD rental - or better yet - buy the anniversary 2 DVD edition with commentary and bonus features. You’ll learn a lot about the creative process and I guarantee you’ll be inspired all over again.

I leave you with an inspiring scene from Field of Dreams. Be sure to leave a comment! 

“People think the Beatles know what’s going on. We don’t. We’re just doing it.”
  - John Lennon

Can you imagine what life would be like without the following creations?

• The Sistine Ceiling
• Star Wars
• Frank Sinatra music
• Starbucks
• Spider-Man
• Steven Spielberg movies
• Dorothy Parker poems
• Disney World
• Meryl Streep movies
• The Wizard of Oz
• Seinfeld

What about a world without baseball, soccer, or tennis?

Somebody - someone - had to create all this stuff, right? Maybe someone like…you?

What if those people gave up too soon, threw in the towel, or let low self-esteem prevent them from even trying?

What if they listened to their critics - the ones who laughed at them and said their ideas were stupid, ridiculous, and impractical?

Can you imagine that?

Do you have a dream to create something fantastic?

Why not go for it? What have you got to lose?

We need you to create the next BIG thing that we can’t imagine living without! 

What do you think? Leave a comment!

“Every failure made me more confident. Because I wanted even more to achieve things, as revenge. To show that I could.” - Roman Polanski

Are you afraid of rejection? Have you put your heart and soul into a creative endeavor, only to get turned down?

Well, there’s nothing more inspiring to me than hearing about famous people who suffered loads of rejection before they made it big. Here are some examples:

1. Elvis - was rejected by his high school glee club.

2. Michael Jordan - was cut from his high school basketball team during his sophmore year.

3. Charles Schultz - was told his cartoons were unacceptable for the high school yearbook.

4. Julia Roberts - auditioned for a part in All My Children and didn’t get it.

5. Margaret Mitchell - author of Gone With The Wind, had a hard time selling the film rights to her book. MGM’s Irving Thalberg said, “Forget it. No Civil War picture ever made a nickel.”

6. Anne Frank - her famous diary was rejected by 15 publishers before Doubleday published it in 1952.

There are countless famous people who experienced constant rejection and set-backs. Do you know of any? Leave a comment!