Here’s an exercise that will help spur creativity, may give you confidence to move forward on projects, and has the added benefit of pestering some of your close friends . . .
Ask five of your closest friends to e-mail or text you a list of what they consider to be your five most positive personality traits. As tempting as it might be for some of your impish friends to poke fun at this exercise (“dude, you can down 3 beers an hour and still stand up”), ask them to treat this seriously, and to concentrate on positive, uplifting things only. Because most people will rapidly forget a buried e-mail or text, request that you receive these lists within 24 hours.
If nothing else, these lists may give you confidence and help you see yourself in a different light. However, you may also be surprised at what others who are close to you believe to be your endearing qualities. Moreover, sometimes you can use these traits, values or foundational pieces of you as sparks towards your creativity. Much creative output — whether art, literature, or music — derive from the good things about human interactions. When your friends set down what they believe to be your strengths, you may find a sculpture, a poem or a song within these few words.
For example, if someone feels that you are kind, playful, intelligent, caring and empathic, what images do these words form within your thoughts? Or, what happens if friends differ on your strongest attributes? What if one friend feels that you are spontaneous and the other views you as being super-organized? Contrasts between human qualities, expressed in some form of art, often lead to interesting results. Even opposing words can create a song amongst themselves (Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles anyone?).
If nothing else, it’s a valuable exercise to see how others view you in a positive and empowering way. You’re not asking folks to critique or suggest improvements for you — we all know we have plenty of room for that. Nonetheless, focusing on the good things — accentuate the positive, to quote the Great American Song Book –can bring benefits beyond the good feelings they may engender within you.