When we have a lot of thinking to do—especially creative thinking—we often make it personal. We judge the quality of our thoughts and hold it against ourselves. ⁠
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Try as we might, sometimes "good" ideas (the ones we're looking for) just don't come. What then? It's hard not to jump to: "I'm just not good/smart/creative enough." ⁠
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But thinking creatively is not the same as running laps. It's not a matter of effort. We can sit down, shut our eyes, scrunch our face and try hard as we can to make some magic happen in our brain—and sometimes our brain thinks about ice cream flavours.⁠
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I like to think we can guide our thoughts, but we don't have complete control. Sometimes—like when working with creative ideas—it's like a dance with a talented (though unpredictable) partner; a conversation with an artist who loves chasing butterflies.⁠
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It isn't our job to force our partner to perform. Our job is to give them opportunities, then sit back and listen to what they come up with. If they have an off day, or they come up with a killer recipe instead of a sales script—it's not a reflection on us. That's just the nature of the dance.⁠
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All this is to say: cut yourself some slack and enjoy the ups and down of the dance!⁠