Creativity Archives - Martha Beck

Every Step Can Win the Race

I’ve watched a lot of races recently: Olympic races, political races, and of course, various rat races so many of us run just to survive in this difficult world.

I’ve spent a lot of my life joining various races, trying to win things like academic degrees, bestseller status, and financial success. I’ve coached many race-winners, including top athletes, business tycoons, and movie stars.

Here’s what I’ve learned: Grabbing the gold medal, the highest rank, the Oscar (or whatever), will give you a burst of pleasure. But within weeks, days, or even a few short hours, you’ll feel pretty much the way [...]

Reawakening Your Original Genius

“I have good news and bad news,” said the researcher who’d just analyzed my brain scans. “The bad news is that you have ADHD. The good news is, it’s treatable.”

“Really?” I said. “I have attention deficit disorder? But…I have no trouble paying attention. Sometimes I pay so much attention to whatever I’m doing that I accidentally stay up all night.”

“That’s called hyperfocus,” he explained. “You pay too much attention to some things, and not enough to others. You have what we call an ‘interest-based’ nervous system—you pay more attention to things that interest you than to things that don’t.”

“Wait,” [...]

Magic at the Corner of Intention and Invention

I recently went to Costa Rica for the first time. Twice.

Of course that’s not literally true. There’s only one first time for everything. But something happened in regard to this adventure that I’ve noticed many times, in many areas of my life. Things magically double up.

Here’s how this goes: I feel a strong pull to do something, usually for no apparent reason. After daydreaming about it for a while, I set out to make it happen. Then, circumstances seem to arrange themselves to give me the thing I’ve just created for myself. It ends up coming to me two [...]

Reasons to Create for No Reason

A few years ago I decided to write an allegorical book about a lost woman and a friendly boar. If you’re not a writer, you may not realize how odd this sounded to my agent, editors, and publishers.

“An allegory?” they said. My proposed book wasn’t just outside my usual genre, it wasn’t in any genre at all.

“A boar?” they said. People can be so judgmental of tusked animals.

“But why?” they said. I was an established self-help author. Why throw away my time and energy on a book so odd no one would even know where to shelve it?

“No reason,” [...]

How to Turn Away from Fear

“Inspiration” has several meanings. One is simply “drawing breath.” Or it can mean having a new idea. Or it can mean being “in-spirited,” filled with peace and grace from the mystery. All these meanings are related. In fact, the word “inspiration” is a three-step recipe for ending anxiety and living joyfully in a difficult world.

Are you following love into fear?

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller

When I was 14 years old I realized that I could either: 1) do something that scared me every day, or 2) live under my bed hoping to catch and eat the occasional mouse, like a snake. I was so frightened of life that I could see my life as an agoraphobe rising over the horizon.

I chose a life of fear. Thank God.

I’ve been guided by fear my whole life, but not the way you’d think. Being afraid of something—as long as the something sounded remotely interesting—became my cue to throw [...]

Martha’s blog

Creativity

Every Step Can Win the Race

Reawakening Your Original Genius

Magic at the Corner of Intention and Invention

Reasons to Create for No Reason

How to Turn Away from Fear

Are you following love into fear?

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