Our thoughts run the show. I can’t even count how many times have I gotten on a call with an Artist who wants to expand their career, creativity, development and/or business and then, as I begin to tap into some creative opportunities, all I can hear is the thought “NO” screaming out in the background. I will ask about one thing or another and then I will hear them say things to match that screaming resistance in their heads that sounds like this:

“NO, I’ve tried that.”
“NO, that never works.”
“NO, no one else does that.”
“NO, I can’t possibly do that.”
“NO, I’m no good at that.”
“NO, I don’t have time for that.”
NO, NO, NO.

And then I hear the door to any form of expansion shut down with a LOUD thump.

We humans make up a lot of stuff … some of it serves us and some of it doesn’t. For sure, if we are being run by thoughts of “NO” all the time then we will “NO” our life and future to death. One of the things that will kill off our expansion as Artists really FAST is the “NO” looming in the background waiting to jump out and sabotage us. We can be outrageously creative in our Art but absolutely stuck in our unwillingness to be creative in our thoughts about everything else and it is a complete buzz kill to our future.

Our thoughts tell us we can’t and we shouldn’t. Then they proceed to tell us why we can’t and shouldn’t … so we won’t and don’t. Our thoughts often lie to us and fool us into a dangerous self-sabotage that keeps us stuck. Bottom line: Unwilling to be a YES to taking things on = STUCK. There are millions of things we either haven’t tried or we tried once and perceived as a failure (never to try again). Stuck-ness oozes all over us once we get into NO-land.

I have also noticed that “NO” goes really well together with the other thing our thoughts do, which is make us into a Know-it-All. It is funny how that those two words “No” and “Know” go hand-in-hand together. Our brain has us say things with such certainty. Do you really know it won’t work? Do you really know it won’t work this time (if you have tried it before)? Do you really know you can’t? Do you really know???? NO!!!

I am not saying that “no” is never the right answer. There are times when ‘no’ may be a very appropriate answer. I am saying, however, IF “NO” starts to become the answer to EVERYTHING new and/or risky and/or challenging then we have cut off the Source of Expansion for our Art and ourselves. Listen carefully for yourself. How often is there a “NO” ready to leap out of you? Are you a “NO” waiting to happen?

Raise up those “NO” responses you have in you and look underneath them … what is under that “NO” reaction? More tricks of our thoughts I assure you. Find any fear or resignation or plain old stubbornness under your “NO” reaction? No matter how much you think you KNOW … it might be worth checking on. Whatever you find underneath, pleaseeeeeeee take the time to deal with it so you can be a “YES” for a change. Let it go … take control of your thoughts and stop letting them run you and spitting out “NO” as an automatic reaction.

What would happen if you created an environment of “YES” for yourself … beginning with the environment in your head – your thoughts? You can start practicing right now. Roll a few “Yes” sentences around in your mind … say them out loud just to get a feel for them:

“YES, I will try that.”
“YES, I will try that again.”
“YES, I will take that on.”
“YES, I will take that risk.”
“YES, I will make that happen.”
YES, YES, YES.

To be creative is to be open to newness, and experimentation and innovation. As Artists we face into it and accept it every time we create. We are a YES to Creating. Why would we have our decisions about our lives and/or our Art careers and/or our Art Businesses be any different?

Check in now. Ask your SELF:
Is my Art career expanding as fast as I want it to?
Are my skills expanding to the degree I wish they would?
Is my Art Business expanding the way I desire it to?

NO?????

Well what have you said “NO” to lately that you might reconsider being a “YES” to for the sake of the expansion you want?

Ready to be a YES? (HINT: The answer is “YES”!)

Please feel free to share with me/us any thoughts or feedback you have. I love hearing from you and anything you have to contribute is a gift to me and anyone else who reads this post 🙂