AGELESS CREATIVITY
- Written by Eric North aka “The Happiness Warrior”
There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age—Sophia Loren
As The Happiness Warrior, I want to help all of us understand and value the source of creative energy that we all have within us. As humans, we are born with a creative nature and a desire to learn and explore. When we are children, we are naturally creative and eager to share our ideas and enthusiasm. As we mature, the pressures to conform begins the process of silencing our creativity. Creative people share their ideas and help us when we need to change. As a society, change can be frightening and raise our defenses. Nothing scares people more than change and the upset that it can cause in the routine of their lives. When we can tap into our creativity, we can help others, lead with confidence, show us new ways to live. Creativity is the solution to our problems and leads to happier lives with more purpose, fulfillment, and gratitude.
Around fifteen years ago I found myself at a low point in my life after escaping from a long and abusive relationship. I had nowhere to go and few resources, but I had my sense of creativity and knew that I could use it save myself and rebuild my life.
After the breakup I had less than two hundred dollars and nowhere to live but I still had my creativity left to reinvent and renew my life. I instinctively knew that I needed to look deep and again figure out who I was. I began learning new skills and brushed off some of my old ones. It took a bit of time to figure things out, but I became a private personal trainer and began my entrepreneurial life. My warrior-like nature returned, and I became my own boss for the first time in my life. My entrepreneurial ideas were unconventional at the time, but I always believed in my vision. It was an uphill climb, but I knew that my ideas were important and would help change lives. Creativity kept me growing and moving ahead even in the darkest hours. My mission for business creation became my passion, and I worked round the clock, seven days a week to keep it alive. Creativity helped me evolve into more than just an entrepreneur but a job creator as well.
This gave my life a new purpose and a new direction. As a successful entrepreneur my priorities had changed, and the scope of my intention grew. I knew that I needed to look beyond my own needs and be part of the solution. The world was in trouble and increasingly unhappy and I had a new mission: to make the world a happier place and help spread happiness.
AGING CREATIVELY
A recent study says that engaging in creative activities contributes to an upward spiral of positive emotions, psychological well-being, and feelings of flourishing in life. Research has also shown that creativity is the personality trait most associated with healthy aging. Not only does it decrease our mortality risk, but it draws on a variety of neural networks within the brain. Creativity gives us life and helps to make us happier and better able to find solutions in our lives. Creativity can help us lead and thrive in times of crisis. Creativity can save our lives and help us be happier.
One of the greatest secrets to getting older and feeling good about ourselves is to learn to reconnect to our natural gift of creativity. The happiness and self-esteem that we all gain from creativity is the lesson that we can all learn from the pandemic. Creativity is what kept us alive. We baked bread, we did puzzles, and we exercised in different ways than ever before. It allowed us to pivot and feel more at ease with changing our ways of doing things. When we trust in our creativity, we can reinvent ourselves and uncover our truths. Creativity gives us the ability to create happiness in our darkest moments and help us to renew and reinvent ourselves. Creativity is what keeps us renewed and helps us adapt and feel good about ourselves. We are all creative and share a common need to express ourselves in our own unique ways. Creativity makes us happier and feel more alive.
-
Creativity increases happiness: Repetitive creative motions like drawing or writing help activate our neural flow and help us feel more happiness.
-
Creativity helps us remove anxiety. Creativity reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Studies have shown that painting or drawing helps to express trauma and experiences that may be too painful to put in words
-
Creativity helps us express and process emotions
-
Creativity creates a healthy state of mind and improves mental health: The average person has about 60,000 thoughts per day. Doing a creative act such as drawing, writing, or playing an instrument can help focus and calm the mind and release dopamine (a natural anti-depressant). Creativity can even help reduce dementia by reducing isolation and tap back into their personalities and sharpen their senses.
-
Creativity gives us a sense of purpose
-
Creativity feels good and makes us happy
-
Creativity helps us solve problems and find solutions
-
Creativity helps us stay connected and builds community
-
Creating makes us smarter
THE BRAIN AND CREATIVITY
Because the brain is the command center for all bodily functions, it relies on our creativity to make decisions that impact our lives. So much of our focus on aging is based on mental and physical health markers, but recent studies have shown that participating in creative activities such as singing, theater, writing, and visual arts support the personality trait of openness. Openness leads to greater longevity.
Small acts of creativity can increase our overall happiness and sense of well-being. Researchers have found that people report feeling happy and energized when they are in engaged in creative endeavors. Being in a positive mood comes from creative thinking.
USE YOUR WISDOM
Even if mental speed declines, person’s base of knowledge is well-preserved as it expands over time. This enables greater intuition and pattern recognition. However, knowledge does not always inspire creativity. The brain needs cross-training with multiple sources of stimuli. A musician who plays the flute might find creativity while doing the crossword puzzle.
MEDITATE FOR CREATIVITY
Research suggests that meditation strengthens the analytical function of the brain, helping to gain clarity. By reducing stress, meditation can enhance strategic risk-taking and expand creativity. Meditation also helps us to find our compass for problem solving without the influence of others.
HOW TO MAINTAIN CREATIVITY FOR LIFE
-
The more creative we are the sharper our thinking and problem solving.
-
Practice brain and memory exercises to maintain creativity for life.
-
Confronting challenges leads to creative awakenings.
-
Regular exercise, a healthy body is a vessel for creativity. Movement is the way to strengthen our energy flow.
-
Gut (GI) health is important, a healthy gut equals a healthy mind. Our gastrointestinal tract is often referred to as our second brain. Poor GI health can hasten dementia and increase brain fog. Good nutrition equals less brain fog and more engagement with life.
-
Challenge your comfort zone. Fear of the unknown is a creativity killer.
-
Seek out happy looking people and bask in their creativity. Laughter and joy are creativity boosters.
-
Go for a walk and spend time in nature. Animals can be creative and give us another outlook. Hug a tree for inspiration!
-
Understand that every problem has a solution and never let one closed door stop momentum. There’s always a path when we believe in ourselves.
CREATIVELY INSPIRED!
Everyone has a purpose and the search for their purpose brings more creativity into our lives. When we have purpose and seek value in our actions, we become happier. Creative people find comfort and inspiration in doing repetitive and calming activities that inspire and improve self-esteem. Creativity is the source of life and gives us our humanity. Be creative in all things to be happier and move forward in life with the confidence that comes from within. Helping others with by sharing our creative solutions is the best gift of all!
