This is a guest post from Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper. Dr. Ellen is the author of Canine Instinct: A Guide to Survival and Advancement in Corporate America. She is also founder of Improve Consulting Group and Adjunct Professor of management at Case Western Reserve University. She is an amazing person with a compassionate heart for people.
Create Your Future
Management consultant and author Peter F. Drucker so wisely said “the best way to predict the future is to create it.” Drucker’s quote indicates that the best way to know what’s next for your future is to not only create it, but to design it in such a way that the result transforms your life and the lives of those around you. I used to spend a great deal of time in Corporate America contemplating about where I may end up or what would happen next. I figured that if I gave it enough time, I would be able to identify certain patterns for forecasting the future; after all, it works for meteorologists. After many failed predictions, I began to realize that my future was whatever I wanted it to be. All of a sudden, I understood that I could not leave my development up to the corporation or anyone else; nor could I simply “work hard” and wait to see where that would lead me. I had awakened to the notion that I had to first define my next steps, and then design a plan around each of them. I realized that I had to create my own future.
Rewrite the Script of Your Life
Creativity is an essential tool that can be used to rewrite the standard-issue script of life into a script that brings fulfillment and enjoyment to any individual brave enough to embrace it. In order to use the creative process to map out your future, you must first be courageous enough envision your life without limits and imagine yourself living the fulfilled life that you always dreamed of living. You must then identify what steps you will need to take next in order to bring those creative images to life. Lastly, you must implement those steps into your life on a daily basis.
Great Deal for Creative Process
After a great deal of reflecting, searching and designing, my creative process led me down a path of entrepreneurship and small business ownership. The creative journey has completely transformed my outlook and approach to life, and I am now a firm believer in the concept that your ideal future is defined in your creative present.
How will creativity fit into your life design?