"The only way to get positive feelings about yourself is to take positive actions. Man does not live as he thinks, he thinks as he lives." -- Vaughan Quinn

In my Creativity for Entertainers trilogy I talk about the self-fulfilling nature of creativity. Those who think they are creative act as if they are creative, which makes them creative. Those who think they aren't creative don't try to be creative so they are never creative. But how do you begin to think that you are creative? You do it by doing something creative. Don't set yourself up for failure by trying to do something too grand. Start with something small that you feel is creative. That might be changing the appearance of a prop by redecorating it. It could be writing a new Knock-knock joke. Solving a brain teaser puzzle is creative. Substituting one ingredient for another in a recipe is also creative. It can be figuring out how to repair something around your house. It can be playing a theatrical improvisation game. Most books on creativity, including those I wrote, include exercises that help you experience your own ability to be creative. Don't wait for inspiration to strike. Choose a creative task and accomplish it. Use that as proof that you are creative and tackle another creative task. By acting as if you are creative you will come to think of yourself as being creative. That growing confidence will allow you to attempt increasingly more difficult creative projects.

The same principle applies to other aspects of life and being an entertainer. For me keeping my office neat and organized is a challenge. I am much more interested in starting the next project than I am in clearing things away from the last project. I don't consider spending time organizing and cleaning much fun. I could just give up and say that is the way that I am. However, I have been focusing on doing some small project each day to get reorganized. I force myself to do something even if I don't feel like it. I have been sorting through and discarding things that are no longer of use so I have more room to organize those things that I will use. I keep reminding myself that by doing this I will be able to work smarter instead of harder. Slowly as I see the results I feel good about what I am doing. By acting as if I am more organized I am beginning to feel like a person who is organized. That makes the next step easier to begin and accomplish.

I have just qualified for the ScoutStrong President's Active Lifestyle Award™. It is a joint effort by the Obama Administration and Boy Scouts of America to promote a more healthy lifestyle. It required that I be physically active at least thirty minutes a day for five days each week during a six week period. In addition each week I had to set a nutritional goal. For example, the first week I started drinking more water and less flavored beverages. I continued that the second week, and started to eat fish at least once a week. I never considered myself much of an athlete and didn't follow a regular exercise plan. It was easy to use the frequent rain showers in Seattle as an excuse for staying inside. However, after being active for six weeks I find that I miss physical activity if I have to skip it very many days in a row. For the first time in my life I have started using a stationary bicycle on days when I can't be active outside. It is boring, but I find listening to my collection of old time radio programs while I pedal away helps me stay motivated. The old radio programs were a half-hour and that is the length of my exercise program. I have lost some weight and enjoy knowing that I am improving my fitness. I know that this increased physical conditioning will help me as an entertainer by providing the stamina needed for performances.  I feel good about myself.

What specific positive feelings would you like to have about yourself? If you felt that way, how would you act? What actions can you take now that will result in your thinking in that way?