Believe it or not, there is creativity lurking within all of us. Creativity is not only the ability to draw a picture or write a poem – creativity is simply thinking in a unique way. When you approach a situation, as long as you keep thinking of new ways to solve problems, you’re thinking creatively.

Here are some tips for discovering your inner creative potential:

1. Do What Makes You Happy. You may already have an idea about what you might like to do creatively, but you may be afraid of failure so you don’t try at all. However, the only failure is if you give up before you start. So what if you fall flat on your face? So what if people are judging you? Adopt the “you only live once” attitude and go for it!

2. Try Again. Let’s say that you feel your true calling is film making. You take a class, but your teacher doesn’t like your work. What do you do? Do you give up or keep going? The answer’s obvious: pick yourself up and keep learning the craft! Take another class or create a film on your own. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, learning, and practicing, you’ll create your own version of success!

3. Don’t Stop Thinking. Of course you never really stop thinking. However, you need to always be thinking new thoughts, solutions, and ideas, especially in mundane situations. You mustn’t just accept that things are done a certain way – you need to expand your thinking and keep coming up with new ways to do old tricks.

4. Inspiration. When you follow what truly inspires you, creativity just comes along for the ride. Let’s say you always wanted to start a business. That doesn’t sound terribly creative on its own, especially if it’s a type of business that already exists. But your inspiration will spark your creativity as you decide how your business will stand out from the competitors.

5. Stay Calm. Avoid situations where you feel overly stressed or uptight. If you’re like most people, you’ll likely do most of your creative thinking in a calm environment. Too much stress can hinder your creative mind, so remember to take breaks when needed.

Act on Your Ideas

There is only one true way to discover if your creative ideas will be successful. You need to make a plan and follow through with it.

Some people are held back by fear of failure, financial constraints, or other setbacks. But if you truly want to accomplish your creative goals, you’ll need to figure out a way to get past the hurdles.

Stuck on Ideas

Remember: there is creativity inside of you, just waiting to be tapped!

If you have a passion in life, you can bring creativity to that passion. If your passion is stamp collecting, for example, you can make that creative. Maybe you could come up with a new design for a stamp collector’s album. You could even design your own stamps or start a website for other stamp collectors to get information. Just be creative!

Set aside at least a few minutes each day for some freedom to be creative. You might find it difficult at first, but before you know it the ideas will be flowing.