“Compared with what we ought to be, we are but half-awake.”  —William James

If we realized we had these habits we wouldn’t allow them to rob our creative work. But they’re so subtle most of us are unaware we partake in them to some degree.

You’ve determined your creative work is what you’re supposed to be doing. For me, that was seeking God’s will and following His lead over many years of growth.

Now, be careful not to let these 2 habits rob from your creative work.

1.  Do you have the habit of being true to yourself, when it’s a false self you’re being true to?

The world says push the limits on morality and good taste. It challenges us to shock people into noticing us. It whispers in our ears, “Life is all about you and getting ahead.” The questions below may help detect whether the subtle whispers have drawn you away from important work waiting within your true self.

• Do you let the  values or methods of creative friends in your field influence your work so they’ll accept you?
• Do you want to do something noble in your work, but you think you’ll be ridiculed for being outdated?
• Are you a plotter, but you believe most people think it’s better to be a free-spirited, seat-of-the-pants artist? Or vice versa?

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• Are you robbing excellence from your creative work by emulating the wrong people?
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2.  Do you have the habit of thinking society needs you elsewhere?

This could be misplaced duty. The good, but not the best, use of your time.

A robbing activity is NOT an obvious procrastination activity. Or one necessary to take care of family. This is an activity you’re subtly lured into performing.

• It’s an activity you’re good at. You’d pick you to do it every time, even if it keeps another person from doing it and growing.
• It’s an activity that seems so right you’ve never bothered weighing the cost of what it’s doing to your creative work.

The following questions may help. For me, they may arise while talking to God to discern if He’s nudging me to perform the activity outside my creative work.

Ask:

• Does the activity need to be performed at all?
• Are you the best person to perform the activity?
• Are you the only person who can perform the activity?
• Are you an obstacle for the person meant to perform the activity?
• Is it right to perform the activity, but you’re spending more time on it than necessary?
• Is this activity worth relegating your creative work to hobby status?

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• Are subtle, misguided attractions reeling you into activities that rob progress on your creative work?
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What other robbers steal from your creative work?