173: How to Have a Creative Breakthrough with Gay Hendricks

Live in The Genius Zone

“Life is always going to be giving you these moments where we have the possibility of going into our creative genius or into our old programmed self. What I want people to pay attention to is that always when we get ourselves stuck, it’s because we are trying to control something that we have no control over.” – Gay Hendricks

What if writing is more to do with how you live outside the page, rather than the words we assemble?

Living in the truth that you’ve established in your life and keeping agreements impeccably is important to living in step with the universe. If you don’t, your life could feel out of alignment like a car with a flat tire.

Gay Hendricks was first on “Authors Who Lead” last October in Episode 124. I am so honored that he’s on the show again today. On this week’s episode of “Authors Who Lead,” we talk about his newest book, The Genius Zone: The Breakthrough Process to End Negative Thinking and Live in True Creativity, and we discuss not only finding, but also stabilizing yourself in your genius zone.

The Birth of The Genius Zone.

Have you ever finished a big project and then immediately started thinking of things you could’ve added to it? This is how Gay Hendrick’s book, The Genius Zone, was realized. One of the things Gay wanted to create as a response to The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level was a study guide. While he was developing this he thought of other concepts he would like to expand on, so The Genius Zone was born as a sequel. And even before he was finished writing it, St. Martin’s Press approached him asking to publish it for him. None of this surprised Gay, as he well knows that opportunities will follow as you stay in your genius zone.

Being Stuck in Your Creativity Could Be a Control Issue

In the interview Gay tells us that when we feel unhappy or creatively stuck, it might be a control issue. This could come with a heaviness in your chest, or just not feeling good in your body. Ask yourself what you’re trying to control right now that you have no control over. Sometimes we get lost in the uncontrollable events in our lives and can overlook the thing we could actually be doing that could produce the results we were looking for.

We all can get upset at these times of being stuck in our lives. But Gay tells us, “What gets us stuck is not the events in life but how we respond to the events of life,” and, “How you respond to the same situation defines you.” If you respond to situations with integrity then it’s easier to live in alignment with the universe and work in your genius zone.

Fear of Our Creativity

One of the aha moments I had while reading The Genius Zone is when Gay tells us that self-destructive habits are an attempt to outrun fears around our own creativity. Although creativity is one of the most beautiful things about being human, it can also be the scariest because a lot of people are afraid of the wild freedom that comes with it. Society tells us in many ways that being in your genius zone with creativity is too far outside what’s seen as normal. This tends to make us turn off our creativity because we want to fit in and be safe with the crowd.

If You’re Over 50 Pay Attention to Your Creativity Now!

Gay remembers a woman who used to play piano every day as a child, but as she grew up she got too busy. Once she hit her 50s she realized that something was missing in the second half of her life. She felt miserable and unhappy despite her success. The personality you have when you’re younger is not going to be the same one that’s going to make you happy after age forty. This woman realized she needed to get back in touch with her creativity and once she got recommitted to playing piano again, everything seemed to fall into place.

Tips For Living in Your Zone of Genius

Some days when I’m living in my creativity and doing the things I love to do, I feel that it’s taking time away from business work. I know how important creativity is to our lives, so I would like to change this negative thinking. I asked Gay if he had advice to help someone like me who’s trying to live in their zone of genius but feels guilty about doing so.

Gay’s first piece of advice is to celebrate yourself. Celebrate everything you’ve done so far, taking in a couple of easy breaths of appreciation as you do. There’s always two things going on in your brain; either focusing on the things you haven’t done yet, or celebrating yourself for what you have done. Use celebration to motivate yourself. Spend time in “that celebratory type of thinking,” says Gay, “that will actually get the job done better because nobody ever criticized themselves to enlightenment.”
Don’t be addicted to negative thinking. In his book, Gay mentions that if we want to know if we’re addicted to something, just try not doing it. We can’t stay in the zone of genius if we have a negative mindset.
Woo your creativity. Gay reminds us that when we love someone we tend to do things that delight them and we give them generous attention. He goes on to say that this is what we need to do with our creativity. We must speak passionately, honestly, and clearly to our creativity.

Creating a life of unhappiness is as easy as creating your own happiness. So as you go forward searching for your zone of genius and bringing creativity into your life, remember these greatest takeaways from my conversation with Gay:

If you want to live fully as a creative, woo your creativity. Make time and space for your creativity with an open heart.
Focus on the things you can change instead of the things you cannot.
Give yourself an opportunity to course correct. Protect yourself from negativity and fears.

But the truth is you can do this. You are born to be creative. You are born to write this book, create this amazing thing, and don’t let anyone tell you differently, especially yourself.

What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Are you trying to live in your genius zone and write the book that’s been on your heart? Share in the comments below!

That’s all for this week. Find ways to nurture your creativity and write your book!