The Creating Process: How to Implement, Learn, and Rebuild

As entrepreneurs and leaders, we also tend to be creators. Creators are those that bring forth into existence something that would not otherwise have been, even if the idea already exists.

To try to describe the experience of a creator is hard, but I will try. First, it is the most fulfilling work there is. To see something come alive that you know would not be there had you not taken the action, the risk, to make it happen, has no equivalent – it is one of the best feelings in life.

Second, as you know or can imagine, it is not easy. You will face criticism, incredulity, lack of support, and nothingness. You must believe in what you create against all odds because you will stumble. It’s a given. Believing in your idea, obsessively, is crucial. It’s the only thing that will sustain you in finding the support you need, the solutions, and the energy to keep going.

Third, we must be willing to experiment. The path is seldom clear. It is full of curves and danger, and sometimes the path is obscured. We must also be okay with vagueness. Despite the challenges, our work is to continue, and often we need to find our way around obstacles. The only way to find solutions is to be willing to iterate and to be okay with that. If you try something that doesn’t work, you must be willing to try something else until you find what you are looking for.

Fourth, creation involves destruction. Sometimes we need to tear apart sections or the entirety of what we have created to rebuild. Because there is no one right path, we must be ready to acknowledge when we made a mistake, and we need to start anew. Starting anew will necessarily involve removing parts that no longer work. This is often one of the hardest things about creating because we tend to get attached to what we have built. Starting from zero is okay, and it has to be okay.

Fifth, probably the most difficult part to learn, is to enjoy the path. We are conditioned to avoid failure, and when we fail, we are conditioned to feel shame and pain. As human beings, we try to avoid this at any cost, and that is why I believe so few of us take these risks. And so, the path can be hard and tortuous. A lot of entrepreneurs end up unhappy because of this. Finding joy in the work we are doing and how hard it is at times – that is the real gift, the real creation. Your path as an entrepreneur can in itself be a work of creation, your own work of art. The better you get at treading the path, the better the results will be because they will happen by default. They will just fall into place.