This summer in the UK we experienced a minor heatwave for a few weeks, and the general weather conversation significantly changed.

Comments just a few a weeks previously such as “I’m fed up with wearing jumpers” and “Is summer EVER going to arrive this year?” gave way to “I don’t like this heat!” and “It goes from one extreme to the other in this country!”.

Whatever the weather, it seems we’re never happy with it…

The fact is, wherever we currently are in the world, there’s very little we can do to change the weather conditions we’re experiencing. To a degree (no pun intended) we can change what we wear and what we do - shorts and shades and eating ice cream when it’s hot and sunny, snuggling up in coats and scarves when it’s freezing cold - but we can’t actually change the weather itself, it’s outside of our influence and control.

Stop for a moment and think about how you might describe your creativity right now if it was a type of weather. Would it be sunny clear blue skies? Scattered showers? Constantly murky cold and overcast? Blizzard conditions?!

Also, what’s the weather forecast for your immediate future in your creative life? Mostly sunny? Partially cloudy? Thunder storms approaching?!

Whatever the current “weather conditions” in your creative life, they needn’t be permanent. We all have the ability to change how we react and the direction we’re heading in at any time.

Whatever we create, or have created, in our lives, we are free to change or to re-create in a different way.

What’s in Your Circle of Control?

One useful model to help us with this is called the “Circle of Control”. Within our Circle of Control are the things we CAN change in our creative lives – our attitudes, our reactions, the choices we make, our responses to what happens around us.

Outside of our Circle of Control is a larger circle, called the “Circle of No Control”. This contains everything we have no influence over on a daily basis – the weather, where we were born, who our parents are, who will win the World Cup…

If we focus our time and energy on the Circle of No Control, it will grow in our perceptions (and therefore cause our Circle of Control to shrink) and we will feel increasingly frustrated and powerless. The negative energy and feelings generated will lead us further away from where we want to be.

But, if we instead concentrate our efforts and focus on our Circle of Control, and start to change the things we CAN do something about, our Circle of Control will expand in our perceptions and the positive energy generated will move us closer towards where we wish to be.

A simple shift in perception can have literally life-changing effects on the way we create.

So put away your umbrella and raincoat and think about the ideal weather you’d like your creative life to represent. Think also about the simple steps you can put into place TODAY – those that are inside your Circle of Control - that will move you forwards towards this ideal.

Then, pick the three that you’re most excited about and start taking action on them right away!

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com