Trust Your
Creative Abilities
DENISE M. MICHAELS GHOSTWRITER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, BOOK COACH Copyrighted Denise M. Michaels
I was standing in the back of a dark, cavernous seminar room, where the staff always stands. That’s because we might’ve heard the speakers’ stories numerous times before or we get called out to take care of something. But mostly we’re fans and we’re there because we want to be. We learn something new every time. During the seven-plus years I worked for a couple of megabestselling book authors and speakers I noticed characteristics about human nature I found fascinating and that propelled me to do things my way. There’s an old saying, “I’d rather ask for forgiveness than permission,” and it describes how I approach marketing and getting the word out about my teensy, little business as a ghostwriter and book coach. I’d rather jump out a bit too far and see what happens rather than take mincing steps to see if anyone validates my point of view. What I saw in those seminar rooms was a few wealthy guys on the platform talking strategy, tips, and sometimes just the mindset necessary for success. No problem so far. The 1,000 plus people in the seats were seekers. They wanted a better life through more income but didn’t know-how. So, listening to someone who’s arrived seemed like the right thing to do. Everyone in the room came to get some-
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thing and the majority left happy. But beyond all the tips and information which often are never implemented when they get back home, lies a deep chasm of unhappiness, a problem crying for a solution. Here it is: they often appeared to need some kind of permission or validation to do certain things or make bold moves in their business. You can say they need to: Get unstuck Get out of their comfort zone
Go out on the skinny branches … or one of many other similar terms. It all means stepping outside your normal, safe boundaries and doing something a bit extraordinary, audacious, and scary. It means taking a risk. As John Maxwell said in one of his many books on leadership, “A leader is someone who goes first.” Maybe it’s because I bought my first business at the young age of 25 that I developed the “creativity muscles” to try new and different things. I did enterprising things in high school and college to make money, too. After graduation, with degrees in Journalism and Marketing, I only spent three years in the corporate world as an advertising copywriter before setting myself free. Perhaps my spirit wasn’t broken yet and I never kowtowed to the chain of command.
