Todd Henry, founder of Accidental Creative, author of THE ACCIDENTAL CREATIVE and speaker.

How False Narratives Can Derail Your Life

Certain narratives become rooted in everyday experience, and if we're not careful, they can begin to define our engagement. We get carried along by the work, the expectations of others, or the career path that was plotted for us by our first manager rather than willfully stepping back and regularly asking "is this really true, or am I living someone else's life?

Drop The Pacifier

Our grasp for comfort isn’t always about lounging around or avoiding our responsibilities. Sometimes it comes in the form of mindless web surfing, busywork, or habitual routines that reinforce our sense of certainty and stability.

In order to get rid of the obsessive pursuit of comfort, it’s necessary to limit the ways it can crop up. While these small comfort-giving routines may provide temporary relief from the fear of uncertainty, they slowly rob us of a life of contribution.

Learning To Say Yes

Unfortunately, "No" can be more than just a word, it can also be a lifestyle. When our default posture toward anything unknown is to shrink back, hover around the perimeter, or generally opt-out, we are refusing the best of what life offers.

This is not only a quality of life issue. "No" affects our creative performance as well. When our inherent position is skepticism or posturing, we stop looking for possibilities and train our mind to look for "why not?" instead of asking "why?"

Do What You Can, Ignore What You Can’t

For GenX and Y, it was the anthem song of childhood.

"You can do anything you want to do!"

We heard it from teachers, parents, coaches, and others who wanted to ensure that we didn't suffer - even for a minute - from a lack of self-esteem. We all knew, deep down, that it was untrue. We failed at a lot of things, and most of us understood that - no matter how hard we tried - we weren't destined to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world or GI Joe.

In my recent talk at TEDx Xavier University, I shared an overview of how building practices into your life to support your creative process can make you more effective on a daily basis. I deeply believe that structure, habit, and an understanding of why is critical to being prolific, brilliant, and healthy over the long-term.

If You Hustle…

If you hustle – all out, fully hustle – and you succeed, then you gain the satisfaction of a job [...]

And so life is art, and the revelation of the ineffable. This is why art moves us - it's not so much the revelation of something new, a new ground we must take, as it is a return to things we already deeply know.

Sweat The Small Stuff. Always.

There are many opportunities in life and work to short-cut to results. It's possible that many people won't even notice these little short-cuts. But eventually they will, and they will talk.

Can you think of an instance in which a person said or did something that completely changed the course of your life for the better? It's happened to me more times than I can count.

OK - I'll admit it. I nearly cried multiple times while watching the short film Caine's Arcade. I'm a sucker for the beauty of pure, passionate pursuit. I'm especially prone to leap for joy when I see someone unexpectedly rewarded for their effort. I love a good underdog story.

All of that said, I think that this short film is much more than just a feel-good story. I pulled at least three solid, valuable lessons from this film that I plan to immediately apply to my work.

TODD HENRY

The Book

Keynotes

About Me

How False Narratives Can Derail Your Life

Drop The Pacifier

Learning To Say Yes

Do What You Can, Ignore What You Can’t

TEDx, Vectors, and Die Empty

If You Hustle…

Great Art Is a Kind Of Homecoming

Sweat The Small Stuff. Always.

Leadership Is Everyone’s Business

Three Invaluable Lessons For Creatives From Caine’s Arcade

Welcome!

The Accidental Creative

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