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These “stones in our shoes” can be internal, such as negative thinking and limiting beliefs.

They can be in the way we relate to others and let people dictate and control our actions and self-esteem.

Or they can be physical external things like those piles of papers and bills scattered around your work space, that broken leg on your writing desk that constantly wobbles and annoys you as you try to write, or the desperately inadequate light bulbs in your studio that cause you to strain your

Picture the scene. You’re an internationally renowned marathon runner, lining up for your biggest race of the whole season - The London Marathon. The competition is fierce, and the calibre of athletes alongside you on the starting line is higher than it’s been in years.

There’s only minutes to go until the starter’s pistol. You’re pumped up, focused and ready for the off.

Then you notice a tiny jabbing sensation in your left shoe. You wiggle your foot around to shake it but the irritation gets worse. It feels like a stone’s got in your shoe and is making its presence strongly felt. What do you do?

Option One – You take off your training shoes, make sure any stones or foreign matter are cleared from inside, put them back on, lace up and you’re one hundred percent ready and focused to begin the race again.

The Outcome? - Throughout the race you’re physically comfortable, clear headed and determined, and perform to the peak of your ability. What a smart athlete!

Option Two – You try to ignore the niggling feeling, hoping it’ll clear itself somehow. “It’s only a tiny little stone,” you reassure yourself, “I’ll just apply a bit of mind over matter and run through the irritation.”

The Outcome? - Half an hour later you’re sitting in agony at the roadside, blood spotted sock in hand, severely tender foot in the other, wondering if anyone has ever suffered blisters this painful before. Not a smart athlete!

Which choice would YOU have made? Seems obvious at first doesn’t it? You take option one.

And yet, in our creative lives, how many times do we take the equivalent of option two?

How many of these kind of small irritations do we put up with? Those almost insignificant sources of negativity and discomfort that at best cause us to be slightly distracted from our creative work and at worst slowly but steadily drain our creative energy and confidence and have a severe impact on the quality of our creative work and life.

These “stones in our shoes” can be internal, such as negative thinking and limiting beliefs.

They can be in the way we relate to others and let people dictate and control our actions and self-esteem.

Or they can be physical external things like those piles of papers and bills scattered around your work space, that broken leg on your writing desk that constantly wobbles and annoys you as you try to write, or the desperately inadequate light bulbs in your studio that cause you to strain your

worse. It feels like a stone’s got in your shoe and is making its presence strongly felt. What do you do?

Option One – You take off your training shoes, make sure any stones or foreign matter are cleared from inside, put them back on, lace up and you’re one hundred percent ready and focused to begin the race again.

The Outcome? - Throughout the race you’re physically comfortable, clear headed and determined, and perform to the peak of your ability. What a smart athlete!

Option Two – You try to ignore the niggling feeling, hoping it’ll clear itself somehow. “It’s only a tiny little stone,” you reassure yourself, “I’ll just apply a bit of mind over matter and run through the irritation.”

The Outcome? - Half an hour later you’re sitting in agony at the roadside, blood spotted sock in hand, severely tender foot in the other, wondering if anyone has ever suffered blisters this painful before. Not a smart athlete!

Which choice would YOU have made? Seems obvious at first doesn’t it? You take option one.

And yet, in our creative lives, how many times do we take the equivalent of option two?

How many of these kind of small irritations do we put up with? Those almost insignificant sources of negativity and discomfort that at best cause us to be slightly distracted from our creative work and at worst slowly but steadily drain our creative energy and confidence and have a severe impact on the quality of our creative work and life.

These “stones in our shoes” can be internal, such as negative thinking and limiting beliefs.

They can be in the way we relate to others and let people dictate and control our actions and self-esteem.

Or they can be physical external things like those piles of papers and bills scattered around your work space, that broken leg on your writing desk that constantly wobbles and annoys you as you try to write, or the desperately inadequate light bulbs in your studio that cause you to strain your

>Option Two – You try to ignore the niggling feeling, hoping it’ll clear itself somehow. “It’s only a tiny little stone,” you reassure yourself, “I’ll just apply a bit of mind over matter and run through the irritation.”

The Outcome? - Half an hour later you’re sitting in agony at the roadside, blood spotted sock in hand, severely tender foot in the other, wondering if anyone has ever suffered blisters this painful before. Not a smart athlete!

Which choice would YOU have made? Seems obvious at first doesn’t it? You take option one.

And yet, in our creative lives, how many times do we take the equivalent of option two?

How many of these kind of small irritations do we put up with? Those almost insignificant sources of negativity and discomfort that at best cause us to be slightly distracted from our creative work and at worst slowly but steadily drain our creative energy and confidence and have a severe impact on the quality of our creative work and life.

These “stones in our shoes” can be internal, such as negative thinking and limiting beliefs.

They can be in the way we relate to others and let people dictate and control our actions and self-esteem.

Or they can be physical external things like those piles of papers and bills scattered around your work space, that broken leg on your writing desk that constantly wobbles and annoys you as you try to write, or the desperately inadequate light bulbs in your studio that cause you to strain your

ve made? Seems obvious at first doesn’t it? You take option one.

And yet, in our creative lives, how many times do we take the equivalent of option two?

How many of these kind of small irritations do we put up with? Those almost insignificant sources of negativity and discomfort that at best cause us to be slightly distracted from our creative work and at worst slowly but steadily drain our creative energy and confidence and have a severe impact on the quality of our creative work and life.

These “stones in our shoes” can be internal, such as negative thinking and limiting beliefs.

They can be in the way we relate to others and let people dictate and control our actions and self-esteem.

Or they can be physical external things like those piles of papers and bills scattered around your work space, that broken leg on your writing desk that constantly wobbles and annoys you as you try to write, or the desperately inadequate light bulbs in your studio that cause you to strain your

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These “stones in our shoes” can be internal, such as negative thinking and limiting beliefs.

They can be in the way we relate to others and let people dictate and control our actions and self-esteem.

Or they can be physical external things like those piles of papers and bills scattered around your work space, that broken leg on your writing desk that constantly wobbles and annoys you as you try to write, or the desperately inadequate light bulbs in your studio that cause you to strain your eyes to even see the canvas sometimes.

It’s time to say no to the obstructions and distractions that slow and restrict your creativity, and to remove them from your creative life before they do any lasting damage.

Identify right now 3 things that distract you from performing at your best creatively, however small they seem.

Now for each of these, state at least 3 things you could do to eliminate them from your life. Then put them into action!

Be like the smart athlete and don’t let minor irritations turn into career threatening injuries. You’ll have plenty of creative marathons left in you for years to come!

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin