Does Creativity Wane as We Get Older?

Does Creativity Wane as We Get Older?

At five years old I felt as if nothing could keep me from becoming the president of the United States. At six years old I wondered about creating the next best video game in the world. At seven I wondered if there were enough hours in a day to plan my destiny for my millionaire future. At fifty, sometimes I count the minutes until the work day ends and ponder on next week’s episode of “Revenge.”

Does our creative surge actually wane as we get older? Or do we lose our desire to dream because we have struggled for our divine destiny so long. Then as if in a boxing ring lying on our backs with the weight of the world pinning our shoulders to the mat, the ref that God gave us actually calls the fight?

I have a friend who got married soon after college and began having children. He ended up with three. This means that the moment he finished school, he had to start making enough money to provide for his wife and children. He never really had the time to dream, to create, to satisfy an urge to go above and beyond the normal expectancy and become “exactly” what he wanted. He simply slipped into the first and best possible job position he could find. From there, he has been chipping away at life ever since. His hopes have been invested primarily in his family and children, but not in his creativity or his career.

I sincerely believe that this can cause severe depression after a period of time. No family, no matter how wonderful they are, can take the place of a successful career and finding that passion inside of your self everyday to work and prosper from the heart center, where we’re meant to thrive with Spiritual passion.

So, if you’re thinking of having a family, I’d recommend finding your Self first and your passion, then moving to the next phase of your life. You will be duly rewarded in the process, if you do.

If you are already in a job that you dislike and have a family to feed, then the difficulty of finding your passion and your job will be much harder, but you should never settle until you find both. Keep looking. Don’t settle for less than you’re worth. Be a child with no boundaries again. Don’t quit your job to become a street singer and expect to pay your bills. That would be creating imbalance in your life. I’m not saying that. I’m saying that you should continue to dream big and search for what will satisfy you, even if it takes working two jobs to find the right one.

I heard a story about a seven-nine year old vocal coach who had many clients doing commercial work in Los Angeles. She went to her therapist and said, “I want to do make commercials like my clients, but I’m afraid I’m too old.”

Her therapist said that who she is as an older adult is special. Perhaps, she should look at trying for this new phase of her life as a hobby instead of something more taxing to her mind, like a new career. Long story short, this older gal has been making commercials ever since.

It’s never too late to recreate your life. It’s never too late to start dreaming again. Our minds haven’t stopped the ability to create. We have decided that dreaming is either a waste of time or that nothing really comes of dreams, because they have been dashed too many times. I don’t believe dreaming should stop until the dreams are fulfilled. Perhaps, I’m a perpetual optimist. But I want more out of life than status quo.  

Your life isn’t over yet. Two years ago, I made a dream board of all the things I wanted to happen for my last book deal. I wanted to go on the Oprah and Ellen shows. I wanted to travel the world. I put a million dollar check in the middle of the board to represent ultimate gain for the book. I dreamed big!

Well, needless to say, not much of that happened. But my life isn’t over yet either. Who’s to say that all of those things still can’t happen? Maybe another book will take me there. Maybe another endeavor will make me riches. But if I give up dreaming, I lose the very spark that brings joy to my step and richness and texture to my everyday life.

Then comes depression and listlessness. Then comes getting up every morning a little heavier and a little less inspired. Soon life becomes a game of finding just enough joy to get by.

You have a choice… Dream big and continue dreaming until you die. Or stop the creative mind you have been given by God and discontinue the course of Spirit that presses you forward into every new dimension of life. You choose!

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Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com.

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