Category: Lifestyle

Lifestyle includes anything that comes to mind.  Posts that do not directly relate to sneakers, streetwear, or vintage fall in this particular category of Ubinami.  The broad range allows for a wide variety of posts such as book reviews, interviews, recommendations, or opinions.

Ubinami seeks to represent a lifestyle of adaptability and counteracting any form of rigidness.  To be stuck in one’s own ways often leads to some sort of defeat.  There has to be a balance of realizing change will not happen overnight and waiting for change to happen.  Embracing life’s shifts is essential for any type of impactful growth. 

New Year, Same Me

Every new year holds tons of new opportunities. New Year’s Resolutions are all over the internet for a few weeks until they become afterthoughts before the end of January. New Year’s is without a doubt the most superficial holiday in the Western world.

If you took a shot for every time someone said “new year, new me,” you would have to get your stomach pumped. Twice.

So why does the New Year bring along false impressions and blatant lies? We have to look more into society and American society in particular.

Change is inevitable, but expecting unrealistic change is a major waste of time for everyone involved.

It’s Okay (Not) to Change

New Year propaganda makes us believe that we have to set out some outlandish goal to make the new year worthwhile. Many of these unrealistic expectations come from one thing.

Greed.

Why do gyms offer special membership pricing at the beginning of every year?

The answer is simple- more people sign up for memberships than actual, consistent users.

Sometimes we create goals that aren’t meant for us. It’s okay to be comfortable with the life we have now. Everyone isn’t built to seek constant improvement and growth.

New year

Self-improvement can be toxic at times. Humans are emotional creatures. They have emotions that get in the way sometimes. We may want to study all night for an exam but something in our life comes up unexpectedly and makes us emotional. We can’t control the outside world.

It’s okay to change but at the same time it’s okay to be who you are now (as long as it’s healthy in some way). We don’t have to make drastic changes to make a year worthwhile. However, we have to be patient and give ourselves some grace. Sure, many people want to be in a better position in life. How many of those people are willing to wait and make sacrifices until their time is right?

New Year: Setting Realistic Expectations

New Year’s comes across as superficial because of all the “new year, new me” bullshit fueled by highly unrealistic expectations. If society kept New Year’s resolutions more realistic, then more people would actually see a positive change in their lives in the new year.

Someone who didn’t go to the gym once all of last year will have a hard time making it to the gym consistently in the upcoming year. Do all challenging goals and expectations fall short?

If we tweaked some expectations, we would feel a lot better about ourselves in the new year. Maybe it’s changing the goal of going to the gym five times a week to something more achievable like three times a week. Nobody should be expected to go from 0 to 100 like it’s nothing. We are humans, not well-oiled machines.

New year

An important idea when setting realistic expectations is asking yourself if the goal is challenging yet attainable. It feels good to accomplish something that requires more than just minimal effort and/or time. When someone finally reaches a worthwhile goal, they should look back and appreciate the journey, not just the act of achieving the said goal.

Expectations come from everywhere around us. Our parents, friends, relatives, siblings, coworkers, etc. However, most people know what type of expectations are realistic for themselves and which ones are not. When setting expectations in the new year, it’s essential to take a step back and analyze what would be challenging yet realistic.

Looking Back and Moving Forward in the New Year

This year has been a grind for Ubinami. There have been many times where I questioned if this was all worth it. Sometimes I felt like putting things on pause. However, throughout the year I am proud of myself for my consistency and determination towards Ubinami. Moving forward, I know 2024 will only hold better things in store for the Ubinami blog and podcast.

Consistency is Key

Despite having moments of doubt, one thing that kept me consistent is holding myself accountable. When I started this site, I made a promise to myself that I would write at least one blog post per week. It’s nothing crazy, but still a realistic goal for every week. Writing doesn’t always come effortlessly. One thing to keep me on track weekly is making sure I average at least 100 words per day.

Anyone who has written for pleasure/business/personal reasons knows how writing can be expressive and a healthy outlet for anyone with a creative mind.

Consistency in anything is necessary for any sort of success. Writing is no different. When I started writing blog posts this time last year, I wasn’t great at the craft. Now, I still might not be as good at writing as I want to be, but I still made improvements throughout the year. Moving forward, this upcoming year will only hold more room to grow in every aspect possible.

Overcoming Self-Doubt

With anything worthwhile, there will always be times of self-doubt. Even the best like LeBron James have periods of self-doubt. Validation isn’t constantly needed, but can be beneficial when it comes in a timely manner.

Since starting this site, I have experienced countless times of self-doubt and questioning if my work is good enough for the public eye. Although I don’t need constant validation and support, I realized it means more from certain people and during specific times.

Anyone can doubt themselves. However, less overcome that self-doubt and power through. Everyone would be in a better place if self-doubt wasn’t real. Our minds can be our best friends or our worst enemies. We often create problems that don’t exist in the real world.

Overcoming self-doubt takes maturity and perseverance. It’s normal to feel unworthy or not good enough. This shouldn’t stop us from achieving what we want and getting closer to where we want to be in life.

Moving Forward: Planning but Not Stalling

Any worthwhile project, business, side hustle, etc. requires some sort of thought-out action plan. However, there is a point where over-planning starts to kill and diminish progress.

Anyone can sit around all day and plan, but few actually take action and make something happen. The difference between a winner and a loser is taking action. Someone who tries and doesn’t give up is already ahead of someone who gives up after the first sign of failure.

Stalling comes when there is too much planning and overthinking. People often over-plan when they have an immense fear of failure. Success never occurs without some sort of failure coming initially beforehand.

moving forward

One thing I have learned since starting this site is that action beats even some of the best plans when moving forward. Although a particular action might not be as beneficial as hoped, you can still learn more from experience than any type of theory or master plan.

Individuals looking to start a business often take way too much time working on their business plan. Nike didn’t become a global industry leader by twiddling their thumbs and planning day in and day out. Yes, there is planning required for anything substantial and worthwhile. However, action parlays into experiences that cannot be replicated or reproduced.

Protecting and Nurturing Your Essential Inner Peace

Life will never be perfect. Peace comes and goes. However, your inner peace is entirely up to you. Anyone can be mad at others and even the world for countless reasons. Focusing on protecting your inner peace is essential to living a fulfilling and peaceful life.

Everything that happens around the world cannot be controlled by everyone. An individual only has so much control in their own life. People affect others in direct and indirect ways. It’s often confusing or frustrating when something outside of our control often influences how we feel and move throughout the day.

Your Peace is Yours Only

Nobody can bring you peace. Nobody can replicate peace. Nobody can create peace for you.

At the end of the day, there’s only one person who knows what peace looks like to you. It isn’t your best friend, significant other, or your favorite grandparent. They might be able to help you get closer to that much needed peace. However, you are the only one who knows exactly what peace looks, feels, and sounds like in your own world.

Sometimes you have to make difficult changes to get the peace you deserve. At times, life may become unpeaceful on the journey to better understand what peace looks like. Anyone can say they are at peace, but to truly feel peace is a different story. Inner peace is something countless people around the world are constantly chasing.

Your peace is yours only. Nobody can take it away from you unless you let them have that power over you.

Inner Peace: Finding, Losing, and Keeping

Inner peace usually doesn’t stay around forever. It tends to come and go. Like happiness, you can’t buy it or replicate it no matter how hard you try.

Life will never be peaceful at all times. It won’t be unpeaceful forever either. Finding peace is all about cherishing the peaceful moments to the fullest and focusing on reaching a state of inner peace as much as possible.

Everyone can’t be at peace 24/7. Sometimes reality is draining and/or negative. You aren’t a negative or gloomy person by not being upbeat all the time. When someone is at peace, they know the good times won’t last forever and the bad will pass too.

Peace looks different to everyone around the world. However, most sane individuals are constantly looking for peace in the wrong places, people, and experiences. Someone may bring a sense of peace but they aren’t actually a peaceful person. A place that may exude peace may not be as peaceful as initially thought. An experience can also bring peace but then bring along undesirable feelings and emotions when thinking of that particular memory.

Peace forces honesty. By lying to yourself over time, there is no possible way of achieving a fulfilling sense of inner peace.

Find your sense of inner peace and keep it around for as long as possible. It won’t stick around forever.

The Lifelong Journey

Finding inner peace often comes with countless mistakes, endless hours of frustrating or confusing experiences, and numerous lessons learned.

Peace isn’t a destination, but instead a lifelong journey. Inner peace is one of the most important aspects of life. If there is no sense of peace at all, one’s life will be affected negatively and often leading to unfortunate situations. You attract what you believe in and speak about.

Obviously life cannot be peaceful for its entirety. However, cherishing times of peace and expecting more to come helps us deal with the normal stress and regular hardships of this often confusing journey on Earth.

Your peace must be protected and nurtured carefully. Nobody else can protect your peace like you can. Stay hopeful when times are hard and remain humble when everything seems to be going right.

Everything Happens for a Reason

Life works in weird ways. Sometimes we understand why things happen but we often don’t know why most events, occurrences, and experiences really take place. Everything happens for a reason.

Some people have a harder time accepting the uncertainty of life. Some take longer to realize how little in life is within their direct control.

New Beginnings Come From Dead Ends

Dead endings lead to new beginnings unexpectedly. New experiences come all the time but every one isn’t appreciated the same. Life happens. Shit happens. A lot against our favor occur randomly and often without reason.

All dead ends aren’t meant to be negative. Some dead ends bring positivity unexpectedly and bring blessings in disguise in the near or distant future. New beginnings happen for a reason. That new friend, relationship, or move to a new state all become important and life-changing over time.

Any experience must be looked with a third-person view to fully understand or appreciate the magnitude of the event in one’s life.

Something new often brings opportunities that once may have seemed unthinkable or impossible in the past. Life works in weird ways. That job you didn’t like may lead to a new role that fits in your life much better. A dead end doesn’t have to stop there. The important and sometimes life-changing dead ends lead to new paths that weren’t visible before.

Figuring Out Who You Are

When failure comes your way, it seems almost impossible to think that unfortunate experience happened for a reason. In early adulthood, most people are still trying to figure out who they are (a lot of adults go their whole life with identity issues). There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you don’t have everything figured out right now. The reality is that the majority of the world will never have everything figured out at all times.

Identity is one of the most complicated aspects of life. Someone in high school may think they know who they are, but once they go to college and/or start working full-time, they might not have a clue of who they want to be or who they are at the moment.

An individual’s identity may change numerous times over the course of their life. New relationships, new perspectives and world views, and new hobbies/interests all play a major factor in how and when a person might change.

Everything happens for a reason

It may be frustrating and/or demoralizing to realize you don’t know who you truly are. However, like virtually anything in life, change is inevitable. Doing your best everyday (one day’s best won’t always look the same as the next’s) is essential to living a meaningful life. Not having everything figured out about yourself won’t ever make you a failure. Keep going everyday and hold yourself accountable. People often learn more about themselves when they least expect to.

Life’s Reason Rarely Makes Sense

For the majority of the time, life doesn’t make much sense. One day may seem to be going great and the other doesn’t go exactly in our favor. Life’s events often occur randomly without any rhyme or reason. The people we meet may come unexpectedly or coincidentally.

New beginnings come without making much sense. After countless hours of hard work, determination, and obstacles, some sort of success may come on a random day when it’s least expected.

Everything happens for a reason

Life doesn’t have a reason to make sense. When someone starts to accept uncertainty, anything that seems to happen without a reason will not be as frustrating or confusing. Life’s reason is there is often no reason for countless experiences and moments.

Life doesn’t have a reason to make sense. When someone starts to accept uncertainty, anything that seems to happen without a reason will not be as frustrating or confusing. Life’s reason is there is often no reason for countless experiences and moments.

Being content with uncertainty allows us to view life more objectively. So much is outside of our direct control in life. Be honest with yourself and understand that everyone feels the discomfort of life’s uncertainty. Life works out when nothing is forced and when someone accepts nothing but genuine and natural experiences and interactions.

Moving On and Expecting More: A Reason For Hope

Finally, you have to expect more out of life. This includes all the good and bad times. Every peak is followed by a valley; good times won’t last forever and the bad won’t stick around endlessly. Change is the greatest constant in life. As we get older, we learn more about life and how the world around us works. We don’t get caught up in as many things because we learn what truly matters to us through experience.

By expecting more, we know that change is on the way. Fortunate and unfortunate circumstances come with or without reason. An abundance mindset is necessary to enjoy life to its fullest. It helps keep us grounded through the best and worst of times.

One quote to stay grounded is by remembering the the well-known saying:

“This too shall pass.”

The Over-Saturated Podcast World

Nobody can go a week without hearing the word “podcast” at least once. With more accessibility than ever, it seems like everyone has or wants to start their own show. There’s nothing wrong with starting a podcast, but many start one with no sense of direction. Over-saturated markets in the podcast world often discourage individuals from starting their own show.

Rambles, overcomplicated discussions, and circular conversations make up countless talk shows and podcasts today. Over-saturation is a major issue that seems impossible to address. With more podcasts popping up on a regular basis, the playing field becomes extensively larger and more complex than ever before.

Podcasts and Sense of Direction

Every good podcast needs a solid sense of direction. Too many people start a show without actually planning out what they will talk about consistently. General conversations will not draw in the right people and too specific discussions will exclude too many. It’s all about finding the middle ground. Podcasts are unique because they can connect with a particular audience in an intimate way.

However, finding out how to connect to the right crowd is one of the most pressing challenges in the early stages of a podcast. A well-known author might start a podcast to find out he can’t connect with his readers in the same way he can with written words. An individual starting a podcast must understand the complexities of over-saturated markets. Competition will not go away, but will typically become less intimidating when someone understands the ins and outs of a particular market.

A sense of direction is necessary for anything worthwhile. Podcasts require a high level of undivided attention to the show’s direction because of how easy it is to get sidetracked with irrelevant or unnecessary conversations and/or discussions.

Finding Your Niche

Finding the right niche isn’t as easy as it sounds. Most people start a podcast based about something they like. While it makes sense to talk about a particular interest, this alone doesn’t automatically propel the idea into something worthwhile. A podcast must entertain and/or provide valuable knowledge. Talking about something you like might be entertaining in the short-term, but without insight and wisdom, the entertainment will only take the said endeavor so far.

A particular niche like dating and relationships is extremely over-saturated. Everyone isn’t a relationship expert even though countless people have first hand experience with dating and romance. Picking a highly competitive niche will make it harder for the right audience to find your show.

It makes sense to take a step back and select a niche that will provide the most potential benefit in the long run rather than something with only short-term sustainability.

Niches often make or break a podcast. Someone starting off might think of starting a show talking about sports. While sports is a vague topic, if an individual selects something like a sports program at a particular college or university, or a professional team, they already set themselves up with a much greater sense of direction and vision. Taking something and making it unique requires countless hours of thinking of ideas that may or may not stick before the “right ones” come to fruition.

Open Doors in an Over-Saturated Market

Although podcasting in general is extremely over-saturated, there is still plenty of opportunity for individuals looking to start their own show. Countless niches are less saturated than others; someone starting out must find a particular area of interest with ample room for growth yet not too over-saturated.

There are open doors all around us. Sometimes opportunities come disguised or unexpectedly, but anyone who stays open and dedicated can find themselves in places and rooms they never would have thought about being possible before.

The key to navigating an overs-saturated market is to understand the desired niche within that particular market. Someone starting a dating podcast might experience more success if they focus on a specific topic like dating in a new city/environment or interracial dating experiences. Markets can always be narrowed down with adequate levels of attention to detail and focus.

At the end of the day, anyone can start a podcast. All it takes is some recording equipment, basic recording software, and some original ideas. However, the fact that anyone can start their own show can also be a downside to numerous podcasters. Competition literally increases daily. The individuals who set themselves apart from the masses have an ultra clear sense of direction and focus on a niche or two in a particular market.

Start that podcast or project today. The competition will always be there. Stay in your lane and focus on what you can do better to improve your work of art.

Abundance Mindset: A Life Essential

When people think of essentials in life they often think of family, friends, shelter, food/water, and a sense of purpose. However, most don’t think of the right type of mindset to be prepared for whatever life has to offer, both good and bad. An abundance mindset allows an individual to be ready for the worst but to expect the best. There is always more to get out of life.

Mindset and Mentality

School teaches us lots of things but fails to offer any sort of structured curriculum geared towards mindset, mental health, and overall well-being.

An abundance mindset must be gained through years and decades of experience. Nobody can give anyone a particular way of thinking. Mindset refers to how a person views life and the experiences that come their way. One person might see a sneaker raffle as an exciting chance while another may view the same draw as a huge waste of time.

Memory can be our best friend and our worst enemy throughout countless moments in life. The amazing memories never seem to leave our mind while the forgetful ones often creep back unwelcome and unwarranted.

Having an abundance mindset allows an individual to better react to and process their memories. They won’t be hung up on the bad ones because they know better ones are just around the corner.

Abundance Mindset: A Trained Mental State

Having an abundance mindset rarely comes natural to most people. The world around us instills fear of missing out and stresses a scarcity mindset. For example, when someone is deciding where to move to next, they may only look at limited options. Living in the same state or city is comforting, but doesn’t offer as much opportunity to grow as moving out of state and experiencing a new environment.

School typically makes students focused on limited choices because they want to instill the fact that opportunities shouldn’t be passed up. Traditional schooling rarely emphasizes the world of possibilities after high school. An abundance mindset doesn’t get taught in any type of school.

An individual must train themselves to think abundantly. There will be more opportunities and chances to grow in the future. There will also be more times of success and failure. The present doesn’t define one’s life. A well-lived life is one of abundance in every possible aspect.

Abundant Experiences

One thing constant of life is having countless experiences. Everyone has different perceptions and worldview, but every living human has experiences. These bring memories that come with feelings of satisfaction or pain. A life full of experiences can be seen as a journey of ups, downs, twists, turns, and numerous surprises.

Life will always bring more. Even when things don’t seem to go our way at all, there will be more times in the future where we experience feelings of peace, satisfaction, and happiness.

A dark tunnel always has an end and a mountain always has a downward slope. Balance is key. Never get too high or too low. Mountains are meant to strengthen the abundance mindset. One who knows how better times come when least expected will look toward the future with a sense of hope and optimism.

The Benefits of An Abundance Mindset

The benefits of maintaining a healthy abundance mindset are virtually limitless. Thinking abundantly allows for more creativity. Thinking is not confined or boxed into the norm.

An abundance mindset brings extra benefits that are not always apparent. For example, an individual thinking abundantly will be more willing to take calculated risks compared to someone with a scarcity mindset.

Anyone can think ahead, but to think ahead of what’s ahead now will put you ahead more than you could imagine. The next move is the best move. An abundant life requires endless thoughts, actions, and experiences. One must never look back and worry about the what-ifs, the worst case scenario, or the one(s) that got away. An abundant thinker will expect more good to come and ultimately outweigh the bad.

Creative Efforts: Capabilities and Limitations

Humans are creative beings. Most people limit themselves in countless ways. They may say “I’m not artistic” or “I’m not very creative.” However, everyone has creative powers that can be tapped into with dedicated time and effort. The world around us exudes creativity; an open mind will find time and energy for important creative efforts even in the most unconventional outlets.

Muses are all around. Something as simple as taking a walk around the block can inspire one person but make another even more bored or uninspired. Creative influence is obviously subjective, however most individuals are too busy looking for something extraordinary. Creativity is all around especially in the realities of day-to-day life.

School and Creativity

Traditional schooling often diminishes creativity for numerous reasons. First, the American public school system overemphasizes the importance of traditional education. Unconventional styles of learning are usually discovered by students who feel unsatisfied with their often outdated curriculum.

Also, the public school system doesn’t place much importance on art, music, and other creative endeavors. Anything that can be considered creative and nontraditional is typically viewed as ‘extracurricular.’ Schools all across America continuously cut art, music, and theater programs year in and year out. Students are told what’s important and what’s not based on which departments receive the most (and least) funding.

Lastly, the American school system doesn’t tend to highlight the most creative students. The students who usually receive the most school wide and public recognition are those who obtain the school/district’s top grade point averages (GPA). An individual who has a high GPA might be able to think well analytically but might not have much experience or exposure to creative endeavors.

The American public school system must place more emphasis on untraditional teaching/learning methods, place more importance towards the arts, and recognize more creative students. When changes are made in favor of creative learning, then America will see more free-flowing creativity in society. Less people will place limits on themselves because they will already know what they are capable of.

Creative Efforts in Adult Life

The average American adult doesn’t think of themselves as creative. Wake up, go to work, spend time with family, eat, and sleep. This routine doesn’t seem very creative at all to many. However, people often devalue the importance of things they spend time on when they aren’t working, eating, or sleeping. Every (normal) adult has at least one hobby. Most hobbies require some level of creativity. Working out can be creative depending on how it’s viewed. At the same time, reading can be considered one of many creative efforts in an adult’s daily routine.

Creative efforts in adult life usually take a backseat to other priorities. Most adults say to themselves “only if I had the time.” Countless people go their whole lives telling themselves this same lie. We all have the same twenty four hours per day. There will always be time for what we want to do. Time is real but is also an illusion. People make time for what they want. No excuses.

Young adults are often so caught up with working that they forget to make time for themselves. Creativity will not be an active part of someone’s life unless they actively look to do something creative. An active effort must be made willingly and routinely.

Numerous adults around the world wake up everyday wishing they could spend their time differently. Sure, everyone won’t always have their dream job. However, even before/after work, there will always be time when time is made for important creative efforts. Some individuals neglect any sort of creativity all together; the people who actively look to become better as creative beings consciously put in the required time and energy.

Creativity and Nature

The physical world around us displays countless forms of creativity. The roots on a tree, clouds in the sky, animals moving throughout the forest, and leaves rustling on a cool day all are part of Earth’s creative powers. Nature is often seen as one of the most influential muses for countless creatives all around the world. What better place to look for inspiration than the natural world in our own backyards?

Nature often provides an essential influence towards countless creative efforts throughout the world. The natural world is free-flowing and typically undisturbed by external forces. Humans can look to nature to understand more about creativity and life as a whole.

Natural influence brings about more natural and adaptable thoughts, ideas, and creations. Anyone can be in nature but few take the time to appreciate the beauty of the world around us.

Creative Efforts: A Dawn of the Unknown

Any type of creative work starts from one common place. That place usually doesn’t have a name, direction, or clear sense of purpose. Influences along the way help artists, creatives, and designers around the world understand more about what they are trying to accomplish and/or work towards.

Anyone can start something creatively, but everyone doesn’t finish or even come close to finishing a project or creative effort. Creativity is all about exploring the unknown to get to a point that feels more comfortable, understandable, or better explained than before.

Creating the Life You Want

Nobody can make the change for you. Nobody will hold your hand forever. At the end of the day, nobody can live your life for you. Creating the life you want is all about self-determination and having some sort of ambition.

Life is confusing to say the least. Many people go through life lying to themselves to please others or doing what “they are supposed to do.” Too many humans live a miserable life because they are too afraid to chase their true goals and dreams. One life is plenty of time to do what you want to do.

Me Time

Sometimes you have to be selfish in life. Being unselfish goes a long way in many regards, but can be a hinderance in certain situations. Acting in one’s best interest isn’t always being selfish. However, many people will call out others who place themselves first.

Creating the life you want: Atlanta tings

Time for yourself isn’t being overly selfish. If someone goes around constantly looking to please others, they will never be pleased themselves. People pleasers continually lie to themselves.

Choosing time for yourself doesn’t mean you have to neglect other priorities and wants. “Me time” can be anything from reading a book on a quiet night or watching a movie by yourself. Whatever it may be, there must be time for oneself to be comfortable on their own.

Go Getter

A real go getter is someone who looks to get shit done regardless of the circumstances. Anyone can say they are hustling, but actions will always speak louder than words. Results show who actually puts in work and who says they do that so called work.

Individual work is key to any type of long-lasting success. A go getter is an individual who is creating the life they want on a daily basis. They know results will not come overnight, but instead over many nights.

Nobody is born with determination or resilience-you have to want something enough to do whatever it takes under numerous circumstances.

Creating the life you desire is about putting mind over matter. Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy; only you can decide how it will affect your life.

Creating the Life You Want: Stay in Your Lane

Everyone in the world is unique for countless reasons. Why fit in with the pack when you can create your own path?

Individualism is currently at its peak. The creative world appreciates distinctive styles now more than ever. Anyone creating something worthwhile should learn from the best but never copy them directly. Too many “designers” jack ideas from one another and add their own spin. Where’s the real creativity in that?

The path less traveled is definitely more lonely and uncertain but nobody can ever take that journey away from you. Creating something of your own creates a unique feeling that can never be replicated. Originality will never go out of style.

Life is a journey. Everyone’s looks different for countless reasons. Enjoy the ride and be present.

Stay in your own lane and don’t look back.

Creativity: The Individual Power of the Mind

Creativity cannot be bought nor captured or held on to forever. It comes and goes like the seasons in a calendar year. Nobody can ever seem to hang on to it for their entire life. Creative moments come in flashes and require high attention to detail in order to translate them into something worthwhile.

Everyone can be creative. However, limited individuals seem to exert creative energy on a regular basis. Some may keep it around longer than others. Creativity is something that should never be taken for granted in life.

Mind Games

The human mind is more powerful than most would think. Most people don’t tap into their full potential and put themselves down. We constantly hear “I’m not creative” or “I’m not artistic” or “Creativity doesn’t come naturally to me.” Instead, these phrases should all include one key word to put a positive connotation on them. By adding the word yet, the potential to be more creative is virtually endless.

When someone says they aren’t creative yet, they actively acknowledge their room for growth. Someone who limits themselves through their words will rarely reach their full potential. The mind can play many games, even on itself.

Creativity- Atlanta

Creative endeavors don’t have to be limited to traditional art. Someone may be creative through sports or business- two realms that are not typically viewed as “creative.” However, creativity is all around us when we stop trying to force things and start to look outside the box.

Humans are often more capable of achieving amazing feats than they originally think. The mind can play games on itself. The first step to limiting the power of these mind games is to first acknowledge they are present. The mind can only work in an individual’s favor when a person is actively aware of their mental capabilities.

Creativity and Individualism

Individualism is actively stressed in Western cultures. Obviously there are benefits and drawbacks that can be viewed closely and from afar.

Creative abilities are usually tied to one person. However, creativity is not confined to an individual. Certain cultures stress the importance of individualism in order to tap into one’s creative endeavors. American culture definitely emphasizes the ability to think creatively on one’s own.

Creativity- Olympics

While there are obvious drawbacks to individualism like social isolation and a decreased sense of belonging, there are numerous advantages especially for creative purposes.

An individual has the freedom to think creatively and outside of the box when working by themselves. They don’t have to directly report to anyone else or follow strict guidelines. Individualism allows humans to express themselves freely and openly. Creativity relies on a certain extent of freedom; creatives who embrace their individualism often find their unique lane efficiently and in a healthy way.

Feeling rushed in anything will usually not provide satisfactory results. Individualistic creative efforts allow people to work at their own pace and level of comfort. Individualism gives a sense of freedom and stresses the importance of self-determination and self-reliance.

While everyone has their own skill sets and unique talents, healthy levels of individual work allow creatives to tap into what they do best.

The Journey of Creativity

Being creative isn’t an accomplishment but rather a life long journey. Any world-renowned artist will say have a creative mind isn’t enough to be successful. It’s what people do with their creativity that sets them apart from the pack.

One can argue that creativity is a muscle that needs to be used on a consistent basis. Like shooting a basketball, creativity has to be used regularly to upkeep its potential. Just a few days or a week off will often set someone back more than they would ever realize.

The journey of creativity is virtually never ending. Many creatives don’t feel completely satisfied with their work; they continually look toward what’s to come next.

There is a fine line between expressing dissatisfaction and not being complacent. Creatives want to reach their full potential at every possible moment. However, everyday won’t be productive or successful in every aspect. Creativity has no end goal- it’s a never ending process that doesn’t befriend perfectionists.

Figuring Out Life

Does anybody ever have life figured out? How do people act like they have everything figured out when they clearly don’t? It’s okay to still be figuring out life no matter how young or old you are.

One of the most humbling facts of life is that everyone doesn’t really know what the hell they are doing on Earth. Some may find purpose in life or have some things figured out, but nobody ever has everything figured out. The journey of life is all about figuring out life along the way and appreciating the worthwhile experiences and people who come into our lives.

Figuring Out Complex Relationships

Humans are complex beings, so why do we expect our interactions and experiences with one another to be simple?

The human brain is too powerful to allow its body to live simply. Emotions, feelings, and thoughts all add to the complexities of daily life. When you add in other people, things are bound to get complicated and messy.

Even relationship experts don’t have perfect relationships. Why should we beat ourselves up over a failed friendship or romantic relationship?

We are learning along the way; so is everyone we meet in life. People unintentionally hurt others. Sometimes we hurt people without even realizing until a later time in our lives.

Everyone comes into our life for a reason. Their duration of making an impact on our lives is undetermined. Most don’t stick around for very long at all. Some stay around for seasons. Others, who mean the most, are around for generations.

Instead of looking at failed friendships and relationships, we can view them as lessons that had to occur. The hate towards that ex will get you nowhere in life. Neither will that grudge with your ex-best friend. Forgive yourself and move on. New people are coming into your life, usually when you least expect it. Appreciate the genuine ones in your life, but always be prepared to meet more people no matter the current circumstances.

Friends, Family, and a Sense of Belonging

As social beings, humans aren’t meant to be socially isolated. While some people thrive in the presence of others and high levels of stimulations, others prefer less stimulation and are often more comfortable on their own.

Figuring out life is all about figuring out who we are as a person and to find some sort of sense of belonging in this world. Friends and family can help figure things out, but they cannot do any of the uncomfortable work for us.

Some friends are part of family. At the same time, some family members are distant strangers who have little to no immediate impact on our lives. Blood never has and never will make someone family. If someone says, “but they are family,” they are often part of the problem at hand. Family doesn’t intentionally hurt the people they care about.

Friends can either bring us a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment in life or leave us scratching our heads asking who is really a friend and who is jumping along for a short ride?

People who fade away from each other easily probably didn’t have a strong friendship in the first place. Many people associate with others who have similar interests and hobbies. However, the best of friends often have many differences but still put them aside and hold each other accountable.

“Yes men” bring their “friends” down in the long run. Everybody wants to hear exactly what they want; very few are okay with having friends who call them out for their wrongs and hold them accountable.

A sense of belonging will never come from another person. We have to find the balance between being with others and enjoying our own company. The people who are around today might not be around in a few years or a decade from now.

Figuring Out Life: Work and Sense of Purpose

In American culture, countless identities are tied to work and what is directly produced. People have lives outside of work, but often introduce themselves to others by first stating what they do for work. Nobody would have much of a personality if they didn’t have interests, hobbies, and passion outside of work.

A job will never define someone’s purpose in life. However, many Americans tie their work to their identity and are left clueless when they leave their current or “dream” job.

Figuring out one’s sense of purpose is one of the hardest parts of “figuring out life.”

Work can have a positive or negative connotation depending on how an individual views the subject. Work can be meaningful and fulfilling, but it should never consume someone and be their life. Instead, it is a part of life that can easily change with the blink of an eye.

Sense of purpose relates to what a person can do for the world and how they do it, not what they produce as a result of their work.

Enjoy the Journey

At the end of the day, nobody truly has everything all figured out. You probably won’t have it all figured out in a decade or two from now. Even when life comes to an end, most people would agree they never had everything all together.

Figuring out life is about enjoying the journey that comes with the countless ups and downs. Waiting for the perfect situation will leave you waiting your whole life. Start doing what you want to now and don’t look back.

Life will get figured out along the way. Live in the moment and live without regret.