When I was 5, I had an unusual obsession.
No, it wasn’t candy.
It wasn’t cars.
It wasn’t animals nor was it toys.
It was blank paper.
As a child, I was obsessed with clean, white sheets of blank paper.
It’s because I loved to draw.
Whatever blank pieces of paper I could get my hands on, I would grab a pencil and doodle all over them.
I would later discover these archaic drawings from my childhood in stacks of old books.
Drawings on unused pages of primary school jotter books.
Drawings on empty pages of Panasonic manuals.
And more drawings of every blank page on the front and back of Childcraft encyclopedias.
Good thing we didn’t own a printer back then – I would have ruthlessly vandalized every sheet of fresh printing paper before they could be used.
As I got older, I still have this fascination for white canvases.
I didn’t draw as much now. But at heart, I still love to create.
Whether it’s a blank page of a new Microsoft Word document or a page in my tiny pocket notepad, I still feel a little spark of excitement over the prospect of creating something new.
A drawing, a painting, a story, a poem, an essay or even this article.
The possibilities are endless.
You might read this and say “hey, that sounds just like me!”
Or maybe you can’t relate to it at all.
The truth is, we’re all wired to create.
Even if you don’t believe you’re ‘creative’ – your life right now is the result of everything you have ‘created’.
Your career, your social circles, your relationships, your health, your finances, your aspirations.
The areas that you’re doing well in or the ones that you’re most proud of – it’s a sign that you’ve invested most of your creative energies into.
If you’re currently in great shape from practicing a well-disciplined healthy lifestyle – you created it.
If you’re currently enjoying a high paying income from being a top performer in your work – you created it.
To be creative, you don’t necessarily need to know how to mix different coloured paints, write code for a mobile app or write sheet music.
Having an artistic eye or a musical ear may be very helpful in being creative, but they’re not a prerequisite.
And you don’t need ‘talent’ to be creative.
That’s because what you create is not as important as having a ‘creator’s mindset’.
I call it the ‘Blank Slate Philosophy’.
The Blank Slate Philosophy
The Blank Slate Philosophy is simple.
It’s a philosophy that centers on one critical question to ask yourself: ‘If my life was a blank slate right now, what would I love to create?’
Imagine if you could start over, right now.
Not your next birthday. Not in ten years. Not next Monday.
Right now.
If your life was a blank slate right now, what would you love to create?
A more peaceful, stress-free day-to-day life?
An abundance of wealth from multiple streams?
A beautiful relationship that is overflowing with joy?
The concept of a blank slate, or ‘tabula rasa’, has always been associated with potential and possibility.
Every artist starts out with a blank canvas upon which they ‘print’ whatever that is in their mind.
You can always re-create your life if you’re willing to let go of the past – and start with a fresh sheet of blank paper.
You might think that the most peak performers got to where they are because they’re super-motivated, have great support or highly disciplined.
What you don’t realize is that these successful people are creators before they are achievers.
They became successful because they keep pushing the reset button on themselves.
Take action. Make mistakes. Start fresh.
Take action. Make mistakes. Start fresh.
A constant cycle of creation, and re-creation, until they finally manifest the beautiful masterpiece that is their life.
Like writing a novel, the lives of successful people went through many drafts.
More than willpower, these people had to tap into their imagination.
The same imagination that you and I have as creators.
Human beings are silly.
We have this thing where we need contextual starting points – like New Year’s Day, or a birthday, or a Monday – to ‘start fresh’.
Why be superstitious about it?
You can always tear off the current page that represents your life situation, crumple it into a ball and toss it into the recycling bin.
You can start today.
Don’t be afraid to start fresh with a blank slate.
I used to have a ‘vision board’ up on the wall of my desk – with pictures of all my goals and heroes to inspire me to succeed.
Today, I no longer have that vision board.
I took it down about a year ago.
In its place, is a blank piece of white A1 paper – a constant reminder that I can always re-create, re-imagine and re-design my goals.
And live my life like a blank slate.
No matter what you’re going through right now, choose to see the power of possibility.
Grab that fresh sheet of paper and ask yourself: If my life was a blank slate right now, what would I love to create?
Summary
Even if you don’t believe you’re ‘creative’ – your life right now is the result of everything you have ‘created’.
The Blank Slate Philosophy centers on one critical question: ‘If my life was a blank slate right now, what would I love to create?’
Highly successful people are creators before they are achievers. They became successful because they keep re-creating themselves and their lives.
Successful people go through a constant cycle of creation, and re-creation, until they finally manifest the beautiful masterpiece that is their life. Like writing a novel, the lives of successful people went through many drafts.
When I was 5, I had an unusual obsession.
No, it wasn’t candy.
It wasn’t cars.
It wasn’t animals nor was it toys.
It was blank paper.
As a child, I was obsessed with clean, white sheets of blank paper.
It’s because I loved to draw.
Whatever blank pieces of paper I could get my hands on, I would grab a pencil and doodle all over them.
I would later discover these archaic drawings from my childhood in stacks of old books.
Drawings on unused pages of primary school jotter books.
Drawings on empty pages of Panasonic manuals.
And more drawings of every blank page on the front and back of Childcraft encyclopedias.
Good thing we didn’t own a printer back then – I would have ruthlessly vandalized every sheet of fresh printing paper before they could be used.
As I got older, I still have this fascination for white canvases.
I didn’t draw as much now. But at heart, I still love to create.
Whether it’s a blank page of a new Microsoft Word document or a page in my tiny pocket notepad, I still feel a little spark of excitement over the prospect of creating something new.
A drawing, a painting, a story, a poem, an essay or even this article.
The possibilities are endless.
You might read this and say “hey, that sounds just like me!”
Or maybe you can’t relate to it at all.
The truth is, we’re all wired to create.
Even if you don’t believe you’re ‘creative’ – your life right now is the result of everything you have ‘created’.
Your career, your social circles, your relationships, your health, your finances, your aspirations.
The areas that you’re doing well in or the ones that you’re most proud of – it’s a sign that you’ve invested most of your creative energies into.
If you’re currently in great shape from practicing a well-disciplined healthy lifestyle – you created it.
If you’re currently enjoying a high paying income from being a top performer in your work – you created it.
To be creative, you don’t necessarily need to know how to mix different coloured paints, write code for a mobile app or write sheet music.
Having an artistic eye or a musical ear may be very helpful in being creative, but they’re not a prerequisite.
And you don’t need ‘talent’ to be creative.
That’s because what you create is not as important as having a ‘creator’s mindset’.
I call it the ‘Blank Slate Philosophy’.
The Blank Slate Philosophy
The Blank Slate Philosophy is simple.
It’s a philosophy that centers on one critical question to ask yourself: ‘If my life was a blank slate right now, what would I love to create?’
Imagine if you could start over, right now.
Not your next birthday. Not in ten years. Not next Monday.
Right now.
If your life was a blank slate right now, what would you love to create?
A more peaceful, stress-free day-to-day life?
An abundance of wealth from multiple streams?
A beautiful relationship that is overflowing with joy?
The concept of a blank slate, or ‘tabula rasa’, has always been associated with potential and possibility.
Every artist starts out with a blank canvas upon which they ‘print’ whatever that is in their mind.
You can always re-create your life if you’re willing to let go of the past – and start with a fresh sheet of blank paper.
You might think that the most peak performers got to where they are because they’re super-motivated, have great support or highly disciplined.
What you don’t realize is that these successful people are creators before they are achievers.
They became successful because they keep pushing the reset button on themselves.
Take action. Make mistakes. Start fresh.
Take action. Make mistakes. Start fresh.
A constant cycle of creation, and re-creation, until they finally manifest the beautiful masterpiece that is their life.
Like writing a novel, the lives of successful people went through many drafts.
More than willpower, these people had to tap into their imagination.
The same imagination that you and I have as creators.
Human beings are silly.
We have this thing where we need contextual starting points – like New Year’s Day, or a birthday, or a Monday – to ‘start fresh’.
Why be superstitious about it?
You can always tear off the current page that represents your life situation, crumple it into a ball and toss it into the recycling bin.
You can start today.
Don’t be afraid to start fresh with a blank slate.
I used to have a ‘vision board’ up on the wall of my desk – with pictures of all my goals and heroes to inspire me to succeed.
Today, I no longer have that vision board.
I took it down about a year ago.
In its place, is a blank piece of white A1 paper – a constant reminder that I can always re-create, re-imagine and re-design my goals.
And live my life like a blank slate.
No matter what you’re going through right now, choose to see the power of possibility.
Grab that fresh sheet of paper and ask yourself: If my life was a blank slate right now, what would I love to create?
Summary
Even if you don’t believe you’re ‘creative’ – your life right now is the result of everything you have ‘created’.
The Blank Slate Philosophy centers on one critical question: ‘If my life was a blank slate right now, what would I love to create?’
Highly successful people are creators before they are achievers. They became successful because they keep re-creating themselves and their lives.
Successful people go through a constant cycle of creation, and re-creation, until they finally manifest the beautiful masterpiece that is their life. Like writing a novel, the lives of successful people went through many drafts.