How Breaking Up With The Superhero Version Of Yourself Can Help Your Creativity

Do it daily if you have to

I grew up taking the 1 train in New York City. Every morning to go to school I would wait on the platform, take the 1 train to 79th street, jump off and sprint up the subway stairs in hopes of running through the doors of the crosstown bus just before they closed. Through high school that was my marathon.

Every morning. Monday through Friday. Between 6:45am-7:30am. And every single morning I would have remind myself that getting it right today was not guaranteed.

As a creative, a writer and a content creator, I think about that morning commute as my bootcamp for breaking up with the superhero version of myself. Daily, I’ll remind myself that all I got done (or didn’t get done) yesterday has nothing to do with what I’m capable of today.

The more that I can detach my bandwidth from my never-ending to-do list, the more likely it will be that I will get done what I need to get done. I know this is hard for all creatives because the hit of adrenaline creativity offers makes us all feel invincible. Our creative energy propels us onto a treadmill full of momentum and we expect things from ourselves that we wouldn’t expect from even our best coworker, employee, or fellow creative.