Motivation Archives

How to Cultivate Creativity: 4 Tips for Creative Freedom

Is your creativity getting you anywhere? What’s getting in your way on your path toward creative power and independence? In the book Mastery, Robert Greene identifies creative independence as the second stage of mastery. It comes after you’ve established a foundation of skills and knowledge—when you’ve come to a point where you can apply these in your own way. He offers four tips on how to cultivate creativity: commit to a creative project, keep your mind flexible, create a major insight, and overcome emotional obstacles. Keep reading for details on these recommendations.

Personal Legends in The Alchemist: What They Mean

What is a Personal Legend in The Alchemist? Why do people tend to abandon their Personal Legends in life? In Paulo Coelho’s book The Alchemist, the main character, Santiago, embarks on a life-changing journey to follow his dreams. Following your dream, or your Personal Legend, is the core message of the book. Let’s take a look at following your Personal Legend, and what can happen if you ignore it.

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath: Overview & Exercise

What’s the problem with modern self-improvement? How does the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment address this shortcoming? StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath is a companion book to Gallup’s widely-used online strengths test—formerly called StrengthsFinder 2.0 and now called CliftonStrengths. This isn’t your average personality test: Rather than helping you pinpoint your weak spots, the Strengths Test helps you find your greatest strengths. Tom Rath, who’s written several bestselling self-help books (including How Full Is Your Bucket?), argues that, to be truly successful, you must channel your energy toward capitalizing on existing talents rather than working to eliminate weaknesses. Here’s our overview of

Outcome Goals: Examples + Why They’re Harmful

What are examples of outcome goals? Why should you avoid pursuing outcome goals? According to Austin Kleon in his book Keep Going, outcome goals are unhealthy because they focus more on the result and less on the process. This especially applies to people working on a creative project. Here are two outcome goals examples and why Kleon says you should avoid them.

3 Important Life Lessons From The Alchemist

What are the main lessons in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho? How can you apply the book’s lessons to your own life? The Alchemist is the story of an Andalusian shepherd boy’s journey of spiritual awakening. The boy gives up everything to embark on a long journey across the desert toward the Egyptian pyramids, to look for a treasure he has dreamed of. He follows omens and the wisdom of spiritual guides he meets along the way. Here are the biggest lessons Santiago learns during his journey.

Process Goals vs. Outcome Goals: The Main Difference

What is the difference between process goals vs. outcome goals? Which one is better to pursue? In his book Keep Going, Kleon says that to be creative without feeling overwhelmed or burned out, you have to use your creativity to pursue the right goals. He separates the goals into process goals and outcome goals. Let’s take a look at the difference between these two types of goals.

3 Levels of Mastery: Robert Greene’s Path to Excellence

What’s the path to excellence? What are the different levels of mastery? In Mastery, Robert Greene argues that there is a clear path anyone can follow to achieve mastery, the highest level of creative excellence. He explains the three levels of mastery, and he argues that pursuing it yields a fulfilling life and great creative power. Keep reading to learn about these three levels of mastery.

Best Maid Quotes by Stephanie Land

What are the best Maid quotes by Stephanie Land? How can these quotes make you think differently about motherhood and poverty? Maid tells the inspirational story of Stephanie Land, a single mother who worked endlessly to support herself and her daughter through poverty. The book provides social commentary on the American work ethic and stereotypes about poor people. Here’s a selection of Maid quotes with context and explanations.

Bored Writing? Here’s How to Spice Things Up

Do you write for a living? Do you sometimes get bored or demotivated to write? If you get bored writing, you might need to spice things up by taking a different approach. Instead of using the top-down approach (going from thesis to argument), try doing it the other way round. Here’s how to spice up your writing using the slip-box note-taking method.

Mark Wolynn: What Qualifies as Trauma?

The Link Between Childhood Trauma and Depression

What qualifies as trauma? How can you help someone who is suffering from trauma? Most people believe that trauma stems from large-scale stressful situations such as kidnappings or participating in a war effort. However, most traumas originate from smaller-scale situations. Keep reading to learn about what qualifies as trauma, the two types of trauma, and how you can help people exhibiting trauma symptoms.