As you embark on another week in your life I’m sure that you are faced with numerous ideas, dreams and initiatives you would like to accomplish. Being creative is a roller coaster of a ride with the thrills of launches as well as the crushing pressure of failures. Do you fear failure and find you’re avoiding failure in work and launching your dreams or ideas?

Recently I was coaching one of my students who was suffering from analysis paralysis. He had too many ideas and didn’t know where to start. Not knowing where to start is one of the most common challenges I see in creative entrepreneurs: There is no lack of ideas, it’s how and which ones to put into play. I shared with my student a few secret decision-making disciplines to help him invest his creativity wisely.

Here they are:

Decision making discipline filter #1: When I am faced with looking at a list of ideas or choices I need to make with my time, I use the following filter: What will allow me to create the most significant impact on the lives of people while doing what I love the most, making the most money possible in the least amount of time?

So, an example of this would be, I launched an online mentorship to help people discover their God-given calling. The course allowed me to teach (which I love), is automated and running 24/7 and is a wise use of my creativity not demanding that I travel or teach one on one. Also, the course allows me to exercise a part of my creativity that matches most of my strengths. Let me explain…

One of the most significant investments you can make in yourself and self-awareness is to take the Strengthfinders 2.0 assessment online. Get the book if you can. Through this quick 30 min assessment, you will discover your top five strengths. If you know what you are great at, you can cut out of your life what you’re not good at. Stop trying to fix what is broke and take that energy to amplify your strengths and what you’re great at.

So, the filter for what will help you make decisions in investing your time and creativity can look like this: If the ideas and initiatives you are thinking of doing possess three of your five strengths as well as make an impact (ministries, people or cause you to feel called to help) then it is something to say yes to.

Be careful not to keep signing yourself up for things that don’t match your strengths or calling.

Decision making discipline filter #2: Failure is absolute if you are going to grow. Work to become a professional failure because by doing so you are able to launch ideas that have your heart in it and bless others.

Listen, there is more to life than success. Most leaders want to escape survival to get successful. Most camp out in success and never move to significance. That said, I want you to see what happens when you stop trying to become successful and lead your decisions and investments by becoming significant. What if today, you decided to be a professional giver? Now your daily mission isn’t about making money to get, you’re now making money to give. Your life will change radically when you stop seeing yourself as a company and rather, see yourself as a cause.

Let’s define the world’s standard of success: Get a life, make as much money as you can, hoard as much money as you can, get as comfortable as you can and coast your way to death by retiring into a life of leisure. Avoid risk and discomfort. (By this standard you have no need for God because life is dependent on your own rules and performance. Your self-worth is based on your net worth).

Let’s define God’s standard of significance: Your life is a gift from him. Your time, talent, relationships, and money are all his. Once you have your needs met, use your abundance to bring people into his love and help launch them into freedom using your gifts, strengths, and unique abilities. Use the gift he gave you of creating wealth to change the lives of others no matter what you do for a living.

So, failure is an absolute necessity to becoming significant because it requires risk and danger. Your calling, your dreams and your ideas (if they have your heart in it) will include failure in massive proportions. So, ask yourself: Do I work hard to avoid failure, embarrassment, exposure or being known? Am I playing small to avoid confrontation, the big ask in sales or going big? Am I being a poser on social media and playing it safe because I don’t want people to know the true me? Do I settle for the status quo out of fear of loss of income? Am I dying on the inside because I’ve settled for a life that isn’t mine and I’m overwhelmed by regret?

3 important reasons you must embrace failure:

1. If you don’t risk, you won’t produce fruit (impact) in people lives. John 15:8
2. If you don’t risk you withhold blessing others. Matthew 5:16
3. If you don’t risk, there’s the missed opportunity of eternal rewards that will be waiting for you where you will need it most: Eternity, which is a long time. 1 Cor 3:10-15

My friend, I hope that you will invest your time, talent and money wisely and that these words will help give you confidence in your decision making. Each day matters. Today will be spent, wasted or invested. WhIch will you choose?

My mission: To help equip and empower you with creative strategies to live life on purpose!

I’d love to hear your thoughts below in a comment! I’m glad you’re here!

Would you like to learn more about becoming a successful entrepreneur? Check out my latest book, 31 Disciplines of Highly Successful Creatives. Click here to get your copy!

Interested in learning how to build a creative business from the ground up? Click here.