ONE of the greatest challenges of being a creative person is that people will copy (sometimes exactly) your words, actions and ideas.
It’s a common theme with entrepreneurs.
Over the decades I’ve had the opportunity to explore a number of ways to reframe the experience of “that was my idea” “I was doing that”
Nowadays I find it really helpful to sit with the discomfort, to run it past my peer mentoring group, trainers, and coaches. This is where having a supportive community comes into its own. Yes, it’s great to have accountability, inspiration, and education. These things drive us on, giving us momentum and creating motivation where it would otherwise be lacking. But having real-life difficult feelings to deal with, is where a group of supportive and successful professionals really becomes a powerhouse of support.
Realising that this happens to everyone takes away the very personal feeling. It is universal, not personal. We all gain our inspiration somewhere, and originality is a rare quality. Yes, it’s weird when someone exactly copies you, but that’s on them. “You do you”.
Being reminded that being an innovator means you are a leader, will always be ahead in your thinking and will always be an inspiration to others may help.
Not feeling rushed into making your next move is also crucial. As someone, I respect hugely recently shared, “in business, always strive to exercise calmness and patience”
Use your meditation practices, journal, explore the fear, sit with the discomfort.
Remember that there is enough of everything to go around, if everyone is generous and not greedy (take note politicians and policymakers everywhere.
Trust in the abundance of your own thoughts, your ability to create, and your connection with the divinely abundant source of everything that flows. Fear is a great blocker of innovation.
Remind yourself that you are limitless. There are plenty more ideas where those came from. Floating around just waiting to land somewhere.
It is far from an easy process and is indeed a process, not necessarily something that is ever “done”. But it’s a great practice.
And as I often hear from my favourite mentors “Everything you ever wanted it to be found on the other side of fear”.
Clare Honeyfield is a success coach and published author working with ethical women in business. Clare has a 25-year track record of setting up and running award winning and successful social enterprises and has to date worked with thousands of women business owners to help them get focus, get direction and achieve success.
