Impress Your Higher Self

Because then you can compare yourself to others. And feel like you’re making progress as you advance.

Oh yes, and so that people can make tons of money by selling you training courses. The more levels there are, the more courses they can create and sell, and the more money they will make.

All of this depends on you believing that:

a) the thing you are training in is more worthwhile studying than all the other things you could study and train in

b) the certificate(s) you’ll get at the end of it actually means something or will help you in some way

Deciding on what to devote a lot of time (sometimes a lifetime) to, is pretty hard, not to mention phenomena like changing your mind and getting bored or despondent kicking in.

You will also find that the sacred certificates you obtain are often incomprehensible or of zero interest to the average fellow human. A kind soul might offer up a polite “Oh wow!” when you tell them you’re a highly qualified, 7th Dan Master Reiki & Origami Practitioner with a specialisation in Enneagram Mind-Mapping & Sophrology, before edging discretely away to the safety of the buffet table praying you don’t follow them.

So, what has all this got to do with creativity and productivity? It’s very simple: you don’t need any qualifications to create. You don’t need anyone with a qualification to help you create either. I may or may not have various qualifications in various subjects, as you might, but honestly, who cares when you show me a funny splodgy bird picture or a cute lopsided tea cozy you’ve just knitted? I’ll love it, whatever letters you have after your name.

The only ‘qualification’ I look for in someone whom I would like to learn from, be inspired by or simply have a fun conversation with is that they have created something interesting recently or that they create regularly, preferably both. And that they’re fun.

Is there a qualification you can take somewhere to get officially certified as ‘being fun’? Probably. Rigology (the study of laughing, in French) and Laughter Yoga are real ‘things’, and I’m sure you can get qualified as a Laughter Yoga Practitioner, and if there aren’t several levels of ‘mastery’ already, I will be very surprised.

So, just create folks. We’re born to do little else! Do it in good company if you can, it’s even more fun that way. What level of fun it is, I can’t say, though. A high one!

And the next time you come across someone flaunting their credentials in some obscure discipline, or even find yourself tempted to just bump up your competence in your weird pet practice to the next level, pause and think. Do I need this? Or would I be better just getting on and creating another funky monkey with watercolours or Play-Doh or whatever?

I’ve never been asked for the slightest evidence of externally recognised skill in any creative endeavour I’ve ever undertaken. Probably because I was the one who came up with the idea for the crazy project in the first place! As it should be.

Let your ‘higher self’, your ‘lower self’ and any other ‘selves’ simply blend gently into each other and get on with the amazing task at hand: your Latest Greatest Thing! Leave levels to those who prefer feeding their egos to getting their hands dirty for the sheer hell of it.

Do you see where I’m going here? To the end of this article very rapidly, you will be desperately hoping. You’re right, as always. And I can’t wait to see what you create next.

Be okay today.

Happy unqualifying