Creative Caffeine

Which fears could be killing your creativity and what to do about them

I once had the privilege of hearing Jay Naidoo speak at a business breakfast. Naidoo is a social and political activist who served Nelson Mandela’s cabinet and is a South African national treasure (in my view.) He told the story of his life being transformed one day when, at the age of 15 and he heard the passionate and charismatic student leader, Steve Biko, speak at a rally. Naidoo says he will never forget this line: “The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”

Our minds are so powerful. If we let fear can take hold of our mind it can completely control our lives. Yet most of what we fear is not real. It’s often exaggerated or unrealistic, and even when it is not, the consequences of what we fear are often not as devastating as we imagine. If we don't do these things fear can paralyse us and we can end up living a life of playing it safe.

We can train our minds to leverage the power ...