“Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.” Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way

I’m noticing the whir of creativity in the air these days. The oft-cited economic turndown we’re in has sparked its share of woe, of course, but underneath it all seems to lie a bubbling pool of creative juice.  I have clients, colleagues and friends who are talking about taking risks they wouldn’t have before — there is a “why not go for it, what have I got to lose?” sense percolating.

You may not see or feel it directly right now, especially if you are covered up in fear and worry thoughts about the economy. But if you can put the fear on hold for a few moments, and turn and look in a different direction… what do you see? Maybe you see a beautiful new vision for your life. Maybe a new business idea. Maybe it’s resurrecting a hobby you had put on hold.

Maybe it’s a big question mark, a mystery. Ahhh, now that is uncomfortable for many. Mystery, uncertainty. Scary!

We have been so programmed to know the answers, to check the facts, to present our knowledge with precision and certainty. We had our retirement plans in place and invested in all the right things. And yet, here we are, fraught with financial uncertainty!

You could wallow in that uncertainty, but try on this other option: Wallow in the mystery of it all. Get curious about everything around you. I have a mantra:  Curiosity Creates Compassion. The moment you move from fearful thinking to curiosity, you begin to open yourself to compassion… for others, but more importantly, for yourself. The more compassion you can conjure up, the freer you will be to relax into that place of creative flow.

And guess where creative flow will lead? To the next great thing for you! The next job, the next promotion, the next way of being that will enhance your life, your leadership practice, your business. All because you muddled around in mystery.

Try this on for size:  Mystery leads to curiosity. Curiosity leads to compassion. Compassion leads to creative freedom. Creative freedom leads to new ideas. New ideas lead to joy, fulfillment, and success!

I’ve been noodling on this whole mystery idea for a while now, but was inspired to post about it after listening this morning to veteran master certified coach, Laura Berman Fortgang, who spoke at the Georgia Coach Association monthly meeting today. She is a dynamic, powerful, fun and inspiring speaker, a real treat for our group of about a hundred or so. At one point in her talk she said, “We’ve lost our reverence for mystery,” and went on to quote a statistic that more people are reading mystery novels than any other type of book at this time. So while we seem to be uncomfortable with being in uncertainty, at the same time we are craving the lure of mystery! That’s a mystery in and of itself, I suppose!

Laura’s new book is due out in April.It’s called, The Little Book on Meaning: Why We Crave It, How We Create It. I’ve just pre-ordered it, based on her talk today. I know it will be fantastic!!

Meanwhile, try letting go of the facts and control over certainty… and wallow in mystery a bit.