from ‘Will it work?’ to ‘Should I try it?’”
How can this change of dialog affect
our ability to be more productive in
our lives, and to, perhaps, be more
willing to take those risks?
Alan: You would be amazed how
powerful it is to reframe the question.
Our culture is obsessed with success.
We need to trade our obsession for
whether something will succeed for
an obsession with being obedient to
follow God in the next faith risk. Most
people I meet are at the edge of life
change, but paralyzed in their fear of
failure.
creative process: You tell your
readers, quoting Pastor Erwin
McManus, “There is an order to the
creative process: We dream, we risk,
we create.” Why is it important to
understand this process?
Alan: For years I tried to create
without a process. I thought free form
was the only option. Many artists
live this way and spiral into chaos
rendering them ineffective. Anyone
who keeps creating in their craft has
figured out a creative process that’s
repeatable. I’ve begun to coach
other writers this way. By the time
I coach church planters and entrepre- we’ve gotten to the creating we’ve
already done a lot of hard work.
neurs at the edge of major life risks.
Then we muster the courage to keep
No matter how well prepared and
repeating the process.
funded they are there is a moment
where they simply must take the leap Your friend, Mike, makes a pretty
and figure some things out in the air.
heavy statement which you recite:
You say that “every act of creativity is “When we fail to take action, we
forfeit the future.” Would you explain
a risk.” How so?
what this means to you?
Alan: By nature, artists are creating
Alan: Mike is a serial entrepreneur;
something that doesn’t exist.
he continually innovates. Innovators
Sometimes it will resonate with a
are the ones who keep trying things
crowd or a gallery and sometimes it
and learning. They keep taking the
won’t. Copying others doesn’t take
next right step until they’ve created
guts, but creating takes guts every
something useful. We think those folks
time. No matter how long someone
are simply born brilliant, but once we
has been creating you don’t
go behind the curtain we see they
graduate from fear. You don’t just
magically “get over it” some day. This are relentless with experimentation
is where we begin a beautiful dance and pushing themselves to take their
of leaning on the Father as we do the next risk.
creative work He has wired us for.
You caution your readers about
living out of their weaknesses. You
Let’s talk a moment about the
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