Creativity Isn’t Extra. It’s Essential.

Years ago, a boss gave me a Christmas gift.

A book.

Titled Trying Hard Isn’t Good Enough.

Merry Christmas to me…

To be fair, it wasn’t meant as a personal critique. It was a book about organizational effectiveness—how to measure results, not just effort.

But at the time, it landed a little too close to home.

Because that season of my life already felt like one long effort to prove I was doing enough… leading well enough… getting it right enough.

I was trying.  Really trying.

And still, it didn’t feel like it was landing.

When Effort Becomes the Default

I think a lot of us know that feeling.

Especially women who are used to being capable, responsible, and committed to the people around them.

When something feels off—at work, at home, in life—our instinct isn’t usually to step back and rethink things.

It’s to try harder.

We tighten up.

We push through.

We get more disciplined, more organized, more efficient.

We tell ourselves to do better, be better, handle it better.

Because if something isn’t working… effort feels like the obvious answer.

And sometimes, to be fair, it is.

But not always.

I see this pattern a lot in the women I work with.

They’re carrying a lot—at work, at home, in their families, in their communities.

They care deeply. They show up. They follow through.

They’re doing their best to be faithful, responsible, dependable, generous.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, they’re also trying very hard not to disappoint anyone.

Which often means…

they end up disappointing themselves.

Not taking care of themselves.

Not choosing what’s actually fulfilling.

Not even stopping long enough to ask what they need.

Because the focus stays on keeping everything going… and keeping everyone else okay.

And when that starts to feel heavy or off?

They try harder.

When the Way We See It Keeps Us Stuck

But here’s the thought that’s been sitting with me lately:

Sometimes the way we see the problem… is the problem.

Not because we’re wrong.

Not because we’re failing.

But because the frame we’re using determines the kind of answer we go looking for.

If I believe the problem is effort…

then I’m going to assume the answer is more effort.

More discipline. More focus. More follow-through.

But what if the issue isn’t effort at all?

What if the issue is that the way I’m seeing the situation—the way I’m approaching it, defining it, carrying it—no longer fits?

Creativity Is More Useful Than We Think

That’s where creativity comes in.

And not the arts-and-crafts version.

(Not that there’s anything wrong with that… but if you read last week’s blog, you already know that I’m not your girl for arts-and-crafts, save for one divinely-inspired afternoon of making mosaic stepping stones.) 

I’m talking about creativity as something much more practical.

More grounded.

More… necessary.

Creativity as the ability to see differently.

To step back and notice what we’ve been assuming.  

To imagine that there might be more than one way forward.  

To ask a better question.  

To reframe what feels stuck.  

To respond when the old way—the one that used to work—doesn’t anymore.

To me, creativity is a mindset, a deliberate process, and a set of tools.

It’s not just a flash of inspiration or a personality type.

It’s a way of engaging life—all of it.

Personal life. Work life. Leadership. Relationships. Transitions. Everyday problems. Everyday possibilities.

Not just “how do we invent something new?”

But also:

How do I approach this challenge differently?How do I get unstuck here?What am I not seeing yet?What else might be possible?

Perspective Changes What Becomes Possible

From the very beginning of my work as a coach, I’ve seen how powerful this is.

Real change—whether in a person or an organization—rarely starts with trying harder.

It starts with seeing differently.

Perspective. Possibilities. Purpose.

When I started this business nearly four years ago, that tagline didn’t just materialize out of thin air.  

It reflected something I already believed deeply—something I could see again and again in the work I was doing.

Because when perspective shifts, possibilities open.

And when possibilities open, we can move toward something that actually fits—something more aligned, more meaningful, more life-giving.

That’s not abstract. It changes how we live.

Creativity for the Stuff of Real Life

This is why I think creativity matters so much more than we tend to give it credit for.

It’s not a niche talent.

It’s not something reserved for artists or innovators or “creative types.”

It’s a deeply human capacity.

A way of engaging life with more awareness, flexibility, and possibility. 

More and more, creativity is being recognized as a durable skill—something that helps us navigate change, complexity, uncertainty, and real life.

Not just big, dramatic innovation.

But everyday situations like:

• When your schedule technically works… but your life doesn’t.

• When a role that once fit no longer feels like yours.

• When you’re in a transition you didn’t choose, and you’re not sure what comes next.

• When you keep running into the same challenge—at work, at home, in relationships—and your usual strategies aren’t shifting it.

• When something feels flat, or heavy, or stuck… and you can’t logic your way out of it.

Those aren’t problems that can always be solved with more effort.

They often require something else.

A different lens.

A little space.

A willingness to see what we haven’t been seeing.

Why This Matters Right Now

That may be one reason this has been especially on my mind lately.

We’re in World Creativity & Innovation Week as I write this, with World Creativity & Innovation Day coming up on April 21.

And in June, I’ll be heading to the Creative Problem Solving Institute—an event I’ve come to really value.

Not because I think everyone needs to become more artistic… but because I think more of us need access to the kind of creativity that helps us live, lead, discern, and move forward when the old ways stop working.

If you’ve never heard of CPSI and you’re curious, it’s worth a look—or feel free to ask me about it.  I’ll be attending and presenting, and I’d love to show you around and introduce you to some of the most fascinating people I know.

But honestly, this isn’t just on my mind because of a conference or a calendar theme.

It’s on my mind because I think a lot of us are trying to navigate real life with too few tools.

We’ve been taught how to work hard, be responsible, stay committed, and keep going.

But many of us were never really taught how to think differently when life gets complicated, uncertain, or stuck.

And that’s where creativity becomes more than interesting.

It becomes deeply useful.

A More Creative Way Forward

That’s why, over the next several weeks, I want to explore creativity in a broader, more grounded, more real-life way.

Not as a talent for a few people…

but as a way of thinking, seeing, and responding in everyday life.

We’ll look at creativity through different lenses—perspective, possibility, play, problem-solving, even spirituality—and how it can help us reconnect with ourselves and move forward with more clarity and intention.

Not by trying harder.

But by seeing differently.

For now, maybe it’s enough just to notice this:

Where in my life am I still trying to solve something with more effort…when what I may need is a different perspective?

What feels overly effortful right now—not because I’m failing,but because the old way may no longer fit?

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