Be Creative

You're tuned into Made for Mondays with Justin Lester. Justin Lester is an average guy who refuses to let Mondays control him. Justin is a husband, dad, pastor, student, and Jesus follower. He's done a lot, he's learned a lot, and he wants to see you at your best. Let's win Mondays. Hey, Justin. What's up today?

Well, hey there. Hey there. Hey there. Pastor Justin here. Let's continue our journey together on Made for Mondays Today. As you go into your workday and go into your week, I want to challenge your imagination. I want to challenge you to think, to expand the way that you think and to expand the way that you do things. So I won't be very long today, but I hope that this challenges you to think through some things. So I want to challenge you today to not grow up, but grow something. I think too often we get consumed with what we're growing, getting older, getting older, getting older. And what I'm learning is just because you finished college doesn't mean you stop learning. And just because you turn 70 doesn't mean you start teaching. Don't just grow up, grow something. Because legacy isn't what you leave behind. Legacy isn't what you're giving to the world. That's where we see the whole notion of leaving legacy with the teams you lead, with the people you're working with, because trust is what turns a group into a team. And so leaving legacy in those people and those individuals you're leading is what will change the world. That's why we look throughout scripture, right? God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful. It's amazing to me, he blessed them first and then told them to be fruitful. See, because you can be blessed and not bear fruit, so you can't multiply what isn't fruitful. So I want to challenge you to bear fruit, to grow something today. That's where there's a difference between a cover and a lid. A cover protects, but a lid limits. Who are the people that are working with you that are covering you? And who are the people around you that are lids on you? What are the mindsets in your own life that are covers? What are the mindsets in your own life that are lids? And I want you to look at this week. What are covers and lids in your life? Because I want you to grow something. Don't just grow up, grow something. Remember this, this, this statement. I just want to give you things. Remember this statement. Vision plus visionary, leadership's time. Collaboration is what will give impact, Vision and visionary Leaders times collaboration, which will have maximum impact if you're going to build a team of people, if you're going to grow something, there needs to be collaboration along with your vision. Collaboration along with your vision. And so that means one of the things I've even struggled in in my own life is that whenever I'm focused on something, I get extremely hyper focused. I'm hyper focused on a thing because I'm going to do a thing. And what I've learned about hyper focus is that when you're so focused, you'll have blind spots. Who are the people in your life that are helping you recognize your blind spots? Not blind spots in a way to hurt you or harm you, but blind spots in a way to show you your place that you are overlooking because you're so focused. And watch this. And people that will not take you from your focus, but people that will keep you focused, but showing you what you're missing on the journey. Because that means that now you're walking into something, you're moving into something that you are focused on to build fruit and to have something on the other side. Because the most effective way to manage things, to manage change, to manage success, is to create these things. Because before you go on a journey, a focus before you go on journey to grow something, I need you to consider this thing this week. What is it that can come in your life that will make you quit the journey that God has you on? What is it that can come in your life that will make you want to sour the fruit that you're creating? What is it in your life that'll make you want to quit? It's amazing how easy it is for us to surrender to what's possible at the hands of what's comfortable. I said it's amazing how easy it is to surrender what's possible at the hands of what's comfortable. I want you to grab a hold of your focus and be mindful of your blind spots. But don't just grow up, but grow something. What do you need better focus in this week? What do you need to grow this week? Who do you need to collaborate with this week? Here's what I want to challenge you to do. I've learned something as I've been trying to get into paints and arts, that the best painters are the ones that are not. We tell people to color outside the lines, but there's something powerful about having constraints on a canvas that if I'm. It's easier for me to focus when I have constraints, when I have boundaries, where are the constraints in your life? Feel the fear and do it anyway. Fear the boundaries and do it anyway. Don't be a know it all. Be a learn it all. Um, I want you to have constraints as you're being creative. Uh, creativity is powerful within constraints, where that helps you focus, that helps you focus, that helps you focus. So I want you to go into this week understanding that no is a complete sentence, no is a full sentence, and that you can have constraints to say no to be better focused. To have constraints to say no to be better focused. Um, here's a. I want. I want you to do this as an activity, as you're driving or as you're listening to this. Maybe you're working out whatever it is. Think about in your head or list out seven things that you own. Just think about it. Seven things that you own. Right? Think about seven things that you own. Right now. I want you to do this. Think about seven things in your kitchen. Just seven random things in your kitchen. Now, I'm assuming it was easier for you to write down or think about the seven things you have in your kitchen because you own those seven things. The difference between listing seven things you own and seven things in your kitchen was focus. When you were focused on your kitchen, when you had the constraints of your kitchen, you were able to think of seven things a lot easier. My toaster, my microwave, my forks, my knives, the food in my kitchen, things like that, it was easier for you to focus than to think of seven things you own because you probably thought about something so big. Where do you need to focus? And if you are leading people this week, how can you give them constraints to drive their focus? That if you were sitting here as a team leader and saying, listen, I'm going to go into this week, and these are things that we are owning, things that we are doing, but now constraining them to paint on one canvas, how much more powerful will it be for you to do so? If you really want to be creative, let me give you this. I'm going to give you my creative process. And I'll pray today. If you want to be creative, here's a couple things I want you to do. Five things I want you to do. Number one, you must see a problem to solve. There has to be a problem to solve. You can't be creative for no reason. There must be a problem to solve. Something needs to be painted. Something needs to be shown. What is the problem you're going to solve? Number two, what resources do you have available to you? Whether they're in abundance or limited. Sometimes I've learned the best. The most creative people are the ones with limited resources. But you also can work abundance. But you need constraints on your abundance. Number three, necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity is the mother of invention. The world has to need what you're creating because creativity means I'm making something that hasn't been seen or done. So necessity is the mother of convention. Number four, have a willingness to fail. I think we've glamorized and put down failure so much. There has to be a willingness for you to fail, to give up, to know that it may not work. What is? Are you willing to fail? And lastly, a crazy idea. We constantly talk about those who are creative. They're people who sometimes have the craziest ideas. What is your crazy idea? That with the right resources and the right amount of collaboration could come to pass. So ideas to think more creatively. Number one, I want you to go into the world this week. Go into the world today, observing the world around you. I want you to observe the colors your co workers are wearing. To observe what other people are driving, the type of cars around you. I want you. Number two, to develop, discover available opportunities. What meetings haven't you gone to, what conferences can you go to? What people can you call available opportunities? I want you to ask insightful questions. I've learned in my life that the wisest people are not the ones that have the answers. The wisest people are the ones who know how to ask the right questions. I want you to ask insightful questions. Number four, I want you to play with ideas. Move from thinking with words to think in pictures. What colors are in those pictures? When you're thinking about a thing, if your boss or your co workers or your employees were to give you an idea, instead of thinking in words to process, begin to think in pictures. Draw it out on a sheet of paper. Change the way you're thinking and change the way you activate your thinking. Number five, I want you to keep an open mind. I want you to consider what it would be to move from the places, the boundaries you've given yourself to have an open mind to certain things now. Number six, I want you to engage with breaking the rules. I think the challenge we have here is to disrupt normalcy, break the rules, and lastly, show patience and resilience. We believe it's powerful for us to go into a situation, go into spaces, to show patience in what we do. See, art is powerful because art is making nothing out of something. Sorry, it's making something out of nothing and then having the willingness to sell it. So I want to challenge you here today to go in, be creative, be powerful, be passionate, be purpose filled and do the work that God is calling you to do. Have a wonderful, wonderful Monday. I'll talk to you soon.

This has been Made for Mondays with Justin Lester. Be sure to follow Justin online at MrJlester and online at www.jlester.com. see you next week. Go win. You were made for.