Why it’s good to be committed to your ideas rather than attached to them

Why it’s good to be committed to your ideas rather than attached to them


Your ego can become an obstacle to your work. If you start believing in your greatness, it is the death of your creativity.
— Marina Abramovic

There is nothing like the rush of an exciting idea popping into your head.

It’s like an energy booster, a ray of sunshine for the mind.

You’ll find yourself thinking about it constantly and convince yourself of its unparalleled genius.

But that’s the easy bit.

The real challenge lies in turning your idea into reality.

Execution is always tricky, so you need the appropriate mental approach to safeguard yourself against disappointment and inwardly directed frustration.

One way to do this is to distinguish between your ‘commitment’ to an idea and your ‘attachment’.

Committing to an idea means you will do your best to see it through, but you recognise your self-worth is not attached to its success or failure.

Conversely, when you are attached to an idea, your ego is invested in the outcome.

This means you become overly confident in your ability when things go well.  

When an idea doesn’t work out, people internalise the failure and make it personal instead of seeing it as part of a bigger overall process.

Recognising the difference can be extremely helpful in getting your mind more comfortable with failure.

This is hugely important because you will have lots of ideas as a creative person, but plenty of them will go nowhere.

Learning not to take these bumps in the road personally can help you maintain an optimistic outlook and retain energy for your next project.

Remember, a light hold is better than a firm grip.


If you want to learn how to generate brilliant ideas, check out our Creative Thinking course, which provides you with all the tools you need to strengthen your creative muscles.

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