What Are You Creating?

Written By: Carisa Holmes-Peters

How do I create?

The definition of creativity is to “bring into existence”. As humans, we are constantly creating in our lives. A part of what we create happens in our subconscious. We often don’t have purposeful thoughts for some of the things we are creating in our lives. It just happens. For example, we create worry and stress in our life without making the conscious choice to do so. Why would anyone choose that on purpose?

The point is, we create in our personal lives. We may be creating relationships, creating bonds, creating memories, creating goals, creating financial stability, creating our health, creating a family, this could go on and on. Do you see the point I am trying to create here? Sorry, I had to go there. You have complete control over what you create in your life. You get to decide.

Creation and your Career.

Just like our personal life, we are all creating something in our professional life. We are creating solutions, connections, content, a product, a service….something of value to someone else. You may have a passion for what you create, or it could just be the vocation of choice for you right now. If you step back and look at what you choose to do with your professional life, you are absolutely 100% creating something. We want to take a peek at what that is and why.

Maybe it will help to hear an example. Take me. In my career at Holmes. I have several areas where I create. I am creating a positive customer service experience where I provide support to our clients to take care of their needs, I create a positive atmosphere for our team of professionals to perform their skill sets to the best of their ability, I create systems so we have accountability and I create content in writing these blogs to share information and thought leadership with others. The value I create is in the time that I save our clients, the clarity and structure that I provide for our internal team, and the ideas I share with others through my blog content. All of these creations bring some form of value to others.

So this seems obvious I know, but have you ever stopped to look at what you actually create? How do you bring value through your professional life? Are you creating positive or negative stuff? Technical word usage here I know….but we can simplify it all down to being stuff. The stuff we create either does or does not bring value to others.

This is a great question to ask yourself? What do I create? What is the value? Include all the tangible and intangible. Asking this question is a great way to remind yourself what you are creating, why you are creating it, and who it is being created for. Why is this important? Here are a few reasons…

1. Awareness. Bring awareness to why you do what you do? Think about whom it is serving and how doing it your best can have an impact on the end result. When you understand the why behind what you do, your brain can’t forget that and it will be present in the effort and end result of what you offer.
2. Self Evaluation. It is a good practice to step back from your day-to-day routine and habits to evaluate what you create in the world. We can get so stuck in a rut that we forget what we are being tasked to create and for whom? Do you like the end result of what you offer? Does it add value or take away value to the next person down the line? Being self-aware is a character strength that will serve you well no matter what role you play in your professional life. So don’t be afraid to ask yourself these questions and be curious as to what answers you come up with. Not in a judgemental way, more in a caring, compassionate way so you can create the right energy that moves you forward.
3. Improvement. By evaluating yourself and what you are creating in your professional life, you can decide what you want to improve. Life is a continuous road filled with change and growth. We should want to be constantly evolving and improving what we create. You can only begin to see areas for improvement once you have the awareness and then go through the self-evaluation process. Then brainstorm how you think you could make it better and offer more value to others. Be amazed by what ideas your brain will offer you when you switch to a proactive approach.

Why should I care?

In summary, we are all creating something. Why not understand what you are creating, whom it is helping, and why? There is only an upside to going through the 3 steps I listed above. The upside is that you feel inspired and reinvigorated. You clearly understand the why behind what you do and you make a conscious decision to improve the value you create in the world.

If you decide to have a professional career of any kind, wouldn’t you like to bring value to others no matter what that career looks like? Start with that question first and then move on to the others I shared above. Wishing you the best as you go on the journey to figure out why, how, and to whom you create value.

“If you are not creating value for others then you are wasting your time.”

Bryant McGill, author, activist, and social entrepreneur.

Carisa Holmes has 25+ years of experience in leadership and office culture. She is currently an Owner and Administrator of Holmes Marketing Services. In her current role, she focuses mostly on Human Relations, Client Experience, and Office Culture.