Do you remember when you were young? Young enough to try anything because you had no idea you could fail? Or you knew you could fail, but you didn’t care?

Too often, we ignore our creative pastimes, our dreams, because we feel we need to focus our energy elsewhere. We give our all to our clients, our families, our friends, and ignore what we need to feel whole, to feel content and at peace.

We all need to take time to recharge. Most of us think this means watching a favorite TV show, going for a hike, or reading a good book. While all these pursuits are wonderful (and even necessary, at times), what we really need is to create.

Why not write a good book, instead of reading one?

Why not stop in the middle of your hike and take a few photographs or take a sketchbook with you and draw some of the beautiful scenery?

Now, you may be thinking, I’m not a writer. I’m not a photographer. I’m not an artist.

But what you should be thinking is maybe I am a writer, a photographer, or an artist. If you haven’t tried, how do you know you’re not?

Last week, I was on a Zoom call with my good friend, Janice Plado Dalager, when we got into a deep discussion about creativity, and how we need to find the time—and give ourselves permission—to work on a creative project that has special meaning to us, whether it adds to our financial bottom line or not.

Janice is this incredibly intuitive individual. She always seems to know what I need to hear, what I need to know, or what I need to learn. During our conversation, she told me she has often thought about writing articles or making videos so she can share with others some of the knowledge she possesses. The one thing stopping her is she isn’t sure she knows enough about a subject to teach it to someone else.

I was amazed that she felt this way. There hasn’t been a lunch date, an email, or a Zoom call where I didn’t learn something from her. At the very least, I would have an ‘ah ha’ moment; a moment where something I had been struggling to understand suddenly came into focus.

That’s Janice’s superpower.

She can sense what someone needs. She will share what she knows or what she has experienced, or she will simply be a cheerleader. Whatever it is, she makes it seems so effortless. It’s what she does.

Everyone needs a Janice.

Even Janice.

So, I have volunteered to support (or, as we have decided to call it, challenge) Janice to write that article or create a video about something she feels will help others. In turn, she has challenged me to take on a project I have been thinking about for years. I’m going to attempt to record one of my novels. Having my books in audio format makes sense and I’ve always wanted to record them myself.

I may discover I’m not any good at it—in other words, I may fail—but I won’t know until I try.

So, what is the creative project you’ve been wanting to take on but have been afraid to try? Picture yourself as a younger you and refuse to let the fear of failure stop you. Give yourself permission to create something incredible.