This blog is for business owners, coaches, consultants, creatives, entrepreneurs, and CEOs who want to grow a successful business without sacrificing their lifestyles for it. You’ll get creative strategies to guide you in growing a business that allows you to work less and play more.
Let’s start by acknowledging our current reality and committing to making positive changes together. Sound good?
When we come together, we have the power to create a more inclusive and equitable society for everyone.
While it may be difficult to hear, the fact is that our society has been shaped by white supremacy and patriarchy. But that doesn’t have to be our future. We have the opportunity to co-create a better world, one where everyone has an equal chance to thrive.
That’s what the idea of Playtriarchy is all about. We get to rewrite our future.
Maybe he’s born with it? Maybe it’s white supremacy.
Of the 2095 billionaires, Forbes counted in 2020, the top 5 are (you guessed it) Old. White. Males. From 1 to 5: Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Bernard Arnault, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison. Three years later, in 2023, the top 5 billionaires are (yup- still…) Old. White. Males.
- Bernard Arnault & family: $238.7 billion.
- Elon Musk: $177.6 billion.
- Jeff Bezos: $129.7 billion.
- Larry Ellison: $120.0 billion.
- Warren Buffett: $114.4 billion.
The lie we’ve been sold is that we can ALL get super-rich IF we work very hard, but in reality, the system serves very few.
The notion that hard work always pays off is a pervasive one, and it’s not true.
Hard work may increase your chances of success, but it’s not the only factor at play.
It’s like trying to climb a mountain with a giant backpack full of all the things you need to succeed – access to education, opportunities, networks, and resources. Without those things, it’s going to be a lot harder to reach the top.
Even if you do have all the right gear, the climb is still going to be tough. Society is full of obstacles like biases and discrimination that can hold you back. And even if you do make it to the top, the view might not be as breathtaking as you’d hoped. The distribution of wealth in our world is often skewed in favor of those who are already rich, so your hard-earned success might not always translate into financial gain. And even if you put in all the effort you can, there’s no guarantee that you’ll end up where you want to be.
The idea that “hard work pays off” is to make an unfair and rigged system sound fair. As if you just need to play by the rules to win the results you want. But a janitor doesn’t work a billion times less hard than Jeff Bezos, even though he makes a billion times less.
So what can you do instead? Get creative.
Creativity is regenerative, energizing, inspiring and fun. It empowers you to keep going instead of forcing you. And it all starts with how you think about things.
The 5 Benefits of Creative Thinking over Hard Work
Let’s cover the basics and hear it from ChatGPT:
#1
Creative thinking can lead to new and innovative solutions so that you can find more effective ways to tackle challenges. For example, if you’re trying to come up with a new marketing strategy, creative thinking can help you to generate fresh ideas that will grab your audience’s attention with organic traction instead of paid reach.
#2
It’s more enjoyable and fulfilling than simply working hard so that you can find greater enjoyment and satisfaction in your work. For example, if you’re feeling burnt out from working long hours, creative thinking can help you to approach your work in a more enjoyable and engaging way.
#3
Creative thinking empowers individuals and organizations to stand out and differentiate themselves so that they pull focus and become top of mind for their audience. For example, if you’re in a crowded market, creative thinking can help you to develop unique selling points that will set you apart.
#4
It can help to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills so that you can become more adept at finding solutions to complex issues. For example, if you’re facing a difficult challenge, creative thinking can help you to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions that you might not have considered before.
#5
Creative thinking leads to more efficient and productive ways of working so that you can maximize your productivity and achieve your goals more quickly. For example, if you’re looking to streamline your processes, creative thinking can help you to find new ways of working that will save you time and effort.
Toiling away versus Innovating all-day
Hard work is about putting in the effort and time to achieve a goal, while creative thinking is about finding new and innovative ways to approach a vision for the future.
If your project was a garden, hard work might involve things like tilling the soil, planting seeds, and watering the plants on a regular basis. These are all important tasks that are necessary for a garden but have no guarantee that your garden will thrive. It’s literally the groundwork. And doing the essentials doesn’t have to be hard work either.
On the other hand, creative thinking is like coming up with a unique design for the garden, finding ways to conserve water or control pests, or experimenting with new plant varieties. You may choose to plant lots of different seeds for color, size, and fragrance.
Now your garden grows and flourishes in new and interesting ways. It becomes more than just a garden. It’s a source of new opportunities, processes, and inspiration.
With creativity, new levels of possibility are unlocked.
Creativity asks: after your problems are solved, what happens then?
The Beauty Maven: How Mary Kay Ash Used Creative Thinking to Rule the Cosmetics Industry
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics started her company in 1963 with a small investment and a unique business model. Instead of simply working hard, Ash used creative thinking to develop a new approach to sales and marketing that emphasized personal relationships and recognition. This approach helped her to build a successful and thriving business, and she became one of the most successful businesswomen in history.
3 Mary Kate Ash Quotes
Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.
Mary Kate Ash
There are two things people want more than sex and money… recognition and praise.
Mary Kate Ash
A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one.
Mary Kate Ash
Summary
Creativity trumps hard work.
Key Takeaways
White Supremacy and patriarchy don’t have to be our future or measure of success.
The 5 Benefits of Creative Thinking over Hard Work
The Beauty Maven story
Quotes by Mary Kate Ash
Recommended Reading
About the Create Business Blog
The Age Of The Original & Wildcard Content
Love, Lauren
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