If you want to destroy your creative process and cause personal misery, distress, and even burnout, tell yourself this:

“This must be the most important thing I have done, and no disappointment is allowed.”

Although seemingly noble and logical, this mindset backfires in a harmful way. You are acutely aware of everything that does not match your personal utopia (which is impossible to create). You attach your identity to it, and thus your amygdala, a k a survival warning lamp, is on steroids.

So how do we remedy this?

By inverting the above message.

Tell yourself this is the least important thing you have done, and disappointment is allowed

Why is this extremely effective?

Because you are now free to create whatever comes out. You are getting out of your way and letting your best self operate through you.

You can therefore enter the flow state superfast, immerse yourself in the creation without judgment, and have fun (yes, really) in the process.

The more you try to be creative, the less creative you become. The less you try to be creative, the more creative you become.

Another application of the backward law, that is valid in many, many personal domains.

By letting go of your judgment and surrendering to the process, you can finally produce work superfast, with great quality. You do not need to believe anything to start heroic action; rather, the opposite. And best of all, the more often you repeat, the more chances you have to improve.

Thus you can confidently create and progress a large volume of increased batting average, free from the worry of one particular shot.