Welcome to part 2 of the "Creative Freedom Equation” that I originally shared last week:

ENCOURAGEMENT + EXPERIMENTATION + EXPLORATION = FREEDOM

This is a deeper dive into the first part of the Equation “Encouragement,” and how it can impact your creative life.

LET US ALL BECOME AN ENCOURAGER.

I want you to retrain your brain to focus on encouragement. I don't mean an obnoxious, half-hearted, mindless form of encouragement BUT a thoughtful and intentional style of encouragement.

I don't want you to take this like you should be walking up to every person in your line of sight and immediately start spilling out encouragement - that can come across as creepy and overzealous. This is more about you developing a mindset and opening yourself to the opportunity to notice and call out the good you see in yourself and others; whether in person, over text, over social media, or in conversation over the phone.

How do you do this? Let's start with an exercise, shall we?

Grab a notepad:

I want you to list ALL of your attributes. ALL of them. As many as you can think of. And I don't mean just "I type 120 wpm, I can write in Sanskrit, I'm proficient in Adobe Illustrator, or Logic Pro X." Absolutely, put these skills on your list but I want you to create something bigger than this.

List what you are ACTUALLY good at. Are you a good listener? Put it on the list. Do you make really good lattes, are you funny, are you a good poet, are you a fast reader? Get granular with it. Take actual time with it, days, weeks, I don't care how long it takes you. Train your brain to begin to notice and write down things you good at, the skills and attributes you've developed in your life that have made you who you are.

Not sure where to start? Ask a friend or a loved one help jumpstart your list by giving you a handful of ideas.

That said, this list is for YOU to create, not someone else and you MUST be its sole author.

The more thoughtful you are with your list, the better.

"Why the heck should I write a list of things I'm good at?"

Good question. Your list is not meant to send you ego-trippin down the streets of your hometown, parading your brilliance to everyone around you, nor is it to give you some false sense of security in self-hype.

“So, what's it for then?”

I want you to use this as a tool to retrain your brain and begin thinking more consistently about value and becoming more aware of the unique value you bring to the people around you.

Encouragement is about pointing out VALUE and speaking life into it whether to yourself and someone else!

If you don't understand your own value you can never encourage yourself. And if you can't encourage yourself, how will you ever honestly, genuinely be able to encourage someone else?

That's right, the next step is to BECOME AN ENCOURAGER of others.

Again, don't go frivolously throwing encouragement out just cause Josh Schroeder from Thousand Echoes told you if you do it, you'll get better as a creative person or songwriter or whatever it is that you're aiming to become. That's not the point of this. You have a limiting belief (or many) and we're going to attack that issue with a healthy change in your mindset - firstly, through encouragement.

Did you know that according to research encouragement actually changes your brain chemistry?

I'm not a scientist, of course, but I've done a little research into Encouragement and here are some interesting things I found on how Encouragement impacts your brain in profound ways:

1. Activating the Reward System: you get a hit of dopamine that releases feelings of pleasure and motivation. You feel a sense of achievement that reinforces your perception of progress.

2. Reduction in Stress: Encouragement reduces cortisol levels and alleviates feelings of stress or anxiety. When given compassionately or genuinely, Encouragement can increase oxytocin levels, promoting trust and emotional bonding.

3. Boost in Self-Efficacy and Confidence: Encouraging words can reinforce neural pathways related to positive thinking and resilience. Over time, this can strengthen your belief in your abilities. It helps reframe failures as learning opportunities, reducing fear responses associated with taking risks.

4. Improvement in Cognitive Function: Feeling encouraged can enhance creative and critical thinking by reducing the mental load of self-doubt or anxiety. Positive reinforcement can improve attention span and working memory, enabling better task performance.

5. Emotional Regulation: Encouragement fosters positive emotions, such as joy and hope, which are associated with a more balanced mood. Encouragement often strengthens social bonds, which can improve overall emotional well-being and reduce feelings of isolation.

I’ve got a video for you to check out where I talk about encouragement with a little more depth and color. Check it out, here:

Encouragement, when given consistently and sincerely, can shape not just individual behavior but also brain structure and function over time, fostering resilience and completely transforming your outlook on life.

SO NOW, BECOME AN ENCOURAGER.

Thank you so much for joining me on a journey to become a better creative!

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Watch the Video Now

Stay inspired everyone!
Josh Schroeder
Founder, Thousand Echoes