Lessons from a broken thumb

I broke my thumb over seven weeks ago playing softball. The doctor told me to wear a splint for six weeks until it could heal. At six weeks, I still felt a little pain when I squeezed something really hard. I didn’t want to slow down the healing process, so I avoided gripping anything too tight. 

When my wife asked me what I waned to do for my birthday next week, I was scared to say it. I wanted to play golf, but I was worried that if I got out there and swung my clubs again, my thumb would hurt. I’m almost 25% beyond when my doctor said my thumb would be healed, but I was still nervous. 

I booked the round of golf for the morning of my birthday. But today, I was feeling a little nervous about it. What if I get out there and can’t play? Wouldn’t that be a big birthday bummer? I decided to go to the driving range to hit a few golf balls, just to see how things might feel for Tuesday. 

I felt some pain on the first swing. My thumb still feels sore and weak. After the second swing, I thought I might have to stop for the day. But then, slowly, after the third and fourth and fifth swings, the thumb stoped hurting. I hit the next 95 balls pain-free. 

This story mirrors the creative person’s experience. When we take too much time away from our craft, inertia builds. It gets more difficult to get back into our work. Even the thought of creating again is painful. Rest assured, the first few will be painful. But the pain will be replaced by the love you know you have. 

If you’re looking for a little help getting back into your creative flow-state, you should join the 15-Day Creative Challenge. It starts on January 4th.