Since last week, I’ve been overcome by excitement about the many things I want to do and create. Even better, I feel like I might just have the energy to get (half of) them done.

But I’ve been here before — I get all pumped up about new possibilities and new projects and then one little thing happens (or more appropriately, doesn’t happen) and I get completely derailed.

I have a bad day with my son or a rainy cold front blows in or something I’m developing gets quashed and suddenly I’m back to square one, my energy and momentum gone and my mindset ripe for thoughts of insecurity and doubt.

I know it’s part of the cycle for creative entrepreneurs, but it still takes getting through.

But during this bout of spring fever, I’m going to try doing things a little differently…see if I can make some genuine shifts in my work and energy that can weather me through all the seasons. Here’s my plan:

• More action now, less To Do lists: I love to organize my work and desk and often that means spending time going through my pile and making detailed lists and notes outlining what has to be done for each task. Meanwhile, I could probably just do it in about 5 minutes and be done with it. So I’m going to do more of that.

• Spend less time on Facebook: Now, I love me some Facebook and the community I interact with online is important to me, but I’m going to try and strike a better balance. I’m a research junkie and a five-minute check-in on Facebook can turn into a long trip down the rabbit hole reading articles and following links that are of interest, so setting my timer will be key.

• Focus on gratitude: I’ve been taking a 30-day gratitude course that Florence Moyer created to help people nurture a more intentional gratitude practice. I’m a week in and enjoying the daily reminder to notice all that I’m grateful for, and I can see shifts in keeping me in the present and not so focused on the outcome of what I’m creating.This is a good thing.

• Be curious: A curiosity mindset is so, so, so powerful. Curiosity means a desire to know or learn something. Curiosity makes everything — every project, every risk, every idea — about growth and evolving, not about money or jobs or sure things. There are no good or bad outcomes when focusing on curiosity — there’s only information.

•  Think less: Thinking gets me into trouble. Thinking reminds me of what could go wrong, or why something isn’t going to work out, or why my idea might be a bad one. Thinking keeps me from taking creative risks and pursuing opportunities that could be amazing because I might create something that completely sucks. Which leads me to….

• Be willing to suck: There’s nothing wrong with sucking. We’ve just dust ourselves off, look at what we learned from what happened, and move on. Without being willing to suck, we’ll never create the really good stuff.

• Play more: I know I need to do things I love to stay energized, so I’m going to protect my personal self-care routines more than ever. That includes running, gardening, spazzing out, and napping when the urge strikes.

So, that’s the plan. I’ll let you know how it goes. And in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you: How do you maintain your creative spring fever?

When we dig a little deeper, we discover that what they’re really struggling with is the disconnect between what they want to do and what they think they have to do in order to be successful.

And if what they think they have to do doesn’t sit right with them, the creativity can come to a grinding halt.

In a world where we’re constantly being marketed to and told do X and Y in order to get Z, it’s all too easy to get hung up executing the X and Y without focusing on all those other lovely letters of the alphabet.

You know what I’m talking about — how many times have you been told there’s a right way to write your blog or there’s a formula you have to use to write your sales page or there’s the most effective format for your resume or there’s the perfect way to grow your mailing list.

But if those ways don’t feel in alignment with you, not only won’t they work for you — they’ll prevent you from moving forward.

Are there strategies that people have found success with when it comes to blogging or writing or building a business or finding a job? Sure. Can you learn something from them? Absolutely.

But at the end of the day, take what works for you and toss out the rest.

When we focus on doing it our own way, what we do or create most reflects who we are. And I believe that kind of creation can have the most powerful impact of all.

We want these things and what goes along with them — the new job, the graduate degree, the accomplishment of running 26.2 miles, the bump in salary and prestige — but when it comes time to fully step into the commitment, something often happens.

Something called fear.

Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being vulnerable.

That kind of fear is powerful stuff. It causes anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and more.

But that kind of fear is also rooted in crappy thinking. A.K.A lies.

Fear of change is really believing that if things don’t work out we’ll have totally f*cked everything up.

Fear of the unknown is believing that playing it safe is better and personal growth isn’t worth the risk.

Fear of being vulnerable is really believing that we’re frauds, that we’re not good enough, that others won’t approve / accept / love us if we fully step into who we are.

(See what I mean? Lies!)

Last week, I had the privilege of delivering the keynote address at the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s annual fundraising luncheon. It was an incredible experience and I loved every moment, once I got to the luncheon. But the few days leading up to the event and the morning of? My fear was just about winning the battle for control of my body and mind.

Intellectually, I was excited. I love talking about girl empowerment, I’d done the prep work and gotten super clear on my intention. I had crafted a speech I felt connected to and I had an outfit to wear that I felt good in. But that morning? That was rough. I went for a run and listened my favorite tunes. That helped until I stopped running and then the panic ensued again. So after dropping my son off at school, I put on my “80′s happy music” (don’t ask) and danced around like a fool. That helped. Plus, my dog was amused. Then I got out the yoga ball, sat on it, and bounced for a good fifteen minutes, a tip I learned from the brilliant Cheryl Dolan at Power Boost Live last year. That helped some more.

And then it was time to get ready and go. So I did.

Once I got there, I was better.

Once I got on stage, it was awesome.

I love speaking to groups about things I am passionate about, like the importance of empowering girls and giving them strategies to rock their lives. Just like you probably love your new job, or love being in graduate school and learning new things, or love the feeling of crossing the finish line after running a marathon, or love having the opportunity to grow and stretch within your company.

The key, I think, is to focus on the feel-good… on the love. Through the anxiety and stress and more, remind yourself that those feelings are based on nothing but fear-fueled lies. And love outweighs that kind of fear any day of the week.

I have. I do.

For me, it goes something like this:

1. I start working on project with enthusiasm.

2. I notice that it’s not flowing like I thought it would.

3. I notice a strong desire to avoid working on the project.

4. I slowly chip away at it anyway, trying to keep it moving forward, in a quest for creative flow.

5. It’s still not flowing, despite giving myself space to dream and consuming inspirational content to spark creativity.

6. Full-on identify crisis ensues: Who do I think I am that I could do this? Why did I take this on in the first place? What was I thinking?

This place? Number 6? It’s not a good place to be. It feels like I’m wading through mud, with heavy boots, and no dry ground in sight.

But I’ve got no choice but to keep on trudging ahead, one slow, heavy, muddy step at a time. And then something always happens.

7. The mud dries up.

I don’t know exactly what sparks this shift. It usually happens very suddenly, without warning. But where I once felt so lost and confused and unsure about where I was going and what I was doing, now I feel confident, knowing, excited. I’m running on grass.

I’ve come to realize that messy process occurs with every single project I take on. (Yet, somehow it still surprises me…?)

For me, this is part of creating. I have to wade through the mud to get to the grass. And I always get through it. I just have to trust that I will and keep moving forward.

How about you? How do you get through the mud and mess of your own creative process?

That question has inspired me to reflect on my own process – how I work, how I organize, how I deal with distraction and fear, how I push the metaphorical send button.

And while I’ve come to realize that I’ve always had strong follow-through skills, in the past several years I’ve mastered a key aspect of shipping, which is this:

Move beyond WHEN THIS, THEN THIS thinking.

If you’re not familiar with “when this, then this” thinking, here’s what it might sound like:

After I take this class, then I can X

After I read all these books, then I’ll be ready to X

After I figure out my brand/philosophy/mission statement/perfect client/ideal audience/core message/logo/you name it, then I’ll be ready to launch X

These may sound like classic procrastination distractions, but they’re more than that. Thoughts like these are rooted in insecurity and fear about taking the leap. They keep us stuck in a holding pattern, or at the very least, seriously delay our getting our messages and gifts out into the world – our websites, our blogs, our books, our passion.

The world can’t wait.

The world needs your messages and gifts now.

So HOW does one move beyond WHEN THIS, THEN THIS thinking?

Here’s what I do:

1. Acknowledge the little voice in me that tries to tell me I have to do X, Y, and Z first

2. Honestly answer this question: Is it 100% true that I have to do these things or could I move forward anyway? (ie: to launch a website, you need to have an IP address, etc.)

3. If my answer is anything but YES to the above question, then I go ahead and do it.

4. Deal with my internal fear monger by reminding myself (frequently) throughout the “doing” that there is no such thing as perfect execution and my work can evolve and change as I learn more things. (In fact, shouldn’t our work be constantly evolving anyway?)

5. Work + Complete + Ship

5. Celebrate the shipping and get excited to tackle whatever’s next.

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Want to learn more about my strategies for getting things done? Keep an eye out for my new free mini-guide coming next week: 5 Secrets to Tackling (and Shipping) Creative Projects!