People come in many different shapes and sizes, but as far as I’m concerned, all people basically fall into one of two categories: those who actively create and those who passively create. Each and every individual spends a lifetime creating -- whether it be things, ideas or concepts, energy, other people or destruction. Because we are living creatures we -- by default -- spend all of our time creating.
It’s how you create and for what purpose you create, however, that make all the difference. Differentiating between active creators and passive ones may not be as simple as distinguishing between good and evil, but it does help distinguish between those who are living life appropriately and those who are wasting what precious little time they have.
1. Those who actively create are entirely aware of what it is they are creating.
You may be thinking: Who isn’t aware of what they are creating? The answer is: nearly everyone. Most people don’t bother to pay much attention to what it is that they are creating or leaving behind in their wake.
From the simplest of things like how the company they keep will influence their lives, to the more complex of things like how the waste they are creating can further create problems for sustainable life on planet earth.
Not all people are capable of truly understanding how their actions influence things on a global level, but on a more granular and personal level, everyone is capable of understanding. The issue is that most people aren’t active creators -- they only rarely bother to use their logic in order to calculate the likelihood of their actions causing specific future outcomes.
2. Those who passively create never pay enough attention to notice what it is they are creating.
It’s not that these individuals don’t understand that they are creating things even when in a state of stagnancy -- many do. Passive creators, however, have a difficult time with focusing in on their actions -- both present and future actions.
They don’t want to think about why they are doing what they are doing or what their actions may result in. They usually just want to either “relax” or “enjoy themselves” -- as I have heard many say before. Passive creators almost always choose comfort over all other options.
3. Those who actively create plan ahead.
Actively creating does entail being more consciously present in the moment during execution, but it also entails envisioning the future beforehand. You must both anticipate future events, such as problems and anomalies, as well as how you plan to execute the plan you have in place. Meaning that you need to come up with a plan and not just take things as they come.
Of course, you can refuse to make plans and still attempt at being an active creator, but without having a plan in place you’ll more than likely not be prepared for the best possible course of action when opportunities present themselves. Contrary to popular belief, opportunities can be planned for.
4. Those who passively create don’t bother to think too far ahead.
They usually claim that they prefer "living in the moment" -- YOLO and all that jazz -- but what it more often than not comes down to is pure laziness. You could plan for the future, but you don’t because you’d rather do something else. What you don’t consider is that making plans now will make a better future exponentially more likely.
5. Those who actively create, lead.
Leaders aren’t born; they create themselves. They mold themselves into individuals who deserve to be respected and followed. The best leaders in the world are revered for their ability to create amazing things.
For making the impossible happen, for innovating and bringing about a better future. Leaders create a vision that the masses want to follow. The best leaders then go on to turn those visions into realities.
6. Those who passively create, only follow.
Don’t get me wrong -- there is nothing wrong with being a follower. Each person in the world is a follower in one sense or another. All leaders are followers in some sense, yet there are followers who are nothing more than just that. These are those I label as passive creators.
They follow not because they especially enjoy it, but because it is the easiest way for them to live their lives -- the sorts of individuals who seem to have lost the drive to live life to the fullest, preferring instead to coast on by.
7. Those who actively create make for a better future.
Sure, not all active creators make for a better future. There are plenty that make the world a much, much colder place. Being an active creator does not make you a good person -- what it does is make you a force to be reckoned with.
Unfortunately, this means that those far less than saintly will also be doing their best to create their own versions of the future. If you are a victim to such an individual then do the only thing you can do: focus on actively creating a better future of your own.
8. Those who actively create are forever remembered, while those who passively create have already been forgotten.
People don’t often create amazing things by accident -- and only amazing things stand the test of time. You are going to die one day and all that will remain of you in this physical realm is the idea of you, the memory of you, your meme.
In other words, you will only exist in the minds of those that still remember you -- those whose lives you’ve affected in some way or another. Only active creators are ever remembered, as those that create passively never create things worth remembering.
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