1. Don’t over-think everything. Yes you have a smarty pants mind. But you also have well developed insights, intuition and instincts. Give your thinking a rest and lean a little more on your natural instincts. Your business will thank you for it.

2. Committees create mediocrity. You might be thinking—I work alone, where on earth would I find a committee? But I bet you have an unofficial committee hiding inside your business. Perhaps it’s the colleagues you seek validation or approval from or run every idea by. Or the ‘expert’s’ you follow and compare yourself to. Or the clients you ask for input or whose unsolicited input spins you into action. Collaboration can be a very powerful thing.  But doing business by committee usually leads to mediocrity. Bottom line is you lead your business. Don’t put so much out to vote.

3. Embrace Experimentation. Forget perfect. It only exists in the utopian world living inside your head. Yes, strive for excellence (Lord knows there’s enough mediocrity to go around) but don’t confuse excellence with perfection. Instead take on an experimental attitude with everything you create. Think of it as testing, tweaking and continuously improving. You’ll delay less and do much more great work that way.

4. Beauty matters. Beauty inspires. Seek to do beautiful, artful work. Whether that be expressed in beautiful writing, through beautiful design or simply elegant action. Let your beauty shine through in everything you do. Now, more than ever Beauty matters and moves people.

5. Partner on principles. Partnerships—be they Joint Ventures, affiliates, collaborators or even clients—must be aligned on principle. Gone are the days where it was smart business to just partner for the payoff of money, more clients or more visibility. Partner with people who are aligned with you, your values, your vision and your principles.

6. Engage in productive procrastination. Don’t assume all procrastination is a bad thing. Sometimes we try to rush an idea or force an outcome and it rarely works. When your inner procrastinator kicks up a fuss, check in and see if it’s because you’re trying to push an idea whose time hasn’t come yet or forcing an action that isn’t right, right now. Productive procrastination is a useful strategic weapon in your business. Employ it regularly.

7. Protect Your Privacy in our transparent world. There’s a constant push for increasing visibility, authenticity, vulnerability and transparency through social media and beyond. Sometimes it seems nothing is sacred or private any more. Let me remind you: You are entitled to a little privacy. Privacy can create a safe sanctuary for you to rejuvenate, create and work through ideas and issues. No one wants to live in a fishbowl for all the world to see (well, maybe some people do but I bet you’re not one of them). Don’t get caught up in the hype of having to share every little tidbit about your every thought, emotion, experience and action. Deliberate and thoughtful sharing beats unfiltered blather every time. Be a vigilant protector of your privacy.

8. Measure what matters. All too often I see smart entrepreneurs measuring the ‘success’ or ‘failure’ of their work and their business against standards that don’t really matter. Remember, success is personal. It’s not about the money or some conformists’ definition of ‘success’. It’s about YOU and your freedom, flexibility, creative expression, making a difference, and a well lived life. Measure your success against what matters to YOU. Forget everything else.

9. Make friends with structure. I know. Structure can feel like a choke-hold when it’s imposed on your creative soul. But the truth is…the right kind of systems and structure can liberate your creative freedom. The right structures in your business and life can free you from the stuff you hate and eliminate the friction you feel from pushing against all the “should” of this world.

10. Forgive Your Unfinished Business. As a spontaneous creator I can bet you’ve got some unfinished business you’re dragging around. Maybe it’s the projects and ideas you’ve started but not finished. Maybe it’s the dream you’ve never given full attention. Don’t drag all that around. It just leaves you heartsick and questioning whether you’ve got what it takes to get to the finish line. Unless and until you forgive yourself, you’ll stay stuck anchored to all that ‘could have been’ and miss out on what can still be. You are not defined by your unfinished business unless you choose to let it define you. Some things are not meant to be finished.

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