Do you ever wonder about things?I wonder all the time. For instance, I wonder…Why Don’t We Value Our Creativity?I’m convinced we don’t value our innate creativity. The question that comes to mind then is, “why not?”I think the very first, simplest explanation for that is that we’re trained not to.Think about it. We’re taught, from the very earliest age, not to brag, not to be prideful, not to be “conceited.”We’re not supposed to be too proud of ourselves, or think too louboutin paris highly of our accomplishments.Okay, I christian louboutin pas cher can see that, to a point. Those are good behavioral guidelines for getting along in the world.But when they’re taken to an extreme, I think they’re bad behavioral guidelines for getting along *with ourselves.*I don’t know who said, “It ain’t braggin’ if you really done it.” I wish whoever it was acheter louboutin had said it louder, because most people didn’t hear.There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking pleasure in being good at something. But many of us feel, deep inside, that there is something *extremely* wrong with it.Even as a writer, forced to self-promote in order to eat, I find myself “not wanting to brag.” I have to remind myself that if I don’t tell people how great my book is and that I think it can help them, who’s going to do it?I think it’s natural and normal not to think of yourself as creative. I think it’s part of living in our society to not notice when something you do is spectacular.I think it’s a little sad, but it’s normal. I guess the next step, then, after realizing that we don’t value our creativity enough, and why we don’t, is to think about whether it’s really important to value that creative genius we all have.**The Importance of Valuing Creativity**There’s a part of me, the two-year-old with a big ego, who just wants to declare, “It’s important because it’s important!” and have done with it.But let’s not do it that way. Let’s look at three very real reasons why valuing our creativity is important.1. If we don’t value ourselves, who else is going to?It’s very hard to expect to be treated well if we’re not able to appreciate our own talents and treat ourselves well.It’s even harder to gain recognition for our efforts, no matter how uncreative they may seem to us, if we’re not willing to recognize that we’ve done something worth recognizing.2. If we don’t value ourselves, we make it much harder for other people to value us. I’m talking, in part, about making it hard for people to express their appreciation for our gifts, if we don’t know how to accept that appreciation. You know how hard it is to give a compliment to someone who can’t take a compliment.But I’m talking about more than that. I’m also talking about monetary value. If we don’t put the proper value on our work, how can anyone pay us what we’re worth? And if they’re not paying us what we’re worth, how can they appreciate what they’re getting? Think about this. People don’t generally buy five dollar paintings to hang in their ritzy homes, even if the five buck art is as “good” as some of the stuff they pay thousands of dollars for. They don’t value it.3. Our children learn what we teach them.If you don’t have kids, you can skip this part. But if you do, think about this. Do you want your kids to think of their marvelous creativity the way you think of yours?I think that’s enough on that point.[End of Part 2]