10. Welcome the unexpected
Most people do not see themselves as being creative, but we all are. Most people say, "My sister's creative, she paints," or "My father's creative, he sings and writes music." We miss the point that we are all creative.
One of the reasons we don't see ourselves that way is that we normally associate being "creative" with being "original." But in reality, creativity has nothing to do with originality—it has everything to do with being unexpected.
You don't have to be original to be creative. In fact, it sometimes helps to realize that no one is original.
Even Mozart said that he never wrote an original melody in his life. His melodies were all recombinations of old folk melodies.
Look at Elvis Presley. People thought he was a true original when he first came upon the scene. But he wasn't. He was just the first white person to ever sing with enthusiasm. His versions of songs, however, were often direct copies from African-American rhythm and blues singers. Elvis acknowledged that his entire style was a combination of Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, and James Brown, as well as a variety of gospel singers.
Although Elvis wasn't original, he was creative. Because he was so unexpected.
If you believe you were created in the image of your Creator, then you must, therefore, be creative. Then, if you're willing to see yourself as creative, you can begin to cultivate it in everything you do. You can start coming up with all kinds of unexpected solutions to the challenges that life throws at you.