Many years ago, I saw a movie entitled 'The Last of Sheila', starring James Coburn, Dyan Cannon, James Mason, to name just a few. I love mysteries and I still remember this as one of the best I've ever seen. The overall mystery was very enjoyable and the individual puzzles were finely crafted and quite ingenious.

What really struck me about this movie, however, is the fact that it was written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins.

Sondheim is a composer, famous for the score to 'West Side Story'. Anthony Perkins was an actor, famous for his role in 'Psycho'. It seemed to me that these two were very lucky. Not only were they creative to the point of celebrity in one area, here they were exhibiting genius in a whole other arena.

I was also awed on a recent trip to San Francisco. Across the street from our hotel was an art gallery that was displaying the work of actors Anthony Quinn and Tony Curtis. Much of the work in this gallery was done in the past ten years or so and was incredibly bold. If both of these individuals had focused on their art, they still would have become famous. Again, I was struck by how creative some people allow themselves to be. They didn't put stoppers on their creativity, allowing it to spill over into an entirely different sphere.

Between these two events I realized that I have come to a different understanding about creativity. When I first saw 'The Last of Shiela', I thought creativity was something of a 'have or have-not' situation. Either you had it (and then you had a LOT of it), or you didn't have any at all. Indeed, for many years, I was positive I fit into the 'none at all' category. I also thought it was restricted to the 'creative' arts such as drawing, painting, sculpture, etc.

Today I know that creativity is something that everyone has, just like the ability to run. Both are on a continuum of expression and excellence. If creativity is a straight line with going from Point A to Point Z, we all fall somewhere along that line. Mozart, Michaelangelo and Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson might have ended up at Point Z, but that was because they recognized their talent and did a lot of work to develop their

According to Linda Naiman, of www.creativityatwork.com, the belief that only special, talented people are creative -- and you have to be born that way -- diminishes our confidence in our own creative abilities. She goes on to say that the notion that geniuses such as Shakespeare, Picasso and Mozart were `gifted' is a myth.

In a study Naiman references, conducted at Exeter University, researchers examined outstanding performances in the arts, mathematics and sports, to find out if the widespread belief that to reach high levels of ability a person must possess an innate potential called talent. The study concludes that excellence is determined by opportunities, encouragement, training, motivation, and most of all, practice.

According to Webster's Dictionary, creativity is 'marked by the ability or power to create - to bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something new.' So, where do you allow your creativity and excellence to come through? Where do you find yourself saying 'Let's try to put this with that and see what happens?' What activities bring you joy? What activities make you feel connected to lots of other pieces of yourself and others? What activities bring you a strong sense of accomplishment and achievement? These are most likely the areas where we express our creativity.

It is vital that each one of us recognize that spark of creativity, nurture it and allow it to grow. You are creative; you just might not have figured out where yet. Honor your creativity. It is a critical component in achieving the life of your dreams.

(c) Louise Morganti Kaelin. Louise is a Life Success Coach who partners with individuals who are READY (to live their best life), WILLING (to explore all options) and ABLE (to accept total support). Find many free resources to assist you in living the life of your dreams at http://www.touchpointcoaching.com For her free newsletter of insightful, practical suggestions for creating your best life, email mailto:on-536@ezezine.com