you’ve learned that you can always rely on this powerful force to lead you out of the woods of the unknown and into the clearing.

    As I mentioned previously, just as working with free weights builds muscle, mindfulness practice builds mindstrength. Similarly, just as an athlete who’s in condition has the muscle tone to be able to spring into action instantly, someone who regularly accesses core creativity through daily mindfulness practice becomes creatively toned. For this person, the faucet to this remarkable flow of inspiration opens up easily, naturally, and often, allowing spontaneous and dramatic breakthroughs.

    Steve Jobs is an excellent example of someone who stays creatively toned so that he can access his core creativity. A regular meditator, he was once best known for designing the Apple computer. When he had a falling out with his own company,

he bought Pixar, a movie studio started by George Lucas that had experienced some minor successes. Jobs were involved in developing their first two movies, both big hits that helped usher in a new era of animated feature films: Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Eventually lured back to Apple, Jobs introduced a new line of Apple computers, as well as iTunes, the iPod, and the iPhone, which furthered the trend of offering easier Internet downloading of music in the form of MP3 files (Deutschman 2000). Being creatively toned, as Steve Jobs is, can come about by accessing core creativity again and again.

    When you’re creatively toned, instead of merely dipping your toe in the water and playing it safe, you’re willing to be utterly daring. Knowing this, you can navigate through a sea of self-limiting thoughts and transform such unwholesome beliefs as “I had my chance and blew it,” “It’s too late;