Disclaimer: This shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #BreakFromOrdinary #DietCoke #CollectiveBias

Living your creative dreams is far from ordinary. Most people go their entire lives within the confines of the status quo, afraid to chase after the things that make them happiest. Today with the help of Diet Coke® we are going to break from the ordinary, and find out how to chase our creative dreams when we are going through college or living the 9-5 life.

1. Start Now

I love freelance writing, but one thing I wish I did was start sooner. I didn’t give myself a running start like I should have, and now I am trying to play catch up! So, instead of waiting until the moment is perfect, start now.

If you want to break from the ordinary, you have to be ready to make big moves. Now, this doesn’t mean being irrational and quitting your stable 9-5 job, but it does mean taking time to start the projects that you want to start now. Do it on the side until the side can become your full-time gig.

Diet Coke is the perfect companion to following your creative dreams. Your best decisions come when you are relaxed, drinking your fave beverage, and thinking about the tough decisions you need to make to create focus.

2. Create Some Focus

There is a huge misconception that creative people are unfocused, that they bounce from project to project, or that they live by the seat of their pants. This is simply not true. You can’t do everything in the world, and this is just something that you will have to grapple with.

Be honest with yourself. Create some focus in your life by drilling down to what’s most important to you. Sometimes that means that you will have to prioritize creative work over taking a second nap or watching your favorite show on television.

Think About What You Focus On Daily

Go through your day and notice what you focus on. Write down on a sheet of paper all the things you focused on today. Do you find yourself focusing or bringing importance to things that aren’t all that important to you? Create a list of things you actually want to focus on. Compare the list of what you want to focus on and what you focused on. Adjust your life accordingly to make sure that you are focusing on the important things in your life.

Say No

Saying no is hard. It’s especially hard when you have to say no to yourself. When I talk about saying no, I’m not just talking about saying no to your friends and family. Often we lose focus and try to do a million different things, but at the end of the day we have to hunker down and do what really matters. Think back to what your focus was from earlier, if you want to do something that’s not within that focus, you will probably have to say no.

I have been having to do this a lot lately. This weekend I even made a big move while sipping all the Diet Coke to make The Happy Arkansan my primary blog and to stop creating content as Amanda Cross Blog. This was a big move for me, because at first I thought combining my blogs would be the best bet, and upon further creative inspection, I realized that abandoning Amanda Cross Blog content altogether was the best move.

I recently got sent the entire collection of Diet Coke flavors in their sleek 12 oz can design. It was so fun to unbox the original Diet Coke along with four new flavors: Fiesty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange, Ginger Lime, and Twisted Mango. Each flavor is distinct and I can’t wait to share my favorite flavors with you later in the post.

3. Create A Creative Routine

Creativity blossoms when you create a specific routine for it to do so. If you have random spurts of creativity, you can’t expect to invite creativity in. Create some time in your schedule daily, weekly, or monthly where you are shining creatively. I encourage at least weekly, because it’s hard to start a monthly habit.

Often we think that we can’t afford to be creative, but often we are wasting time in other aspects of our life. Walk through your day, where are your time sucks? Are you spending too much time on homework because you are procrastinating? Are you wasting too much time on chores because you are thinking about doing chores instead of just doing them? Think through your day because chances are you are wasting at least a little bit of time that you could put towards creativity if you just switched your perspective a little.

Diet Coke and its four new flavors fit perfectly in your creative lifestyle. The sleek cans make creating and drinking your new favorite flavor a breeze. I love that they are available in packs or singles so that I can take my Diet Coke anywhere that my creative lifestyle takes me. You can pick which flavor looks best to you or you can try them all. The packs are perfect for sharing the bold and refreshing taste of Diet Coke with all your creative friends!

The Diet Coke can has a new look, but it’s still the same Diet Coke you have come to know and love! I love this new slim can because it takes up less space on my desk than the original 12 oz can. It makes burning the midnight creative oil so much easier.

Diet Coke Fiesty Cherry is my favorite of all the new flavors. It packs a cherry punch and I feel it’s the best gateway into trying all the new flavors from Diet Coke.

Diet Coke Ginger Lime was my second favorite flavor. It puts a unique spin on lime centered sodas, and it was so refreshing!

Diet Coke Twisted Mango is the most tropical of the new flavors from Diet Coke. It was fun to try this quirky, twisted mango flavor.

Diet Coke Zesty Blood Orange was probably my parents favorite one to try. I am a huge fan of orange in soda, so It was fun to try Diet Coke’s twist on this flavor.

4. Take Up Space For Creativity In Your Home

One huge way to be more creative is to make a space for creativity in your home. If you hide away your creative pursuits in a box in the corner, it’s going to be hard to convince yourself to whip out the box and set up for your creative endeavors. Instead of hiding your creativity, give it space to flourish and prosper. If you are an artist, set up an easel and a space for all your painting material; if you are a musician, set up a space for all your instruments; etc.

Once you have a space for your creative endeavors, all you have to do is go to that space and start creating. You don’t have to make a big scene of pulling out all your gear and losing interest in the process of doing so.

When I am getting ready to start blogging for the day, I like to sit down with my beverage of choice (which as of late has been Diet Coke Fiesty Cherry) and I pull out my computer. I like to keep my computer on consistently (only putting it in sleep mode) so that it boots up quickly and doesn’t hassle me. This helps me get right into blogging instead of waiting and losing interest.

All of these fun Diet Coke flavors are available at your local Walmart so you can try any of the cool new flavors by heading to your nearest store. I am obsessed with all the new flavors and my parents love them too. The new flavors have the same taste you would expect from any Diet Coke product, but with a twist of bold, fruity flavor.

Conclusion

If you are a creative, you should never lose your creative spirit. Do something every day that keeps up your creativity and helps you break from the ordinary routine of everyday life.

I want to thank The Coca-Cola Company one more time for sponsoring today’s blog post. Don’t forget to check out Diet Coke’s new slim 12 oz. cans and flavors at your nearest Walmart. I really do love these new flavors and I can’t wait for you to try them so we can talk about them.

What’s your best advice for living your creative dreams? What Diet Coke flavor are you looking forward to trying?