This is a guest blog post from @loswhit - check-out his blog www.ragamuffinsoul.com

10% battery life remaining. 20 miles to empty. Running 15 minutes late. Sound familiar? This is the way many of us live our lives. On the edge, pushed to the limit, and running out of time. Do you ever find yourself praying the battery holds out for one more call, the tank lets you drive a few more miles, or trying to squeeze in one last appointment? If you're like me this happens more frequently than you even want to admit. The problem with living life without margin? You are left drained. Empty.

While, it is true that necessity is the mother of invention and innovation is often birthed in times of desperation- living stretched to the limit is not conducive to creative longevity. Creativity takes time and space. And in our society time and space are precious commodities. I don't have to tell you that more often than not, our schedules and pace of life are the biggest obstacles to living out of our creative mojo. 

In fact God has hardwired us this way. Even a simple understanding of psychology teaches us that chronic stress kills brain cells. Without going into a deep discussion of our limbic system, you must know this: in stressful times, our brain kicks into "fight or flight" mode. We react to what is most needful and urgent. We are focused on our survival. Our life becomes a series of short-term emergencies. "If I can just get past today..." 

Creativity dies in this environment.

I can't give you more hours in your day, but I can encourage you that we can restructure our lifestyle to make room.

Room to create. Room to breathe. Room to live.

Find 15. Whether it involves waking up a few minutes earlier, turning off the news in the morning, or stealing away during your lunch hour- take 15 minutes to hit the pause button at least once, but ideally 2-3 times per day. Use this time to quiet your mind through prayer, worship, or scripture. Don't try to squeeze in a whole chapter or run through your entire prayer list...try focus on one thought and let your mind zero in on that. 

Filter your Thoughts. Take notice of the noise going on in your head throughout the day. Notice the overall tone and theme of the thoughts that run through your mind. Determine the destination you want and make sure your train of thought will get you there. Negativity, anger, bitterness is probably not going to take you to the land of peace, creativity, and ideas. Find out where your train of thought is taking you. 

Factor in Fun. If time were infinite, what creative passions would you pursue? Painting, photography, writing, dancing? It may not be possible to sign up for the watercolor class you've been dreaming of taking, but it is possible to buy a cheap canvas and paint in the comfort of your home. So do it. Turn on some music and bust a move in your living room. Too often we think these extras are optional. When schedules are tight, they are the first things to go. We have no time or energy left in the tank to purse our creative passions. The truth is, that our creative passions are what fill our tank. 

Stop making excuses. My wife Heather will take $2 and some junk she picked up from a garage sale and create an entire evening of fun for our family. Money is not your obstacle. Schedule fun into your life, and watch your creativity soar. 

We are all born with the gift of creativity. Our environment and lifestyle eventually beat it out of us. Determine that you will make time and room for creativity and I guarantee that you will surprise even yourself with the ideas and innovation that begin to shape your life.