There are killers in our midst. They’re cunning, wily and insidious, striking when we don’t even realize it. Often, they come disguised as long-held thoughts and beliefs lurking in our own minds. Sometimes, they take the unassuming and unexpected physical figure of a friend, family member or colleague. Regardless of form, their aim is the same — to stifle and even kill our innate creative genius.

Here are four creativity killers and what you can do to fight back:

Fear of Failure
When a scientist conducts an experiment and it doesn’t produce the end result she hypothesized, is that a failure? No, it’s an opportunity to glean new information and learn. And that data may even lead to a valuable new discovery along a different path. The concept of “failure” has been given a bad rap; it’s a natural (and productive) part of any creative process.

Tip: Recognize the fear and be willing to engage it. Don’t let it stop you. Set small challenges for yourself to get better and better at creative thinking. For example, look back at the exercises outlined in the first article in this series. Try them again. Try new ones. Make a regular meal with just a little bit of variation. Put an outfit together differently. Challenge your daily routines and go beyond the conventional.

Voice of Judgment
Most of us encounter naysayers on a regular basis, such as the co-worker who tells us why something won’t work or the friend who questions our latest project. Judgment from others can be discouraging and damaging, but often the voice inside our own heads is our worst critic. Self-judgment leads to self-censorship, confining our creative spirit within the fictional boundaries of what we believe acceptable.

Tip: Think about the difference between observation and judgment. There’s always an observation you can make that isn’t about judgment, whether you’re responding to your own ideas or to someone else’s. You probably naturally exhibit compassion when interacting with others, but also remember to extend that same compassion to yourself.

Perfectionism
Many of us wear the perfectionism label as a badge of honor, but the truth is that perfectionism is a major creativity killer. Creativity requires childlike curiosity, comfort with uncertainty, a drive to experiment and, most importantly, a willingness to fail. The problem is that perfectionists are afraid to fail, even on a small scale, so they rarely take chances on the unknown and often find it hard to get started on something new.

Tip: Instead of perfection, let excellence be the goal. Focus on learning and progress, and don’t pressure yourself (or others) to be perfect. Recognize, accept and develop a level of comfort with the fact that the creative process is messy and rarely, if ever, follows a straight line.

Quitting
Creative breakthroughs and outputs come from hard work and laboriously searching for a solution. This process is bound to be fraught with frustration, but the trick is to push through it and not to let it hinder or stop you. Those who have done really creative things have put in long hours and dealt with much anguish. Usually, problems don’t get solved because we have stopped too soon, not because the problem is insoluble.

Tip: Take a more positive view of anxiety and frustration and turn it into a tool for making progress. Know that it represents just a hurdle to overcome. Re-frame frustration and allow that emotion to foster a greater willingness to persist in moving forward and solving the problem at hand. And never quit.

Shari Rudolph is an accomplished entrepreneur and retail, digital commerce and media executive with a strong track record of building audience, revenue and brands. She’s currently chief marketing officer for Good360, a leader in purposeful giving and product philanthropy. Good360 connects companies that have product to donate with nonprofits to fulfill their local community missions. She also teaches and consults in the arena of creativity and idea generation.