7 Techniques to Supercharge your Creativity

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7 Techniques to Supercharge your Creativity and Solve your Problems

Do you ever encounter problems, challenges or obstacles in your business? If you answered

'no,' then you can stop reading and continue to rake in the fortune you must be making. Forthe rest of us, the answer of course is 'yes.'

For the most troubling problems, the biggest challenge is in your inability to come up with new

and innovative solutions. This is because when you try to solve a problem, you probably use

the same approach every time ('let me sit here and think about it until I come up with

something?'). The next time you try to solve a problem, try applying any (or all) of these

approaches:

1) Be Obvious - Cances are, whatever your problem is, there is some conventional wisdom

about how to solve it. Ask yourself why you are not following it, and evaluate for yourself

whether your reasons are valid. Sometimes the easiest solution is the one right in front of us.

2) Be Contrarian - The opposite of being obvious, being contrarian means to consider doing

the opposite of what conventional wisdom says. If the standard advice is to buy, think about

selling. Instead of working more, work less. Note: This does not mean you should

automatically DO what the opposite is; it just means to let your mind wander over the

opposite to get it working in another direction.

3) Start Where you are - Sometimes we get so caught up in the long term goal that we lose

sight of where we are. Think about your problem and what you might do right now to solve it.

Usually this results in frustration because we don't have a fully formed solution. But just

because an idea is not fully formed does not mean that it does not have some validity. Start

with your current idea and watch as new ideas present themselves.

4) Chunk up - If you can't figure out how to achieve your goal, try looking at the bigger

picture. If your goal is to earn $10,000 this month and you can't figure out how, think bigger -

maybe you want $10K because you want to earn six figures this year. Then start to

brainstorm ways of earning six figures. Don't get so caught up on your problem that you lose

sight of the bigger picture.

5) Chunk down - The opposite of chunking up. Think in terms of smaller details. Continuing

with the $10K example, if you can't think of how to earn $10,000 this month, can you think of

ways to earn $333 per day? Maybe, but even if you can't it gets the mind working in a new

way.

6) Take a REAL Break - Stop working on the problem for a bit and let your subconscious work

on it. This requires two things. First, you need to actually give your mind a break and

recharge. Switching from thinking about one problem to another will not do it. Get away from

the problem an your work, even if for only five minutes. Second, make sure you are not

dwelling on the problem. Taking a walk to get away from work is great, but if you continue to

mull over the problem your not really giving your mind a break from it.



7) Move - Get the blood flowing! Exercise, walk, run, stretch, whatever. Be it from blood flow,

endorphins, or a change in focus, physical movement enhances creativity. I do some of my

best thinking while shooting baskets. Find out what works for you and do it.

There are many different techniques you can use to solve a problem. Try the few above to

start, and then come up with your own. Use them well, and watch yourself create new and

exciting solutions faster than ever.

Avish Parashar is a professional speaker who runs seminars on creativity, teamwork,

productivity, leadership, and communication using the principles of improvisational comedy.

http://www.professional-speaker-avish-parashar.com

Creativity e-book:

http://www.supercharge-your-creativity.com

12 Ways To Boost Your Creativity At Work

As workplaces continue to rightsize and downsize, we all find ourselves doing more with less.

How do we stay ahead of the workload while staying sane? The key is to put your creativity to

work for you so you can do more with less and shine like never before.

Just what is creativity? It is the ability to make, produce, cause to exist or bring into being;

the ability to make something out of nothing or to make something better than it was before.

Creativity is an inborn force that we all have: If you're alive, you're creative.

It needs to be said, though, that not everyone has the raw talent, creative vision and self-

management skills to run out and make a living being an artist. But remember that artistic

talent is only one way of potentially millions that you can express your creativity at home or atwork.

In today's workplace, creative thinking, problem solving and innovation are at a premium.

Here are 12 ways you can express your creativity more powerfully in any workplace:

1.) Use your values, interests, skills and aptitudes to express your unique perspectives,

opinions and contributions.

2.) Take full advantage of the unique features of your personality to express your creativity in

ways that are natural for you.

3.) Dress your body and your work space in ways that reflect your passion and energy.

4.) In what you say - either verbally or in writing - and how you say it, make sure you use

word choice, vocabulary and communication style to showcase your uniqueness.

5.) Everybody works differently. Use your work habits, decision making and problem solving

style to express who you really are.

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6.) Everybody lives their lives differently. Use your personal habits, time management and

outside interests to positively impact who you are at work.

7.) What are you passionate about? What kinds of things do you channel your energy into?

What are you committeed to? Take all three to work with you and put them to work for you.

8.) Every creative act begins with a conception. Make sure you capture your workplace

brainstorms in concrete ways.

9.) Every creative act develops through an incubation phase. Make sure you put safe

boundaries around your own creative work time so it doesn't get overwhelmed with other

responsibilities.

10.) Every creative act ends with a birth. Make sure you help each project grow to its next

level.

11.) Celebrate your beginnings and your endings. Mark the big moments and look for reasons

to play.

12.) Know when it's time to move on ? from ideas, projects and jobs ? then do it.

Still not sure you even are creative? Try reading the now-classic The Artist's Way by Julia

Cameron. If Julia can't convince you you are creative, then no one can!

Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover

and create the life they've always wanted to live. Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet

articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces

and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's

busy women. For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for

Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com .

Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon

It seems like this week a ton of people have been asking me how they can become more

creative. I even had one client jokingly accuse me of being in cahoots with the Devil in trade

for my creativity. "Where do you get all of your ideas?" he asked. Well, I have decided to

share my secret with you in this issue.

In the following paragraphs you will learn my creativity secret weapon. I use it all the time. It

will work for you just as it works for me. It has served me well and it is this technique that gotme into the buyers meeting of a major drug store when I was just 15 years old. Yup! You read

that right. At age 15 my creativity strategy got me an appointment with a major drug store

buyer where I sold my "Idea's" to them. I didn't even have a clue what I was doing and I

walked right past the suit and tie businessmen right into the office of the guy they were trying

to get an appointment with. This happened simply because I was more creative. I know you

will have fun with this weeks issue. Enjoy!

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It's not rocket science! :Creativity doesn't have to be rocket science. We all have fountains of

creative energy flowing within us. Our problem is that the world teaches us, in the interest of

our own security, to use our heads far too much. In the process, we shift from the habit of

spontaneous imaginary expression to intense self-censorship in service to our security

conscious ego-minds. We become so concerned with the image we project that we lose touch

with our inner "wizard behind the curtain."

I've learned that when I feel stuck, confused, and frustrated, and my intellect can't seem to

find its way out of the cage, that it's this same mind that created the prison in the first place.

Fortunately I've found a very simple way out. I've taken up the mantra during times such as

these to simply "Just Make Stuff Up."

Experts became experts by studying other experts:Now our culture typically doesn't give a lot

of credence to stuff that's just made up. Particularly if it's yours and you're a nobody (a non-

expert with questionable credentials). But I think you'll find that in most cases, the experts

became experts by studying other experts. And if you follow the line of experts to the very

heart of their lineage, you'll most likely find that the originator of their expertise actually "just

made stuff up" that hadn't been seen before and that happened to work, at least for the time

being.

So the next time you or your group is stuck in a problem-solving or creative venture, please,

encourage them to try "just making stuff up," and see what comes forward. There's something

about this approach that frees us of our need to be right and invites our inner creative children

out to play. Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Example: I've been personally challenged with just about all of my major projects for the past

few weeks. I've felt a change of course was not only needed, but the path I was taking with

these projects seemed to be reaching an impasse. Now I'm a pretty creative guy, but I felt

really stumped, to the point of giving up on some of them. But being open-minded and self-

reflective, I realized that the frustration and confusion I was feeling was energy that I could

use to evolve these projects to the next level. This process could be effortless if I simplysurrendered to the timing of the project in lieu of my ego-mind.

I discovered that I could view these projects as living beings with intelligence and a natural

impulse to unfold in a way they are "intended." Like seeds that know fully what they are to

become if nurtured properly and patiently. I made all of that up and you can do the same

thing. Make stuff up that makes your life easier, more free, happier, etc.

We make up everything:So I began to actually listen to what each project had to tell me. I

also started "just making stuff up" around each project. I found that the openness and

freedom brought by the attitude of "just making stuff up" combined with the act of doing

something, got me moving again into creative new arenas, with a sense of childlike lightness,

fun, and adventure.

My Coach Steve Davis was discussing this with his partner Anna Dargitz. She decided to

consult the wisdom of her seven year old daughter on this subject. When asked what she

thought about the nature of "making stuff up," she replied with something like this. "Well, I

make stuff up when I want something real." It took me awhile to decipher this sage advice.

But then it hit me that we make up everything, including what we call real, and that admitting

that we make it up, is the closest thing to real we can get...she's now our new guru.



How to practice this... This week, try just making stuff up or if you find your group, friends,

clients, or colleagues stuck or confused, give them permission to try just making stuff up to

see what happens. I'd love to hear you're perspectives and experiences on this. Please email

them to me.

Before Ricky Brandon was a life coach, he was a professional Magician. He dedicated his entire

life to learning and understanding how to tweak people's perception of reality. By by his early20's, he was consulting and working with the worlds top Illusionists as well as training tigers

for large production shows. Ricky now combines his skills as a Magician with Personal

Coaching to teach people how to see through life's illusions so they can focus on what really

matters. email him at: [email protected]

Visit Ricky's website at: http://www.mymomentum.com

Top Ten Ways To Jump-Start Your Creativity

1 - Take A Tour of the Great Outdoors

Consider a hike in the mountains, a stroll beside the river, a run along the beach, a jog

through the park or a walk around the city.

2 - Soak Up Your Surroundings like a New SpongeOpen your mind to the unknown and grasp

the little details often overlooked in every day life.

3 - Read, Read, ReadRead anything that interests you... Regardless of whether it´s related to

writing or not! Think variety - from trashy romance novels and bad tabloids to The New York

Times and Writers Digest. Find something different to read that you are really interested in

and then actually take the time to READ it thoroughly.

4 - Escape Reality TemporarilyIndulge yourself with rare pleasures - like a hot bubble bath, a

professional massage, a visit to the beauty salon, a mini-shopping spree, a big bowl of REAL

chocolate ice cream or just a little time ALONE!

5 - Play Like A ChildForget your responsibilities as a mature adult for a few hours! Remember

something you loved to do as a kid and re-create the experience now. Or participate in

whatever game/activity/adventure your child enjoys more than anything else. Roll up your

sleeves, abandon your inhibitions, throw caution to the wind and play - really PLAY like you did

when you were 10 or 20 years younger!

6 - Quit ProcrastinatingFinish that one particular project that you have been putting off forweeks.. Get it done now, so you can really focus all of your energy on new ideas and creative

pursuits. If there's one thing that clouds your thinking almost daily, make it go away today!

7 - Just WriteWrite about anything. Write about the first thing that comes to mind - no matter

how silly or irrelevant the subject may seem - put your feelings into words and get them down

on paper as much paper as it takes! Keep writing about what you're thinking about until you

can't think of any more words.

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.mymomentum.com/






8 - Share Your Ideas, Opinions or Experiences with Someone ElseWhether you have to call our

mom or a close friend, talk about what's on our mind with somebody - almost anybody, who

you know and trust. Interact with other writers on the web via e-mail discussion lists, open

forums or critique groups.

Get your thoughts out there. Bounce your ideas off of somebody else. Share your feelings with

others who can relate to your topic. Ask for feedback from people you trust.

9 - Identify Issues that are Important to YouMake a list of topics that you think matter in

today's world. Jot down at least ten subjects and then explore ways to transform these ideas

into articles. Example of Issues: Child Abuse, Internet Technology, Scams Online, World

Peace, Prison Reform, Senior Care, Freedom of Speech, School Choices etc....) Look at the

headlines in your daily newspaper, think of recent stories broadcast by National news

programs like 20/20...

10 - Search The WebLook for articles and other resources related to creativity. Read stories

written by other writers and/or try some creative writing exercises.

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - Afree newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories

like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more.

Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

Creativity And You

95 percent of what we know about the brain, we have learned in the last 20 years. So, your

beliefs about creativity were probably shaped by faulty information.

For instance, many believe that only special, talented people are creative ? and you have to be

born that way.

Wrong.

The notion that geniuses such as Shakespeare, Picasso and Mozart were `gifted' is a myth,

according to a recent study 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 calledtalent."

This particular study concludes that excellence is determined by five key elements:

• opportunities

• encouragement

• training

• motivation

• practice (this one, most of all)

The research also indicates that few showed early signs of promise prior to parental

encouragement, and no one reached high levels of achievement in their field without devoting

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results logically so you will have a format to follow and a basis for review as you proceed to

create something new or solve an "unsolvable" problem.

Creating new programs or products by association is another method of thinking. You first

think of an object which is similar or adjacent to the subject item, then continue the "chain" of

associated thoughts until new and useful programs or products emerge as ideas. Relate these

ideas to the subject item by trial and error or by analysis of all the variables involved.

Plain old fashioned "daydreaming" is another method of creative thinking. Make up a fantastic

story in your mind and try to visualize (dream) your way to a successful conclusion based on

what results you are trying to achieve.

Consider all the alternatives to what you're trying to come up with. Gather together and

analyze all the data you can find about the subject. If you get into a rut, leave it lie. Go to

some other aspect of the puzzle. come back to it later. Quite often as you progress it will

suddenly appear, bright and clear. When it does, write it all down so you won't lose it as your

mind drifts to the next step.

Complete one step at a time. By breaking it down to size you can solve it in segments. Don'ttry to override your mistakes. Recognize them and bury them so they will help, not hinder,

your progress toward your creative goal.

Don't further confuse the issue by doing so much study and research that there are too many

roads to take. If you want to get tons of new ideas and get the right ideas, you can visit

http://www.best-internet-businesses.com to grab a few brainstorming tools and softwares.

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Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh

and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people

like you! To find out the best online business opportunities,

and to discover hundreds more proven and practical internetmarketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products

worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com

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Note: Feel free to publish it with the resource box and content unchanged

3 Clever Creative Strategies!

I've got a confession to make... there are many waysleaders can be more creative, innovative

and ingenious thanare presented in this article.

It does not matter if you desire to be a marketing,entrepreneurial or organizational leader,

you do have to useyour creativity to be successful.

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Most leaders have trouble discovering new opportunities,generating good ideas and promoting

innovative solutions. Inthe game of creativity, you need both quality and quantityto win the

prize.

I'll show you how to use 3 simple ways to boost the number,power and value of your ideas. All

you need to do is learnthem, practice them and make them the most used tools inyour

personal leadership-toolkit.

Create It This Way! Map It Out, Map It All!

Want a way out of that mental block or trap? Don't look forsome guidebook, create yourself a

map and follow it out ofyour troubles instead.

How do you draw a map to find new ideas, opportunities orcreate inventions? It's easy, all you

need is a place tostart! And like Dorothy learned in the Land of Oz, youalways begin at the

beginning.

Do you have a problem you're trying to solve? Do you have anunmet need? Do you want to

search for something? Do yoususpect something is missing or something is out of place

orsomething is more than what is needed?

Use those questions to define your map's point of origin.Place that starting point in the center

of the paper andthen draw lines to any related problems or missing items.

Once you identify your problems, needs, missing pieces orsuspicions and connect them in

some logical order [byputting your worse problems at the bottom of the page andeasier ones

on the top] - then you can do the following:

=> List possible ways to find solutions

=> Draw lines to groups or people who can help you solvethe problem

=> Use different shapes to show problems, solutions and keypeople or tools

=> Color your problems and their related solutions with thesame colors [use red for the main

problem and its solution,but use green for another problem and its solution]

=> Include push pins, sticky notes, stars or artwork whenpossible to add vitality, depth and

substance to your map

Create It That Way! Ask and Answer It Quickly!

1) What is the situation, what is happening or going onhere?

2) What are the problems, difficulties or challenges?

3) How do those problems impact, affect or influence thesituation?

4) What good will the solutions to those problems need todo, provide or fix?



Ask those 4 questions and always ask 'why' at least 5 timesfor each answer and you will find

tons of beneficialsolutions.

Create It Anyway! Bend It, Shape It, Anyway You Want It!

So you tried mapping, drawing, picturing and asking oranswering it and you still aren't getting

any great ideas,are you?

Well here are some last chances for you - just re-arrangeit, combine it with its own or

different parts,mix-it-all-around, shuffle it, remove parts of it, throw itat the walls, step into

the middle of it, step away from it,turn it upside down or inside out or round and round,

talkabout it with others or even yourself, meditate on and prayabout it.

Whatever you do, do not let it just sit there without makingsome effort to move it or yourself.

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Even though these seem a bit lightweight, they are the mostpowerful ways known to mankind

for solving problems, findingideas and opportunities and for creating useful inventions.

When you use these techniques, you will be employing thesecrets of history's greatest

inventive minds like Edison,Newton, Copernicus, Jesus Christ, Marie Curie, Franklin

andEinstein.

You can do this, it takes only a few moments a day to masterthem and then you will find

yourself lighting-up the worldwith your bright and valuable ideas.

Necessity is and always will be the Mother of invention.Make your Momma proud by using

these methods whenever youhave the need to bring meaningful contributions to ourlives!

Copyright © 2004, Mustard Seed Investments Inc.,

All rights reserved.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bill Thomas publishes "Your Leadership UltraNet!" - aHands-On, Affordable, Performance

Improvement Program,featuring web-based ULTRA-Powerful Training courses,coaching &

mentoring support plus follow-ups GUARANTEED to energize, empower, enhance your

leadership results.All-the-Tools-You-Need-to-Lead-&-Succeed!

How To Increase Creativity... Set Deadlines!



Deadlines are something all of us face from time to time. We face deadlines whenever we set

even a small goal and commit to accomplish it... that's when deadlines becomes important

and valuable to us.

Why is a deadline so important?... Without one... many ofour projects would, be put off, or

eliminated completely.The closer we get to a deadline the more our thoughts,ideas,

imagination and creativity go to work to help us meetthe deadline.

Daily... many of us set goals to start projects, completeand send out ezines, finish articles, or

finish writing asales page for our websites. How many times do we put it off till the last

minute?

Then we remember, were committed... and have a deadline to meet on the project. That's

when deadlines show their value and importance. Because, a deadline gets our juices flowing

with new thoughts and ideas so we can get into action and complete the job... sometimes at

the last minute.

Even small goals take commitment and deadlines toaccomplish. Either they're important

enough, to make acommitment to doing at a certain time, or we eliminate thegoal completly.

My ezine goes out on the 4th and 18th of every month. Sometimes a day or two before it goes

out... the deadline getsme into action. Thoughts, commitment and imagination go to work to

motivate me to complete it on time ... and my ezine goes out at the specified date.

The importance of a deadline is easy to overlook . I hadn'trealized their value, or hadn't

thought much about it untilwriting these comments. Without any kind of a deadline onprojects

... I wonder how many would get completed?

Have you noticed as you get closer to a deadline, you become more creative? Deadlines cause

our thoughts and imagination to become active giving us ideas to get the job done before the

deadline.

Deadlines are what causes us to get into action... sometimes at the last minute, to complete a

project or goal we set with commitment days before.

Bill Parks... Computer Consultant, specializing in FilemakerPro database design. Publisher of

"Information Age Products Ezine" and "Bill's Business Boosters Ezine." http://www.Build-UR-

Business.com And... http://www.InfoAgePro.com

Five Basic Steps to Benefit from Your Creativity

The ability to exercise your creativity is even more important for you than you probably think.

Why? First, your creativity tremendously contributes to your self-actualization, which is

essential for you to feel satisfied with your life and be happy. Second, it is exceedingly

important for being successful in building relationships and earning money.

Taking creative approach contributes to your emotional state the similar way as the spice

contributes to the taste of a course stimulating the appetite. If you generate ideas and fulfill

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them, your life becomes more and more interesting and exciting. This does not mean that you

must generate a waste amount of ideas to feel excited and call yourself "creative"; quite the

contrary, you should rather be able to generate from time to time really good ideas. If you

generate too much ideas and are unable to prioritize, select and fulfill them properly, you will

finally feel exhausted and discontented. There are some important factors that should be

taken into account to avoid this danger. Please read the five practical guidelines below and ask

yourself: "How often do I follow them in my life?".

1. Liberate yourself from the overstrain. A stress is not only the bitterest enemy of your

creativity, it is also a violent destroyer of your nervous system. There are simple efficient ways

to reduce stress or even entirely get rid of it. First, plan your time regularly. You should avoid

emergency jobs to the maximum extent under your control. Schedule your jobs for at least 2-

3 days and make reminders in order not to forget to do things in a timely fashion. Second, you

should store all your important information in a convenient form, always accessible for

retrieval. The inability to quickly find a required info cause stress. If you need a phone

number, address, date of a meeting, or the latest result of a negotiation, you must be able to

quickly find it. You should better make from time to time a few efforts to accurately write

down your information, than to make later on incredibly huge efforts to search for the lost

information. Remember, there is much more free space for brilliant ideas in a calm mind thanin overstrained one.

2. Seize opportunities. Do simple jobs immediately as they arrive. Do you have to make a

note for tomorrow? Write it down right now, or you will inevitably miss the deadline and will

have to do an emergency job under time pressure. Is an idea flashing in your mind? Write it

down right now, or you will forget it at once and forever being distracted by so many things

you have to do. Do not lose the golden opportunity to generate a brilliant idea.

3. Concentrate your attention. Do not think about several things at a time, focus yourself

exactly on the work being done. Try to reduce the number of distractions, or their impact on

you at least. In order to do so, it is very essential to be able to quickly write down any

incoming information securing it to be easily found later. If you can do that in an unobtrusiveway, you will not get distracted and you will keep your mind focused in most cases. A good

concentration is important for you to feel comfortable at work and it forms the solid

background for ideas creation.

4. Spare your resources. Do not make too much efforts to immediately turn a newly arrived

idea into a ready to implement solution. When an idea is flashing in your mind, simply write it

down. When you have time, read and think about it; then forget it for a while to revert back

later. Repeat that process over and over again until you could finally decide whether the idea

is good or bad. Do not worry about the fact that you are not deliberating on your idea; at this

stage of the idea development this does your subconscious. By forgetting an idea for a while

you get a good chance to see it several times with a fresh look and evaluate it objectively.

Moreover, and that is extremely important, by doing so you avoid wasting your personalresources on implementation of premature ideas and stop working on fuzzy goals.

5. Use your computer. There is a tremendous information processing power located inside the

case of your computer. Make all those Gigabytes and Gigahertz work for you to solve simple

yet very important issues: scheduling, quick setup of reminders, taking notes and ideas,

archiving them into history and searching them. Take your time to find a software that really

fits your needs, it will spare your time and efforts daily in the future. A good software for the



everyday use must be convenient for you, smooth to operate, unobtrusive and it must in no

way turn itself into another problem when you apply it to solve the original one.

In this article you have been presented five practical guidelines to build a solid background for

discovering and efficiently using your creativity. Regardless of how much creative you are, you

need to perform appropriate actions in appropriate circumstances to get real results. If you

are not doing actions, doing inappropriate actions or doing right actions in wrongcircumstances, you will only waste your potential and lose opportunities. The guidelines above

ensure that you are acting properly. This article deals both with your personal organization

and creativity, because they contribute tremendously to each other. That is why you should

exercise them both to get practical results. This is the only solid bridge you can build from

your creativity to your success. Good luck to you!

Nicholas Kabarow is a senior designer and software architect at CuteReminder Labs. His

innovative ideas were implemented in the personal information management software called

Cute Reminder. Nicholas main concept of a software aimed for personal use is the quick and

unobtrusive user interface able to spare user efforts in the daily use. Comments can be sent

via the contact form at http://www.CuteReminder.com/contacts.php

A Quick Course in Creativity

This quick course in creativity is designed to give you a platform to stand on as we look at the

various ways you can handle home, social and workplace situations, job-search details and

career-path decisions.Let's examine what creativity might look like.

Here are some of the ways in which creativity expresses itself.Perhaps the creative idea is one

that mixes and matches items or ideas that haven't been combined in just this way before. A

wonderful example of this comes from Anita Roddick, who founded the Body Shop, a chain of

personal care products and stores. She combined the need to help underdeveloped countries

earn income with the need to avoid destroying their resources and environment. She built her

business by using natural products produced by these countries.

Or, perhaps the same item could be used in a different way. Which came first, the ballpoint

pen or roll-on deodorant? Both use the same idea -- a rolling ball that applies liquid to a

surface.

Perhaps you can take a new approach that works. This was the case, for instance, with Arm &

Hammer Baking Soda when it was discovered that putting an open box into the refrigerator

would soak up odors.

Finally, you might use your creative powers to develop special mastery in areas that can

contribute to workplace effectiveness. For example, you might try opening yourself to new

ways of experiencing life, increasing flexibility and open-mindedness. There are lots of ways in

which creativity can be fostered to produce really great outcomes. And all it takes is practice.

We all have the abilities...what we need to develop are the skills, the methods, the focus.

OK, now it's time to examine the process of creativity itself. There are five steps involved.

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· First, there's PREPARATION. By this I mean that all knowledge contributes to creativity. No

matter what you read or see or hear, it might become a part of a brilliant, new idea. Truly

creative people are always hungry for new knowledge and information, even on seemingly

unrelated subjects.

· The second step is INCUBATION. When a situation or project needs a shot of creativity, the

real job is to get to know every intimate detail of the subject at hand, then to put it all into thevery back of your brain and let it "stew." It's sort of like making bread. You mix all the

ingredients, then you put them into the pan and let the dough "rise." The important thing here

is that there's no way to force the process. You've got to let go and let it happen.

· The third stage of creativity is ENLIGHTENMENT. This could also be called INSIGHT. It's the

moment at which the unconscious and the subconscious minds, having finished working on the

problem, present an "AHA!" A "EUREKA." An "I'VE GOT IT!" We've all had this happen.

Sometimes it comes in a dream; sometimes it's as simple as suddenly remembering where we

left our keys or glasses. But it's a critical part of the process, and those who forego it are

taking a sort of foolish risk -- the risk that creativity won't present itself.

· Next, there's an EVALUATION of what's come up. It's not always the right answer, eventhough it may be excitingly creative. At this stage, we match imagination to reality and make

some decisions about practicality. There's room for imagination and creativity here, though.

The question, "Why not?" is vital at this time and at this stage. Consider this to be the

moment at which the real risking in life begins.

· And finally, the risk goes on as you begin the IMPLEMENTATION of the ideas your creativity

produced. And the cycle can begin again right here with new information, new incubation, new

insights, new evaluations and further implemented outcomes.

Now let's look at the ten keys to creativity.

The first step is to stimulate yourself to get the process started. One way to do this is to lookback at all the creative things you've done. Every one of us has had really good creative ideas

that have produced wonderful outcomes, and remembering those things often puts the wheels

in motion. Then?

1. Write a list of creative achievements - and add to it as new memories surface. This can be a

valuable tool that can be used time after time when creativity is what you're focussing on. I

have such a list, and it grows, usually, by about one item a month.

2. "Can the Can't!" This is just a short and sweet way to say, "Get out of any negative place

you're in." If you believe you can't do something, you probably can't. And it's not that you

don't have the intelligence, the drive, the resources, or even the track record. It's that you

BELIEVE you can't. Your mind is a neutral place. It listens to what you tell it and acts on thatinformation without regard to whether or not it's good for you. So keep yourself aimed in a

positive direction.

3. Be willing to bend. I always feel a little subversive when I talk about this key. Why?

Because you need to read a couple of extra words into this phrase?the words are: "the rules."

You see, I'm not talking about bending to someone else's will or adopting someone else's

ideas. I'm talking about bending your rules! This means, pay attention to whether your mind is

locked in to a pattern of behaving a certain way because you've been told that this is the way



it's done. You see, I was always told that the rules are the rules because they work. What they

didn't tell me was that sooner or later, things change. What used to work just fine may not

work any more. As soon as that becomes clear, creativity has an opening. What's more, the

old saying "If it works, don't fix it" can be a real cop-out. Maybe -- just maybe -- it could work

a little better if it were creatively changed. Now, I don't believe the other extreme -- "If it

works, break it" ? I don't accept that as an option. But I do think that almost any rule can be

re-written to work better so as to fit a changing, dynamic environment, and that's a realcreative challenge. So question the rules. See if a different approach, a different method, or a

different attitude might yield a different - and better - outcome.

4. De-stress. Creativity and stress just don't fit together. You can't expect your mind to work

well when your body is stressed, because they're both part of the same system -- the system

called YOU. So take care of stress. Spend time relaxing, meditating, even daydreaming. This

simple process can often be a direct route to creative insight. And, since stress is often a

consequence of fear, there's a natural "fear" consequence when approaching creativity

because the creative process usually takes you outside of your comfort zone. You need to be

willing to?

5. Take chances. Move outside of that comfort zone - perhaps in small steps - and be willingto fail or to make a mistake; that is, to have no outcome at all, or an unsatisfactory outcome.

That's all part of the creative process. And here I'd like to add that most successful people

failed many times on the way to their success. The minute you become willing to fail, you

become capable of real success.

6. See mistakes as lessons, not failures. This is particularly interesting, because it's a creative

act in itself to break out of the notion that a mistake isn't a failure. I think that our system of

schooling builds this into us from a young age. Getting it "RIGHT" is very important...our

grades depend on it. So, getting it "WRONG" is the same as "BEING BAD." Get off it. Look at

mistakes as object lessons about what doesn't work. Forget about right and wrong.

7. Ask the right questions. We all seem to have a pat set of questions about life. "Why?"seems to be a leader. But you know, it may not make any difference "why" something is, or

happens. The right question might be, "What REALLY happened?" And the WAY we ask

questions - the languaging - is important. In other words, it's also important to ask questions

in the right way. In fact, when you're tempted to ask "why," here's a possibly valuable

substitute question. "What is it about ______ that ________. For instance, instead of asking,

"Why did you move to Los Angeles?," ask, "What is it about Los Angeles that made you choose

to move there?" When you ask someone "Why?," that person sometimes may feel challenged,

or negative. "Why did you move to Los Angeles?" might be perceived as questioning the

wisdom of the decision. But if you ask, "What is it about Los Angeles that made you choose to

move there?" there's no threat...no negativity. And when you ask this kind of question of

yourself - "What is it about this idea that appeals to me?" - you'll find yourself opening up

channels that wouldn't be available to you by wrestling with a "why" approach.

8. Ask your opposite. What I mean by this is, try a "contrarian approach" to whatever it is

you're working on. If it's a business problem, seek out a vendor, a competitor or a customer

to interview. You'll get specific perspectives and information you'd never come up with

yourself. It's a way of playing devil's advocate that is much more reliable and comprehensive

than trying to do it yourself.



9. Study something new each year. The most creative people I know are folks who seem to

have an unquenchable need for new knowledge. And they also seem to study a lot of different

things. What they tell me is that by learning about unfamiliar subjects they learn new ways of

thinking and relating and associating. This gives them broader platforms for decision making.

And here's the final key

10. Identify the real problem. Many people ask me, "Why wasn't this the first key?" Are youthinking this, too? Well, observe what the key says...what's the REAL problem. After you've

mulled over whatever is challenging you, be prepared to re-evaluate the first premise of what

you're working on. Only after you've done all the creative work can you begin to see clearly

where you're headed, and that's the time to ask yourself whether you're actually working on

the right problem. One of the world's major creative failures, I think, is that too many people

fail to take that last, long look, to question the work already done, and to be willing to start

over or keep on going, but this time in a new direction. Well, there it is, a short course in

creativity - five steps, ten keys. It didn't take long to outline, but it may take you a long time

to master it. So please?start now.

Copyright 2002, 2005 Optimum Performance Associates/Paul McNeese.Paul McNeese is CEO of

Optimum Performance Associates, a consulting firm specializing in transitional andtransformational change for individuals and institutions through publication. His publishing

company, OPA Publishing, is an advocacy for self-publishing authors of informational,

instructional, inspirational and insightful nonfiction. Email:

[email protected]: http://www.opapublishing.com and

http://www.opapresents.com

Dare to Dream

Have you ever thought of this? When you were young and at school the teachers always

reprimanded the dreamers - "You live on another planet", "You've got your head full of silly

notions!" and the like.

Then we are in the playground. The boys say, "I'm gonna jump over that garbage can" and

the other boys say, "Nah, you're not good enough, you can't do that."

You back up and run your hardest at the garbage can and try to ignore the taunts of your

disbelieving friends - you leap - and on passing over the bin, catch your foot and crash down".

You can still hear the laughing and to this day blush in embarrassment when you think about

it. Perhaps your teachers were right - dreams are silly. Perhaps the other kids were right -

you're not good enough.

Do you relate to this? Many of us do. If something like this has happened to you in the past

you will know the disbelief and laughter of your childhood peers can cut a very deep wound.

But you know there is a wound that is far worse than that? It is the wounding of our intestinal

fortitude and the weakening of our lifetime resolve that occurs when we picked ourselves up of

the school yard, hung our head, walked away along and thought, "They must be right, - I -

can't - do - it". Have you said that about yourself and your business? The difference between

those who achieve extraordinary goals and those who don't, is always in their thinking.


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The incredibly fun, magical and simple thing about multi level marketing is this. If you can

learn to reprogram your childhood self- limiting beliefs - you can do anything...earn an extra

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Are you ready to reprogram your thinking? Create a vision for yourself - and play with

possibility thinking? Create an environment around yourself where you dwell on achievements

rather than failures. See yourself leaping over the garbage can - over and above everyconceivable obstacle. Any worthwhile achievement must start in the brain. An old prophet

once said, "As a man thinks, so he is". If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it!

I have heard it said that Thomas Edison created 800 light globes before he made one that

worked! If he didn't believe he could do what seemed impossible, I am quite sure he would

have stopped after the second or third attempt! Is your thinking stopping you achieving your

dreams?

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Tips on Breaking the Creative Block

There's no question that creating anything is hard to do. Here are some tips if you find

yourself creatively blocked.

Set a Goal

Set a goal for yourself. For example, it could be to write one poem, one short story, to paint

two small paintings or create three works of art. Don't make the goal too big.

Set a Time Table

Give yourself a time when you want your goal to be completed. There is nothing like a

deadline to help you get things done. You can tell people about the deadline or keep the

information to yourself. Don't make the time table too unrealistic.

One Step at a Time

Baby steps get you to the top of the mountain. If you manage to do one small thing towardsyour creative goal each day, you will be amazed at how fast you can accomplished it. Ask

yourself what is the next step and then do it.

If It Isn't Working Stop

If you are working on a creative project and you don't know what to do, stop and do

something else; it can be anything-the laundry, mow the lawn, work in the garage. When you

come back to the project, you will probably have the answer to what was blocking you.

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Progress Not Perfection

If you don't expect to create the perfect project, it will take off a lot of pressure. It will make it

easier to accomplish what you have set out to do and the process will be a lot more enjoyable.

Easy Does It

If you don't create exactly what you've set out to do, don't worry. Ask yourself the question

"how important is it?". It will help you get things in perspective.

Don't Worry About the Other Guy

Don't worry about what anyone else is doing. Keep the focus on yourself and what you want to

accomplish, it will help you to go forward instead of getting stuck.

Just Do It

Don't talk about it, don't worry about it-just do it, one step at a time until whatever you haveset out to do, gets done.

© Mary Baker 2005

Mary Baker is a contemporary realist painter, whose studio is in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

This New England city, north of Boston, has inspired the artist's realistic oil paintings. Mary

Baker is a professional artist and has shown in New York art galleries. Mary's art work has

passion, depth and beauty, capturing moments in time that many people pass by.

You can visit her website, Mary Baker Art, at http://www.marybakerart.com, see her

paintings and read her comments on the creative journey, the creative process, breaking the

creative block and creative space-the illuminating silence.

9 Steps to Supercharge Your Productivity with Creativity

Time is the great equalizer. Everybody has the exact same number of hours in each day. For

most people, the hours available are usually less than the hours needed to get everything

done. However, by using the following principles of creativity, you should be able get more

done in less time, while making certain that you are doing what's most important and moving

yourself closer to your goals.

1. Start with quiet focus

When you have a lot to do, your first instinct is probably to hit the ground running. If you feel

you have a tremendous amount to do, you may feel the urge to jump in and get started on

your work. Rather than doing that, take a few minutes to get calm and organize your

thoughts. Think of this as a short form of meditation; just try to empty your mind. After you

have done this, your focus, energy, and perspective will all be improved. Taking a few minutes

up front to center yourself can make you tremendously more productive.

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2. Brainstorm your day

Take a piece of paper (it can be a loose sheet, but it can be helpful if it's part of a designated

notebook or planner) and write down everything you need to do that day. Let your mind flow,

and get everything out. As with all creative exercises, don't criticize your ideas. Don't think of

something you'd like to do and then not write it down because you think you won't be able to

do it or that you shouldn't do it. The most important thing here is that you get everything ontothe page.

3. Apply the 80/20 Rule to your List

Take this list you've created and apply the 80/20 rule to it. Remember, 80 percent of your

results come from 20 percent of your effort. Circle only the 20% of items that will yield 80%

of those results. This step will focus your day down to the critical tasks you must get down.

4. Chunk Up

For each circled activity, chunk up. Put the bigger picture in perspective. This will refocus and

motivate you to work on it. Or, it may make you realize that the task is not as important as

you thought. Having a 'why' is very helpful in getting us to work towards our goal, especially if

the task is something we're not excited about doing.

5. Chunk Down

For each circled item remaining on the list, chunk down. Break the items down into smaller

parts. You should strive to get them to a point where each task is broken down into a series of

single action items. How big each item is depends on your work style. I like my action items to

be things I can complete between 15 minutes and 1 hour.

6. Prioritize your list

Prioritize every item on your list. A simple way to do this is look at your list and ask yourself,

'at the end of today, what one thing on my list, if finished, will have the biggest positive

impact on my life?' The answer to that is your number one priority. Ask that question again

with the remaining items on your list. That's your number two item. Continue this until your

list is complete.

7. Schedule those activities

For every action item in step 5, schedule when you will do it and how long it will take. Resolve

to stick to the schedule. You can take two approaches to scheduling. First, and the way to

ensure you get the most important work done, is to schedule your first priority item first in the

day, then your second, and so on. You can also schedule your high priority items during your

most productive hours. You have high and low productive times during the day. You know

when they are, not me (if you don't know, pay attention to yourself for the next couple of

weeks and figure it out). Scheduling this way ensures you devote your best time to the most

important activities, but if your most productive time is not first thing in the morning you run

a greater risk of your high priority items not being done.

8. Go with the Flow



Be aware that the day has a way of stealing your time. Keep your 80/20 priorities in mind

when new things come up. Make sure to prioritize and evaluate new things that come. Don't

sacrifice an important item on your list to do something less important. At the same time,

keep an open mind and be willing to flow with new items. Your schedule and list is there to

help you. If something new comes up that will be more beneficial for you, go with it.

9. Go one at a time

Work through you list and schedule in the order you have it. For big tasks, don't be

overwhelmed by the number of tasks, just work through them one at a time. Put your

attention solely on the task at hand. For the vital action items, try to remove distractions.

Turn off the phone, close the door, or work at a time when everyone else is asleep. You can

finish a task that you might think would take you three hours in one hour if you put 100% of

your attention on it.

Try following these 9 steps and watch your productivity explode!

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ridiculously simple. Success isn't complicated, it's simple. So visit the web site to learn more

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Tapping into Your Super Creative Power

Do you consider yourself creative? How about super creative? Most people may not think of

themselves as creative, but I believe that everyone has the potential for great creativity. They

just need a little understanding and practice.

Think of two parts of the mind: the conscious, and the subconscious. The conscious is the part

that thinks. It's the part that you are aware of. The subconscious handles everything else.

Your bodily functions, sensory input, memories, feelings, associations, and more are all

handled by the subconscious.

The subconscious is much more powerful than the conscious. The subconscious handles

thousands of things every minute. The conscious mind can only focus on one. Even when youthink you multi-task, you are actually switching your focus very quickly between different

things.

The real power of creativity lies in the subconscious. Your creativity comes out of all the things

you are not aware of -- memories you don't remember, things you have seen but have not

noticed, and feelings within you that naturally occur. All of your new great ideas are lying

inside of your subconscious, right now. The trick is in figuring out how to access them.

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Most people have a lot of 'gunk' (no, that's not a scientific term) inside of them. The first step

towards getting to that creative subconscious part is to clear that gunk out of the way. So how

does a person do that? There are many ways, but here we will talk about two common ways:

meditating and Journaling.

Meditation has the reputation of being mystical and religious. For our purposes, meditation is

just sitting in silence. This sounds simple, but it is very difficult. In our society we areconstantly bombarded with input -- TV, radio, the Internet, other people, etc. As a result, we

never sit in silence with ourselves. When you first meditate, your mind will race. These

thoughts are what's in your conscious mind, and as long as they are there you are not getting

in touch with your subconscious. The key here is to relax and let those thoughts go. This will

seem impossible at first, but practice it. Start small, with 5 minutes a day, and work your way

up.

Journaling is similar to meditating in that you are trying to get past conscious thoughts.

Journaling is simply writing your thoughts down. Unlike keeping a diary, though, the kind of

Journaling we are talking about it is free flow writing where your pen never stops moving and

you don't care about what you write. When you start, it is ok to write 'I have nothing to write'

over and over until something comes up. Don't censor yourself, and don't let your pen stop. Itis best to journal in the morning, before your conscious mind has been filled with events of the

day. Journaling should be done by hand, not on the computer. When you write, try to fill three

pages. The first page or two will be basic conscious stuff you need to get out of your mind.

Filling three pages helps get past all that.

For a good deal more on Journaling, read 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron.

If you want to start tapping into your creativity, start clearing out your gunk. Start doing some

meditating (sitting in silence) or morning Journaling everyday. It won't have an immediate

effect, but over time it will make you immensely powerful.

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Creativity: The Key To Getting More Done In Less Time

If your to-do list seems as long at the end of the day as it did at the start (or worse yet,

longer!) then you could definitely use an injection of creativity in your work day.

Here are five simple ways of using your creativity to improve the quality of your day:







1) Stop banging your head against the wall -- A good chunk of the time people waste in a

day is due to stressing over the same problems that face them day after day. When you have

a problem that you don't know how to solve, you get paralyzed, get inefficient, and get

overwhelmed. Not only do you not solve the problem, but you also start to slack off in other

areas. The key is to get out of that state by using your creativity to generate more solutions to

your problem. Here's one way -- sit down at a table with a blank sheet of paper. Write your

problem across the top, and then force yourself to fill the page with possible solutions. Don'tworry about how feasible or crazy your ideas are; you will be tapping your creativity and

empowering yourself. Just keep the pen moving until you fill the page. This will free you from

overwhelm and let you go about your day. Also, the new solution to your problem may very

well be on that page!

2) Stop wasting time -- If you have been at your job for any period of time, you probably

have a routine. Routines are great because they are safe, but once in a routine you run the

risk of missing out on ways of doing it better. The worst answer you can give about why you

do something is to say, 'that's the way I've always done it.' Keep your mind, eyes, and ears

open for new and more efficient ways of doing things. Even if you can save 15 minutes on 4

daily tasks, that's one extra hour every day. Question and examine your routines!

3) Love your job, even if you hate it -- It's extremely difficult to be productive if you are

unhappy. This leads to an ugly cycle: you don't like your job, so you are less efficient, so work

piles up which adds stress, so you like your job even less, and so on and so on. If, for

whatever reason, you choose to stay at a job you hate, then at least find ways of enjoying it.

How does one do this? I don't know; it depends on you. This is why you have to use your

creativity. You can listen to music, or set up your environment you enjoy, or work on a special

project that fulfills you, etc. Life is too short to be unhappy for 1/3 of it; use your creativity to

bring happiness, fulfillment, and joy into your day.

4) Get someone else to do it -- Here's an interesting fact: for every task you hate to do and

are not good at doing, there's someone else out there who enjoys doing it. And, for every task

you love to do and are great at, there's somebody out there who hates doing it. Find someonewho hates doing what you love and loves doing what you hate, and you both can benefit

immensely. You'll both get more done in less time and be happier doing it.

5) Get what needs to be done done -- This is the simplest technique that is the least used.

Take a look at what you need to do today. Take a look at the item that would have the biggest

positive impact on your day/life/business. This should be your number one priority. Do it first

and get it done, even if other things don't get done. The challenge is that this is probably

something you don't want to do (otherwise it would be done already). Get creative, get

focused, and set up your day and schedule to work on your high priority tasks first, and you

will get more done in less time than ever before.

There you go. Get out there, start using your creativity, stop wasting time, and spend moretime doing what's important to you and your business.

Avish Parashar has a refreshingly unique approach to speaking and training: identify the

fundamentals of success and then give people the tools to implement those fundamentals.

Avish's approach can be deceptive; it's fun, funny, interactive, engaging, entertaining, and







Seeing Problems From Their Creative Side

Did you know that winning actually puts less wear and tear on the body than worrying? And

did you know that you could worry yourself sick to the point that you'll end up in a hospital

bed? And that, depending on the severity of the problem, when it becomes chronic and

acceptable mode of conduct, it could lead to options beyond hospitalization? It could very well

lead to imprisonment or interment!

Dr. Charles H. Mayo once said that half the beds in American hospitals are filled by people who

worried themselves into them. The human mind seems to be like a calculator. Before you can

solve a problem with it, it must be cleared of all previous problems. Worry jams up the

mechanism; it short-circuits the whole operation.

It has been proven many times that by a simple change in attitude, in mental outlook, the

same amount of time and energy most of us devote to worrying about our problems could be

used to solving them.

Creative people look at problems as challenges. They realize that without problems,

everything would come to a stop. Problems do to our emotions and psyche what pain does to

our body: They keep us moving forward searching for a solution. They are responsible for

every forward step we take, collectively and individually.

So, if you want to have a lot more fun and a lot less worry, try the following:

* Put your problems in their true perspective.

* See yourself as a part of the world, and the world as a part of the universe, and the

universe as a part of a great and mysterious living picture.

* See problems in their true light: a temporary inconvenience.

Every problem has a solution. You may see not the solution immediately, but a solution is a

available. You may not like the available solution, but in time you can change it to whatever

suits you best.

Think about these the next time you are faced with a problem:

* No problem is permanent.

* Every problem has a solution.

* There are probably a number of ways to solve your problem.







* The same kind of problem has been solved a million times before some where around the

world.

* You have the God-given powers to solve your problem.

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.

© Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in ezines, newsletters, and on

web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included

copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated

but not required. Mail to: [email protected].

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and

writes articles on his theme: "... helping you maximize your potential." He offers management

and marketing resources at http://www.maximizingyourpotential.blogspot.com.

Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney

When you think about the legacies Walt Disney left us, do talking mice and a multigizillion

dollar company come to mind? Actually, those are only the products of his prodigious and rich

creativity - dig deeper and you start to realize one of the most intriguing heritages Disney left

was his processes.

Disney was a creative and problem-solving genius. He knew how to make fantasy come alive

in the minds and hearts of millions of people around the world. He employed several

techniques to do this, but one of the most interesting is his ability to seamlessly slip intodifferent creative "people" or "roles."

The dreamer, the realist, the critic

One of Disney's coworkers once said: "There were actually three different Walts [and] you

never knew which one was coming to your meeting." Robert Dilts, a scientist who studied

Disney, called the three different Walts "the dreamer, the realist and the critic." Each persona

had a specific role in the creative process, and only together did it become "Disney magic."

• Dream a little dream - The dreamer

Roger von Oech, creative consultant and author of A Kick in the Seat of the Pants,

actually divides the dreamer into two different roles. The explorer, where you searchfor tidbits of information and interesting facts, and the artist, where you rearrange all

the different pieces of information to make new and interesting patterns.

Being the dreamer means you let your imagination go wild - combine random

thoughts in new and unusual ways; ask what if?; try every possibility then think of a

few more. There are no stupid ideas at the dreamer stage - every idea has some

possibility, no matter how remote.


http://www.maximizingyourpotential.blogspot.com/


http://www.maximizingyourpotential.blogspot.com/



• Now for the real world - The realist

That idea may sound good on paper, but how do you make it come to life? That's what

the realist does. The realist, or warrior in von Oech's language, figures out a way to

implement the idea - after all, it doesn't do a lick of good lying flat on the paper.

• But is it any good - The critic

Okay, you've thought of a new and unusual idea and you've figured out a way to make

it work. Now, the question you have to ask yourself is should you? Here's the place

where you can finally label all those ideas as being really cool or really stupid. Von

Oech also called this persona judge. Evaluate the idea, look for drawbacks and

benefits and critically weigh the evidence - only then will you know if it's worth

pursuing or not.

How can I get all this to work in my life?Say you're looking for a new way to market your

business, or you're trying to figure out a way to beat the competition, or you need a new sales

tactic. Whatever your business problem, you can use these techniques to fire up your

creativity.

Bryan W. Mattimore, creative consultant and author of 99% Inspiration: Tips, Tales and

Techniques for Liberating your Business Creativity (where, incidentally, he goes into much

more depth on Disney's creative process), recommends setting up three different rooms - a

dreamer room, a realist room and a critic room. When you want to take on a different

persona, you go into a different room.

Don't have three rooms? Why not put three chalk marks on the floor? This exercise, taught to

me by Organizational Consultant Tracy Puett, has you physically moving to a different circle on

the floor depending on which role you want to invoke. The physical act of moving helps many

people take on the different persona.

Or, a third possibility invented by creativity expert and author Dr. Edward DeBono is to use

different colored hats. Each color represents a different persona. When you want to think like

that persona, put on a different hat. You can even add additional colors for other moods, such

as feeling an emotional point of view, if you want.

But, the real point of creativity is to try to break the mold. Once you're able to step out of

habits and old ways of thinking, then you re ready to let your creativity soar.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and

creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their

creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at

attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can bereached at http://www.writingusa.com

Quiz -- Are You Creative?

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Worried you may not be creative or you may not be creative enough? This quiz will help you

find out just how creative you are.

Take a piece of paper and number it from one to seven. For each question, write down the

corresponding letter of your answer.

1. When you come across a rose, you immediately:

A. Smell it.

B. Quote every rose poem you can remember.

C. Write your own poem.

D. Sketch the rose.

E. Step on the rose.

2. One of your dreams in life is to:

A. Write a novel.

B. Become a painter.

C. Travel the world.

D. Climb all the famous mountains.

E. Just once, get everything done on your to-do list.

3. Your desk:

A. You have trouble finding as it's buried under everything including the kitchen sink.

B. Resembles a natural disaster.

C. Is a bit of a mess, but you know where everything is.

D. Is basically neat -- you use the stacking method.

E. Is in perfect order -- everything in its place.

4. The person you admire most is:

A. Einstein.

B. Walt Disney.

C. Your mother.

D. Jane Austin.

E. Anyone who can get everything crossed off his or her to-do list.

5. You consider yourself:

A. Extremely creative.

B. Creative.

C. Somewhat creative.

D. A little creative.

E. About as creative as a turnip (come to think about it, turnips may be more creative then

you are).

6. You get new ideas:



A. All the time.

B. Several times a week.

C. Several times a month.

D. Once or twice a month.

E. You dimly recall getting a new idea when Clinton was in office. Or maybe it was the first

Bush.

7. You dream in:

A. Color.

B. Black and white.

C. Both black and white and color.

D. You can't remember now.

E. Nothing. You don't dream.

Scoring:

Throw out all your answers except for number five -- "You consider yourself:". If you

answered:

A. Extremely creative -- Then you're extremely creative.

B. Creative -- Then you're creative.

C. Somewhat creative -- Then you're somewhat creative.

D. A little creative -- Then you're a little creative.

E. About as creative as a turnip -- Then you're about as creative as a turnip.

Okay, this was a bit of a trick. But it's true. How creative you think you are corresponds with

how creative you really are.

A couple of studies illustrate this. A big company wanted to increase creativity in its

employees. So it hired a group of consultants to come in. The consultants started by

thoroughly testing all of the employees. They discovered the only difference between the

employees who were creative and those who weren't was this: Creative people believed they

were creative and less creative people believed they weren't.

Even more telling was what happened to the group that wasn't creative. The consultants

focused on helping them nurture their creativity. At the end, those employees were actually

more creative than the ones who had initially considered themselves creative.

And that means you too can become more creative. In fact, how creative you become is

entirely in your own hands.

Creativity Exercise -- Assumptions

Ready to become more creative? Here's an exercise.

Write down all the reasons why you're not creative. Go on. Write them all down. Every

negative reason you can think of.

Things like:



I've never been creative in my life.

I haven't had a new idea in over a year.

I don't have time to be creative.

Now reverse those negative assumptions and make them positive. Like so:

I am a creative person.

I have lots of new ideas all of time.

I don't need time to be creative because I already am creative.

Do this every day and see what happens. This is a great way to start getting rid of those inner

demons that keep all of us from realizing our true potential.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing andcreativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their

creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at

attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be

reached at http://www.writingusa.com.

The Creativity Creed

I believe that creativity is a natural order of life itselfand it provides my life with the purest of

energies.

I believe there is an underlying creative force infusingthroughout my life.

I believe that when I open my creativity, I am opening theCreatorâ??s creativity.

I believe creativity is part of my destiny and just asimportant as all living things.

I believe creativity is my Creatorâ??s gift to me. Using mycreativity is my gift back to him.

I believe expectation of a fulfilling life attracts withpowerful changes when I allow creativity to

flow through mybeingness.

I believe it is safe for me to discover my own creativityeven if it sets new paths not yet

discovered.

I believe as I move more towards my creative self, I movetowards my own divinity.

I believe I am worth the time it takes to create whatever itis I am to create.

I believe I have the right to have all the creativity Ideserve.





I believe that when I allow my creativity to flow throughoutmy life, I tap into the source of all

that there is and allthat ever was.

I believe that the time I spend creating is as precious asanything else in life.

I believe that as creativity gives to me, so does shedeserve from me all my faith mindfulness

and commitment.

I believe in my creative self.

I believe in me.

(c) Copyright, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

Catherine Franz is a writer and author of over 1800 publishedarticles and several books on

various business subjects. http://www.abundancecenter.com

Charge Your Imagination (1)

"The challenges are not in the marketplace. They are in the mind"....... Jean Bernard

As we progress into year 2005, it is time for the professional and business class to "charge

your imagination" for greater exploits this year. Take this message from IMAGINATION

himself. Is IMAGINATION a person you ask? Yes he is, and he wants to address you, this

season. It would be worth your while to listen. His sentences are short and language in the

first person. This is the preamble of his message.

I am in your mind, your regular companion. I am of divine origin. You cannot see me, but Iam always with you. You do not always acknowledge my presence and person. That is why

you have not tapped into my power. I inspire people, motivate them and propel them to

achieve the extra-ordinary. I am available. You can use me for great exploits. I am a good

shepherd. I have the ability to make you form mental pictures, generate new ideas and show

you things beyond your sight.

I give creative ability to a writer, and the power to see things which do not exist. I take people

beyond their natural limits. Those who tapped into my power have made impact on humanity-

the great scientists, inventors, writers, war veterans, statesmen, world leaders, sports

legends, industrial barons and multinational corporations. I am IMAGINATION. I help you see

the hidden, not only the distant. Great people have used me, you too can use me. I am easy

to manage. I have creative powers. I give wisdom and can help you catch you your vision. Iactivate your faculties. I am not perishable, but you can perish without me.

I am ageless, yet I am like a baby. You need to nurse me to get the best from me. I am never

in a hurry. You need patience, humility, and sound mind to use me. Be persistent and

steadfast, I will put the world in your pocket. Neglect me; you will live a mediocre life. I

activated the lives of great men and women. I can activate yours too. Who am I? I am

IMAGINATION.

http://www.abundancecenter.com/

http://www.abundancecenter.com/



Now this is my message:

What would the world of business be like in the year 2030? You can only figure it out if you

use your imagination. Let's go! Imagine this. You go shopping at a shopping plaza. A product

catches your attention. It is well packaged and branded. The name: Peoples Bank. You

wonder, how a bank can be on a supermarket shelf. Your attention has been arrested by

something unusual just like the biblical Moses and the burning bush. Your curiosity is aroused.You want to find out what kind of bank is this? No bank has done this before. People's Bank is

the first to do so. A bank on a supermarket shelf? This is just an imagination for now, but it

may not be so in year 2030 given the rapid development in information technology and E-

business. I am IMAGINATION...I inspire people.

Dear professional, I have a message for you. With imagination, you can form a mental picture

of the world of business in 2030. Time separates us from 2030, but imagination can take you

26 years ahead or bring it to the present. I am a mental supersonic aircraft. I travel faster

than light and sound. But unlike commercial jetliners, I cannot crash. But you can crash if you

do not use me. Listen to me and give me your attention. You need me to see the nature and

volume of business in 2030. Without me, you cannot do so. As you read this message, you are

embarking on a Vision Flight to Business in 2030 which exists in the realm of imagination.Estimated flight time is 30 minutes for reading the three part message, and we shall be

cruising at an altitude of 3000 words above writing level. You are traveling on Infomedia

Writing Line. Your pilot is IMAGINATION.

Please listen carefully to the information about the place we are flying to -the Business World

in 2030. People's Bank is already giving an insight of what to expect in 2030 when technology

will put banks on supermarket shelves, chain stores, and even in homes. Technology will take

man beyond the earth to put life in other planets. Are you surprised? You better believe me. In

2030, the world's commercial airlines will be making commercial flights to the moon. Man

would have completely subdued the earth with science and technology. I am IMAGINATION, I

inspire people.

Take British Airways for instance. It prides itself as the - world's favorite airline".. Airlines are

already forming alliances to go global. There is the Star Alliance, the alliance network for

earth. There is the Qualifier Group. British Airways belongs to One World. It is a pointer to

what air travel would be in 2030.

The world in 2030 would be one big world of diversity with each constituent part, race, and

gender and markets contributing to a unified world. God made the earth one world, but man

turned it into many worlds. What is the key to one business world? Alliances, mergers and

acquisitions, common markets and currencies. It is already happening. The EU is here.

European countries have merged into a common market served by a single currency, the

Euro. By 2030, the United States of America and Canada would have completely fused into a

single market ruled by a new Dollar. Asia will evolve into a continental whole. Germany is nowone country. The two Koreas are courting each other after more than 45 years of separation,

while the Asian Tigers are evolving into a Super Tiger. I am IMAGINATION, I inspire people.

Eric Okeke is a motivational speaker, business writer, copywriter, and corporate storyteller

with more than 20 years writing experience . He is one of Nigeria's most experienced financial

journalists. His strengths are creative writing, humor, publicity, professional speaking, and

storytelling. His E-mail: [email protected] Eric lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. He

runs Infomedia, a media consulting, writing, and speaking outfit.





I recommend that you read this fantastic e- book, "How To Tell A Great Story" that is

dedicated to teaching people just like you about the famed "R.P.I. principle". Go now to

http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com

http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com/

http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com/

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7 Techniques to Supercharge your Creativity