About Creativity

10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity (By Julie Plenty)

2008-06-10T11:37:00.001-07:00

Creativity is your birthright – but can often be hidden in the everyday. To facilitate your personal development and self growth, here are some creativity tips you can use to resurrect, refresh and enhance your creative faculties.

1. Look after yourself.

Sleep well/Eat well/meditate/do what you enjoy and do it more often (if it is life enhancing!). Creativity is reduced when your senses are dulled.

2. Do something different.

We do so much on auto - the route we take to work, newspaper we read, TV programmes we routinely watch. Vary one element of your regular routine for a while. If feasible, take a different route to work, read a different newspaper (especially one you would never read!).

3. Be curious about your world around you.

It always amazes me when people don't see what's around them. See the area you live/work in as a tourist would. How would you explore it if you were a tourist?

4. Read a book on something you previously had no interest in.

...and see if you can create interest whilst reading it. It is my belief that no topic is boring or uninteresting if it is enthusiastically and creatively presented. You know what you like - or you like what you know?

5. Do something childlike once in a while.

...and you don't have to have the children there as an 'excuse' to do it. Sit and play on swings/draw/paint 'silly' pictures - have fun. Children are incredibly creative and as adults we could learn a lot about how they view the world.

6. Create/prepare quiet time for yourself every day.

Not to do anything (unless it relaxes you), but just to clear and refresh your mind. We are human beings, not doings. There are times when our crowded schedule and minds don't allow space and time for the creative to be welcomed in. Einstein liked to go sailing in the afternoons after working in the morning. Okay, most of us don't have this opportunity, but you get the point.

7. Ask 'what if' questions.

Just for fun and see where the answers take you. What if that building could talk, what would it say, what stories would it tell?

8. We often make assumptions.

...about the people we work with (especially if we don't like them!) Try treating someone you don't particularly like at work as if you liked them (yeah I know...) What would you say, how would you act towards them?

9. Write and storyboard your life.

...as if it were a script you had to sell to a film company.

10. Talk to people you routinely ignore or dismiss.

Imagine their lives from their point of view, they often have viewpoints which you may never have considered before and ... carry a small notebook with you to jot down new ideas / sensations / feelings as they come to mind.

Do one, some or all of these and you’ll soon notice a rise in your creativity, personal development and self growth.

About The Author

Julie Plenty is a Personal and Business Coach, who helps writers, artists and photographers prosper in their business by helping them build a strong personal foundation, because they ARE their business. For more self growth and personal development articles, and to sign up for her Life Design newsletter, visit: http://www.self-help-personal-development.com.

My Work Is My Play - The Journey From Survival to Creativity (By Talia Shafir)

2008-06-10T11:36:00.002-07:00

“For the love a’ creation!”, my father was fond of expounding, when “Pete” and “God” had run their course. It was years later until I realized that sentence actually held meaning for me – other than an expression of exasperation. It is, most literally, the love of my life.

For a remote viewer, creation is both the destination and the journey. It has a very real context, namely, the matrix. It is the void, the confluence of all things singularly rolled into one while simultaneously separated into individual parts made unique by a nuance of frequency. It is that vast and limitless outer expanse only reached by turning inward.

In my years of remote viewing, I’ve been on many journeys. The real goal of this process is to engage the consciousness of the matrix. In the advanced stages, the targets reflect this whether they be of a terrestrial or off-planet nature. There is no other way for me to describe my experience except to say that it is a direct interaction with the creative source and a distinct confirmation that we are part and parcel of this force.

As an embodied soul, I am both the creation, bound to a contract of safety and survival, and the creator, inextricably dedicated to risk and innovation. One way of describing survival is to say that it is the eternal quest for the mediator, the recognized other, regulator of our early bio-neurological processes. It is the search for the “savior”, the one who can assure us that no harm will ever befall us as long as we remain faithful to the other’s perceptions of the world.

Creation, on the other hand, is the direct experience beyond time and space. Creation is the personal responsibility of the individual to the collective and has no intermediary. Creation assumes survival.

A Biological Imperative

Survival is our biological imperative. No argument there. However, how we define survival for ourselves and others around us is a component of health and well-being of global proportions. We can, for example, be persuaded to go to war when we’re convinced that our survival is threatened. However, resistance not only arises from an immediate life and death scenario but also out of a question of quality of life. Enter creativity. In the final analysis, we are not content to simply “survive”.

Creativity then becomes the resourced state that sustains life. It is, in fact, an inseparable part of survival. The optimal word here is “resourced”. Our greatest resource is our consciousness. Obviously, the more parts (i.e. pieces of consciousness) of ourselves we can convince to stay present in the moment, the more resourced we are and the more creative we can be.
So what tethers us to the path of expectation? How do we mistake opportunities for opportunists, gifts for burdens, or vice versa? This is our survival mechanism in action; this is also our survival mechanism run amuck.

Past Tense or Present and Tense?

Does the past exist? My answer would be yes, it exists in the present. I have frequently had the experience of remote viewing events, places and life forms in the past. I absolutely know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is possible to focus on the signal line of such a target and experience that “past moment” in its sensory entirety. As a remote viewer, I am also trained not to take the experience back “home” with me. Consciousness helps me do that.

However, when an unconscious part of me is connected to the signal line of a past event, I don’t have the benefit of that conscious resource. It’s as if that particular part has no idea that a trained remote viewer also shares the same physical container. In that case, whenever some present sensory input amplifies the signal line (to which I’m already unconsciously attached), I experience that event all over again. And the experience registers in my body through the nervous system while my brain draws the same fearful, hopeless or delusional conclusion it’s always drawn, based on the limited resources available to that unconscious part of me.

Of course, I’m just using my remote viewer part to make the point. The same thing happens when consciousness is brought to that current event by any other method of integrated awareness, as long as it includes the body. The body really needs to know it survived. Otherwise, it becomes impossible to return to calm and safety, the portal to creativity.

Survival In the Workplace

One place to easily view this in action is in the workplace. When we’re growing up, choosing a career sounds like an exciting premise. We don’t take into consideration that the unspoken part of our job description will be to fulfill someone else’s expectations. The workplace, by its very nature, is an arena of external focus. That makes it a fertile field for the triggering of unconscious past wounds. We can use the experience to heal and grow (creativity) or we can use it to reaffirm our attachment to a certain level of survival.

What often occurs is that we measure success or failure by the amount of money earned, possessions garnered, and lifestyle achieved. When we speak of someone as “successful”, we usually mean “wealthy. Somehow, this has come to mean that only the “successful”, the “creative”, have earned the right to play.

In this pass/fail world, survival can become a hook synonymous with drudgery, boredom and bitterness. Notice how “successful” people are often touted for their creativity. Ironically, you have to be really creative to survive. It’s just that when the majority of your focus/energy is on a picture of survival alone, you don’t always acknowledge the creative part of the endeavor. Unfortunately, that brand of creativity rarely gets translated into the quantum-leap realm of “success”. We tend to stop at survival instead of peeking around the corner or taking those few extra steps toward a new picture. I must say that one of the major things remote viewing teaches you to do is not to stop at the first picture you think you see. Once again, it’s integrated, perceptual training that makes the difference.

Work and Play Go Hand in Hand

When exactly did ‘work’ and ‘play’ become the Cain and Abel of sound economic theory? In many cultures they used to go together. In some, they still do.

How ironic is it that the biggest innovation in the world of corporate training today involves improv theater techniques and game design technology? No doubt about it…play is a primal imperative. Look around in nature. Play sets the stage for life.

Stress management in the workplace is really about people learning to work and play together for the creative good. Team building skills are all about that very concept. When the company prospers, then everyone benefits. All work and no play makes Jack… a survivor in my book and that’s really only half the story. Life needs creativity to thrive and the creative process needs acknowledged space to happen.

I once attended a week-long meeting of advanced remote viewers from all over the world. Approximately twenty-two nations were represented in a group of about 75 people. We came from all walks of life from teachers and ministers to doctors and lawyers. For three days we struggled to agree upon a list of prime imperatives for human survival. The question was “What drives the human race?”

Some were easy, like ‘love’ and ‘fear’. Others did not flow so glibly off the tongue, like ‘greed’ and ‘competition’. I was a member of a contingent who tried in vain to introduce the word ‘play’ into the mix. In the end, ‘play’ was nixed from the top ten because it was not deemed a powerful enough imperative. What amused me the most was that the group could not sit there for a whole day deliberating on this list without someone starting to play. People either began to joke about other people’s words or just act out and laugh. Some of the group began to devise their own game for picking words. But ‘play’, as visible a driving force as it was, never made the cut.

How does our quest for survival sometimes end up being the death of us? It’s when our biological history keeps insisting that we’re fighting for our life when, in reality, the actual threat in linear time has passed. Our brains have a habit of holding onto strategies that have proved themselves stalwart weapons in the moment only to turn into shackles impeding the march of progress the next day. Humans do it; corporations do it; nations do it.

Taking the Leap

How do we make the move from survival to creativity? Well, first we have to recognize that we’re stuck on survival level. That’s usually the hardest. That’s when we want to look around for someone or something to blame – past or present Many of us are reluctant to move off the “…but you were supposed to take care of me” piece of the healing process. Becoming aware of the fact that “where you are” is more likely “where you’ve been” is an essential first step to witnessing objective truth in the moment.

Remote Viewing calls these scenarios analytical overlays or AOL’s. It’s easier to understand the concept of what needs to be done than it is to actually train your brain not to close off the creative process of inquiry. That’s what we do when we insist on naming or labeling something or someone too quickly. I’ve found that Remote Viewing actually trains your informational processing system to behave differently. We really don’t realize how quickly that conscious part of us wants to draw conclusions. Not every embedded strategy is bad, of course. It’s the ones that don’t work any more but keep on going like the Energizer Bunny of survival mechanisms that we want to address and resource.

On a recent remote viewing journey, I was taken into a part of the matrix that is an energy stream. I saw myself lying there on the mat. The object was to surrender to the energy and have the experience. I suddenly realized that the creative force wanted to “play”. I “returned” with a feeling that creation demands a rebate. The message seemed painfully obvious and terribly simple but it was the experience of it, the embodiment of it that drove the point home: It’s not enough to be someone’s creation. At some point, you have to realize that you’re alive – you’ve made it – and you must give back in order for that creative source to survive. Making a conscious decision to move your perspective from survival to creativity is a spiritual experience that grounds your creative power in the three dimensional world.

Talia Shafir, MA, C.C. Ht. is a regression therapist and co-founder of the Center for Integrated Therapy in Sebastopol. She divides her time among a practice on both coasts which specializes in trauma and long term PTSD, teaching Remote Viewing throughout the country and running a corporate training consultancy using Improv and a variety of experiential techniques called Bizprov International.

For information about Remote Viewing lectures and trainings or therapy inquiries, call 707 829-7904 or visit the web at http://www.soulview.com

For Bizprov International inquiries: 707 829-3757 or Gobizprov@aol.com.

Codifying Creativity (By Kal Bishop)

2008-06-10T11:36:00.001-07:00

Can we codify creativity? Within these few words are a number of principles that must be identified and resolved before we can really answer the question.

The first question is, what is creativity? What are we trying to codify?

One useful definition of creativity is that it is problem identification and idea generation. Another is the production of a number of diverse and novel ideas. Yet another is the engagement in a number of diverse and novel behaviours.

The second question is, can we measure creativity?

This is necessary, as any codifying must result in measurable change. From the above, we can see that creativity can be measured on a number of levels such as: a) we can measure the number of ideas produced and their diversity and novelty, b) the frequency of idea production over periods, c) the frequency of divergent and novel behaviours engaged in over periods or d) we can ask people to rate themselves as being creative before and after training.

The third question is, what do we mean by codify?

It means to code or organise into a systematic process. From the above, it becomes clear that codifying creativity is possible if we produce systematic processes that produce measurable change in the ways mentioned above.

Now onto the real question then. Can we codify creativity?

Well, yes. If we just set out a number of processes that produce measurable improvement in the ways described above.

What processes?

There are an infinite number and each produces it’s own set of results. By combining, mixing and rearranging, different results occur.

Simple psychological games, such as role-play, can be used. In the Journal of Psychology, businessmen were asked to rate themselves on creativity and they ranked themselves very low. Then, after asking them to pretend they were happy-go-lucky hippies, they re-rated themselves much higher.

Lateral thinking techniques can be used, where the point is to generate ideas without purpose, for the sake of generating ideas, follow seemingly nonsensical pathways and so forth. This simply maximises the quality and quantity of the idea pool.

Linking techniques can be used. Where everyday, novel and diverse objects are used to create connections with the endeavour.

What I have just done is codify creativity. Ask any group to come up with ideas related to a particular problem and they will produce a set quantity. Use the above three (each contains an infinite number of possibilities) and the group will produce more creative output.

Using and extrapolating the above principles (and using more precise techniques), I can, for example, codify processes and structures that make it possible to complete a screenplay very quickly.

The above is an incredibly general example, but you get the idea. And this small case begins to demonstrate how creativity can be made measurable, useable and tangible.

This topic is covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com. You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop MBA is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com

Should You Quit Your Job for Your Dream? (By Suzanne Falter-Barns)

2008-06-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

The next time you’re moodily sitting in your office, wishing you were living your dream instead, answer the following questions… or answer them now! They’ll give you a sense of whether or not now’s the time to make the break.

My job is making me crazy; so crazy I’d do anything to quit.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
If I left my job for my dream, I’m not sure what I’d do first, or even how I’d begin it.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
My boss runs my life … or ruins it. I feel completely misunderstood and trapped by this job. I don’t even know if I could quit – how would I survive? Who would even hire me?
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
I hate this job but I really need the money. I don’t see any other viable alternative.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
If I stay at my work just a little longer, I stand a good chance of getting a promotion and a raise. Then I could find my way clear to saving a little money for my dream.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
5. Yeah, I could quit my job for my dream, but I could run off to Tahiti, too. That’s way too much risk for my taste.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
My spouse/partner is okay with the thought of me quitting my job for my dream. We’ve talked it through and he/she sees it as the next thing I need to do.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
My spouse/partner fully understands what life will be like when I make the leap to begin my dream. He/she will be there for me, emotionally and even financially if necessary.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
I have a business plan for my dream all organized and ready to go. I’ve even scoped out sources for capital, and necessary space and materials to get to work.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
I have a savings account for my dream with enough to get started, plus an emergency savings account worth 6 months of my general living expenses. I’ve also scoped out alternatives to my current health care and insurance.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
10. I’ve been developing a systematic plan for leaving my job for a while now… I feel I’m almost ready to go.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree
11. I have an adequate support system in place to really help me move ahead with my dream. It includes good friends and advisors, adequate child or elder care, a supportive spouse, and even a coach or mentor.
1. Highly agree
2. Mildly agree
3. Don’t really agree
4. Strongly disagree

If you answered mostly a) and b) to questions 1-4, you’re stuck. Your job has forced you to forget about essential pieces of yourself – it’s time to get some career coaching now.

If you answered mostly a) and b) to questions 5 & 6, you’re a borderline case. You haven’t yet decided whether your dream is all that important to the quality of your life. Just an experiment, you might want to sit with a blank piece of paper and really brainstorm what it would be like to live your dream.

If you answered mostly a) and b) to questions 7-11… what are you waiting for? You’ve got a plan, you’ve set up the necessary support and you’re good to go; you should be able to weather the inevitable ups and downs. Be sure to allow your company enough notice to make the transition smoothly, so you can leave with glowing reviews. Congratulations!

About The Author

Suzanne Falter-Barns is an expert on creativity, and the author of two best sellers on creativity. Her website, howmuchjoy.com, and her ezine, The Joy Letter, have been featured in SELF, Fitness, i-village, cybergrrl, and on msn.com among others. To learn more about finding the time, money and energy to live your dream, check out our free ezine, The Joy Letter, at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html

Creativity Myths (By Kal Bishop)

2008-06-10T11:34:00.002-07:00

Sustained myths about Creativity and Innovation lead to confusion, bad practice and bad decision making. Some of them include:

1. Creativity requires Creative Types

While some theorists assert that there are creativity traits such as tolerance for ambiguity and intolerance to conformity, these assertions are countered by the fact that traits are hard to identify and are not stable nor transferable across situations. Further, motivation is a critical factor. Additionally, creativity is a cognitive process and thus measurements like “she looks creative” are poor benchmarks. All the research shows that everyone can produce novel, useful, varied, diverse ideas and looking for certain types to come up with them reduces total valuable output.

2. Money is the best Motivator

Material reward is a synergistic extrinsic motivator. That means that it is a factor that enhances intrinsic motivation but may not in itself cause maximum creative effort and output – there are at least six other motivators that are as valuable. Additionally, the exact level of material reward very positively correlates to that received by peer groups.

3. Time Pressure drives Creativity

Yes and no. There are at least three conflicting forces:

a) Time pressure increases creative output. By forcing idea production, setting goals and incremental deadlines, a greater number of ideas are produced than if a “do your best” approach is taken. This action benefits from the positives of prolific production and other processes.

b) Time pressure may be a non-synergistic extrinsic motivator. It reduces the level of engagement in the endeavour and inhibits intrinsic motivation.

c) Short-term time pressure does not allow the mind to engage in the endeavour at various cognitive levels. It does not allow rich ideas to formulate through the process of incubation.

4. Competition outperforms Collaboration

Competition causes many people to shut down and introduces many negatives such as core and peripheral groups, politicking and restriction of information. Collaboration, on the other hand, allows the intellectual cross pollination that is the raw material for good idea generation.

5. Creativity and Innovation can be used interchangeably

The terms Creativity and Innovation are often used interchangeably but they are, in fact, separate and distinct. Creation can be described as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation is idea selection, development and commercialisation. The distinctions alone lead to numerous conclusions. Among them is the fact that:

a) Creativity and Innovation leaders require at least six different competencies (including one holistic) to even begin Managing Creativity and Innovation (actually, many more are needed).

b) Both Creativity and Innovation require different structures, processes and skill sets.

c) Workshop facilitators should split sessions into distinct parts and formulate frameworks and processes to maximise output at each level.

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These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased at http://www.managing-creativity.com

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as the author's name, web address and link to MBA dissertation is retained.

Kal Bishop MBA
Kal is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller.

Magic In Your Spice Rack (By Samantha Stevens)

2008-06-10T11:34:00.001-07:00

Variety is the spice of life, but spices, historically are the stuff of magic! A spell, after all is really just a recipe and traditionally many of them involve plant life or herbs. Magic doesn't have to be complicated to work. In fact the simplest spells sometimes work best of all, because they most resemble an innocent wish and the doer is not attached to the outcome. Check out the magickal uses of some of these very common spices, which are found in almost everybody's spice rack or kitchen cupboard at home.

CINNAMON: Cinnamon is practically one of the most useful spices in practical magic and is used for purification, blessings, prosperity, protection and improved communication. Sprinkling a little cinnamon on your toast or your cafe latte in the morning may help to improve business. To protect yourself from gossip or the envy of others, place a tiny dot of cinnamon on your breast bone in the morning while dressing. Sprinkling a little cinnamon under the phone, may help you get that difficult person to call you back. Sucking on a cinnamon flavored candy before you need to make a presentation or a speech, can help you be more eloquent (as the spice is ruled by Mercury.) The next time you wash the floor, add a dash of cinnamon to the pail to increase business.

GINGER: Ginger is used to speed things up. Next time you do your floor, add a little ginger and cinnamon to the water in the pail to make your own "Fast Luck in a Hurry" floor-wash. A little sprinkled under the phone may cause that important call to come faster, but don't use too much ... it can also cause a heated exchange or an argument. A mixture of ginger, cinnamon, crushed dried rose petals and coffee, placed under your mattress is said to spice up your sex life.

SALT: Salt has been used for ages to purify spaces and prevent negative energies from entering your home. If you feel like you are under attack, try sprinkling a little in all four corners of the house for protection. Taking a bath in salt is said to purify the aura.

BASIL: Said to be ruled by Mars, Basil is said to have a protective and cleansing influence. If you have had contact with someone who you dislike and whose negative energy seems to be hanging around, a bit of basil, steeped in warm water and drunk like a tea or mixed with tobacco and burned on the tip of cigarette is said to drive the obnoxious influence away. Basil sprinkled near the front door is said to bring you money.

BAY LEAF: Aside from seasoning stew, the Bay leaf can also be used for granting wishes. Write your wish on a piece of paper and then fold it into thirds, after placing three bay leaves inside. Fold the paper again into thirds. Once the wish is granted, the paper and bay leaves should be burned as a thank you. Bathing in bay leaves (add nine of them) is said to bring you fame and glory.

MARJORAM: Marjoram can be used to clear negative thought forms from your home. Sprinkle it on the floor and let it sit awhile (like astral baking soda) to absorb the bad energy and then with a broom sweep the negative vibes out the front door.

MINT: If you need to sparkle in a crowd, charm, woo or sell something, trying nibbling on a little mint or drinking mint tea before you do your presentation. However, if that is too archaic for you, sucking on a spearmint-flavored Tic Tac will do the trick as well.

PARSLEY: Need some cold hard cash? Make a tea out of dried parsley by boiling a teaspoon of the dried herb and adding it to a cup of boiled water. Either add it to your bath or put it in an atomizer. The idea is to sprinkle or spray the parsley water in a clockwise direction in your house to raise your money drawing vibration.

ROSEMARY: Rosemary is a protective herb and the whole needles can be sprinkled around the perimeter of a house for protection. If you like antiques, but are worried about the vibe of the previous owner of what you bought, a wash made of one teaspoon of the dried herb to one cup of boiling water can be used to purify the object from the energies of its past owners.

SAGE: Sage is an herb of wisdom. A tea made from a teaspoon of sage and a cup of boiling water can be added to the bath-tub or sprinkled throughout the house to help destroy illusions and raise mental clarity. You can also buy it commercially, in tea bags, and drink it to help improve your memory while studying for tests.

Samantha Steven's articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha's books about metaphysics click herehttp://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com

Creative Thinking versus Critical Thinking (By Kal Bishop)

2008-06-10T11:33:00.001-07:00

The process of creative thinking is often, mistakenly, intertwined with critical thinking. There is a tendency to write and edit simultaneously, couple hypothesis generation and evaluation, combine problem identification with solution.

To increase effectiveness, one should first apply creative thought, which is meant to be daring, uninhibited, free-spirited, imaginative, unpredictable, and revolutionary. The trick is to ignore content and maximise the size and richness of the idea pool.

Second, critical thinking is exercised to achieve applied creativity. This is reductive, logical, focused, conservative, practical and feasible. During this stage, the idea pool is reduced to achievable, appropriate ideas.

Now onto the Idea Pool itself:

Maximising the size and richness of the idea pool is a conscious process that has a lot in common with a) lateral thinking and b) the elicitation of tacit knowledge. It is the pre-critical thinking phase and some elements include:

a) Coming up with ideas for the sake of generating ideas.

b) Using a variety of stimuli and frameworks to open up as many pathways as possible.

c) Not having a conscious direction.

d) Not stopping when a goal seems fulfilled.

e) Consciously stimulating change in direction.

In short, the key principle is to produce first and scrutinize second – writing and rewriting are two separate processes. This applies across the board, from business problem solving to arts such as screenwriting. The more people try to understand meaning, the less they produce.

Kal Bishop, MBA,
http://www.managing-creativity.com

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK and founder of http://www.managing-creativity.com. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led improv workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. Kal regularly conducts workshops and presentations in London and can be reached via kalB@managing-creativity.com.

How To Let The Subconscious Mind Do The Creative Work (By Fernando Soave)

2008-06-10T11:32:00.002-07:00

From time immemorial mankind has wished for an Aladin’s lamp,
which would make wisheds come true.

The closest thing to this magic lamp is the subconscious mind.
The “genii” of the subconsious mind
will work for you if you follow a certain process.

How can we trap the subconscious mind
into a great deal of our creative work for us.

Here are eight tested ways.

1. Give yourself a motive.

The subconscious mind works at its creative best
when you have a purpose.

2. Make a date with your subconscious mind.

Prod it with definite orders as to what you want,
but don’t tell it what methods to use.

Let it use its own methods.

Example : “Genii, at 2 p.m. tomorrow,
I want you to tell me just how I am going to sell 3000 crates
of oranges to hard boiled Mr. Mack.”
It will help the genii if you have obligingly
collected on cards all the pertinent information about Mr. Mack likes,
dislikes and hobbies.
This will make it easier for the genii to figure out the best approach.

3. Always keep a pad and pencil at your bedside.

You never can tell when the subconscious mind
will suddenly come up with an idea.
When it does, write it down.
Always carry a small notebook or pad with you.

4. Write every idea down.

When you first get an idea,
don’t try to figure out whether it’s good or bad.
Write it down.
“The faintest ink is better then the best memory.”
This is particularly true of creative ideas.

5. Don’t be critical of your ideas too soon.

You have a problem that can’t be solved by cold logic.
It needs the spark of imagination.
But the moment your subconscious mind tries to throw out a spark,
your conscious mind says :
“That idea is a lemon. It will never work.”

In the early stages of the creative game,
the conscious mind must be told to shut up.
Nothing will cause the genii to scamper away
so much as being told by the conscious mind
that their ideas are worthless.

6. When stymied, stop for a while.

Of course, most creative problems can’t be solved overnight.
After you had a creative session with yourself,
it’s usually best to stop trying to think up any more ideas.
This stage is called the incubation.

7. Keep yourself motivated.

Whenever you have temporarily abandoned
seeking an answer to a problem,
the uncounscious mind should have its orders :
“This is important to me.
Don’t give up the ship.
Keep on working on this idea while I sleep and rest.”

8. When the heat of creation is gone

put your work aside for later evaluation.

Just as a period of conscious thinking and gathering facts
usually precedes a creative idea,
so a period of conscious thinking should eventually follow it.
This is the period of evaluation.

Creativeness is wonderfull.
But it is only half the battle.
The other half is evaluating your idea
or hearing another’s opinion of it.

Sometimes an honest opinion may spark a new idea.

Fernando Soave
CEO CUTTING EDGE MLM
http://www.cuttingedgemlm.tk
Free Cutting Edge MLM Newsletter.
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Fernando Soave is the author of "Cutting Edge MLM News." He has been in marketing for 20 years and is helping individuals succeed online. Visit his site to find out how you can get free reports.http://www.cuttingedgemlm.tk or Subscribe to the Free Cutting Edge MLM Newsletterand receive your +$585 MLM Value Pack.mailto:mnet@followup101.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE

7 Things Sapping Your Creativity Right Now (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:32:00.001-07:00

This was a very easy article to write. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I “felt” like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it. In doing it, I thought about the last month (when I meant to be getting started on this as well as other creative projects), and I identified seven things that have gotten in the way of my creativity. Maybe you’ll see yourself in some of these.

1. Not getting enough sleep – I noticed this one the most when I DID finally get a good, long sleep (the night before writing this, actually). All of a sudden my muse was speaking to me again (see below for more on that), the day looked positive and full of promise and I was open to the ideas that are always flowing around me. And I just plain felt good! Sleep is something I write and speak a lot about, and it’s still a practice I need to consciously keep up so I don’t slip back into bad habits.

2. Trying to do it alone – Bouncing ideas off someone else is invaluable to me. When I stop before I start (see below), and I don’t consult or collaborate with others, I miss out on the collective voices that are available to me. Just hearing my own telling of an idea – reading it aloud or describing it – can be enough. Any feedback or new ideas is a bonus. If the idea is really fresh and precious, I may ask the listener not to give feedback, and let them know I just need a sounding board at this point.

3. Stopping before I start – Not carrying out my creative projects because of self-doubt, real or imagined obstacles, perfectionism or generalized fear. When it came to writing today’s article, I had to “Just Start”.

4. Poverty mentality –It’s very constricting to be worried about money all the time. I’m doing a lot of reading and learning about this topic right now – I’m sure I’ll be able to share more in future issues.

5. A cluttered work/living space – It’s been over two years since I finished my first major de-cluttering and it’s time for another one! Exciting! While my living space has stayed tidy, some clutter (things I don’t need, use or love) has crept back in and is starting to gnaw at me.

6. Disconnection from my inner wisdom – When I’m rested and feeling well, I can much more easily tap into the ideas that are flowing around me. Whether it’s being open to something useful in an article I’m reading, or just listening for the solution of that problem I’ve been struggling with for a few days (and really, it just “came to me”), the answers are there.

7. Disconnection from my body – If I’d been paying closer attention to my body’s needs, I think I would have arranged sooner for some nights of extra sleep. I need to listen to the messages my body is sending me – do I feel nourished by the food I’m eating (or am I getting hungry too often), am I hydrated (or do I feel thirsty or light-headed, or is my skin extra-dry)? Am I showing physical signs of stress – muscle tightness, shallow breathing or headaches? My body will reward me if I listen to it, use common sense and give it what it wants.

If you saw yourself in some of these examples, take heart. Awareness is the most important step for change to take place. To look in more detail at your self-care habits, take the free quiz on the “Resources” page of my website.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. If you want to read more about what might be getting in the way of your creativity, sign-up for the Roadblocks to Creativity e-course – it's free! And it includes a subscription to Everyday Artist, Linda's monthly email newsletter. Grab it now by visiting http://www.genuinecoaching.com

"Attraction": What We Attract With Our Creative Choices (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

I used to be a jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, they were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did. But no one impressed me as much as Billie Holiday. The tragedy and the talent meshed together into a musical offering unlike any I'd heard. I was inexplicably drawn to the drama and the heartache.

Louise Montello points out, in her book, Essential Musical Intelligence, that I was drawn to those songs for a reason. They corresponded with how I was feeling about myself and my life, and the real or imagined conflicts or unresolved issues that were going on for me.

Later, I found myself still listening to music that was at a different 'frequency' than me, simply out of habit. I either didn't notice that all the songs I was choosing were focused on 'negative' topics or content I didn't agree with anymore, or sometimes I was drawn to the music or musicality of the performers. Or it was simply habit.

There was sometimes a 'coolness' factor - maybe the performer emulated a quality I wanted to possess. Maybe it was their version of success I was after.

A common concept in the personal growth field is that whatever we put our attention on, we unconsciously manifest into our lives. This is the purpose behind the gratitude list - taking time each day to focus on what we're grateful for. It helps to balance out the time that most of us spend lamenting what we DON'T have.

Last night I saw the new movie, 'What the Bleep do We Know?'. My mind is still reeling from all of the scientific evidence that supports the notion that the possibilities, for all of us, are infinite - AND definitely within our control if we choose to think a certain way.

One of the most fascinating and concrete examples came from a Japanese researcher who documented how water crystals changed depending on which thoughts were directed towards them. For more information about the movie, see http://www.whatthebleep.com.

This is not to say that we shouldn't ever sing sad songs, that we should only paint with pink and yellow, or that we should use our computer to filter out negative words in our writing. It's not to say that we should in ANY way censor our authentic expression.

My point here, as it with many of the topics I speak about, is that we should consciously choose and be aware of what we're expressing. AND, as an experiment, we can choose to try and manifest what we want by describing THAT in our art, instead of focusing on expressing our feelings about what we don't.

Today I experiment with choosing songs, both to listen to and to sing, which evoke images of things I want to create in my life, or things I'm grateful for.

I have a very special collection of songs that I listen to every morning. Every song in there is very deliberate. Some of the songs remind me to be grateful, some songs remind me to celebrate and all of the songs connect me in some way to my spirituality.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, “Everyday Artist”, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html

Fear & Creativity (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:30:00.002-07:00

My fears are most powerful when they’re simmering just under the surface of my awareness. I’m resistant to a new idea, I’m defensive about holding on to my old ways, I feel excited and panicked at the same time – these are sure-fire signs that there’s some fear under there.

Shining a spotlight on my fear has been the best (and only) way to get to the other side of it.

"Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love" - Ranier Maria Rilke

My fear is there for a good reason – to protect me. If I can have compassion for my fear, and understand what it’s looking for, I’ll be more ready to let it go.

I’ve been thinking about how fear and creativity often go hand in hand. As creative artists, what is our fear looking for? What does it think it’s protecting us from? In exploring these questions I decided to brush up on Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”.

Abraham Maslow suggested that all human beings have the same basic needs, and that we spend our lives striving to meet them. His famous hierarchy of needs explains that at the basest level we need protection from the elements, food, water and other physiological needs.

Then, we need to feel safety and security within our family, our home and in our place in the world around us. We need to feel that we fit in and understand where we fit in and how everything works.

Next, we need to feel love and belonging - that we're accepted and appreciated.

We need to feel competent and masterful and that we're being recognized for our talents.

Finally, when all of those needs are met, we strive for the "top" level, "Self-Actualization" - to really live up to our highest potential, to feel a oneness with God, the universe and all of our fellow travelers on this Earth.

For some of us, long after the needs HAVE been met, we still fear losing them and having to meet them all over again.

Maybe that’s why creating our art can evoke so much fear. Creativity is a direct form of self-actualization. When you’re feeling fear about putting your creative ideas into motion, which of Maslow’s needs are you concerned about meeting or losing?

* If I commit fully to my art then I won’t be able to support myself financially – I could lose everything and be penniless and homeless

* If I put my creations out into the world, people may not like them – that means they won’t like me, they may laugh at me, I won’t fit in

* If no one likes my work, I won’t fit in. No one loves, understands or knows me. I’m not fulfilling a need in the world – no one needs me. I’m not serving a purpose.

* If I try to create, I could make a mistake. I’ll feel stupid and no one will like me.

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

* If I go another year without trying to get my creative projects off the ground, I may never break free of my limitations, and I may live the rest of my life with unrealized potential. I may die with my creativity still inside of me.

Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully.
- Frances Moore Lappe

Have I missed any? Probably. Of course each of us have our own unique fears – and these are more universal ones that relate to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and to our creative hopes and dreams.

A well-known acronym for fear is:
FEAR = False evidence appearing real

In other words, even though what we're fearful of seems very real to us, it's usually something we've made up in our heads, as opposed to something we're facing in physical form. Studies on the stress hormone cortisol show that our bodies react to our thoughts regardless of what is actually in front of us. Our fears feel VERY real. And……they’re not.

SARK, author of Make Your Creative Dreams Real suggests you to try this acronym on instead:

Fill yourself up creatively – Julia Cameron advocates something similar with her “Artists’s Date” assignment in The Artist’s Way. What sparks your creativity? A long drive in the country? Making a vegetable soup? Meditation? Prayer?

Explore what stops you – looking at your own unique methods of self-sabotage is a cornerstone of the Everyday Self-Care Workbook (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/esc-workbook.html), and of my upcoming book just for creative artists.

Accelerate movement – Do something, anything, to combat the inertia of staying still. SARK advocates “micro movements” that take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes to complete. Those micro movements are the building blocks for our creative dreams and most importantly, get us moving!!

Repeat – luckily for us, this process continues as long as we’re up for it!

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
- Dorothy Bernard

Self-Care for Creative Artists: 10 Reasons To Care About It (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:30:00.001-07:00

1. To be more comfortable in performance situations – performance anxiety usually stems from a variety of causes – physical, mental and emotional. Maintaining your overall health and wellness, including keeping your stress at a manageable level, managing your negative thinking tendencies and getting the emotional support you need, will diffuse some of this anxiety before you hit the stage.

2. To connect more and isolate less – other creative artists can provide you with inspiration, understanding and support. Looking at your social and communication habits can help you to deepen these relationships and allow them to enrich your life.

3. To have enough energy for everything you want to do - healthy habits will give you a fresh spark of energy and a clear mind.

4. To relax – relaxing, letting go and gaining some perspective on the creative process can help you to ease into it, and to let what's meant to be expressed come out naturally.

5. To use your physical environment to make you more creative – paying more attention to your physical surroundings and how they affect your creativity and well-being can have infinite rewards, once you take the steps to create your ideal environment.

6. To find time for what's important – learning how to say "no" to things that are draining your time and energy, in order to say "yes" to yourself and your art.

7. To deepen your creative experience - self-awareness and personal growth will add depth to your creative expression.

8. To stop sabotaging your own efforts – more awareness into the choices you're making will help to shine a light on your hidden and destructive self-sabotage patterns.

9. To take the power away from your inner critic – learning to recognize, hear and then dismiss the voice of the inner critic will increase your confidence and give you back a sense of empowerment.

10. To have easier access to your muse – whether it's speaking to you as your own higher self, a higher power greater than yourself, or through someone else's music, art or words, it's sometimes necessary to "set the stage" for these important conversations. Why make your muse compete with your inner critic, your busy schedule, your late-night adventures or the many other users of your time and energy?

Think & Grow Rich (By Leslie Fieger)

2008-06-10T11:29:00.001-07:00

All wealth is a product of mind. Some economists will try to convince you that wealth comes from productivity. Many people believe that wealth is a matter of ownership or the accumulation of possessions. They are blind to the truth. They see only effects, not causes.

It is ideas that produce wealth. The process of creating anything, including wealth, begins with the idealization, the conceptualization, the visualization. Everything that follows is simply the implementation of the original thought. Everyone has the capacity to think and to choose what and how to think. Therefore, everyone can be wealthy.

The great thing is that ideas are free. You don't have to exchange or pay anything to have an idea. The problem most people have is that they don't have any original ideas. Of course, it is possible to refine someone else's idea or to find a better way to implement someone else's idea and thereby create wealth. That is actually what most people do. But why not just come up with your own concept. After all, ideas are free. Yours for the asking. No cost.

Hold onto that thought. Something you can produce with no visible effort, something you can have an endless supply of, something that you can have for free, can make you wealthy. Just one simple idea.

Hey, why don't we create an online flea market?

Zap. eBay. A multi-billion dollar company.

Hey, why don't we create a 24-hour international TV news channel?

Zap. CNN.

Hey, why don't we create a better delivery system than the post office?

Zap. FedEx.

Hey, why don't we create a personal computer?

Zap. Apple Computer.

The experts at IBM laughed at the two Steves. "Who would want a computer in their home? You guys are nuts." Now IBM's business relies on the sale of PCs. And the world is a different place. What would your life be like without a personal computer?

His college professor gave Fred Smith a 'C' on his paper proposing the need for a guaranteed overnight delivery service. Now even the post office copies Fred's FedEx concept. Fred is wealthy. The prof is still not. Not wealthy and not thinking correctly. Thinks A ideas are C value.

Ted Turner knew nothing about TV. His business was outdoor advertising. Billboards. Now, the major TV networks copy little old upstart TBS. And now it is CNN/Time Warner/AOL.

Ideas. How great they are compared to tangible things. Here's why. If I have clay pots and you have apple pies, I can trade you a clay pot for an apple pie, but then I'd have one less clay pot and you'd have one less apple pie. But if I have an idea and you have an idea, I can trade you my idea for your idea and now we both have two ideas. Not only that, two ideas often act synergistically to make a third idea and maybe even a fourth or a fifth idea as well.

Tangible things do not grow when exchanged. They merely change hands. Ideas change the world. Tangible things do not create wealth. They are the effects of wealth creation. Ideas are the cause of wealth creation. Had any good or original ideas recently? You are equally as capable of having them as any one else. Ok, maybe you don't know how to think original thoughts. Improved upon anybody else's ideas lately? At least you can do that. No? The find a good idea and implement it. Copy. Mimic. Do the same thing.

Michael Dell did not invent the personal computer. DHL is merely copying FedEx. The boys at Google did not invent Internet search engines. They just built a better one. It was someone else's original idea.

I did not invent eBooks. Online marketing was not my original idea. I took my ideas, added the ideas of others and presto, a wealth creation business.

Yes, you can think and grow rich. I know. I have the proof. That's what I do. So can you. Go ahead; I dare you. Think. Idealize. Imagine. What if...

Why don't we create a...

Leslie is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy: The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest plus many more success publications. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra's DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. Subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.ProsperityParadigm.com or http://www.LeslieFieger.com.

Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright.

Creating and Living Your Ideal Legacy (By Steve Brunkhorst)

2008-06-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

A legacy is more than a gift that lives on after you. Certainly, a legacy is a contribution to humanity. A legacy provides value to future generations. However, if you are creating your ideal legacy, it will also make your heart bubble with passion and excitement today!

Louisa Alcott wrote:

"When Emerson's library was burning at Concord, I went to him as he stood with the firelight on his strong, sweet face, and endeavored to express my sympathy for the loss of his most valued possessions, but he answered cheerily, 'Never mind, Louisa, see what a beautiful blaze they make! We will enjoy that now.' The lesson was one never forgotten and in the varied lessons that have come to me I have learned to look for something beautiful and bright."

Emerson left future generations with a philosophy of creativity, spiritual development, and individualism. He saw value and quality in each moment of life. His writings continue to share the message that people have the mental and spiritual capacities to achieve their dreams. He lived a philosophy that continues to benefit humanity.

The building blocks of your legacy are the ideas and philosophies that you live and value. Your contributions will provide something beautiful and bright to cherish during this lifetime. They will increase your sense of aliveness and fill you with the energy of a unique purpose for which you were born. They make up the quality of your life now.

How can you begin creating and living your ideal legacy today?

1. Decide What You Value the Most

Write down all the things that you value, and select at least five core values: those things that provide the foundation for your actions, beliefs, and philosophies. Examples of values are love, health, spirituality, family, career, adventure, peace, and community.

2. Draw a Time Line of Your Life

Draw a long line and mark it by years and months beginning with your birthday. Extend it for decades after your life will have ended. Include all the things you have done and things you want to do. Include the benefits future generations will experience from your contributions. Show how your life's work will actually continue after you. Your timeline is a very eye opening exercise. Spend adequate time with it and fill in as many details as possible. Then return from time to time to update your timeline and add extra details.

3. Write a Purpose Statement

Notice the themes running through your timeline. They can help to reveal your purpose if you are not already aware of it. A purpose statement is a simple, private statement that guides your daily actions. For example, you might write, "I help others to live happy and healthy lives" or "I create art that brings spiritual awareness." Do not confuse a purpose statement with a mission statement, which is a more specific way you might fulfill your purpose.

4. Focus on Today

Your timeline presented a large picture. What is your focus just for today? Spend sufficient time focusing on your current steps as well as on the future. How are your actions in each moment supporting your values and contributing to your purpose? If you are on purpose, you will feel authentically happy and fulfilled.

5. Move Forward with Gratitude

Live your ideal legacy by taking positive steps each day toward your vision for a better world. Savor the small treasures in your relationships with people. Live with gratitude for each contribution you have received and created. Give thanks even for the setbacks that ultimately reveal clearer paths forward.

Evangelist, Billy Graham said, "The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives." What legacy does the quality of your life reveal today? Envision your ideal legacy. See your role in creating a richer humanity. The legacy you share and live today can create a better world for future generations.

© Copyright by Steve Brunkhorst. Steve is a professional life success coach, motivational author, and the editor of Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration, a popular mini-zine bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve more in your career and personal life. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com

Sleep and Creativity (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

In my life, sleep is the number one way that I can either enhance my self-care and nourish myself or defeat my self-care and deplete my energy, peace of mind & productivity all in one shot.

When I’m rested I’m more resilient to stress. My body is more flexible and willing to work, my head is more clear and focused, I feel happier and more at peace and I’m nicer to myself AND to everyone else.

When I’m overtired, on the other hand – my body and my emotions feel more brittle. Unexpected turns can send me into a hurricane of a tizzy, my mind is foggy and I’m much less likely to be kind to you OR me.

I know this. I’ve known this for some time now. So, you’d think I consistently get enough sleep to make sure that first scenario happens all the time, right? After all, I AM the “Self-Care Coach”, my self-care must be perfect, right?

Well…….not so much.

As well as writing about sleep, I must mention another self-care concept here – in order to explain why I’m a bit bleary-eyed today. The concept is SELF-SABOTAGE.

The dictionary definition of sabotage is "an act or process tending to hamper or hurt" or "deliberate subversion". Why on earth would we sabotage ourselves? That's a complicated answer. And a simple one. We choose to.

Sometimes it's so frightening to imagine changing, growing or making conscious choices that we deliberately hamper our own efforts. We make choices every minute of every day. Our life is up to us. These are intimidating thoughts. And doing things the way we've always done them feels safe and comforting.

I know I’ll feel so much better if I get a good night’s sleep. And sometimes, for whatever reasons, I don’t choose to “feel good”.

And when self-love and common sense win out and I AM able to do what I need to do in order to get a good night’s sleep, I am rewarded.

Aside from benefits I’ve already mentioned, a good night’s sleep can also have specific rewards for us creatively. A few months ago I came across an article titled “Does a good sleep make you smarter?” (www.msnbc.com, in the “Health” section). The article described a research project going on at the University of Luebeck in Germany, which has determined that a good sleep not only makes us smarter and better at problem-solving, but more creative as well!

The article points out that “history is dotted with incidents where artists and scientists have awakened to make their most notable contributions after long periods of frustration.”

In other words, when we’re struggling with a problem in the hours before sleep, our brains actually keep working on the problem while we’re sleeping, and the answer might just “pop out” in the morning!

So, the longer and more restful sleep that we have, the more time there is for our “sleeping brain” to work on the problem that our “awake brain” has been struggling with.

This relates to the common spiritual practice of praying, before bed, for the solution to a problem, or to the self-help practice of writing a question on a piece of paper and slipping that under your pillow before bed.

So what stops you from getting a good night’s sleep? How do you sabotage your efforts? Over-work? Television? Internet surfing or gaming? Food, drink or other substances that make it difficult to sleep? Irregular sleep habits?

Here are the five things that work best for ME for getting a good night’s sleep.

1. Turning off the computer and television one hour before I’d like to be asleep. This gives me time to wind down, quiet my thoughts and prepare myself for sleep.

2. Getting out of bed early on the weekends. This means I don’t stay up too late or sleep in too long on the weekends. I try and keep my bedtime and wake-up times within about an hour of what I do during the week. Otherwise I spend half the week getting re-adjusted and life’s too short!!

3. Giving up caffeine. Even before I gave it up completely, I really had to limit my caffeine and “just say no” anytime after about 5:00 p.m. or else the caffeine affected my sleep that night.

4. Breathing techniques and other relaxation exercises. Just a few minutes of deep breathing can calm me and send me right off to sleep.

The simplest tips are to focus on breathing from the belly (diaphragmatic breathing) and to focus on long exhalations (exhalation is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for relaxation).

5. Setting the scene with music. I use music both as I’m winding down and getting ready for bed, and as I’m going to sleep. I’ve experimented to find the music that best does the job for me; this is obviously a very individual choice.

I recommend either instrumental music or vocal music that is either without words or sung in a language you don’t understand (so you’re not mentally caught up in the words as you’re trying to fall asleep). Wind instruments (I like the shakuhachi flute) are nice since the natural breaths and pauses that the musician takes can mirror your own deep, slow breathing.

Have you ever woken up in the morning (or in the middle of the night!) with the solution to a problem, a new idea for a song, or another creative spark? That sounds like the work of a good night’s sleep!

This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (January 2005) http://www.musesmuse.com.

Creative Dreams - What Winter Driving Taught Me (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

We had a winter storm the other day here in Toronto. And as I was driving, I started thinking about what my winter driving had in common with my creative dreams. Here’s what I came up with.

1. Being grateful to be in my car, pointed in the right direction and moving (however slowly). Some days I don’t accomplish as much work towards my creative dream as I set out to. Other days it seems like I’m moving backwards.

And I know that as I:

~ Get in the car (show up every day),

~ Point it in the right direction (have positive intentions and goals that I’ve expressed, written down and shared with someone), and

~ Keep moving (spending time on my creative dream every day, even just five minutes),

I’m doing the right things to protect my creative dreams and keep them alive.

2. There will always be someone in front of me and there will always be someone behind me, and where I am is just perfect.

When I come upon a person who is living out a version of my creative dream, only they seem to be farther along with it than I am, I need to let go of any feelings of jealousy, fear or discouragement that may come up.

I need to learn from them, admire them, connect with them and offer them my support. And I can do the same for the person who’s just starting out and for whom my almost two and a half years in business seems like a lifetime.

I need to accept that my fate is already happening, and it’s happening at the perfect speed, even if I don’t always see it at the moment.

3. If I try to do more than one thing at a time I risk derailing myself – and my very survival. A winter storm day is not the time to open a water bottle, make a phone call or jot down my grocery list while I’m driving.

I have many creative dreams and many things I want to accomplish everyday, every week and throughout my life. I can do them all. And I can only do one at a time. Spreading myself thin makes it harder to be effective and I risk giving up on one of my projects.

One worry is that I’ll “lose something” – completely forget about a project or my excitement for it. I have to keep faith that the really special projects won’t be forgotten.

And that if something is jumping in front of me and distracting me from the task at hand, maybe the truly exciting thing about it is that it’s taking me away from the “drudgery” of completing what’s in front of me. I need to complete what’s in front of me.

4. I have to keep my reservoir full. By practicing healthy self-care habits every day, my reservoir of energy (adequate nutrition and enough sleep, rest and activity) will get topped up.

It’s when my reservoir is full that I’ll be the most creative and the most open to my muse and to spiritual guidance.

And as I use it I need to constantly replace it.

Because any change we make needs to be reinforced with our actions every day. And every morning is a brand new start and the beginning of a whole day’s worth of choices to make.

5. God’s in charge (and I’m not). I can make all the plans in the world, and, as we all were reminded on December 26, 2004, plans (and lives) can be washed away in an instant.

So while I set positive intentions, create goals and practice positive visioning of what the future holds, I also aim to be open and accepting to whatever God’s plan is for me and for my creative dreams.

Prayer, meditation, talking things over with someone I trust, all of these help me to separate *my* plans from what God seems to be telling me.

And last Wednesday God planted the seeds for this article by providing a winter storm, extra time in the car, a good dose of inspiration from my muse, and the willingness to listen to it.

Breathing Out Stage Fright (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-10T11:25:00.002-07:00

You're stepping onto the stage, amidst opening night flurry and last minute stage directions. In the audience are the director you'd like to work with, the reviewer everyone listens to, and your first acting coach. The blood pumps in your ears, your heart is racing, and your throat is so dry you can't possibly speak your lines. Every muscle is tense and you want to run.

It's called the "fight or flight" response. It's also called stage fright. Stage fright comes in many different forms. For some, it's a nervous energy that disappears as soon as they begin performing, or a familiar sensation that's always under the surface but feels manageable most of the time. For others, it's so debilitating that they can't get through an audition to even be part of a performance.

Stage fright has huge repercussions to the health and well-being of the performer.

Dr. Louise Montello of Musicians Wellness, Inc. has worked with injured, blocked and anxious performers for many years, and has developed a rich set of tools that we can use in moments of stress and anxiety.

One of her most powerful techniques, from the Yoga tradition, is breath. Breath is a key link between the mind and the body. Our body's autonomic nervous system is made up of the parasympathetic nervous system (related to relaxation, creativity and awareness) and the sympathetic nervous system (related to analytical thinking and action). When we're in "fight or flight" mode, our sympathetic nervous systems are in charge, and our bodies, minds and emotions are locked into battle with an imaginary enemy (while our creative expression gets caught in the crossfire).

Deep breathing and the specific techniques that will be described in this article can reawaken your parasympathetic nervous system.

Note: In yogic breathing exercises, it's important to always breathe in and out through the nose.

1. Diaphragmatic breathing ("belly breathing")

Why? It allows you to move more air into your body and also to send more stale air out on the exhalation.

How? Practice this type of breathing while holding your hands on your belly, to feel it expand as you inhale, and contract as you exhale. Your back and sides should expand and contract as well. Watch a baby sleeping to get a really good demonstration of belly breathing.

2. Even breathing

Why? Will smooth out your breathing and help you to feel grounded.

How? Breathe in and out for the same number of counts.

3. Two-to-one breathing

Why? Since exhalation is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system (related to relaxation, creativity and awareness), long exhalations also help to induce relaxation. This exercise is helpful in times of great stress (i.e. auditions).

How? Breathe in for a certain number of counts, and then breathe out for twice as many counts (count evenly in your own time), pushing the breath out from the belly.

4. Alternate nostril breathing

Why? By alternately breathing through our right nostril (connected to our sympathetic nervous system) and our left nostril (connected to our parasympathetic nervous system), we can balance our entire autonomic nervous system.

How? To prepare for this exercise, clear your nostrils by breathing in and out quickly several times in a row (another technique called "cleansing breath"). Now, fold the index finger and middle finger of the right hand into the palm, and use the thumb to close your right nostril and your ring finger to close your left nostril.

Begin by inhaling through both nostrils. Then breathe out through one nostril, while blocking the other, and then switch and breathe in through the other nostril.

After three complete breaths, exhale without switching sides, and do three more breaths. This means you're now inhaling on the opposite side that you started from.

Now rest and breathe deeply and evenly through both nostrils for a few minutes. Then repeat that cycle two more times (with a rest in between), so you've done three cycles in total.

You'll be amazed at the difference these simple breathing exercises can make, with a few short minutes of practice every day. Then, at times of stress, you'll have a valuable tool to support your performance, and all your creative dreams.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Visit http://www.preparingforperformance.com for more help with performance anxiety.

The Elements of Creativity: Attributes Listing Method (By Alvin Chan)

2008-06-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Attribute listing is one of the best ways to generate ideas, whereby there any many parts to the problem/ challenge faced. If you are asked to generate ideas or solutions to a complex challenge, the first thing you can do is to list all the attributes of your problem.

These may include:

Physical
Mental
Emotional
Social
and more (depending on the complexity of the challenge)

By doing so, you can then concentrate on each attribute at a time. This will no doubt give you more peace of mind (and pulling of your hairs) when generating your ideas.

The attribute listing technique is often used in a Research & Development (R&D) department of many companies, especially those who are constantly producing innovative products to have an advantage over their competitors.

Let’s go through this worked example to give you a better understanding of how attributes listing can be of help to you.

For example, if your challenge is to design a new ladies’ handbag, you could list the attributes as: the physical aspects which include- shape, length, colour, materials used and on the emotional aspects-the stress some women faced of misplacing their handbags. You might choose to first tackle the emotional stress of losing one’s handbag by creating a new small gadget to be placed within the handbag to sound the owner that she is moving too far away (maybe one or two metre away) from her ‘treasure chest’. After that, you could work on the other attributes, one by one, be it the shape or materials used for the handbag.

Putting Your Elements to Work:

Try to generate oodles of ideas using attributes listing with these sets of challenges:

1. Design a new toy for children under 6 years old to teach them simple arithmetic. Safety is an important attribute.

2. Create a campaign to encourage people to stop smoking. (Think through the attributes: Physical, Mental, Emotional and Social)

3. Set up an effective marketing plan (there are many parts to a good marketing plan: the 4 P’s – Product, Price, Place and Promotion) for your new products.

Have Fun!

About The Author

Dr. Alvin Chan is a Senior Research Consultant at First Quatermain Centre of Collaborative Innovation (http://www.firstquatermain.com).

Please contact heartware2002@yahoo.com as a courtesy when reprinting the article online and/or offline.

bizguru88@hotmail.com

The Art of Keeping a Journal (By Janice Hoffmann)

2008-06-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Journal keeping is basically without rules. It is an uncensored invitation to cut & paste, sketch & chart, and to visualize and unravel every great and small thought. At its most basic it is a decision that your life has value.

Just listing your experiences and endeavors can reveal incredible things and encourage you to work for the nearly impossible, the rigorous, and the unseen. Recently, during a course on INQUIRY, I was asked to make a list of one hundred things I didn't know. Here a simple list became a prospect for the unknown and an introduction to something new. As Henry Miller states, "Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery."

I have also discovered that journal keeping is a great way to zero in. For instance, if you were preparing to run a marathon and wanted to improve your performance as a runner. You might put together a journal with notes that included:

· Diet & nutrition

· Speed & strength

· Warm up & cool down

· Visualization & meditation

· Cross training

· Profiles of great athletes

· And perhaps a section reserved for ideas and challenges yet to come.

It has been noted that elite athletes keep meticulous journals on their training and competition, not only to advance and validate their hard work and progress, but to mentally prepare them for athletic mastery.

Journals are great for tracking and brainstorming projects or developing a theme such as business creativity or spiritual practice. It can be used as a restorative retreat or a creative landscape, a playground of sorts for your professional goals or a keepsake for travel, weddings and birthdays.

·Try personalizing your own journal by creating an arrangement that is both practical and natural.

·Ask questions and dialogue with the world.

·Use it with regularity and see if this kindles some sort of journey.

Above all enjoy the adventure! WRITE UPSIDE DOWN, USE DIFFERENT COLORS OF PENS, collect conversations, favorite song lyrics & meaningful quotes --or start on the last page and see where it takes you!

The basic nutrition for a journal differs. Yet the more you nourish it, the more confident and the more willing your imagination & intelligence will be.

Janice Hoffmann is CEO and Founder of Success Is Sweetest http://www.successissweetest.com -A NewYork City based Career and lifestyle Coaching boutique.

Top Ten Brainstorming Techniques for Business Success (By Bea Fields)

2008-06-10T11:20:00.002-07:00

We experience creativity every time a fresh idea pops into our minds. We recognize creative imagination in everything from a pastel painting to a business plan. By trying these ten tips, you will discover some amazing creative abilities that may surprise you.

1. Substitute someone else's perspective for yours. How would a teacher, lawyer, actor, artist, explorer, journalist, psychologist, engineer, homemaker, child, or accountant approach your idea or subject? Don't know? Ask them!

2. Look at your idea through the eyes of a critic. For each idea, make a list of all criticisms that may arise. Try to develop as many solutions as possible for overcoming obstacles or repairing weaknesses in your idea.

3. Connect your idea to other worlds or fields. Look at the worlds of Politics, Art, Science & Medicine, Hollywood, The Ice Age, Astronomy, Astrology, Ballet, Animation, The Army, Asia, Teaching, Music, Europe, and the like. Can you make an analogy, and what ideas can you draw upon from these fields and worlds?

4. Magnify your idea. What can you do to enlarge, expedite, extend, strengthen, exaggerate, dramatize, or improve your idea?

5. Simplify your idea. Can you condense, trim down, compact, minimize, or narrow your idea?

6. Change your idea. Modify the name, color, sound, shape, form, function, smell, taste, and properties of your idea.

7. Make your idea meet the needs and wants of the masses. Does your idea meet the basic needs and wants of more comfort, money, food, shelter, time, space, convenience, attractiveness, health, and beauty? If not, alter your idea to meet one if not all of these needs and wants.

8. Add more value. What will add more value? Add extra features, durability, safety, thickness, accuracy, guarantees, uses, and freebies.

9. Examine what others have done. Emulate professionals and experts who have had great success with a similar idea or product. Are you facing a problem that has already been solved? Use the past as a tool for experimentation and learning.

10. Flip a coin. When you cannot make a decision, flip a coin. Once the coin falls, use your intuition and gut to make a decision. If you feel comfortable with the result, go with it. If you feel uncomfortable with the coin toss, make the opposite decision.

About The Author

Bea Fields, Southern Pines, NC, USA; bea@fivestarleader.com

http://www.fivestarleader.com

Bea Fields is an Executive Coach and a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. She is also a Consultant, Trainer, Public Speaker and author of the Five Star Leader e-course. Her area of expertise is that of Leadership Development and Marketing for Executives, Managers, Small Business Owners, and Political Leaders.

How You Can Improve Your Creativity - What You Need to Know (By Royane Real)

2008-06-10T11:20:00.001-07:00

Would you like to enhance your creativity? Do you think that increased creativity is something that would improve your life?

Before you answer yes or no to that question, take some time to explore what the word “creativity” means to you.

If you think that creativity is something that you only need if you’re an artist, while you happen to be a middle-manager in a corporation, you may decide that increased creativity is not really important to you. But creativity is actually something far broader than artistic expression, and it’s required in many areas of life.

Your idea of a creative person might be someone who lives in a loft, painting gigantic canvases all day long. Or perhaps a writer at her computer, working on a long novel. Or a musician, actor, or singer performing on stage to an audience. All these people are expressing themselves artistically, and they can all rightly be said to be creative people, even if no one else enjoys their art.

But what about an entrepreneur who has an idea for a new product, who forms a new company to produce and distribute it, eventually employing hundreds of people? Doesn’t this also require creativity?

What about a research scientist toiling in a lab, developing new compounds in an effort to cure disease? Isn’t this creative? What about a single mother who manages to come up with healthy delicious meals on a tiny budget? Isn’t that creativity?

To one person, creativity can mean gluing seashells to a picture frame. To another, creativity might mean solving a grand unified theory in physics. And to another person, being creative might mean coming up with an ingenious new way to speed up a factory assembly line.

When we define creativity only in terms of artistic expression, we miss a lot of other potential applications for creative thinking and problem solving.

An artist painting a picture, or a writer working on a novel, both have something in common with the researcher in the lab, and the entrepreneur, and the person gluing seashells to picture frames.

They are all working on problems and devising solutions that didn’t exist before. These people are using their minds to imagine fresh ways of doing something, putting together existing forms and ideas in new ways.

They may be creating a new idea, a new look, a new product, or new technique. Sometimes the ability to be more creative can lead to personal fame and fortune; sometimes it just provides a deep sense of personal satisfaction.

Can we improve our ability to be creative? Yes, in fact, learning to be more creative can be quite enjoyable and easy to do. Most of us were very creative as children, before we learned the official rules about how things are supposed to be. We can resurrect our ability to be more creative by exploring some of the many techniques that have been developed to improve creative and artistic ability, as well as to improve creative problem solving.

Some of the techniques that are used to improve creativity include brainstorming, mind-mapping, various forms of hypnosis and meditation, and guided imagery.

The techniques that have been developed to try enhance creativity all have one thing in common. They are all trying to bypass the inner “judge” or “critic” we have in our minds.

Most of us have an inner voice that is running a constant commentary on everything we think and do. We might barely notice this inner voice much of the time, yet it has a great impact on what we can accomplish in our life.

In many of us this inner voice is usually very negative. No matter what we want think about, or want to do, this inner voice is running like a tape in the background of our minds, criticizing our ideas, our performance, and our ability to be successful.

When we come up with a new idea, our inner voice may be saying, “This idea is stupid.” Or it might tell us, “I should never be mediocre or average, I must be brilliant and perfect all the time. All my ideas should be totally brilliant and innovative. If my ideas aren’t perfect right from the start, I am a failure and it’s better not to even try”.

Our negative inner critic does not always appear as a voice. Sometimes we see visual images of ourselves failing. Or we may have physical sensations of fear and embarrassment that stop us from pursuing new ideas or new actions.

Your inner critic isn’t being evil when it criticizes you, or when it tells you your ideas are not very good. Your critic is actually trying to protect you from being ashamed or embarrassed by the potentially negative comments and reactions of other people to your ideas.

Our inner critic is trying to make us perfect and safe, but it can have an unforeseen damaging effect.

If our inner judgmental dialogue is mostly negative, our creative abilities will suffer.

Instead of helping us to come up with better ideas, this endless barrage of negative inner commentary will hurt our ability to come up with new ideas.

You can’t be creative, and be critical at the same time. These two processes require different ways of thinking. The critical, judgmental, analytical function of the brain is not the part that knows how to generate creative ideas.

Even the types of brainwaves that you generate when you are being rational and analytical are quite different than the brainwaves that go with maximum creativity.

When it’s time for you to be creative, you have to send your “inner critic” out for a walk.

This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real titled "How to Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative" Check it out at http://www.royanereal.com

Shyness - Another View (By Maurice Turmel)

2008-06-10T11:19:00.002-07:00

We are all born shy, aren't we? When we see little children clinging to their parents, hiding behind Mom or Dad, we are reminded about the shyness of first coming into this World. As this early stage of our life we are not ready to be seen just yet. We want to hide until it feels safe to come out and be visible.

Becoming visible is what Life is all about. Revealing ourselves, showing ourselves and expressing our "inner self" are about becoming visible and declaring ourselves "Ready" to meet the World. Much of the World certainly seems to like the shy person. People want that person to reveal themselves, to display their talents and capabilities. The World can be generous that way. It would seem that "repression" is an aberration to that so-called "Worldy Manner" where we usually invite others to share themselves with us.

This is a good thing, I believe, where we encourage each other to come out and display our wealth of creativity. As a species we are all enriched by these contributions from our shy members. It's like we know at some level that we will benefit from their displays. And perhaps they will teach us something about
ourselves, since all of us have some inherent shyness built in.

Here's an interesting fact about shy people, those that still display shyness as adults - they are Creative. Very creative, as a matter of fact. The more shy a person is, the more creative they tend to be. A lot of actors and performers are shy people. Why? Because they are creative. So why do shy, creative people
show themselves? Because the joy of giving, of displaying their special abilities far exceeds the limited payoff of staying hidden and allegedly safe. It's a contradiction of course, but it is true nevertheless. Most shy people (not all) are
creative, and most creative people would rather give of their talents than hold back.

Are you shy? Are you creative? Then perhaps you are ready to give of yourself too! Wouldn't that be worth pursuing? If you see yourself as a "Shy" person then here's what you can do. You can hold yourself up to the light of day and declare "I am ready to meet the world." And the world will respond. "Welcome" it will say. "Yes indeed, we need you. Please show us your stuff."

And all the shy people of the World will step forward and give of themselves unanimously. Wouldn't that be a big surprise? To see all of us out there, dancing a jig, showing off our stuff, our talents and abilities.

Yes, we can do it, we who are shy. We can show our stuff to the World. Time to come out from behind Mom's skirts, and take a peek around the corner. The World is waiting for you to "Strut Your Stuff." Don't be shy now!

Maurice Turmel PHD is a Spiritual & Personal Growth Author and Songwriter. He was a practicing therapist for nearly 25 years. His blogs feature a collection of articles, reflections and stories as teaching tools. He is the author of the "The Voice," a Spiritual Sci-Fi novel which is available at Amazon.com. His music is listed at http://www.cdbaby.com/turmel4

Maurice is the host of the very popular Internet Radio Show "Rock My Soul Radio" which airs Thursday evenings at 9PM Pacific on http://www.bbsradio.com station 1. Join him for news, commentary, interviews and meditations all designed to Help You Connect with Your Source! Archived shows are free to listen to at the radio show website.

Improve Your Bottom Line, Ken's Idea Saved over $100,000 (By Chuck Yorke)

2008-06-10T11:19:00.001-07:00

Engaged employees can show us the way to continuously improve. Customers want our products and services to be better, delivered faster, and produced less expensively. This means that everything we do needs to be improved. All employees can be thinking about how to reduce costs, looking at safety issues, reducing wastes, and improving the environment, while at the same time developing skills to identify, articulate and communicate those kinds of things.

The Gallup Organization has studied thousands of companies and surveyed millions of employees. Their research has shown that very few employees are engaged and that a relatively small increase in the amount of engaged workers can reap great benefits for a company.

At the lowest level, engaged employees help a company stay in business and at a higher level employees start thinking about how they can improve themselves. They can take some ownership over their job; and also over their own development. It starts people thinking in new and different ways about the things they do.

In the book, â€œFirst, Break All the Rulesâ€ by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman from Gallup, it is noted that the manager, not anything or anyone else, was most critical in building a strong workforce. A lot of companies struggle with leadership skills, communications interaction, and improving management skills. We are now undergoing a paradigm shift as many organizations are beginning to realize that managementâ€™s job is to support the people doing the work as opposed to dictating how to do the work.

Engaging employees in improving their work creates new levels of communication and gives the ownership of improvements to the worker. We now recognize that â€œyou know your job better then management does because you are the one that does it every day.â€ Since people are the expert in their work, who better to come up with ideas to improve it then them. We all want, need and deserve respect.

Claudia designed a fixture to hold bubble wrap she used for packaging. It made her job easier. Ken saw the fixture; thought paper would work just as well and asked his customers. The switch to paper saved Kenâ€™s employer about $100,000 a year and a lot of storage space. Engaged people see the fruits of their labor as their ideas are implemented. They now receive positive feedback for a â€œjob well done.â€

Any process, any product, any service can be made better in some way, somehow. One plant manager said, â€œIt used to be that my problem solvers were solely the management team, but now my problem solvers are everybody in the building.â€ How can you beat that?

Chuck Yorke is an organizational development and performance improvement specialist, trainer, consultant and speaker. He is co-author of "All You Gotta Do Is Ask," a book which explains how to promote large numbers of ideas from employees. Chuck may be reached at ChuckYorke@yahoo.com

The Creativity Creed (By Catherine Franz)

2008-06-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

I believe that creativity is a natural order of life itself
and it provides my life with the purest of energies.

I believe there is an underlying creative force infusing
throughout my life.

I believe that when I open my creativity, I am opening the
Creatorâ€™s creativity.

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

I believe creativity is my Creatorâ€™s gift to me. Using my
creativity is my gift back to him.

I believe expectation of a fulfilling life attracts with
powerful changes when I allow creativity to flow through my
beingness.

I believe it is safe for me to discover my own creativity
even if it sets new paths not yet discovered.

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

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

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

I believe that when I allow my creativity to flow throughout
my life, I tap into the source of all that there is and all
that ever was.

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

I believe that as creativity gives to me, so does she
deserve from me all my faith mindfulness and commitment.

I believe in my creative self.

I believe in me.

Catherine Franz is a writer and author of over 1800 publishedarticles and several books on various business subjects. http://www.abundancecenter.com

A New Discovery Of An Old Secret (By Davis Goss)

2008-06-10T11:17:00.002-07:00

Some years ago, when the world seemed to close in on me and I felt as
though I was trapped between the sword and the wall, I made an exciting
discovery. Actually, it was a phenomenon that was as old as dirt but it
took on significant meanings for me because it freed me from all my
problems and all the stresses and pressures that were being imposed upon
me.

I discovered that there is only one simple root cause of all problems.
When this primal cause becomes known, understood and properly applied, all
problems disappear like snowflakes on a hot griddle. In fact this
discovery launched me on a life-long career as a professional problem
solver for a widely diverse personal, professional and corporate client
base that included many of the giants of American business.

I had discovered the law of opposites.

Take just a minute and think about the world you live in. Have you ever
noticed how everything you're involved in is comprised of opposites?
Opposites abound everywhere and in every situation. Webster has many
definitions for opposites but they are best summed up in the one where he
defines opposites as "elements that are so far apart as to be totally
irreconcilable".

For example, we have such irreconcilable opposites as up and down, left
and right, short and tall, light and dark, assets and liabilities,
success and failure, freedom and bondage and on and on and on. I doubt
that you think of anything that does not have an implied opposite

Think about it: We live in a world of division. We live in a world where
"twoness" prevails; a world of duality where very position, situation and
condition is challenged by some alternative where one side is always
pulling against another or pushing up against a wall that will not yield.

This is living in a world that is perfectly designed to promote struggle,
turmoil, conflict, confusion, disputes and disagreements. This law of
opposites is the cause of all problems. Without knowing how to control or
overcome this law of opposites, people try to adapt to it without
realizing that by so doing they only succeed in increasing their
frustrations and prolonging any solution. Is it any wonder that so many
people are suffering such pressures, stresses and anxieties!

If these people could somehow prevent this law from operating in their
individual experiences they could enjoy living is a world where oneness
prevailed and those things we call problems would have no influence over
them.

This might be best illustrated by using such familiar opposites as
positive and negative. Positives and negatives are opposites and have
nothing in common. They cannot mix or commingle. Neither can one be
described in term of the other. Try as you might, you cannot successfully
justify one to the other. They are opposites. It is the law!

A problem is defined by Webster as "an intricate, unsettled question
without an answer; a source of perplexity and vexation". By their very
nature, problems are negative. Webster defines "negative" as "something
that is the opposite, or negation, of something". That "something" is the
positiveness of the problem's solution. Webster's definition of
"positive" is "that which is real, not speculative, not fictitious and
logically affirmative; that which has actual existence".

Just as a negative has absolutely no positive characteristics, so a
positive has absolutely no negative characteristics. They are opposites.
It is the law! And because it is an absolute, universal law it is not
subject to chance, change, modification, circumvention or debate. It
maintains its own integrity, is self- enforcing and works simply because
it exists…forever! When properly applied it is your absolute assurance of
successful conclusions.

The problem is negative and unreal. The objective is positive and real.
Logic, then, demands that in order to experience your goal or objective or
receive the answer to your question, you must discipline yourself to
maintain a mind-set that is responsive to the positive ideas that will
dissolve your negative problems.

This is probably the most demanding discipline you will ever be faced with
because we've been trained to accept both positives and negatives as
real. From this premise, we attempt to solve a problem by confronting
it as an adversary with which we are compelled to do battle. We try to
"understand" it and "deal" with it as though it were a reality instead of
simply being a negation of that which we are seeking.

Does all this sound too abstract to be practical in what we call the
"real" world of nuts and bolts? While individual circumstances will vary,
the procedural application of this law is always the same.
( See my article "Taking the Problem Out of Problem Solving")
Consider this case study: Static sale plagued a company and great effort
and money was invested to find some means by which they could increase the
sales volume of their product. Their best efforts failed and they
resigned themselves to the conviction that the market was flooded to the
point of saturation and nothing further could be done. They were prepared
to "eat their losses" and move on.

Then the principles embodied in this discovery were initiated by one
individual who, in the secrecy of his own thought, maintained the
integrity of this positive, constructive, solution oriented approach. He
mentally rejected all discussions that focused on the "problem" even
though circumstances required that he be involved in them. Soon a plan
began developing in his thought. Every detail of a brand new
merchandising procedure unfolded that was a radical departure from all
traditional methods. The plan was implemented and sales increased
immediately to a level that far exceeded the company's most optimistic
projections. As an added bonus, the implementation of this plan did not
require any additional capital expenditures.

This confirms Victor Hugo's statement that, "there is nothing more
powerful than the right idea whose time has come".

The sales "problem" simply disappeared. Why? Because, being an unreal
negation, it never did have the substance or reality of its positive
opposite. Where did the problem go? It went to the same place the flat
world went as soon as Columbus discovered that it was really round. It
didn't "go" anywhere because it wasn't a real "something" to begin with!

Details of this discovery are fully outlined in a logical continuity of
demonstrable natural laws and principles in my latest book "The DYNAMICS
of ACHIEVEMENT".

For more than 40 years Davis Goss has been a creative consultant with
particular expertise in problem solving for widely divers client base that
has included many of the giants of American business. His latest book,
"The DYNAMICS of ACHIEVEMENT": outlines the details of his unique problem
solving methods that are based solely on proven scientific principles.

Davis Goss has had more than 40 years experience as a creative consultant to the benefit of a widely diverse client base that has included amny nof the giants of American busibess. His particular expertise in problem solving and new product development. His latest book "The DYNAMICS of ACHIEVEMENT" details the continuity of his scientific approach whichis based solely on natural laws and principles.http://www.davisgoss.com

Recharge Your Battery (By Steve Dimeck)

2008-06-10T11:17:00.001-07:00

It was 4:15PM on a Thursday when I arrived at the hair salon to get my haircut. My hair appointment was at 5PM but I arrived there quite early.

As I set down in the comfortable leather chair in the little "waiting corner," I looked down to my left with an intention to pick a magazine from the big basket that was filled with maybe over 50 magazines.

I sorted through the magazines but nothing would catch my eye. There were so many different magazines; I couldn't decide which one to pick and read while waiting.

Then, as I lifted a big batch of magazines to choose from, one of them fell down on the floor. I immediately dropped all the other magazines back into the basket and took the one that fell on the floor.

The beautiful view of a tropical island in the background, surrounded by crisp clear water covering the entire cover of the magazine, got my attention.

The magazine contained a large number of photos from tropical islands, vacation resorts and everything tropical you can imagine. I submerged myself into the pictures so much that 40 minutes went by like 4 seconds.

When I was all done with the haircut, I asked Isabella (the hair stylist) if I could take the magazine. She said that it wouldn't be a problem because anyway they recycle the magazines at the end of each month when they bring new ones in.

The magazine is called Islands. It was a June 2004 issue. When I went home I put it next to my computer and until today's day, it's still sitting there.

I look through it periodically. All my life I've lived in the northern hemisphere of the planet, and winter is definitely not my favorite season. Not to even mention the driving headaches when we get dumped with a few feet of snow.

The tropical theme has always been a dream place of mine.

So, every time I feel down, discouraged, marketing plan isn't working well, a goal doesn't get accomplished, problems and obstacles appearing out of nowhere, motivation is down, no inspiration, the world is coming down on me ... and so on ...

I take few peaceful minutes - no children, no computer. I pick up the magazine and literally isolate myself from this world. I transfer my soul to the tropical beauty shown in the pictures and I visualize myself living there and not just vacationing.

My battery gets recharged; I get the smile back on my face and I say to myself: "One day ...."

How many times have you felt down and depressed because of one reason or another?

How many times have you felt that you needed to recharge your battery? How many times have you lost your inspiration and motivation? How many times have you faced problems and obstacles that discouraged you from persisting with your goal?

What brought you up and what pulled you down during these crucial times?

I remember back in 1994 when I was starting college, a friend of mine gave me a study to read. The study came from a major corporate research. It was on "why executives rise to the height of their company and why other people don't."

The executives told in their words what they did to achieve such a success. I don't have that study anymore but I remember it very well because I'm still practicing what they said.

One of the steps was to have material goals. Something that you can see.

The material goals represent something far beyond material form. When you visually see the material goals that you're striving for, you receive the feeling of the kind of person you need to become in order to have them.

That feeling will recharge your fuel cells and bring your enthusiasm to the front line.

We live in a material world and we have to operate in a material world. We want material things because they're a representation of who we are.

What you want is good, because what you want is an extension of you becoming better.

And sometimes, you just need a basic material something to spark you into a higher level of achievement.

© Steve Dimeck; Publisher and author of The Success Maze - an ebook dedicated to the people who are still looking for ways to succeed online but feel a bit lost in this online Maze -- or should I say Jungle.FREE Details: ==> http://www.thesuccessmaze.com

Becoming Radiant: Boost Your Team's Creativity with Mind Mapping (By Maya Talisman Frost)

2008-06-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

I don't take notes anymore. Instead, I create one wildly colorful, creative and inspiring page whenever I need to make a decision, prepare a presentation, or plan an event. That whole two-column plus and minus approach? Gone.

Bring on the Mind Maps!

I read Tony Buzan's first book on Mind Mapping back in the early eighties, but I was too caught up in the old-school world to see how it could be of use to me. I recently rediscovered Mind Mapping and it has become an integral part of the work I do with clients.

Tony Buzan created the Mind Map concept in the early seventies. Based on his brilliant observation that our brains do not process information in a linear way, Mind Mapping allows us to use words, images, and color in an effort to engage the right side of our brains in what is normally considered a left-brain task: organizing information.

We've already learned that one of the keys to maximizing our potential as humans is to forget that whole right-brain/left-brain divide. Instead of seeing ourselves as a logical person OR a creative person, we're both. We've simply chosen to put more energy into developing skills associated with the analytical left or the daydreaming right. We must recognize that there's a fine line separating analysis from daydreams and that in order to have a fully integrated brain, we need to do both.

We speak in a linear pattern. We can say only one word at a time, and we can hear only one word at a time. Similarly, we read in a linear pattern-words flow in lines across the page.

So when it came time to organize notes and teach the proper form for creating outlines, it's easy to see why we turned to the tried and true linear approach. You know the format: Roman numeral one (I) followed by A, B and C, followed by 1, 2 and 3. We look for things to slot into each line in order to make it fit properly.

In school, we spent hours preparing these outlines for book reports, speeches, and term papers. In our work as adults, we do the same thing with agendas, meeting minutes, and project plans. Orderly lines of information. Black ink on white pages. Empty spaces.

Boring, boring, boring--and not the best way to use our brains.

Along comes Buzan, who says that we would be much better off if we allowed our right brains to get in on the game. So, instead of creating typical linear outlines, Buzan insisted on becoming radiant. He developed the concept of putting your central idea right in the center of the page. Your main points then radiate outward from the center. Each one of these points sprouts its own branches and twigs. He referred to this star-like pattern of ideas as Radiant Thinking.

The beauty of this is that you can see everything on one page. No time wasted sorting through pages. No need to flip through your notes to see your next point or find your conclusion--it's all right there in front of you. No need for extra notes. No energy spent on rewrites.

He didn't stop there. Buzan understood that color is a strong factor in helping us remember, so he encourages us to use different colors for each of the radiant thoughts and sub-thoughts. Instead of using only words, incorporate little line drawings and images to make connections between thoughts.

This is the way our brains work naturally. We don't picture the word B-O-X when we picture a box. Instead, our brains conjure the image. We don't always go from thought A to thought B to thought C. We're just as likely to start with A, then head over to E, skip back to A and then saunter over to R. Our neural pathways look like webs, not straight lines. In fact, the more criss- crossed our connections, the more we're able to synthesize complex ideas and come up with new ways to use old information.

Mind Maps give us an excuse to play. They give us a reason to keep a whole set of colored pens right on our desk for everyone to see. Mind maps allow our thuggish left brains to make friends with our timid rights. For once, there's harmony on the playground!

Use a Mind Map for your next planning session, and watch the reaction. Raised eyebrows give way to smirks, which dissolve into delighted grins. Linear notes become circular masterpieces. Black and white becomes a rainbow. Words become pictures. Workers become creative. Work becomes the joyful collaborative experience it is meant to be.

Grab your markers and become radiant. Your brain is waiting to play!

About The Author

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 90 countries. To subscribe to her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, visit http://massageyourmind.com

maya@massageyourmind.com

Creativity: Dare to Dream (By Kim Beardsmore)

2008-06-09T15:39:00.001-07:00

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.

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 $500 per month right up to earning large royalty checks that you're your whole destiny in life!

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 every conceivable 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?

Kim Beardsmore has changed her life! Are you interested in earning money from home? We're looking for individuals to join our team of work-at-home-ers. If you're serious about earning money from home and are willing to work (this isn't 'get rich quick'), then we'd like to help you grow a profitable business. We offer complete training, online and offline resources and a partnership for success: http://free2liv.com/?refid=dream-567885315/

Creativity and Communication Lessons from Crossing the Street (By Avish Parashar)

2008-06-09T15:38:00.002-07:00

Spring is in full bloom, which means it's 'get back in shape time!' For me, that means strapping on the sneakers and going for a run (well, at this stage it's more of a slow loping jog...).

I live in a city (Philadelphia) so I have to deal with traffic and crosswalks when I jog. A few days ago I was out for a run and I came to a red light. I jogged in place and looked for an opening in traffic so I could cross the street and continue my exercise.

After a few moments, all the cars had passed but one. This one was approaching the intersection with it's turn signal blinking, meaning that it was going to turn before it reached me. In theory, I should have been able to safely cross the street.

I was about to go, but then I stopped. Something about the car didn't feel right. Maybe it was the speed, maybe it was the position, or maybe it was just a gut feeling. Whatever it was, I decided to wait.

Sure enough, the car whizzed right past me while its turn signal flashed on and on. I may not have gotten squashed if I tried to cross, but there probably would have been a big scene with screeching tires and honking horns.

Once the car was past, I safely proceeded on my way.

So, what does this have to do with creativity, improv, business, and life?

I personally take two powerful lessons away from this experience:

1) Always look beneath the surface.

If I took what the car claimed it was going to do (turn before it got to me) I might have ended up in a body cast. I paid attention to details in addition to what it was explicitly telling me.

Similarly, when talking with someone, it is important to pay attention to more than just what comes out of the person's mouth. Watch their body language. Listen to their tone of voice. Just because a person says one thing doesn't mean that they really fully feel that way.

2) Get out of your own head.

People spend a great deal of time wrapped up in their own thoughts. I find pedestrians and drivers to be two of the guiltiest of this. If I had been lost in my own thoughts I may have just glanced at the car's turn signal and started crossing. By putting my attention out on the world around me I was able to learn a whole lot more about the situation.

This idea is fundamental to both Creativity and Communication. Put your attention on things outside of you and your creativity will start to freely flow. Get out of your own head and your ability to listen and communicate effectively will grow exponentially.

All that just from crossing the street. Maybe I should jog more often...

***

Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

To learn how you can simply and powerfully unleash your creativity, visit http://www.SuperchargeYourCreativity.com

Creativity: The Key To Getting More Done In Less Time (By Avish Parashar)

2008-06-09T15:38:00.001-07:00

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't worry 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 someone who 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 more time doing what's important to you and your business.

***

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

To learn how to apply the powerful principles of improv comedy to your own business or life visit http://www.ImprovForEveryone.com

Tapping into Your Super Creative Power (By Avish Parashar )

2008-06-09T15:37:00.001-07:00

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 you think 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.

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 are constantly 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. It is 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.

***

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

To learn how you can simply and powerfully unleash your creativity, visit http://www.SuperchargeYourCreativity.com

9 Steps to Supercharge Your Productivity with Creativity (By Avish Parashar)

2008-06-09T15:36:00.002-07:00

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.

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 onto the 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!

***

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

To learn how you can simply and powerfully unleash your creativity, visit http://www.SuperchargeYourCreativity.com

Infinite Ideas (By Avish Parashar)

2008-06-09T15:36:00.001-07:00

Ideas are infinite. Accept that premise, and you will be set for life, in improv or business. Don't accept that premise, and you doom yourself to a bleak future…

Ok, maybe that was a bit excessive, but the truth is that if you do not believe there is an infinite number of ideas out there, you will have trouble working with others and you will be blocking yourself from tapping into real innovation.

Why is this? Well, let's assume that you believe that ideas are not infinite. You believe that there are only so many good ideas (or solutions, campaigns, designs, etc.). That means that if you come up with a good idea, you believe you have grabbed one of the few good ones out there. You will therefore hold onto that idea because you can't be certain if there's another idea out there. So, if a friend comes along and suggests trying something different, you will be reluctant to let go of your idea. A person who believes ideas are infinite, on the other hand, would be willing to let go of the idea and try something different, because he would believe that he could find another great idea.

Also, if you come up with a good idea that has one or two flaws, you might push forward with it anyway because you don't believe there's anything better out there. If you believed that ideas were infinite though, you would let go of the flawed idea, confident in your ability to find a new, unflawed one. (It is possible to turn bad ideas into good ones by using your creativity, but the only way to do that is to believe that you can expand upon your current one and come up with something better).

This is less about fact and more about belief. No one can prove whether ideas are infinite. You either choose to believe it or not. I like to believe that they are infinite. I like to believe that no matter how good my current idea is, I could come up with a new one that is as good or better than it. This attitude also allows me to believe that every problem has a solution, which is a very powerful belief to have when it comes to business and life. The opposite approach, that ideas are limited, restricts people's power and willingness to push forward and try new things.

***

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

To learn how you can simply and powerfully unleash your creativity, visit http://www.SuperchargeYourCreativity.com

Quiz -- Are You Creative? (By Michele Pariza Wacek)

2008-06-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

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

A Quick Course in Creativity (By Paul McNeese)

2008-06-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

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.

· 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 the very 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, even though 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 look back 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 that information 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 real creative 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 willing to 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 you thinking 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 and transformational 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: pmcneese@opapublishing.comWebsites: http://www.opapublishing.com and http://www.opapresents.com

Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney (By Michele Pariza Wacek)

2008-06-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

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 into different
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 search for 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.
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.

Seeing Problems From Their Creative Side (By Etienne Gibbs)

2008-06-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

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: eagibbs@ureach.com.

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.

Three Ways Journaling Can Boost Your Creativity and Your Business (By Michele Pariza Wacek)

2008-06-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who has struggled with her creativity for a
long time. She's extremely uncomfortable thinking of herself
as "creative." We've been working together on it, and making
progress. One of the tools that's really helped her has been
journaling.

From Julia Cameron's The Artist Way to Natalie Goldberg's
Writing Down the Bones to Linda Trichter Metcalf, Ph.D. and
Tobin Simon, Ph.D.'s Writing the Mind Alive to numerous
other publications, journaling has enjoyed a long history of
creative-nurturing along with a host of other benefits.

For my purposes, I'm defining journaling as any sort of
loose, longhand writing. Whatever thoughts come into your
head you put them down on paper. There's no structure, no
form, nor concern about spelling or grammar or even
legibility.

Even if writing isn't your dream, incorporating a regular
program of journaling into your life is a wonderful way to
jump-start your creativity and cultivate a constant flow of new
ideas. Here are three reasons why.

1. Helps you get rid of the junk in your head. We all have it.
Junk thoughts. Everything from self-defeating comments
("Oh, I'll never be good at that." or "Who told you that you
could be a writer?") to the "worry of the moment" to neurosis
of every type to the ever-growing, constant to-do lists.

Who can be creative with all that noise going on? For that
matter, who could even hear a creative thought over all that
racket?

Journaling is a way to quiet the mind. Writing all that junk
down transfers it from your head to the paper. Suddenly, you
find you can actually think rather than simply react.

The best part is this quiet lasts long after the journaling is
done for the day. And if you journal frequently, then the effect
is cumulative.

When I finish journaling, I find that I feel peaceful. Calm.
Able to focus. The junk is gone, leaving space to be creative.

2. Gives you a chance to try new ideas. What better way to
see if a new idea will work than to try it out on paper? You
can write out the pros and cons, describe a scenario, play
"what if" games ("What if my new business was
successful?" "What if I tried that new advertising
campaign?" "What if I contacted the editor at Money
Magazine?"). And the best part is it's all in a private little
notebook that no one will ever have to see.

Try writing down your hopes, dreams, goals, visions. Play
around with them. You may find as you journal about them,
a strategy for making them come true suddenly presents
itself, right there in the pages of your notebook.

3. Helps you build a bridge to your muse. This one really
only kicks in after you've sufficiently done number one (at
least, this is the way it works for me). It seems only after I've
gotten most of the junk out of my head that the muse
sometimes slips out to play a bit.

How do you know the muse came to visit you? When that
brilliant idea flashes in your head. It may not happen while
you're journaling, but instead while you're showering,
walking, driving or something else. This is the muse talking
to you.

It's important to remember muses have quiet voices. They
can easily be drowned out by the incessant bickering of the
other noisy chatter going on in your head. Once you can get
those other voices to shut up, you can start to listen for the
muse.

Don't worry if this doesn't happen right away. There have
been weeks and even months when I write nothing but junk
down. But then, one day, that great idea appears on the
paper or in my head as I'm walking my dogs.

And when that happens, I know all the time I spent
journaling about nothing has paid off.

Creativity Exercises -- Journal more ideas

I would love it if you made a pact with yourself to journal
regularly for a month. If that's too much of a commitment for
you, try it as a creativity exercise.

Write down your challenge at the top of a piece of paper.
Maybe it's ways to increase business or promote your
products more or a new PR campaign. Now just start writing
about it.

Don't think, just write. Fill a few pages of musing about that
particular challenge. Don't type it either -- write longhand. If
you wander away from it, try nudging yourself back.

Write for at least 20 minutes. If no answer presents itself in
that time, don't get too hung up about it. Try it again the next
day or a few days in a row. Sometimes it just takes awhile to
jar things loose. And remember, great ideas have a
tendency to pop up in the most unexpected places, not just
when you're doing something "creative."

Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of "Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money." She offers two free e-zines 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 TheArtistSoul.com.

3 Clever Creative Strategies! (By Bill Thomas)

2008-06-06T16:14:00.001-07:00

I've got a confession to make... there are many ways
leaders can be more creative, innovative and ingenious than
are presented in this article.

It does not matter if you desire to be a marketing,
entrepreneurial or organizational leader, you do have to use
your creativity to be successful.

Most leaders have trouble discovering new opportunities,
generating good ideas and promoting innovative solutions. In
the game of creativity, you need both quality and quantity
to 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 learn
them, practice them and make them the most used tools in
your 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 for
some guidebook, create yourself a map and follow it out of
your troubles instead.

How do you draw a map to find new ideas, opportunities or
create inventions? It's easy, all you need is a place to
start! And like Dorothy learned in the Land of Oz, you
always begin at the beginning.

Do you have a problem you're trying to solve? Do you have an
unmet need? Do you want to search for something? Do you
suspect something is missing or something is out of place or
something 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 and
then draw lines to any related problems or missing items.

Once you identify your problems, needs, missing pieces or
suspicions and connect them in some logical order [by
putting your worse problems at the bottom of the page and
easier 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 solve
the problem

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

=> Color your problems and their related solutions with the
same 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 when
possible 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 on
here?

2) What are the problems, difficulties or challenges?

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

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

Ask those 4 questions and always ask 'why' at least 5 times
for each answer and you will find tons of beneficial
solutions.

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

So you tried mapping, drawing, picturing and asking or
answering it and you still aren't getting any great ideas,
are you?

Well here are some last chances for you - just re-arrange
it, combine it with its own or different parts,
mix-it-all-around, shuffle it, remove parts of it, throw it
at the walls, step into the middle of it, step away from it,
turn it upside down or inside out or round and round, talk
about it with others or even yourself, meditate on and pray
about it.

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

------------------------------------------------------------

Even though these seem a bit lightweight, they are the most
powerful ways known to mankind for solving problems, finding
ideas and opportunities and for creating useful inventions.

When you use these techniques, you will be employing the
secrets of history's greatest inventive minds like Edison,
Newton, Copernicus, Jesus Christ, Marie Curie, Franklin and
Einstein.

You can do this, it takes only a few moments a day to master
them and then you will find yourself lighting-up the world
with your bright and valuable ideas.

Necessity is and always will be the Mother of invention.
Make your Momma proud by using these methods whenever you
have the need to bring meaningful contributions to our
lives!

------------------------------------------------------------

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!

http://www.leadership-toolkit.com/skills.html

Top Ten Ways To Jump-Start Your Creativity (By Danielle Hollister)

2008-06-06T16:13:00.002-07:00

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 Sponge

Open your mind to the unknown and grasp the little details often overlooked in every day life.

3 - Read, Read, Read

Read 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 Temporarily

Indulge 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 Child

Forget 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 Procrastinating

Finish that one particular project that you have been putting off for weeks.. 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 Write

Write 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.

8 - Share Your Ideas, Opinions or Experiences with Someone Else

Whether 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 You

Make 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 Web

Look 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 - A free 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

Riches Through Creative Thinking! (By Julia Tang)

2008-06-06T16:13:00.001-07:00

When solving problems after you have exhausted the normal means of coming up with the solution, think in terms of unorthodox methods. Vary your thinking and try to solve the problems by creating something completely new and irrelevant. Come into the problem through the "back door".

Research and curiosity go hand in hand in solving the toughest problems. Quite often the answer is so simple, it is not obvious to us. Use an organized plan to work with and record the 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't try 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.

---------------------------------------------------------
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 internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
----------------------------------------------------------

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

20 Ways to Keep Your Writing Inspiration and Creativity High (By Catherine Franz)

2008-06-06T16:12:00.002-07:00

When stressed or blocked it is wise to make a change so that
we don't stay in that place. Yet, many times we forget some
of the simple things that we can do for ourselves, quickly
and easily to bring our inspiration back and increase our
creativity.

1. If you usually type your first drafts, hand write them.
Nothing compares to the feeling the ink melting into the
paper and the surge of that creative flow.

2. If you spend too much time at the computer, take a break
every hour. Go for a walk or just sit outside in the sun.
Even five minutes in a winter sun does wonders for a mood
and creativity.

3. Flip through magazines or books. Their colors and ideas
will give you sparks and switch your attitude. Blue and
green can reduce your stress levels by 30% or more.

4. Add strong smells to the room. Light scented candles
around you, visit the fruit isle at the grocery store, or go
to a store that is heavily scented. Find an orange or
strawberries and smell it. Both will change a mood or
create inspiration. Smells awaken your creativity. Smells
trigger memories and are a great method to rekindle stories
from the past.

5. Go see or rent an inspirational movie. Relaxation time
is important. You can even take your notebook and record
inspirational phases. Afterwards free write that those
phrases bring up from your subconscious.

6. Read a book that stirs you or sparks your creativity.
If you prefer, read poetry.

7. Look at bold and bright colors for a few minutes. These
change your mood.

8. Talk with a friend about your topic to flesh out ideas
and creativity. Record the conversation, with their
permission of course, and play it back to hear the little
nuances that you might have missed.

9. Write an e-mail to a friend to tell him or her what you
want to accomplish. If you are stuck, say so and ask for
help.

10. Check in with your vibrational energy and do something
to switch it into high gear. Take a shower. Go for a walk.
Turn on some music and dance naked for a few minutes.

11. Hire a virtual assistant to do some typing so that you
can stay focused on writing. You can fax your writing or
dictate it into the computer and send her a voice file for
transcription.

12. Go to church for the noon service or whisper a prayer
or two. This reconnects your energy with the universe and
replenishes what might be missing.

13. Complete an appreciation exercise. Pick something
around you, like the telephone, lamp, or pen. Talk to it
and tell it how much you appreciate having the electricity
to turn it on, the opportunity to write with a tool that has
the ink inside, not like a quill, or the softness of the
paper you write on. Be grateful for that you have and not
what you are missing. Or make a list of "count your
blessing" items.

14. Write a personal note to friends or family and tell
them how much you love them, appreciate their
thoughtfulness, or kindness.

15. Authentic, flat-out, raw laughter frees the psyche and
opens the creativity process.

16. Find a setting with lots of trees and flowers and feel
nature. If the weather permits, take off your shoes and
socks and feel the grass between your toes. Nature has a
way of freeing our spirit and renewing our soul.

17. If guilt or a passed incident has captured your mind,
write a "Dear Me" letter and ask yourself for forgiveness to
loosen it’s grip and expand your freedom.

18. Are you use to writing in a quiet place? Find a
noisy place to write, like McDonald's or the mall. When
your space is noisy you will have to focus harder in order
to write with clarity.

19. Go for a quiet leisurely drive, listen to a favorite
CD. You can sing out of tune and no one will notice
(laughter aloud).

20. Do something nice for someone else that you wouldn't
normally do and be a gracious receiver of a hug.

That was exciting, wasn't it? Post this list in a
conspicuous place so that it is readily available when you
need it, right next to your writing area is best. Do one or
two of these daily and keep on writing. Your readers are
waiting to read your words.

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing &
Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet
writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and
articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon (By Ricky Brandon)

2008-06-06T16:12:00.001-07:00

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 got me 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!

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 simply
surrendered 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 early 20'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: ricky@mymomentum.com

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

7 Techniques to Supercharge your Creativity and Solve your Problems (By Avish Parashar)

2008-06-06T16:11:00.001-07:00

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. For the 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.

***

For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com

To learn how to apply the powerful principles of improv comedy to your own business or life visit http://www.ImprovForEveryone.com/

12 Ways To Boost Your Creativity At Work (By Cheryl Lynch Simpson)

2008-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

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 at work.

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.

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.

Find the Artist Within (By Eileen Bergen)

2008-06-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

Can anyone be an artist?

People admiring my work often say, “I could never do that!” I say, “Yes, you can!”

Eight years ago, during a very difficult time in my career in finance (Downsizings, layoffs – let’s not talk about it, OK?), my company sent me to a development workshop for female executives.

I came out of a particularly thought-provoking discussion group and penned the following very prophetic free verse.

Threads They Said

Mimi said, “Why don't you paint again?”
I said, “There's no time. I crunch numbers now.”

Carole said, “You can do it!”
I said, “No. I don’t think so.”

Cheryl said, “You have an artist within. Reach down. Bring it out.”
I said, “My numbers … they pay the bills.
Though, God knows, they don’t feed the soul anymore!”

Martha said, “There’s a strength within you.”
I asked, “They why do I feel so weak, so beaten?”

Bob said, “Reach for the sky. Be your mother’s daughter.
Write poetry. Perhaps the answer lies within.”
I reached. I created. I wrote. I discovered.

The threads came together.
I design tee-shirts now.
On a glorious sunny beach.
I write my musings in between.
And share them with other artists
--- like me.

I didn’t really dwell on these thoughts at the time since I ended up taking early retirement and had no intention of going back to work. “Threads They Said” got filed away with my other work files. I only unearthed it recently and was stunned to realize how it all has come true. Except we don’t live on a glorious sunny beach, we live on a mountainside overlooking a beautiful lake – close enough for me! And now you are some of the other artists I share my musings with!

I believe anyone with a creative eye can be an artist. If you know what you like when you see it, you can be an artist. If you know what someone else will like, you can be a commercial artist. You only need to find your medium or craft.

To find the artistic spirit within you:

1. Think about your abilities, not your dis-abilities; what you can do, not what you can’t. Maybe you’re good with the computer. Think graphic arts. Maybe you wield a mean needle. Think of practical sewn items to which you can add artistic touches. Today with the endless supply of craft materials and kits to get you started, there’s something for everyone – or I should say – something for every artist.

2. Determine your bliss. I once read that if a woman thinks back to what she most enjoyed when she was between 8 and 11, she can identify her bliss. For men, it’s between 10 and 14. They mature later, you know – some women would say never. If, at that age, you were always making “stuff” (doesn’t matter what) and loved having your own crayons (that no one else was allowed – under penalty of death – to touch) and maybe your own set of colored pencils, art and crafting could be your bliss. If you took particular joy in actually producing something – an end product – rather than just messing with all those neat (or should I say, messy) paints, you almost certainly have an artist within.

3. Browse a local crafts superstore or Internet crafting sites (please start by browsing around TheArtfulCrafter.com!). Go up and down the aisles, whether virtual or real, and see what appeals to you. Purchase a few kits. [Aside: If you intend to sell what you make from the get-go, be sure to consider what will also appeal to your future customers.]

4. Don’t be afraid to try something new. To me, a sub-definition of artist is “someone who is always trying something new” – new techniques, new media. You have ittle to lose – the cost of a kit or a few tubes of paint – and very much to gain!

You have permission to publish this article electronically
or in print, free of charge, as long as you include the
author's bio and any links, then send an email to
Eileen@theartfulcrafter.com with a courtesy copy of your
publication or link to your web page

by Eileen Bergen
The Artful Crafter
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

Why Do We Need Creativity? (By Simon Mitchell)

2008-06-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Alan Watts writes in The Wisdom of Insecurity:

"We have allowed brain thinking to develop and dominate our lives out of all proportion to 'instinctual wisdom'; which we are allowing to slump into atrophy. As a consequence we are at war within ourselves - the brain desiring things which the body does not want, and the body desiring things that the brain will not allow; the brain giving directions which the body will nor follow, and the body giving impulses which the brain cannot understand...So long as the mind is split, life is perpetual conflict, tension, frustration and disillusion. Suffering is piled on suffering, fear on fear, and boredom on boredom.

The more the fly struggles to get out of the honey, the faster he is stuck. Under the pressure of so much strain and futility, it is no wonder that men [sic] seek release in violence and sensationalism, and the reckless exploitation of their bodies, their appetites, the material world and their fellow men".

Globally at the moment there are many problems facing mankind. Diminishing natural resources and increasing populations mean that we are in a spiral of entropy. Our investment systems have been using the capital assets of our planet as income since the beginning of the industrial revolution. We are putting little energy back into our planet.

Third world populations look enviously toward the apparent richness of first world countries, and wish to emulate the consumerism that appears to make its citizens so happy. Our media propagate the illusion that we can buy our way out of environmental destruction, and that retail therapy is the panacea to all dis-ease and unhappiness.

Although the nature of work is changing there is still more slavery in the world than there has ever been. Mass production is shifting generally to third world countries where cheap labour and the environment are more easily exploited. Tiny wage slavery is still cheaper than investing in up to the minute technology for many third world industries. New technology steadily gobbles up jobs. Service, leisure and electronic industries have replaced much of our manufacturing losses to the third world but now even these (often part-time jobs) are being 'outsourced'.

Certainly creativity is needed at individual and governmental levels to produce new opportunities in employment, information, education and leisure activities. Many of the manufacturing 'jobs for life' we have lost to cheaper workers have been replaced by part-time, poorly paid and insecure alternatives.

The development of new forms of employment and the ability to cope with accelerating change needs creativity at all levels. Pressures towards conformity stem from, "a demand that education should primarily the way to enhanced social status and a materially safe way of life" (T.P. Jones in Creative Learning in Perspective).

Aspects of specialisation (the mystification of knowledge into 'closed shops') and a centralised government system shift responsibility away from people. Many factors make it harder for an individual to act on their own behalf, on their own belief and to face uncertainty and possibly ridicule by doing something non-conformist. In education individual behaviour is still often construed as insulting and rebellious. Creativity, an Open University guide for teachers states:

"One of the problems with teaching for creativity in schools is that many of the personality characteristics and kind of behaviour associated with them are unpleasing to the teacher. Independent children who will not accept what the teacher says, simply because they say it, can be disliked by the teacher, particularly when such behaviour occurs on a heavy day or with a tired teacher".

The potential for divergent, self assertive thought and action is diminished in many sectors of society. People who 'rock the boat' and question authority are too often seen as a threat to established patterns. This has led to a breakdown in sensitivity to needs, the generation of ideas and the production of creative solutions. Financial reward and security are conditioned to be the primary motivations for work and life.

With the coming of automation and factories seeking the cheapest labour in third world countries, the emphasis in a successful economy needs to be more biased towards the production of ideas that create meaningful and sustainable employment. The education systems we have are slow to realise this and much of the training they provide is still geared towards values established during the Industrial Revolution.

The didactic education system we have is still partly based on training small boys for the priesthood, five-hundred years ago. The development of creative potential in individuals is an issue that the system simply does not know how to handle. Presently we are between two worlds, leaving generations high and dry concerning meaningful work and the generation of identity.

"Whilst assimilating that which he has inherited, and adapting himself to it, man [sic] must also preserve his essential individuality. Education must assist the society which nurtures it by inspiring each generation to add to the culture it has received by creating something new; there should be no passive acceptance of what has been handed down from the past. Serious consideration must therefore be given to the extent that non-conforming ideas can be considered as an asset for life in a conforming society".

(T.Powell Jones. Creative Learning in Perspective)

Secrets of Creativity: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/secrets.html

Creativity And You (By Harry Hoover)

2008-06-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

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 called
talent.”

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 thousands of hours of serious training. Consider Mozart who trained for 16 years before he produced an cknowledged
masterwork.

Let me tell you a few more interesting facts about creativity:

- Research shows that everyone has creative abilities. The more training you have and the more diverse the training,the greater is your potential for creative output.

- Additionally, it has been shown that in creativity quantity equals quality. In fact, the longer the list of ideas, the higher the quality of the final solution. Typically, the highest quality ideas appear at the end of the list.

- The average adult thinks of three to six alternatives for any given situation. The average child thinks of 60.

- Creativity is an individual process. Traditional brainstorming has been proven ineffective because of fear of social disapproval.

- Groups are best for idea selection rather than idea generation.

All of this is interesting and enlightening but doesn’t necessarily get to the root of the issue of creativity. I think there is one element even more important than the five mentioned above. Let me tell you a true story to illustrate what I think the prime factor in creativity is.

A New York publisher was concerned about the lack of creativity among his editorial and marketing staff. He hired psychologists to try to determine what differentiated the creative employees from the others. After a year of study, the psychologists discovered that there was only one difference between creative and non-creative employees: belief in their creativity. Creative employees believed they were creative, and the non-creative ones believed they were not.

So, you are creative, I guarantee it. All you have to do is believe me. Is that too much to ask?

Harry Hoover is a partner in My Creative Team. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Bank of Commerce, The Bray Law Firm, Brent Dees Financial Planning, CruisingTheICW.com, Duke Energy, Focus Four, Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, and Verbatim.

Finding Your Passion Will Make Life More Interesting (By Ronnie Nijmeh)

2008-06-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions and not truly living life? Do you find yourself wondering if this is as good as it gets? If so, you probably don't have very many things in your life that you are passionate about, and if there are things that you are passionate about you need to focus on them and make them a cornerstone of your life.

When you are working at a job that you aren't passionate about, you simply don't care as much as you should and your health and happiness suffers as a result. Passion affirmations will help you find the things in your life that you are passionate about and then help you move forward in making them a bigger part of your life.

Find Your Passion to Lead a More Passionate Life

If you are tired of simply going through the motion now is the time to find something that you are passionate about. Those that do things that they are passionate about lead a much healthier and fulfilling life. You can use passion affirmations to help you determine what you feel passionate about. You'd be surprised to see how quickly some really simple passion affirmations can help you hone in on what you like to do and how you can use this as fuel for your life.

Passion affirmations are statements that will help you define what a life led by passion is. These free positive affirmations may also help you determine for yourself what a passion would feel like, look like, or help you accomplish. When you believe in these statements you have the power to live a passionate life. Your passion affirmations can be something as simple and straight-forward as, "My passion is the key to my happiness. I deserve to follow my passion." When you say this kind of affirmation and you believe the words, it will keep you moving forward, looking for your passions, recognizing them when you see them, and giving yourself permission to make the most of them.

Sometimes your passion is right under your nose and you just haven't given yourself permission to feel passionate about it. You might love the type of work that you are in, but perhaps you aren't doing the right job or working with the right company. Defining what your passion is with the help of your positive affirmations can help you figure this out so you can live more passionately and not feel like you are just going through the motions of work and daily life.

Free positive affirmations are not hard to come by and you may even be able to create your own once you get the hang of it. The idea is that you are surrounding yourself with positive ideas and statements instead of negative ones. You are giving yourself permission, with the use of these statements, to define your passion and live a passionate life as a result.

Passions come in many forms and when you are able to be free with your passion you are then freer than ever before to love yourself and be the person that you were meant to be. Passion affirmations can help you get to this place much easier than you might have ever thought possible.

Ronnie Nijmeh is an accomplished author, speaker and coach. He has been a featured expert on national television, radio, and print. Ronnie is the president and founder of ACQYR.com, an inspirational resource where you can download free wallpapers, read powerful affirmations, inspirational articles and much more. Learn more about ACQYR's free affirmations.

Art Illiteracy - Could Be Your Saving Grace (By Celeste Varley )

2008-06-06T15:53:00.002-07:00

"All children are born artists," said Picasso.

The problem is we grow out of it - or more often we're educated out of it, as we grow up. We educate kids progressively from the waist up, then we concentrate on the head and slightly to one side.

Does creativity equal academic ability ?

All intelligence tests are geared on the basis that academic ability equals intelligence. In fact, intelligence is a much broader thing. Creativity should have the same status as literacy, but it doesn't. Most adults are creatively illiterate through no fault of their own.

Why teach Mathematics every day to everyone, but not Dance ?
Why not ? We all have bodies.

Possibly worse than no creative education is an ill-informed kind of art teaching.
Well-meaning advice sets up barriers to authentic expression.

>>> That's a nice picture ! What's it supposed to be ? <<<

>>> Don't take art unless you're going to be an artist. <<<

The trouble with cheap, specialized education is that you never stop paying for it.

Loads of folks freeze up at the chance to express themselves creatively in a genuine way, because of what they've been taught, either by omission, or implication --- This is the way to make art.

If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything creative. When they don't know, kids will take a chance. That's natural learning, unless they meet with enough failure to humiliate them out of reaching with their natural intelligence.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge," said Albert Einstein. "Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

Too much observation of subject matter can change a creative event from one of spirit to one of mere rendering. Surprise, chance, illusion, personality, audacity, confidence and desire are drown by an overload of knowledge.

The best thing about human beings is their resilience.

Just think: Shakespeare was in somebody's English class. Rembrandt studied art under somebody. It boggles the mind.

If you were one of the creatively wounded as a child, take heart !

Do you make a joke of your inability to draw a straight line ? Would you like to surrender up this past garbage you've been saddled with, and start to recover your birthright ?

Here's something you can do right now on your own to start using the talents you possess.

>>> Schedule some self time alone, for dinking around.

>>> Go outside on a hunt, with nothing special in mind, gazing at natural things with soft eyes, until something calls out and grabs your attention. Never mind why, just nab it.

>>> Keep collecting things which seem to want to be found, until you have a half dozen or so.

>>> Take them to a place which just feels right to you, and arrange them where they seem at the right distance from one another, and each in the best location for itself. Don't make art or be clever or cute.

>>> Just keep moving the stuff around till you feel it's okay. You know what okay feels like - you breathe easily, your muscles are relaxed, your senses sharpen, you feel potent, safe, eager - OK.

That's it.
No big deal, no searching, tearing your soul for just the correct composition.

When you feel OK, it will be because -

You will feel how the outside of things look corresponds to how the inside of you feels.
What you're doing here is finding a way to naturally express in the world what is happening to you inside.

This is what art is about -
creating physical metaphors to represent events of the mind and heart.

Later, you might ask yourself these questions about your arrangement:

--- If you were to move one item closer to or farther from the others, would that be more "you" or less ?

--- If you removed any item from the group, what effect would that have on the whole piece ?

--- What would you do to change this work to be more the person you would like to be ?

It was Henry Van Dyke who said: "Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

About the Author

Hello, I'm Celeste Varley and it is my passion to help people seeking spiritual development to find and explore their own inborn potential for visual expression. Once you learn a new way of seeing, you can access and express deeper feelings that are normally hidden. If this article speaks to your heart, you may want to see more "Fresh Horses" articles on my website. Check it out and see if it's right for you.

Celeste Varley
http://www.heartsongstudio.com
Discover, uncover & recover your wild creative potential!

The Secret To Free Your Creative Process (By Richard Blackstone)

2008-06-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

Spirituality information tells us to use the law of attraction to create our desires. Doing this consciously advances your spiritual growth exponentially. Use your God like powers of creation to create the life of your dreams.

We are free to "be" whomever we choose to "be" in any given moment. That is the beauty of this life we have chosen when we entered the physical universe. We have free will to do as we please without retribution from the source from which we came.

Unfortunately, the same does not hold true when it comes to our fellow humans. Humans are the only species that hold other beings of their own species accountable for their actions through devices they make up for the purposes of control.

All other species allow nature to let them just "be" whatever it is that they are.

Nature provides natural consequences for our actions that are in alignment with the healing nature of the universe. Humans are the only species that require man-made consequences for our actions in an effort to "control" people. These devices have proven themselves to not only be ineffective but also detrimental to the natural order of how things work.

These man-made laws all stem from the basic fear-based belief system of separation. When you are separate from your source, you buy into the belief that there is something you need that the source cannot provide. This basic fallacy is the domino that begins to topple the other fear-based dominoes of failure, disunity, insufficiency, requirement, judgment, condemnation, conditionality, superiority and ignorance.

It is this belief in a separation from the source of all that is that distances us from the reality of who we really are. It never severs us from the fact that who we really are is a spirit child of God. But it can distance us so far away from this fact as to cause the illusion that we are a separate being unto ourselves.

The ultimate truth is that you can never be anything but who you really are no matter how distanced you are from that or how deep into the illusion of separation you choose to mire yourself. All that is ever needed to reunite with your true beingness is the desire, the thought and the choice to pursue that re-memberance.

You can then truly re-member yourself. That is, become a member once again of who you really are. A spirit child of the source of everything that is. It's all part of the process. It is all part of the never-ending process called life or love or God. They are all the same.

This is all a wonderful game and it never ends. The game is eternal, just like you. If you don't experience all that you desire in this lifetime, don't worry about it. The game goes on and so do you.

If there is something that you truly desire to experience and you want to experience it in this particular body, during this particular time here on earth, then don't waste any more time. Just choose it and bring it into your reality via the creative process of thought, word and deed.

The process of creation is thought, word and deed and you have experienced this process throughout your life. The only thing holding you back from experiencing your innermost desires is you. Nobody else controls your thoughts, words and deeds except you.

Go within yourself and tap into the reservoir of authentic power that resides within all of us. We are all in the eternal process of experiencing in the physical plane all that God knows as concepts in the absolute plane. That is the purpose of our existence. Isn't that a simple concept?

How hard is it to think thoughts about what it is that we truly desire? Isn't that a simple concept?

How hard is it to speak and write the words that express those thoughts we truly desire and have the power to change our lives. We are speaking and writing all the time anyway. Maybe now it is time to do it consciously with the intention of bringing into our lives what we truly desire by putting our attention on it. Isn't that a simple concept?

How hard is it to do the deeds that are in alignment with your intentions and desires? You are always doing things during your day anyway so now make the conscious choice to take action on the thoughts about your highest vision and start creating that vision into your reality.

Richard Blackstone is an award winning author and international speaker on Love, Oneness & Creation. Journey into discovery of Self by reading this FREE report; "The 3 Simple Immutable Laws of the Universe" at: http://www.NutsandBoltsSpirituality.com

Are Artists Flaky By Nature? (By Celeste Varley)

2008-06-06T15:51:00.002-07:00

Can you afford to be an artist in this age of global warming, insanely rising gas prices, ever expanding technology, and the constant need to keep on top of your own life's details in an orderly fashion? Has art become a frill for the flaky?

I was sideswiped by this prejudice recently: "Of course you'd have a problem being organized, because you're an artist !" It might seem to some that the combination of creativity and orderliness cannot exist in one person at the same time, or that art is an indulgence for after the real work.

In the words of Ursula Franklin, feminist, educator, Quaker, and physicist: "Peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of justice."

In the same way, effective art of any kind is not just the absence of chaos, but the presence of organized inspiration. The artist needs an organizing principle to do justice to an inspired expression before it can really come to life.

I've been annoyed by flaky plumbers who just winged it without method, and I've been deeply touched by the work of artists who must have been highly organized in order to make a successful career in such a dog-eat-dog world.

Were the prehistoric painters of those lively animals on cave walls organized or flaky?

Their lives were probably taken up just staying alive, hunting for food, and shelter. We know they hadn't developed written language yet, and I doubt they made the drawings for decorative purposes. If there were any flaky cave persons, I imagine they didn't survive long enough to make cave drawings for any reason.

Surely we are all born with the potential for all the Qualities, including creative expression !
But then it follows that we also have the inborn capacity for every other quality too - to be organized, flaky, destructive, evil, merciful, loving, etc.. We don't necessarily develop every potential.

Anyone who relies heavily or exclusively on technique and methodology is probably using their mind to make things happen. If you have learned how to access your spirit reliably, this doesn't mean that you throw aside technique and method. It just means that you lead with your heart - your inner knowing, instead of with your mind.

Creativity, if it is to be innovative or original, is by definition unknown at the start. The mind is a wonderful tool and very good at what it does best, but the mind does not handle the unknown very well at all. So, how can anyone create with only their mind?

Once you have witnessed, experienced, felt what wants to be expressed through you, then your skillful mind can help you find ways of manifesting this inspiration, using techniques and methods, if you like.

Using the mind alone to make visual images results in dead things, art without underlying heart, no matter how skilfully it's rendered. Just winging it without any organization results in a dog's breakfast - chaos.

You don't have to be flaky to be plugged into an infinite source of creative inspiration. Start with a good dose of spiritual connection, and add some appropriate skills to manifest this spirit, and you have real art.

Sufis have a saying: "Take in the world with your heart, and then understand it with your mind." Successful artists are spiritually tuned into inspiration, and regularly apply the order and perspiration needed to manifest this spirit.

The art work that lies inside you waiting to have life breathed into it could offer that heartwarming touch that makes all the difference. It could be the very inspiration that triggers a solution to global warming or violence, to the need for connection or compassion in others who see it.

Green Skies and Purple Cows - Connecting With Your Creative Muse (By Vicky White)

2008-06-06T15:51:00.001-07:00

You were born to create.

Each of you has some gift to express that adds to the whole. And it's for you to find your voice and do what you're here to do.

This creativity I'm talking about goes way beyond whatever you do to make your living. Sure you create in your work to varying degrees. And beyond that is something waiting to be expressed through you.

For a long time I believed that creating web pages, programs, ebooks, even writing this newsletter - which are all creative acts - was enough. I'm creative. I write. I even take photographs for my newsletter - isn't that enough?

I've come to realize it's not. When I was a photographer I worked long hours taking photos for clients, spent many hours in the darkroom, felt exhilarated by what I was doing even. And part of the reason I got burned out and changed to another career was that I didn't honor my creative muse. I made no space for exploring the art of my life - the art that rises from my deepest, rawest self. Art that was my personal expression, separate from what I did in my day (and night) job.

May Sarton says: I have written novels to find out what I thought about something, and poems to find out what I felt about something.

There is a reason both children and creativity come together in the Children & Creativity Gua. This area is about birthing the self. It's about play and joy and being an artist - all those things children naturally are until they're told the sky is not green and the cow is not purple. And then even in a creative business, they search for fulfillment in the midst of busyness, having forgotten where their creativity really lives.

Inner Feng Shui Tips for Connecting with your Inner Muse

1. Learn from Yoga: in yoga the restorative poses are the most difficult. Why? They're the ones where it looks like you're doing nothing. You may be lying with your butt against the wall with your legs up the wall. You may be folded over a bolster with your head touching your knees. And you stay like that for many minutes. They're the hardest because you're so used to being busy and doing something.

It takes a certain stillness to discover what's wanting to be expressed.

To connect with your muse and restore your SELF takes being present, being in your body and just being. And this is a scary thing for most of us. It's that nothingness - "Shouldn't you be doing something?" the voices scream.

Action Step: Start small. Take some time to 'be'. Thinking, day dreaming, doodling - they are all part of the creative process and will start exercising that creative muscle. Discover what you're thinking and feeling. Just for you. Schedule it if you need to!

2. Create a Sacred Space: If you had the perfect environment to create in, what would it look like? What would it feel like? What would inspire you? What would you surround yourself with? Remember, it can be however you wish. Write or draw how it would be.

Action Step: Whether you have a whole room or a small part of a room, take the essence of what you dreamed up for your sacred space and add it to your space. Perhaps a candle, an inspiring photo, your favorite mug, a clear table top, a comfortable chair and cozy blanket. Whatever nurtures that playful, curious, imagination of yours.

A great enhancement for the Children & Creativity area of your home or in a room, is a child's drawing or painting. This area of the Feng Shui Bagua is in the middle of the left wall when you're standing at the door of a room looking in. You'll find more information on mapping the Bagua on your home and each room, at my website.

3. Remove Distractions: "God is not attained by the process of addition to anything in the soul, but by a process of subtraction." - Meister Eckhart.

What's distracting you? Commitments you wish you hadn't made? Too many trips to the supermarket because you're not as organized as you could be? People who deplete your energy? Checking emails a million times a day? Too much clutter? List five distractions in your life.

What would you have the time, energy and space for if these were gone? Nurturing your creativity is way more important than doing something that drains your energy. Your creative muse is calling you.

Action Step: Today, choose one distraction and handle it. Now, take the time it frees up, to 'be', whether in nature, sitting in your sacred space or grabbing some crayons and being a child again with your green sky and purple cow!

4. Remove Clutter: The Children & Creativity area is the one area where clutter is allowed - I'm talking about the kind of clutter that comes from having all your creative materials around you to mess with - they are disorganized and messy for sure and if that inspires you to create that's wonderful.

However there's another type of clutter which is what you may be more used to - papers, things from the past, disorganized chaos when things aren't where they belong, a desk that's full of piles, even creative materials that sit unused for weeks or months on end.

If you're surrounded by clutter, you can't even think clearly, let alone tap into that deep part of you that's tender and raw and just waiting to come out.

Fast Action Step: No need to wait. Get a box and scoop up everything on your desk, or in your sacred space - temporarily. This gives you a clear space to call on your muse, to discover what you're waiting to say. That's what's important. Then later go through the box and save what you love and chuck the rest. No need to do the whole room - right now - that's a great way to sabotage yourself.

5. Act like a child: Children play, they mess around, they dream, their imaginations run wild, they're curious. Children know they're creative....they're writers, they're artists. They have green skies and purple cows! And that's how it is.

It's the rest of us who need reminding. We've forgotten how to play, and forgotten that what makes us unique is the thing we're here to express.

Two boys arrived yesterday with a pebble they said was the head of a dog until I pointed out that really it was a typewriter. -- Pablo Picasso

Action Step: Spend time with a child. See the world from their view. Take 10 minutes to walk a few feet, looking at every little bug along the way. Be curious and open up to the world you may have forgotten in your busy, adult life.

Connect with your creative muse and not only might your skies be green and your cows purple again, but you'll be nourishing a deep part of yourself. As a bonus the creativity you use in your work with others will be enhanced and you'll boost the bottom line in your business.

©2008 Vicky White, All Rights Reserved.
Vicky White is the go-to-gal when it comes to Feng Shui and the Law of Attraction. She works with women in the midst of life, to empower them to live lives of passion, purpose and meaning. Get her free report, "The 5 Biggest Attraction Mistakes: and How You Can Avoid them" and see what manifests in your life! http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/freestuff/newsletter.html

Enjoying Big Ideas and Long Lasting Results - 6 Steps Toward Surviving the Creative Wilderness (By James V Phelps)

2008-06-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Aaron Gayden is a top-flight musician and composer. Not long ago we discussed what it means to be creative, where it comes from, and how we sometimes fall into what's called "the creative wilderness". For Aaron, myself, and many others, it can sometimes be caused by external factors. Things like working on a marriage, paying a mortgage and making sure our kids are okay and safe can put creative stuff on the backburner.

Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't enough to compose brilliant and beautiful music or string together words that tap into someone's emotional center. Sometimes you just have to pay the bills.

Real life can intrude hard and fast into the golden halls of our creative dreams. Sometimes the muse just isn't there. Occasionally personal dramas come into play (c'mon, we all have them). It's tough to concentrate when in the midst of "intense fellowship". Sometimes, as has been the case with Aaron and I from time to time, a new direction is in order but the compass isn't working. We're waiting for The Call.

The Call is a vital and sublime message that, when heard, supersedes all else except God, marriage and children. When it's heard and followed, life becomes turbocharged with purpose, passion and excellence. When it's not there, or it's somewhere out there in the fog as a vague outline or an unintelligible murmur, life can become a dreary struggle. A spark of life is missing, making our experience of life incomplete.

What can we do when we're caught in the creative wilderness? Here are some fundamentals to adhere to that will bring The Call a little closer to home:

1. Keep working. Continue to write, compose, play music, market, sell, lead...whatever it is that you do to give expression to your creative spirit. The Call will never come if you stop working.

2. Avoid "Negaholics". You need positive influences. Avoid negative people at all costs. First, negativity can suppress creativity. Second, you become who you hang-out with. Associate with positive people...and put the negative ones on hold.

3. Reach out. Surround yourself with people you like and trust. Talk to other creative types. Seek help and guidance from others in your field, or from those in other creative fields. You'll find that all of us have been in the wilderness before...and there's a way out.

4. Read. No matter what field you're in, reading is a stimulus that kick starts the brain. Reading is interactive. It causes the imagination to work. It also opens the receptors of your brain to receive important creative messages.

5. Let go of expectations. Many times we get stuck because we're holding onto outcomes. Let them go. When you do, you free yourself to create for creation's sake...and that's when you do your best work. When you do your best work, doors open. When doors open, The Call is typically on the other side.

6. Connect with God. Prayer is a communication with something/somebody higher than yourself. It's an integral part of creating. To seek the assistance of something far greater than myself is not only wise, but ultimately productive. A Calling is something greater than yourself. With the help of a higher power you are entirely capable of hearing and following your unique Call...and you're capable of creating your own Sistine Chapel or composing your own great symphony.

Every creative person will enter the Creative Wilderness from time to time. It's a natural occurrence. Don't worry. In fact, knowing that your next Big Idea is waiting for you in the clearing beyond the wilderness can empower you to let the Creative Wilderness do its job.

Think of the Creative Wilderness as a place of incubation...a resting place. A laboratory. It will be most productive if you follow the six recommendations listed in this article. So, if you do find yourself in the wilderness...be happy. Breakthrough is right around the corner.

Coach, consultant and copywriter, James Phelps, is the creator of "Practical Creativity: The Complete System for Powering-Up Your Creativity for Unrecognizable Results". To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to receive his FREE how-to articles and other resources, visit http://www.See-Create.com

Uncovering Your Dreams - Can You See Your Dream? (By Jeanne May)

2008-06-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Your dream lives in your mind and is made up of images or pictures, feelings and thoughts.

Visualising is a powerful technique in turning your dream into a reality.

According to many personal development experts including Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, James Arthur Ray, just to name a few... the brain does not know the difference between actually doing something and just visualising something being done. The brain processes these two things the same way. Your brain will work to make happen what ever thoughts, images and feelings you have. In other words, what you think about, what images you have, you will bring about.

Three sayings you may be familiar with:

"Seeing is believing!"

"What you see is what you get!"

"If you can see it, you can achieve it!"

All inventions e.g. the aeroplane, all discoveries e.g. electricity, all great works e.g. Sistine Chapel, all success stories e.g. Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, all major activities e.g. Sir Edmund Hillary climbing Mount Everest, Jeanne May going to Outer Mongolia... everything begins as a dream... as an image in the person's mind.

In my dream of being in Outer Mongolia I could feel, see and experience myself there. I felt the grasslands... I immersed myself in the energy of Outer Mongolia. I had not seen any pictures of Mongolia so I had no visual cues to use in my dream -- my imagination filled in all the missing details. Amazingly, when we got to Outer Mongolia, I discovered that those details my imagination provided were incredibly accurate.

The key to visualising your dream is to do it in detail as if you are already living your dream... as if it is already a reality. Not how it would be like... but rather how it is now that it is reality.

Some people are able to see images very clearly in their mind whereas others have difficulty and are unable to "see" images... they are not good at visualising. But visualising your dream isn't only about seeing pictures in your mind... it's about the feelings you have when you are thinking about your dream, it's the thoughts you have when you are in your dream, it's about your spirit coming alive when you are in your dream...

Another powerful technique is to put visual images e.g. photos, newspaper or magazine articles and pictures, typed or hand written words describing your dream, play music or messages that you can relate to your dream, in your environment so that your eyes and ears are constantly reminded of your dream.

These send strong messages to your brain which, in turn, will open you to opportunities that bring you closer to turning your dream into a reality.

Jeanne May of Aspirations Plus, works with spiritually minded people providing information, inspiration, guidance and support to achieve their dreams and goals.

Can't remember your dream? Don't know how to dream? Then sign up for my free 5 step e- course "Uncovering Your Dreams" at:http://www.aspirationsplus.com/udpromotion1.htmland learn how to find your dream, remember your dream and reclaim your dream.

Creativity Test - Three Minutes That Could Help You Learn How Well You Think Outside Of The Box (By Lynn Marie Sager)

2008-06-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Creative thought is effortless; so don't confuse it with analytical thinking. Creative thinking does not analyze right and wrong, or good and bad. In creative thinking, you let go of control and allow your thoughts to wander aimlessly from one idea to the next. Creative thinking can help you to locate information that your left-brain has misplaced. For example, have you ever struggled with a problem and analyzed it until your head hurt, only to find a solution pop into your mind while doing some mundane task? That source of inspiration was your right-brained creative thinker doing what it does best.

Creative thinking allows you to find new connections between things; connections that the analytical mind would never consider. Creative thinking takes what it already knows to be true and mixes it with concepts just discovered, usually discovering new connections, new solutions and new insights in the process. Creative thinking is what makes brainstorming possible. Reflective thinking is what caused Einstein to first envision his "general theory of relativity" while daydreaming about light. Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge, and I figure he should know.

Brainstorming is a process that helps people explore connections and release their creativity. Analytical thought stops the process of brainstorming. If you've ever experienced a good brainstorming session, you know that people usually have a number of bad ideas before inspiration strikes. When you analyze all your bad ideas to death, you never give your genius a chance to strike. The analyzer inside of us tends to reject the explorer's ideas before the explorer has had a chance to explore. In the end, we reject our only path to genius.

Let me show you an exercise that demonstrates what I mean:

1. Find a pen, a piece of paper, and a timer.

2. Get ready to set your timer for three minutes.

3. In a moment, I'm going to ask you to copy a link into your address bar and go to the link. Don't worry, you will not be added to any list, receive any pop up ads, or other advertisements. On that page, you will simply see an image. For three minutes, I want you to look at that image and make a list of everything that you think the image could represent. Keep adding to the list until the timer goes off.

4. Once you have completed the three minutes, hit the back button on your browser window to return to this article for your results. This exercise does work best if you complete it before reading the rest of the article.

5. Ready? Copy the following link into your address bar, click go, and begin.
www.navigatinglife.org/id85.html

Did you judge the image at first sight, and did your judgments contribute to the length of your list? Now that you have completed the exercise, count how many items you have on your list.

If you have five to eight items on your list, then you have the same average as most adults over 18 years of age. But teenagers usually average 10 to 15 items, while kindergartners average a list of 60 items or more.

Amazing, isn't it? The average adult struggles thirty-seconds to find just one new idea. While in that same thirty-seconds, a typical kindergartner effortlessly discovers ten.

We're all born with an incredible ability to imagine and brainstorm.

So where does that ability go?

Do you remember looking at the image during the exercise, and after your initial reaction, spending most of your time thinking mainly about everything it couldn't be? Do you remember spending most of your time rejecting your ideas?

Whenever I have my classes do this excise, my adult students typically stare at the image for the entire three minutes, their pencils hardly moving. They get an idea and their left-brain says, "No, not that." Then they get another idea, and again their left-brain says, "No, not that." Eventually, the right-brain stops offering ideas, and my students end up just staring at the image for the entire three minutes. They want a good idea to strike before they write anything down. But creativity doesn't work that way. If you focus all of your attention on "what the image isn't," you leave no room in your mind for inspiration to strike.

Try the same exercise. But this time, write down everything that pops into your mind, no matter how silly, or stupid you think it sounds. Keep your pen moving and don't let it stop. Pretty soon, the ideas that seem foolish will develop into ideas that make sense. Create a stream of consciousness. Play with sound and rhythm and rhyme. Cock your head to one side, or turn the image around in your mind so that you can see the image from a new angle. Allow your silliness to trigger new ideas. Don't let your left-brain interrupt your thoughts, offer judgments, or edit your creativity.

My guess is that your list will be much longer the second time, and much more fun. You might even find yourself giggling. Genius tends to hit us when we're having fun playing with our own amazing thoughts.

Cultivate your imagination. Make a point of asking questions, making up stories and playing with children. Try to keep the reflective, questing, playful part of your mind alive and happy. Without imagination, we are limited by what we have already experienced. Emerson once wrote, "We recognize in every act of genius, our own disregarded thoughts." So stop disregarding your thoughts. Stop disregarding your own genius...

You can find more about creativity, brainstorming, and redefining your life on Navigating Life's website. Simply go to http://www.navigatinglife.org, and visit Boarding for links to our full lessons on each.

Lynn Marie Sager has toured over two-dozen countries and worked on three continents. Author of A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, Lynn currently lives in California; where she fills her time with private coaching, public speaking, and teaching for the LACCD and Pierce College. She runs the Navigating Life website, where she offers free assistance to readers who wish to incorporate the rules of worthwhile living into their lives. To read more about how you can use these rules to improve your life, visit Lynn's website at http://www.navigatinglife.org

Giving Of Your Talent (By Brantly Compton)

2008-06-05T10:32:00.001-07:00

I found years ago that I was made to do certain things. I am just naturally good at them. These actions are easy for me...they replenish me and they typically are my best works.

We all have these special areas in our lives. They are special for a reason. They were given so we could serve. They are natural so we would never get tired of doing them. We have a purpose and natural talents to get that purpose done. We just have to make the decision to use the talents in service...not just in personal gain.

What are you good at? What just comes natural to you? How has this shown up in your job / company /.....investments? Are you aware of it ?

What tugs on your heart ? What have you said "someone should do something" about?
What has happened in your life that you have always wanted to do something about?

You and I know that the resources are endless. There is more than enough money! But what about the volume of talent that is willing to serve ? Is that at more than enough ? NO !
Talent is abundant.....needs are abundant....yet the talent does not know what to do or how to do it. The active mentoring of talent to give and impact the community is at a shortage.

Talent can't stop producing...They need to be coached on how to best use their talent...and in the right capacity. So that they can keep thriving in their own lives.

Taking talent off point and pushing them into to much service is a mistake ! We need producers to keep thriving. There has long been errors in the coaching of great talent. The needy should not coach the producers.....ONLY experienced producers who have mastered giving properly should train other producers.

Having the wrong coach can set you back . If you are feeling the call to serve with your talent...seek out others in your field who have become great givers and servers....learn from them.

Quick story:

I always had a knack for real estate. I could just see things coming together and could pick hot potential sites. It has always been that way. I am not nor have I ever been a real estate agent ...or involved in real estate other than my own projects. I noticed it in high school..I would say thngs like that would be a great place for a strip mall or a car wash...etc.
I just saw the community and the area and could see certain businesses thriving based on needs I saw.

Others began to pick up on my natural talent and would ask me to look at a piece of land and tell em what I saw.

I began to see ways for me to use my talents in helping others ..who didnt have my skill but needed it. I met a man who had a gift in helping children heal from trauma. He had a gift in that area...yet was deficient in the financial and resource areas. He needed a small building ...for small offices to do counseling and storage area to have supplies to give to families that needed support.

I found a small piece of property......negotiated with the large company that owned it. I convinced them that giving the property to this mans program was the best advertising these family men could do. That the goodwill would be priceless. I also asked them to help me find a contactor who could build it for free! They did. Start to finish 17 months !

All in all it was awesome. But it all began with me using my natural talent. I saw this unused property for what it could be. Sold that idea to the owners and then cast the vision of how their influence could get a building built...and complete the launch of this childrens program.

I spent about 4 months networking the right people...maybe 2-3 meetings per week about 10 hours weekly. I did it in the cracks of time. Once the project was under way I just went by once or twice a month to say hi and see the progress. The feeling and lift I got from using my talents and really impacting this program are priceless.

It also cemented two very important new relationships in my life..that will lead to more.....???

What are your true talents? What could you do right now ?

Go for it! Find a coach and get the mentorship. Put your talents to work..serve !

Please email me on your adventures

Brantly

Brantly Compton is a coach and author in the network marketing industry.

Since 1994 Brantly has been coaching and inspiring leaders to reach their personal freedom. See how we created over 1 million dollars of income within 90 days with 100 families !!!Brantly and his wife Lisa live in Nevada with their 4 boys.

Contact Brantly Direct : 1-888-886-1320

The Times They Are a Changing (By Sydney Metrick)

2008-06-05T10:30:00.002-07:00

Births, anniversaries, graduations, new jobs, retirements, weddings, funerals, children leaving home, moving...all these changes and more are happening to us and around us all the time. We do have rituals to support or celebrate some of these transitions. But sometimes the standard rituals don't meet our needs, and sometimes even Hallmark has not considered the occasion.

First, let's talk about ritual. A ritual, rite or ceremony is a symbolic activity designed to give meaning to important occasions in our lives. Everyone participates in rituals, from lighting birthday candles and making a wish when we blow them out to having a shower for a new baby or new bride. And of course there are the holiday rituals of July 4th fireworks, and Christmas lights to name a few. But what about celebrating spring?

Spring is a time when nature shows off. Life bursts forth in abundance. Here in the Bay area, the plum trees are flowering, daffodils, tulips, magnolias, lily's and a host of others release a riot of color and fragrance. Spring is the time of the equinox, when we come out of the darkness of winter, look to the possibilities ahead and find balance.

Now is a good time to plant seeds. Perhaps in your garden, but another type of ritual is to plant seeds for what you wish to develop in your life over the next months. Do a collage, make a commitment box to hold your intentions, light a candle each morning and focus on the intentions you plan to manifest. Or create a ceremony of your own.

Sydney Barbara Metrick, PhD
http://www.ChickenSoupCounseling.com
Author of:
The Art of Ritual: Creating and Performing Ceremonies for Growth and Change
I Do: A Guide to Creating Your Own Unique Wedding Ceremony
Crossing the Bridge: Creating Ceremonies for Grieving and Healing From Life's Losses

Powering Your Memory Using Mindmapping Technique (By Vij Raj)

2008-06-05T10:30:00.001-07:00

Memory forms a vital aspect of any learning. Without memory all our learning will be a futile exercise. The capacity for remembering varies from people to people widely. There are some who are endowed with razor sharp memory, while others have very poor memory. Memory is more about how we use our faculty and can therefore be improved greatly. It basically involves application of the mind and can be vastly improved by using memory techniques. Some of these are:

1. If you can associate any new learning with your acquired learning you will have a greater grasp of the information learnt. You will be able to see the relation between certain principles, mechanism, truth or whatever, and see the link and the common thread running through them. This lends greater meaning and significance to the information learnt.

2. Studies have revealed that memory is augmented by using both sides of your brain. This is known as whole-brain thinking. The left side of our brain dominates in logic, words, lists, numbers, sequences and analysis, while the right side excels in rhythm, imagination, daydreaming, color, size and spatial awareness. Working on combining the left and right attributes will strengthen memory.

3. By paying proper and full attention, our understanding of the information enhances greatly.

4. You can try to visualize the information learnt by remembering in a sequence. The more bizarre, humorous, wacky and exaggerated the images are, the greater is your ability to recall.

5. You can make the main ideas or items of information interesting by weaving an unusual story. You can visualize the information as a moving sequence so the imagery is built strongly around it. This adds vividness and increases your recalling ability. For e.g., if you have to remember a poem, you can visualize the ideas contained in the poem so you have running image of the sequences. You will then be able to substitute images with the right words and know the flow of lines.

6. Acronym is a useful method that can be adopted for remembering items in an order, or conveying the essence of information. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need (or needs) is a popular slogan of Karl Marx' economic principles. You can remember this as FEAA to EAToN.

7. Chunking is another technique employed for remembering numbers and ideas. For e.g., you can remember 15 nos. by splitting into three units of 5 each. You can also chunk items under a general concept - Fruits, Vegetables, Games, Birds, etc.

Apart from these, a much neglected but a very powerful technique for reinforcing learning and memory is Mindmapping. It is a technique that is primarily based on the information processing principles of the brain. It uses non-linear texts, parallel processing, and other mnemonics such as images, colors, etc., which is the way in which we recall and remember events.

The intrinsic worth of this technique is that it induces whole-brain thinking by triggering a chain of associated thoughts and ideas. Since you jot down your thoughts or information, your full and focused attention is engaged in it. This further strengthens your memory. You have to learn and use the technique to know its real value.

Are you struggling to keep up with the information glut in today's business world?

You need Avezah.

Avezah is the world's first and only company providing Mind Map summaries of Business Books. The innovative and powerful concept of Mind Mapping is based on fundamental principles of how our brain works. You are guaranteed to get the essence of latest business bestseller in 12 minutes or less. You would also be able to remember the ideas that you learnt as each mind map has an explosion of colors and illustrations that engages your brain.

Visit our site now to learn more about the various books that we have Mind Mapped - http://www.avezah.com/

Learning To Be Ambidextrous Through Mindmapping (By Vij Raj)

2008-06-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

'Ambidexterity' is the facility of use of both right and left hand. Michelangelo, Leonardo Vinci, Einstein, Fleming, Harry Truman, and others displayed ambidexterity.

To extend the logic, we are being ambidextrous when we use both our right and left hemispheres to successfully juggle our task. We are ambidextrous when we are multi-tasking - doing more than one work at the same time. We have heard people being called 'right-brained' or 'left-brained' from the kind of attributes they exhibit. It means that the person displays more 'right' or 'left' oriented skills, although we are all the time integrating both hemispheres in all our daily activities.

Some of the 'right' brain qualities are imagination, risk taking, artistic abilities, philosophical outlook, creative nature, etc. 'Left' brain people, on the other hand, are practical, down-to-earth, conformists, disciplined, absorbent, etc. Thus 'right-brain' people are said to be subjective, think holistically and have strong intuition, while 'left-brain' people tend to be more logical, analytical and highly rational.

As children we are innately right-brained, displaying high creativity, imagination, curiosity, spontaneity, open-mindedness and enthusiasm but ironically, as we grow, social, cultural, education, racial and other influences constrain these natural traits. It is important to know that whatever mental traits and capacities we may inherit, ultimately it is how we use our mind that spells our mental capabilities. So we can work towards developing certain mental attributes and traits.

By using the two hemispheres, we will be working our brain to its full potential. Ambidexterity of the mind or whole brain thinking is maximizing our brainpower and developing our sensitivity and awareness level. Patterning, metaphors, analogies, role-playing, visuals, and other analytical activities help in developing right-brained attributes. We can build an ambidextrous mind by consciously engaging in left and right brain activities, reflective thinking and meditation.

However a much easier technique that helps in such whole-brain thinking process is Mind Mapping. This technique uses diffusion and streaming thoughts, associations, concise and essential words, color, pictures, symbols and other visual aids that kindle logic and ideas, and when explored in full, it leads to insight, imagination and creativity. Mindmapping stimulates thinking and a free flow of ideas. By constantly working on mindmapping, you will automatically be working as a whole-brain thinking person. It is an easy and powerful process as it is based on brain working principles. Just anybody can learn and profit from it.

Are you struggling to keep up with the information glut in today's business world?

You need Avezah.

Visit our site now to learn more about the various books that we have Mind Mapped - http://www.avezah.com/

Finding Your Creative Outlet (By Bruno Logreco)

2008-06-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Do you have a creative outlet that allows you to relax and explore your creative side? A creative outlet can be a way to improve yourself and recharge your battery at the same time. Using your creative side allows you to recognize your strengths and interests and also helps you realize your goals. You will find that a creative outlet is vital in helping you to reconnect with yourself and spend quality time alone.

When you exercise creativity, you are connected with your spirit and inner self. During the creative process, you tap into the abundance within you. We all have talents and a creative spirit, but not everyone knows how to tap into that creativity.

Exploring your creativity with a life coach

How do you choose a creative outlet that allows you to express yourself? A life coach employs several techniques to help you explore and discover your creative side. The life coach can work with you in a way that allows you to improve the quality of your life as well as enjoy your creative side.

A life coach uses a process of proven methods to work with you and explore your creativity. The coaching process may include experimenting with several different creative activities. Your coach may also use a meditation process to help you reconnect with yourself and understand more about your creativity. The life coach acts as a mentor, helping you recognize your creative strengths.

From there, you will have a tool for exploring your goals and interests. When you have a creative outlet, you become more in touch with yourself and can help increase your happiness level. Exploring your creative side helps you stay balanced and centered.

Each person will enjoy different creative endeavours. Perhaps you will find that you enjoy painting or drawing. Writing, creating a craft item, and even playing a musical instrument are other activities you may enjoy. The type of creative activity you engage in isn't important as long as it is something that recharges you and gives you enjoyment.

Reconnecting with yourself

One of the first steps in reconnecting with yourself and tapping into your creativity involves relaxing yourself and doing something that brings you joy. You may want to meditate, spend time with someone you love, or spend time journaling. A creative pursuit helps you make the most of your strengths. In turn, discovering and using your strengths will allow you to clarify and understand your goals and values.

If you've ever felt disconnected from yourself or your goals, a creative outlet is a good way to recharge and connect with your spiritual and inner self. Many people don't believe they are creative, but the truth is that we all have a creative spirit within us. Sometimes all it takes is someone to help us explore and discover our passions. A life coach can mentor you, helping you discover the creativity you may have hidden within you. Unlocking your creativity and finding a creative outlet allows you to explore yourself and ultimately achieve your dreams and goals.

Want to learn more about self-improvement? Bruno LoGreco is a Toronto life coach and mentor. Visit BrunoLoGreco.com and find out how to unleash your potential for success and happiness.

Creative Imagination Is Not A Special Gift You Are Born With - It's A Faculty You Can Easily Develo (By Dennis Fisher)

2008-06-05T06:10:00.001-07:00

To be the leader in your field you have to think more creatively than others. You have to use your creative imagination to think of original new ideas.

What is creative imagination?

Creative imagination is the ability to form mental images of
situations or conditions you have never actually experienced.
Your creative imagination is an untapped source of power
buried in your subconscious mind.

Creative imagination can be compared to the "Genie" in fairy
tales and myths. It is similar to a powerful force trapped in a bottle,
waiting to be released, ready to obey your every command.
It is a force everyone possesses but few know how to set free.

Creative imagination is a mental faculty and an important life skill.
But it is a skill most people neglect to develop. To achieve success in life and reach your full potential, it is a skill you should nurture and develop.

Creative imagination and inventions.

Many people are under the impression that the ability to use creative
imagination is a natural gift; an inherited talent.

They believe only people who are born with this gift are able to
become famous inventors, scientists and Nobel prize winners.
They feel creative imagination is the quality that distinguishes
a genius from ordinary mortals.

This is certainly not so.

Edison, one of the most successful inventors, regarded as a creative
genius by many, had an interesting comment to make about genius.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration"

When Edison was asked to comment about his lack of success in
inventing an electric light bulb after having tired so many times, he
responded: "I have not failed but successfully discovered
6,000 ways that won't work!"

Thomas Carlyle, the famous Scottish philosopher and author
also believed that persistence was the most important quality in
in the achievements of people regarded as geniuses. He described "genius" very simply and very explicitly. "Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains"

The most perceptive observation with regard to genius was made by the renowned American psychologist and author, William James,
whose theories became the basis for the "behaviorism" school
of psychology. Williams James referred to "genius" in the following
terms.

"Genius...means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an inhabitual way"

Creative imagination is the capacity to view situations from a
completely different perspective. Or, as described by William James,
"in an inhabitual way".

It is the ability to ignore obstacles and visualize exciting opportunities
Your creative imagination will enable you to recognize problems and
find innovative solutions to these problems; not allow yourself to be
overwhelmed and discouraged by them.

Creative imagination will help you remove the mental roadblocks
on your road to success.

Is creative imagination a faculty that can be developed? Certainly!

There are techniques you can learn that will result in an incredible improvement in your ability to think more creatively.

To learn more about these unusual and innovative methods go to
http://www.creativemindpowers.com

Dennis Fisher is managing director of financial and investment Companies. In addition to his involvement in many different fields of business, his interests include an in-depth study of various schools of practical psychology with special emphasis on improving one's ability to think more creatively and come up with original ideas.

To find out more about powerful techniques that will enhance creative power go to his website:
http://www.creativemindpowers.com

Awakening The Joy Of Creativity (By Marta Reis)

2008-06-05T06:09:00.001-07:00

Numerous people, whether a client, colleague or friend have asked me a similar question - am I creative? I always respond with a resounding, "YES!" The confidence in this response comes from studying, understanding, practicing, observing and engaging in my own creative process for over a decade. I have discovered two very simple things: nothing teaches you more about creativity than your constant exploration and experience of it in your own life and what we are all seeking are the tools to cause our own joy and creative lifestyle!

"The oak sleeps in the acorn... dreams, are the seedlings of realities."

- James Allen

In the acorn is a whole forest - within us is a forest of individual thoughts, ideas, dreams and visions that are waiting to become real. What clouds our understanding is knowing how to access that "forest" of individual thoughts, ideas, dreams and visions.

When we think of being creative, what often comes to mind are the tools or outlets for creativity, yet the painting, drawing, music, book or film, are the outlets through which creativity is expressed. Just like the map is not the territory, the art form is not the creativity. Creativity is energy; it's an invisible, inexpressible substance that drives our thoughts, ideas, visions, dreams, actions and ultimately our results. Energy, life force, or creativity - however you call it, name it or refer to it - we all speak of the same essence and quality.

At any moment in life, we have at our disposal this awesome and usable power. It's not only valuable, but also critical to our livelihood to define and engage in a relationship with the creative source within us. The relationship or the frequent visits to the "forest" is the access to creative wisdom. While many have used meditation, chanting, running, drumming and a variety of other methods or approaches to awaken, commune and expand the relationship, you must discover your own unique approach to accessing and using creative power.

We express or use creativity through action and form and our results are accomplished through enjoyable activity. Your environment or setting needs to be infused with inspiration, otherwise NOTHING HAPPENS. Creativity cannot exist under stressful and negative conditions. Find a quiet spot. Stop for a moment and look around you. Everything you see, touch, feel, taste, and hear is a sign, a message, an idea, a symbol, or an icon made by a creative mind. It reflects an inner creative world that is also available to you. Listen carefully and look closely - what you perceive is the human creative spirit.

When I first explored and defined what creativity meant for me, it took me a few drafts, but I was able to distill the essence into one word - Visionality. It's the ability, art and practice of turning visions into reality. It's love-based thinking, speaking and acting; it's transforming my work into a work of love. When you look at the origin of the word creativity, you encounter yet another dynamic quality. Creativity is to bring something into existence through a course of action, behavior and imagination.

Now, it's your turn. Take out a piece of paper and write your own personal definition of creativity. How does creativity feel? How do you experience it in your life? What are the qualities of it and what does it evoke? What type of image do you associate with it, what sound does it make and does it have a tactile quality color or smell? Write everything that comes to mind. There are numerous qualities you can ascribe to creativity; choose the qualities that most infuse you with joy.

Pay attention and extract the essence and the personal meaning. Deeply engage in defining creativity and in time, your observations will become the visual and spoken language that fuels your creative projects such as books, paintings or music. Your observations will also illuminate patterns and themes that are valuable to you such as nature, community or adventure; themes you can continue to express through various artistic forms.

"Art teaches us nothing, except the significance of life."

- Henry Miller

I have touched briefly here on a subject that is a life-long exploration and a means to understand
the significance of life - a timeless and inexhaustible inquiry.

Wishing you the courage to live the life of your dreams, honoring and allowing what's deep in your heart to shape your actions and destiny.

Marta Reis is a creativity coach and publicist. Since graduating from the University of the Arts in 1991, Marta has invested a great deal of time, energy and resources into helping creative individuals polish and trust in their natural talents. She has studied and practiced timeless principles applied by both ancient and modern teachers as well as business leaders.

In 2004, after engaging in a mentorship with James Ray, one of the teachers of the film, "The Secret", Marta founded Visionality. She developed additional skills in publicity, marketing & communications, public relations, branding and business management to address the needs of creative professionals and to encourage the use of art and communications to make a living and experience success. Through individual coaching, group sessions, workshops, teleseminars and creativity immersion retreats, Visionality provides a process for self-realization and healing as well as an outlet for people to express what's deep in their hearts.

Visionality has helped a bridge player become a world champion, a writer publish his first book, and a local musician record and produce his first solo CD. Visionality is also the program developer and producer of New Century Television's soon to be launched "Visionary Entertainment Channel".

For more information visit http://www.Visionality.net

Creative Support - 5 Ways To Tell If Your Friends Are Supporting Or Sabotaging Your Creativity (By Dan Goodwin)

2008-06-05T06:08:00.001-07:00

How many of your friends, colleagues and family members truly support your creative life?

Even though they want the best for us, sometimes our friends and family can actually cause hurt or harm with a casual comment or a disinterest in our creativity. In time, these can build up and lead to serious limitations in what and how we create.

So here are 5 ways to tell when your friends are sabotaging your creativity:

1. They say "How's that little hobby of yours coming along?". For those who don't create, it can all seem a mystery that others spend so much time on it. They can only comprehend it as an obsessive hobby and not a way of being, living and experiencing life. "Hobby" is them trying to put what you do into a logical compartment in their head. "Little" is just trying to dismiss the importance of creativity in your life because it's not important in THEIR life.

2. They tell you how "successful" all the people you were at school or college with have become. Things like: "Ooh did you hear, Annie's just got promotion in her insurance company, she's now Senior Team Leader, Bizarre Claims Division...". Though they're not talking about you directly, the implication is that "Annie is doing better than you, when are you going to stop messing around with art stuff and get a proper boring job like the rest of us?"

3. They say "You're not still doing that weird arty stuff are you?". Even worse is when they use an extended and pronounce "still" in this sentence, in the same way people say "You're not STILL sucking your thumb like you did when you were 3 years old are you?". Again, it seems to be a complete mystery (or even something abnormal!) that anyone would continue to create art, because they either don't, or can't, do it themselves.

4. They say "How many rich sculptors/painters/writers do you know?". Again the power of this is in what's implied. Their attitude is that the only success in life is measured by financial wealth, and they can not comprehend that you don't create to make yourself a millionaire, but because it's in integral part of your life, your heart and your soul.

5. When you show them new artwork they pull that "I don't know what on earth this is but how can I try to look interested?" kind of face. We often hope our friends will "get" our art and be effusive in their praise in a way that makes us feel they know exactly what we were trying to express. We don't help ourselves when, despite dozens of the above incidences of the face pulling, we still keep going to the same friends in the vain hope that one day they'll understand.

How many of the above do YOU recognise?

How much more free to create would you feel if you didn't have these kind of reactions and conversations?

You have essentially two choices. Either you keep telling your friends and family about your creativity and artwork in the hope that one day they'll suddenly be completely understanding and supportive. Or you quietly get on with creating what matters to you, and in the meantime seek out the kind of creative communities full of people with the same kind of creative passions you have, that will support, not sabotage, your creativity. The choice is yours.

Want to learn more about how to increase YOUR creativity? It's easy: just sign up to "Create Create!" - Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin's free twice monthly ezine - today, and get your free copy of the "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook. Head on over now to http://www.CoachCreative.com.

Lateral Thinking Outside The Box Of Chocolates (By Laura Interval)

2008-06-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

We all get stuck at times. Even the best of us are stymied, unable to come up with an answer, and just essentially mentally blocked occasionally. Sometimes it seems the harder you try to figure out a problem, the more elusive the answer becomes. The harder you try to write a good story, the further away the plot goes. Do you throw your hands up in the air in frustration? Do you declare yourself stupid? Do you relinquish the task to someone else wishing you were better at "thinking outside of the box"?

Well, here's the good news. You can be just as good at "thinking outside the box" as the next guy. It isn't related to intelligence, although it is often thought of as "smart" thinking. It is more closely related to creative and novel thinking; thinking outside of what we consider to be the "norm". It requires you to leave behind frustration, anger, stress, fear and control.

Not so easily done when you're feeling stuck, right? It takes patience and practice... but, you can become a better "out of the box" thinker. Here are some exercises to try now and the next time you are feeling blocked.

Challenge your assumptions:

First, make the decision that everything you have not tried yet, may be right. Nothing is wrong until you prove it. Don't rule out what you usually assume is wrong. Look at the opposite choice. Turn the question upside down and inside out. Write it down, look at it with new eyes. What was before, may not be the same this time. Make sure. Forget what you think you know.

Become a 2 year old:

Relinquish control and ask why? Why? Why? Don't judge yourself or worry about not knowing. Find out why... from every source you can. Get out of your logical mind and ask why even if you think you know.

Find inspiration in others:

Discover what others are doing, take in a new artist's work, listen to a new piece of music. Take a break from what you are doing and allow yourself to venture to a creative place you haven't experienced yet. Take your mind off of your problem, your project, your block for a little while and change your atmosphere. Go to a park, go to a museum. If you can't leave your chair... go to an artist community online. The website canvas and pen is a great place to go for creative motivation and inspiration.

Shake up your schedule:

If you do the same thing everyday... at the same time... in the same place... change it up! Flip flop your schedule; write in the middle of the night if you're a morning writer. Go to the office when no one else is there if you can.

Set a date with your brain:

Write it in your journal if you have to. Set a date with your brain once a week. Just you and your brain... no radio, no TV, no noise, nobody else. You, silence, and whatever your brain brings to the table. You've got to get the noise out... quiet your mind. Then just sit with it and see what it has to say. 10 minutes works... 30 minutes is better.

All of these exercises are aimed at getting you out of your lateral/logical mind patterns. Consider it an adventure... your life from a new perspective. Keep this list handy, and next time you're feeling blocked, leave the stress and the frustration in the box and don't be afraid to step on out!

http://www.creative-personal-development.com

Creativity - Keeping The Ideas Flowing (By Richard Van Beek)

2008-06-05T06:06:00.000-07:00

The best ideas are ones that emerge organically, without a person having to try very hard. When you are in a harmonious rhythm, working on a project that brings you both challenge and enjoyment, your creative potential can reach its zenith. As you find yourself gliding from one gem of an idea to the next, you want to continue in the bliss of this creative state indefinitely. Yet at some point, fatigue or an interruption will cause deceleration until your inspiration slows and finally ends. Resuming the creative process will take more energy and the possible addition of a catalyst to set things in motion again.

There are times and there are occupations where you don't just want to experience a rush of creative ideas, you need them in order to move forward. To spur yourself onward to more creative moments, try the following suggestions:

• Discover your most creative times of day. Every person has one or more points in the day when their creativity tends to be at its highest. Try arranging your schedule so that you can capitalize on your peak hours.

• Carve out a defined space for yourself to work creatively. Winnie the Pooh had a "thinking spot" and so can you. After a while, going to that place should help activate your creative mode.

• Obtain the perfect pen or paintbrush (or whatever device you need) to assist your flow of creativity. Having tools that you relish can often help inspire you.

• Set aside your stalled mental engine and return to it later. Releasing your mind from the roadblock may leave you refreshed and ready to surmount the challenge at a later point.

• Reflect on past success. In looking back you may be able to renew your hope and even pick up a forgotten thread of an idea that will set your mind in motion again, resulting in fresh thoughts.

• Carry a notepad. Taking the time and opportunity to write down your ideas whenever and wherever they come to you can serve as an excellent springboard for future creativity.

• Do something mundane so your mind can wander. Washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or some other activity that is not mentally taxing can give your mind space to work.

• Try a change of pace. Get outdoors or go somewhere new to give your brain different input from the usual.

Most people find that their creativity is enhanced when they are well-rested and feeling energetic. If you have exhausted all of your jumpstart options and are still unable to find your groove, it might be something as simple as rest that you need. Fatigue dulls the mind, while sleep can sharpen it. The sleeping brain doesn't stop working; when you awake you may discover that your mind has been working on the problem all along.

If you're interested in an Online Internet Marketing Business Opportunity, visit Richard's Xocai website.

Author: Richard van Beek is a top marketer in the home business industry. Richard devotes the time, energy, and effort into his team and mentors them to ensure their success.

Visualizing Can Create Beauty (By Jan Malloch)

2008-06-05T06:05:00.000-07:00

Up until last summer, I had managed to progress through my life with absolutely no interest in gardening whatsoever. Despite my maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother being avid flower growers, it seemed that the gardening gene was never passed on to me.

My lack of interest in this very popular past-time was beginning to cause me quite a lot of concern. The next door neighbors have tidy, well-kept gardens. They return from the garden centers with loads of living things that they can plant and look after.

What disturbed me more however was, as someone with numerous hobbies and interests, why had gardening managed to slip the net? After all, I enjoy productive past-times such as dressmaking, still-life painting and other handicrafts. I enjoy hobbies that I can do on my own, and a prerequisite is that my efforts must result in an end-product. Gardening certainly fits the criteria, yet I had never before contemplated wanting to be a gardener.

Looking out of my window, I see perennials and biennials, hardy and half-hardy annuals, shrubs and climbers. On my window sills, I have seedlings and cuttings that I am nurturing in readiness for their new homes outside.

So what transformed me into a keen gardener in less than a year?

It was having the true desire to become a keen gardener - simple as that. As someone who encourages and motivates others to set and achieve goals, it was my turn to practice what I preach.

Firstly, I had to ensure that I had the true desire to start gardening. I was becoming concerned about my lack of interest, and I was perhaps feeling somewhat envious of the enthusiasm demonstrated by my neighbors. Rather than just wishing that I could become a gardener, it was essential that I converted the desire into positive action.

I treated the challenge as a project, with all of the accompanying plans and time-lines that projects entail. I measured the perimeter of the garden, and drew a diagram showing the layout.

I carried out a personal brainstorming session of what I wanted in my garden. Did I want just plants, or did I want to include a water feature or a statue?

Once it was decided what I wanted, I visualized what the garden would look like. I imagined all of the wonderful flowers, the fragrances and the sounds of tiny insects buzzing around the blooms. I saw myself sitting outside on the bench taking in the spectacle and feeling the warmth of the sun in the quietness of my garden.

By this time, I was suitably motivated to get out there and start work. Before I had even cleared the weeds, I was already investigating entry requirements for the local gardens competition.

That was it. I knew the date of the judging, and I promptly told my friends that I was entering the competition. My garden existed only in my head. But that was the critical factor in the whole process.

Not only could I see the garden, but I could smell the flowers, feel the sun and hear the sounds. I was sitting in the garden that did not exist.

It was then up to me to create my beautiful garden and ensure that my dream became a reality.

Jan specialises in encouraging people to "Make Positive Changes Now" in several aspects of their lives including career change, personal development, and combatting addictions.

She is currently developing a number of CDs and DVDs to motivate and encourage people to make positive and worthwhile changes in their lives.

Visit Jan's web site at http://www.powerpositivenow.com

The Pitfalls Of Creativity (By Sandy Cosser)

2008-06-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

It's said that the there is a fine line between insanity and creative genius. According to James Kaufman, that distinction may be more exact among creative writers - female poets especially - where it might not exist at all. In 2001, Kaufman came up with a theory that he called "The Sylvia Plath Effect", which suggested that writers are more prone to mental illness than any other profession.

Now, I write for a living, I'm a woman and I have bipolar disorder. Thank goodness I have no taste for poetry or else I would be the poster child for Kaufman's theory.

Sylvia Plath, for whom the phenomenon is named, battled depression her entire life. In fact her novel "The Bell Jar", which is about depression, is considered to be largely autobiographical. In it she details suicide attempts, hospitalisation and shock therapy with stark clarity and understanding. She didn't only write novels, however, she was also a critically acclaimed poet, which may or may not have been her downfall. Despite a seemingly sublime life with a thriving career, children and a husband (poet Ted Hugh, from whom she was separated at the time), on the 11th February, 1963, Sylvia Plath gassed herself in her own oven.

Anne Sexton was also a successful poet, and was part of a close circle of other successful poets, including Sylvia Plath. Unlike Sylvia, and in fact unlike many people of that time, she was open about the state of her mental health, never shying away from the fact that she suffered from bipolar disorder (my apprehension increases). It's perhaps ironic that after Plath's death, Sexton penned a moving poem about Plath, which she aptly called "Sylvia's Death". 11 years later, after lunch with another famous female poet, Maxine Kumin, Sexton also gassed herself, not in her oven but in her car.

Virginia Woolf almost epitomises the Sylvia Plath effect more than Sylvia Plath does. She had two nervous breakdowns early in her short life, of which each occurred after the death of a parent. The second was so bad that she had to be institutionalised for a while. Other tragic incidents also undoubtedly left their mark on Woolf, so that after a lifetime of suffering, she finally drowned herself in a river near her home. She was 59 years old. While there is no official diagnosis on Woolf's condition, many psychiatrists believe that she exhibited all the signs of bipolar disorder. My apprehension increases even more, especially considering that Virginia Woolf wasn't even a poet: she wrote novels and essays.

Iris Murdoch, who was a brilliant novelist, did not appear to suffer from any mental disorders while young, but she did get Alzheimer's disease, which cost her her brilliant mind. Fantasy writer, Terry Pratchett, who is neither female nor a poet, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. He is fortunate in that medicine has made significant advancements since Murdoch's time. The disease's progress can now be slowed and controlled, but still can't be cured, and it can't be stopped.

It seems that however you look at it, some writers are damned. They can suffer unimaginable mental anguish while young or they can suffer unimaginable mental disintegration when they're older. It's a no-win situation, but all things considered I would rather be able to write than be able to do anything else. If the paltry cost is my sanity, I'll gladly pay it. Life's more interesting this side of the fine line anyway.

Recommended sites:

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/03/18/writers-who-suffered-from-the-sylvia-plath-effect/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Employers Jobs work opportunities and vacancies one of the leading site directories for information on work opportunities and job vacancies, as well as developing trends in the professional world.

Is Your Creativity Supported or Stifled at Work? (By Ann Vanino)

2008-06-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

"The new corporate contract is that we'll offer you an opportunity to express yourself and grow, if you promise to leash yourself to our dream, at least for a while." - John Sculley, former Apple CEO

Creativity is self-expression. One of my favorite business books is David Whyte's The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America. In the book, Whyte talks about the dark side that is created in organizations when creativity is stifled. Is it unreasonable to expect the honoring of your creativity by the organization you work for? No it is not.

Our workplaces would be more productive and happier places if creativity was encouraged. In many organizations, self expression is silenced. What is needed is the integrating of individual creativity with the goals of an organization. It can be done. The starting point is the honoring of the individual. The organization is an organic system. The whole is the sum of its parts. The people who constitute the organization create it.

Clearly, honoring each individual's creativity is not about anarchy. There has to be a common purpose that people work towards. This common purpose is one that all employees can buy into and have input on. Creativity and self-expression are encouraged in furtherance of the common purpose. It is not imposed on others, but is shaped and grown by the entire organization. Every employee has dignity in their participation.

Creativity implies movement and creation. That movement and creation feeds and fulfills the individual and fuels the organization. For creativity to thrive, hierarchy for the sake of authority has to go. Bully bosses, disrespect and disregard have no place. Honoring the individual and commitment to a common purpose are the center points of a successful organization. The possibilities are limitless.

Is your creativity encouraged in your work? What has occurred when you have expressed a unique view? The dark side that David Whyte writes about occurs when people are demeaned or silenced. Creativity is like a river and when dammed up, the water has to go somewhere. If stifled, creativity stays inward and can wreak havoc. Resentment, anger, and disillusionment can occur. What basis is that for doing good work?

Here are some exercises you can do to express your creativity at work and to assess if your creativity is supported or stifled in your place of work.

Expressing Your Creativity

- The next time you undertake an assignment at work, take some time to identify at least three different ways to approach the task.

- Once a week at work, take a walk or create quiet time to daydream. Focus on the work you are doing. Imagine it being everything you want it to be.

- Float a few new ideas to your co workers or customers.

- Give yourself permission to think creatively.

- Observe your workplace and, on a scale of 1 to 10, rate it for its support of creativity and self expression (1 = low, 10 = high).

Is Your Creativity Supported or Stifled at Work?

Ask yourself these questions to determine if your creativity is supported (yes answer) at work:

- Can you name three creative contributions you have made to your organization's mission that were appreciated by others?

- Do you feel respected by those you work with for your skills and what you bring to your organization?

- Is creative self expression valued by your organization or customers?

- Are new ideas a regular occurrence in your workplace?

- Are you fulfilled in your work?

Ask yourself these questions to determine if your creativity is stifled (yes answer) at work:

- Do you hold back in presenting your ideas to others?

- Have you ever had an idea shot down by someone in a negative way?

- Does your organization have only one way of doing business?

- Is there a dominant person in your workplace who calls all the shots and does not consult others?

- Are you dissatisfied in your work?"

You have a right to creative expression. If you honor your creativity and find ways to express it, you will find fulfillment and satisfaction in your work.

Ann Vanino is a career coach, trainer and writer who specializes in helping people find fulfillment in their work lives. Ann's book, "Leadership on Trial: Lessons from The Apprentice," and her new e-book, "Power Stories," include stories of personal power at work. You can learn more about Ann and her work at http://www.MovingForward.net E-mail: Ann@MovingForward.net or call: 661-944-6329 (US.)

7 Steps To A Super Creative You (By Dan Goodwin)

2008-06-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here are 7 steps to becoming super creative in your unique way. Any of these tips used alone are powerful, combine many of them and your creativity will soar!

Step 1: Eliminate creativity-limiting beliefs. What are your REAL beliefs about creativity and your own creative abilities? If, deep down, you don't believe you're creative, it will always be a glass ceiling to what you can achieve. Weed out those destructive negative beliefs and replace them with positive, creativity enhancing alternatives.

Step 2 Recognize your creative strengths and talents. We each have a unique set of creative talents and strengths. Make a list of yours, both specific skills like "I'm great at drawing faces" as well as wider reaching strengths such as "I am highly motivated" and "I have great passion for creating". You'll be amazed at how much you have going for you.

Step 3: Gather your creative ideas. The creation of anything begins with an idea. How do you gather yours? Keep an Ideas Journal with you wherever you go and jot down your ideas as they come to you. Once you get into this habit you'll find a constant flood of great creative at your fingertips.

Step 4: Have a creativity enhancing workspace. Do you have a specific area or desk for your creative work? If you have to spend 15 minutes clearing up just to see the surface of your desk each time you go to create, it will kill your motivation. Set up a creative space you can go to and get creating in a matter of moments.

Step 5: Focus on one creative project. A classic cause of creative block is overwhelming yourself with too many projects at once then not getting anywhere with any of them. Start with one small project, and get yourself familiar with each step of the creative process from idea to completion, then move on to another.

Step 6: Create a little each day. Creating erratically or "when you have time" is a recipe for frustration. Creativity can only blossom to its fullest when it has a regular flow, and the best way of reaching this is to create a little each day. This is the secret to building indestructible creativity habits that will last your lifetime.

Step 7: Get some support along the way. You needn't live the stereotypical life of the lonely tortured artist. These days more than ever there are groups and communities you can join to give you the support, feedback and creative companionship that can spur you to new levels of creativity.

Which tip will you start to apply in YOUR creative life today?

Your Creativity Tool Box - How to Get Inspired (By Lori Chance)

2008-06-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

Dreaming is natural. It's normal. As children we spend the first few years of our life doing almost nothing else but dreaming and imagining. Then at about age 5 or 6 the practical side of our brain kicks in and suddenly having an imaginary friend just isn't fathomable anymore. "They're not real!" as I have heard my 7-year-old son tell my 4-year-old daughter several times.

From then forward, dreaming often becomes synonymous with not doing anything important. Have you ever heard someone tell you, "stop daydreaming?" I know I did. Rather than actually stop however, I chose to turn it into something that was acceptable - writing. For many however, the permission to daydream was lost in childhood.

Where ever you might be in this phase is exactly perfect for you. If ideas come easy to you, celebrate them. If you're feeling that "something's missing" feeling, celebrate that too as it's a queue that inspiration is beginning to find you. If you're someone who can't remember the last time you had a new idea, or find yourself shutting the new ideas down when they do occur to you, know that you're not alone - and not nearly as stuck as you might feel. There are ways to begin to move forward again.

Here's how to get started:

Take just 5 minutes to write down 1 to 5 ideas that might cause you to say, "I'd love to do that, but [fill in the blank]."
Put your list where you can see every day for at least 1 week
Each day ask yourself: What if even one of these ideas were really possible somehow?

What you'll be doing is reigniting the ability to dream within yourself. Some might call it "envisioning the future" some might talk about it as "creating goals." However you want to think of it, that's what's right for you, but what ever words you use it starts by giving yourself the time, space and permission to think of what might be possible.

Lori Chance is a collaborative writer and editor specializing in how-to, informational, spiritual, and personal development articles and books. Her self-coaching book for women titled, Who Am I, is being released in 2008. Lori also trains and mentors both traditional and creative professionals in BNI, the world's largest referral organization, and serves on the Steering Committee for the BNI-Misner Charitable Foundation supporting children and education around the world. To learn more about Lori, visit website.

Creative Thinking: A How-to Guide (Steve Gillman)

2008-06-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

Creative thinking is a potential we are all born with. If you don't use that potential, it is probably because you don't know and apply the simple principles for developing it. We can remedy that right now.

The two basic principles of creative thinking are:
1. There are methods and techniques of creative thinking.

2. Making these methods and techniques a part of your mental habits will make creative thinking easy and automatic.

An entrepreneur sees the potential profit in a situation, because his mind is trained for that. A lawyer sees the potential problems, because that is how his mind is trained. How we repeatedly think becomes a habit, and that is how you train a mind. Learn the techniques of creative thinking, use them until they are a habit, and creative thinking will be as natural for you as lying is for a politician.

The Techniques Of Creative Thinking

There are dozens of creative problem solving techniques you can learn to use. "Concept-combination," for example, will have you mixing roses and clocks to create the first alarm clock that wakes you up with a gentle release of fragrance. Use the technique of "random-presentation" and a cell phone can give the idea to do your dictation with a pocket tape recorder while you walk, so you'll have time for exercise and still get your work done.

Creative thinking goes beyond just solving specific problems or inventing new things. A truly creative mind is always coming up with the questions too, not just the solutions. To be more creative all the time, focus on three things:

1. Challenge your assumptions. What if a restaurant didn't have employees? Customers could pay a machine as they enter, and feed themselves at a buffet. If everything was as automated as possible, maybe one owner-operator could run a large restaurant alone. Challenge everything. Do you have to go to work? Do pools need water? Is education always a good thing?

2. Change your perspective. Imagining a dog's thoughts about your busyness could clue you in to the unecessary things you do. Thinking dollars-per-day instead of per-hour could give you a plan to let employees go home when they finish a certain quota. Greater efficiency would be almost certain, and you could adjust daily pay and quotas so both you and employees made more money. Look at everything from several perspectives.

3. Let your ideas run wild. Flying furniture seems silly, but it may lead to the idea of a hover-lifter. Slide the device under furniture and it lifts it with a cushion of air, making for easy moving. Don't stifle your creativity. Relax, let ideas come, and know that you can always discard them later.

Creating Creative Thinking Habits

To make the above techniques into an automatic part of your thinking, just use them enough. Usually it takes several weeks to develop a habit, so you need a way to remind yourself each day during that time. Try writing a few of your favorite techniques on a card and carrying it with you. Pull it out throughout the day and apply the techniques to anything. Soon, more creative thinking will be a normal part of your life.

By Steve Gillman

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower and related topics for years. For more creative problem solving techniques, and to subscribe to the Brain Power Newsletter, visit: www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

Connect With Your Body (By Linda Dessau)

2008-06-05T02:35:00.000-07:00

When we're in the creative flow, we can sometimes forget we even have a body, because our minds are exploding with color, sounds, words and images. But when unhealthy habits sap your body of its vitality and strength, your creativity and productivity will be sapped as well.

What could be more frustrating than the interruption of your creative flow by an uninvited headache, back spasm, dullness of mind or the "shakes"?
I once heard the expression that as a guitar player, I'm a "small muscle athlete" – meaning I need to warm up those muscles and treat them well. Perhaps as artists we're ALL small muscle athletes. After all, we do need a good measure of physical endurance to get through our creative tasks.

Whether it's sitting hunched over an easel, the repetitive movements of playing a musical instrument, the stamina to stand and walk on stage throughout an entire show or sitting at a computer keyboard for most of the day, our creative tools all require the use of the body.

To keep that body strong and resilient takes daily attention.

Day-to-day self-care practices such as getting enough sleep, eating three healthy and balanced meals that are evenly timed throughout the day (plus healthy snacks if you need them), moving your body actively and drinking enough water are all essential for taking care of your body.

Taking care of the body also affects the mind. Fatigue, malnutrition, inactivity and dehydration will all have adverse effects on the mind and the ability to problem solve, concentrate and connect ideas.

The Creative Cycle and Self-Care

Touring with a band, rehearsing for a show or burning the midnight oil to finish a painting before a gallery opening, are all examples of extraordinary circumstances where we might relax our self-care discipline and adopt a whole new set of rules.

Then, when the show or tour is over or the piece is finished, we sometimes sink into an anti-climactic "low" or a period of transition before we get back into the creative flow again.

The daily practices you keep when things are "normal" will build resilience for the times when these extraordinary circumstances come up. They also build habits and healthy living skills that you can draw on when life gets more challenging.

Put it into play

One of the best practices for a healthy body, mind and spirit is to get enough sleep and rest. Tonight, end your evening activities a half hour early and spend that time winding down. Release the worries of the day by writing or speaking about them. Calm yourself with a bath, tea, massage, music or a good read that doesn’t remind you of your work.

We can all come up with reasons why we can't exercise, we can't make different food choices and we can't focus more on our health.

You have a unique creative gift to share with the world, but your creativity relies on a sound mind and body.

So which of your reasons for not taking care of yourself are more important than that?

(c) Linda Dessau, 2005.

By: Linda Dessau

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for the free e-course, "Roadblocks to Creativity" by visiting www.genuinecoaching.com

Who Wants To Work? (By Lee Down)

2008-06-05T02:28:00.000-07:00

I feel a loss when pragmatism wins over the mystical. There is a greater magic at work when you engage with Source. I believe that strength and optimism combined with hard work will keep marketing principles and other learned strategies working well for success. I have a much different story to tell.

I've spent many years in the corporate world and in the service and sales industry. Letting those learned and hard-work principles go to engage in a relationship with the divine has been one of the most difficult challenges I've ever faced. So why face it? Why not stick with the old ways?
Simply put, the mystical, the divine, the source energy, or God if you like, wouldn't let me go. No matter how hard I worked, I simply did not see the results I desired. There was a transformation already underway and I would be embracing a new way of living. You cannot deny who you truly are. As I moved away from working hard and focused more and more on my gifts, passion & purpose, magical things began happening.

In spite of all my marketing and business focused activities, none of my prospects had become a client and none of my projects came to life. Strangely, people from across North America were finding me, and rarely through my website. As long as I engaged in a relationship with the source and exercised faith, clients began showing up. Clients that were looking for the gifts that I had to offer and the connection I had to share.

This has pushed me deeper into a relationship with the mystical, the metaphysical, the spiritual - so many words to describe the same thing - and practicing a new way of being in this world. It is much simpler, much more organic, much more peaceful, and in many respects, very easy. Well, easy when I get out of my way.

There have been times when I've been in a complete and utter panic over what was not materializing. I'd come close to reverting to an old pattern and headaches would show up and more resistance in mind, body, and spirit. Within 24-48 hours, I'd back off from my worries, unable to give-in and give up the dream. I'd trust and just as suddenly, abundance again made itself known.

I see this pattern, these ups & downs, as part of the training I am receiving. To deepen my relationship with the divine. To trust source. To trust my true calling, passion and purpose. To express more fully who I am and thereby be a much better guide and teacher to those who wish to engage in the same relationship with the source of creation.

Magic lives everywhere. Being pragmatic can work, but who wants to work?

By: Lee Down

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Lee Down is a Professional Coach, Trainer/Facilitator, Speaker, & Writer of One Man Can Human Capital Development that focuses on relationships, the key foundation to success in business and life. With more than 15 years professional experience and a thirst for truth and understanding, he focuses on the human spirit and human capacity. Working with clients, he facilitates the breaking down of beliefs, barriers or obstacles that bring clients forward on their journey of discovery with spirit, energy, abundance, passion and purpose, integrating the mind and body experience. Working with business, he brings visionary leadership and relationship skills to the forefront that witnesses an empowered culture evolve and develop directly impacting the improvement to the bottom-line.

How To Increase Creativity (By Steve Gillman)

2008-06-05T02:27:00.000-07:00

To increase creativity, you need to do two things. First, you need to encourage it. Second, you need to train your brain. Start on both of these right now, and you can experience greater creativity today.

Encourage creativity and you'll increase creativity. This is true of most things you want to see more of in your life. Encouragement can work wonders. How do you encourage creativity, though?

First, by paying attention to it. Your subconscious mind tends to give you more of what you pay attention to. If you ignore the creative aspects of your life, you are telling your subconscious that they are unimportant. If you consciously note when you are creative, and you look for opportunities to be creative, your subconscious mind will start feeding you more creative ideas. Look for it and you'll find more of it.

Another way to encourage and increase creativity, is to write your ideas down. Keep an "idea journal." If you do this regularly, you'll notice that you often start having more ideas the moment you start to write. A so-so idea may normally be forgotten, but by writing it down, you may remember it, your subconscious works on it, and it can transform into something very creative.

You can also encourage greater creativity in yourself by putting creative ideas into practice. If you paint or write, for example, try anything new. Even just driving a different route to work to see if it is quicker can help. The point is to get you mind working outside of its regular patterns.

Just changing your surroundings can encourage creativity. If you want more creativity in your love life, go hike up a mountain with your partner. If you write, try sitting on a roof to write. If you need new ideas for your business, take a notebook to the park and sit by the duck pond. A change of enviroment can get your brain out of it's ruts.

Creativity Training

If you want to dramatically increase creativity, develop creative habits of mind. Watch a good comedian and you'll see that she has trained her mind to look for the "different angle" on everyday things. You can train your mind to do the same.

Challenge assumptions, for example, until it becomes habit. Looking for ways to get customers into your store? Stop and say, "Do I really need more customers?" The question suggests other creative solutions, like finding ways to make more money off existing customers, or ways to cut expenses. These may lead to more profitable ideas. Challenge assumptions to increase the creativity of your solutions.

As you drive to work, randomly choose anything around you and ask how it may be connected to whatever problem you are working on. A helicopter overhead might make you think about a way to track where the car goes when you loan it to your kids. A palm tree may lead to a new design for patio umbrellas.

The above techniques are called "Assumption Challenging" and "Random Presentation," and are two classic creative problem solving techniques. There are dozens more. Train your brain to habitually use these, and provide it with a little encouragement, and you really can increase your creativity.

By: Steve Gillman

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

How To Make Creative Visualization Part of Your Daily Routine (By Art Stanley)

2008-06-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Creative visualization can work magic in your life. But for most of us, that magic doesn't arrive instantly. It takes some time for your creative visualization to show up in your physical world. How much time it takes often depends on the visualization itself and your commitment to its attainment.

One way to make sure you benefit from the power of creative visualization is to do it often. This means at least once a day to keep your dream alive and energized. Make creative visualization part of your daily schedule. Yes, they are that important. Even the busiest among us can squeeze in at least 5 minutes a day. If you can do so two or three times every 24 hours, so much the better. 5 short minutes of creative visualization can ease a full day of stress and tension and keep you moving towards the outcome you desire.

Setting aside a few minutes for creative visualization at the same time each day can help you make this positive exercise part of your life. Visualizing in the morning helps set the stage for a productive, happy day. It sets the tone and gets you started on the right foot. A visualization session just before you fall asleep can be tremendously effective too.

You can use creative visualization many different ways, to achieve anything you want. Want to increase your income, visualize yourself enjoying the increase. Want to overcome your fear of public speaking? See it first in your mind's eye and you can create the result on the physical plane. Focus on the one thing you desire most. Make it your dominant thought. Achieve one major goal before moving onto the next.

Look for opportunities to use creative visualization to your advantage. Use it to solve problems, free yourself from worry, anxiety, discouragement and frustration. Relax on a deep level, clear your mind and think about the kind of results you want to create. Never forget that you are the chief architect and engineer of your life.

Don't just try creative visualization one time, expect instant results and then abandon the entire approach in search of the next miracle solution. If you do that, your search will never end.

Persistence is crucial. You have to recreate the image in your mind of exactly what you want -- repeatedly. Oh yes, it takes some time and effort to channel your thinking and engage the Law of Attraction to attract what it is you want. Nature acts the same way. When you plant a seed, you can't expect it to sprout the next day. In due time, the seed will grow and develop, given the right conditions and treatment. That's how creative visualization works. Plant the idea of what you want. Nourish it by revisiting your vision. Allow the universe to let the sun shine on your seedling and what it sprout in your life.

As you continue to revisit your creative visualization, begin to look for evidence of its arrival. Instead of seeing things not working out for you, take every result, circumstance and scrap of evidence as proof that what you want is in fact being drawn to you.

Creative visualization is a process that can give you whatever you want for a lifetime. Whenever you sit down to visualize, strive for comfort and deep peace. Make it absolutely pleasurable and you'll want to return to capture more of those feelings.

Never push to get what you want. If you're struggling, you're not allowing. Simply allow yourself to see it and feel it in your presence and you'll magnetize whatever it is you want to you. That's the magic of creative visualization. Make it work for you -- starting today.

Now that you understand the basics of making creative visualization part of your life, here's how to make it work for you automatically. Just pop in the CD of your choice and follow along. You'll be gently led on a guided visualization, designed to take you from where you are now to wherever you want to go. Click here to visit http://www.visualizationfx.com today.

The Pitfalls Of Creativity (By Sandy Cosser)

2008-06-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Now, I write for a living, I'm a woman and I have bipolar disorder. Thank goodness I have no taste for poetry or else I would be the poster child for Kaufman's theory.

Recommended sites:

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/03/18/writers-who-suffered-from-the-sylvia-plath-effect/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf

Creativity - Keeping The Ideas Flowing (By Richard Van Beek)

2008-06-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

• Carve out a defined space for yourself to work creatively. Winnie the Pooh had a "thinking spot" and so can you. After a while, going to that place should help activate your creative mode.

• Obtain the perfect pen or paintbrush (or whatever device you need) to assist your flow of creativity. Having tools that you relish can often help inspire you.

• Set aside your stalled mental engine and return to it later. Releasing your mind from the roadblock may leave you refreshed and ready to surmount the challenge at a later point.

• Reflect on past success. In looking back you may be able to renew your hope and even pick up a forgotten thread of an idea that will set your mind in motion again, resulting in fresh thoughts.

• Carry a notepad. Taking the time and opportunity to write down your ideas whenever and wherever they come to you can serve as an excellent springboard for future creativity.

• Do something mundane so your mind can wander. Washing dishes, mowing the lawn, or some other activity that is not mentally taxing can give your mind space to work.

• Try a change of pace. Get outdoors or go somewhere new to give your brain different input from the usual.

If you're interested in an Online Internet Marketing Business Opportunity, visit Richard's Xocai website.

Author: Richard van Beek is a top marketer in the home business industry. Richard devotes the time, energy, and effort into his team and mentors them to ensure their success.

Creative Support - 5 Ways To Tell If Your Friends Are Supporting Or Sabotaging Your Creativity (By Dan Goodwin)

2008-06-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

How many of your friends, colleagues and family members truly support your creative life?

So here are 5 ways to tell when your friends are sabotaging your creativity:

How many of the above do YOU recognise?

How much more free to create would you feel if you didn't have these kind of reactions and conversations?

Creative Imagination Is Not A Special Gift You Are Born With - It's A Faculty You Can Easily Develo (By Dennis Fisher)

2008-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

To be the leader in your field you have to think more creatively than others. You have to use your creative imagination to think of original new ideas.

What is creative imagination?

Creative imagination and inventions.

Many people are under the impression that the ability to use creative
imagination is a natural gift; an inherited talent.

This is certainly not so.

Edison, one of the most successful inventors, regarded as a creative
genius by many, had an interesting comment to make about genius.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration"

"Genius...means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an inhabitual way"

Creative imagination is the capacity to view situations from a
completely different perspective. Or, as described by William James,
"in an inhabitual way".

Creative imagination will help you remove the mental roadblocks
on your road to success.

Is creative imagination a faculty that can be developed? Certainly!

There are techniques you can learn that will result in an incredible improvement in your ability to think more creatively.

To learn more about these unusual and innovative methods go to
http://www.creativemindpowers.com

To find out more about powerful techniques that will enhance creative power go to his website:
http://www.creativemindpowers.com

Enjoying Big Ideas and Long Lasting Results - 6 Steps Toward Surviving the Creative Wilderness (By James V Phelps)

2008-06-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't enough to compose brilliant and beautiful music or string together words that tap into someone's emotional center. Sometimes you just have to pay the bills.

What can we do when we're caught in the creative wilderness? Here are some fundamentals to adhere to that will bring The Call a little closer to home:

1. Keep working. Continue to write, compose, play music, market, sell, lead...whatever it is that you do to give expression to your creative spirit. The Call will never come if you stop working.