A Creative Journey – Using a Magazine to Heighten Creativity and Learning

Read essays, articles, or books on creativity and you will more than once you will read that you can heighten your creativity and create new ideas by reading magazines that you wouldn’t typically read.  The suggestion is to go to your local newsstand and pick up magazines you wouldn’t ever read and read them for ideas, connections and trends.

This is an often repeated example of using outside stimulus as a way to jumpstart our creativity.

I have read this suggestion many times.  I’ve suggested it myself.  I’ve even done it a few times.  But I’ve never seen anyone show someone an example of doing it.

Until now.

Earlier this week I found the April edition of Wired Magazine in my briefcase as I traveled.  I had picked it up a couple of weeks before in an airport because I was drawn to the cover, which suggested that the main focus of the issue was “The New World of Games.”

While I am not a current subscriber to Wired Magazine (used to be) and you might not be either, I think you will find both the process and my results enlightening and fun.

My Process

Reading a magazine for creative insights is pretty easy. Get a magazine, a highlighter, and perhaps some paper or your Journal.  Then begin reading.  Don’t skim or read only the things that are immediately or naturally interesting to you.  Read everything.  Read the articles AND the ads.  And while you are reading, be asking yourself things like…

What does this remind me of?
How does this relate to my situation, problem or challenge?
What did they do that I can do?
How could I use this?
How can I learn from the experiences or suggestions in the article (or ad)?

These certainly aren’t the only questions you can ask, but they are enough to get you started.  You can go into this creative journey with a very specific challenge or problem in mind, or you can just do it to see what serendipitous ideas you generate – either way is fine!

In this case, my journey was a random one – I wasn’t thinking about a specific issue or challenge, I was just reading to see what I might find.

How to Read the Rest of This Article

The rest of this article will provide some of my ideas and what spurred them.  I encourage you to read on observing my process and seeing what ideas or insights you get from my insights.  In other words, I encourage you to use the process I just described on the rest of this article!

You may also decide to go to the library and get the April 2006 Wired Magazine to see all of what I am describing.

My Journey

… page 26 – a side bar asks the question, “Is a half hour show too long for today’s viewers?”  Three people answer with different perspectives.  My first reaction is that this is an interesting question…. And my second was that the answers given basically come down to the quality of the story.  If a good story is told, people will watch (hey, we sat through 3 + hours for Titanic!)  So while this is an interesting question, it is a bit backwards.  The relevant question is, how good the story? This relates to my work in terms of training – how long do people want to learn at one sitting, etc.  Do I think that times are changing?  Sure I do.  But people are still people.  They will worry less about time is they are engaged.  In the end – whether through story or great interaction in a learning situation, the right question is how can we engage people, not how long is the experience.

… page 29 – Lexus presents a four page advertisement for a PBS series with Charlie Rose.  It contains very interesting excerpts from two shows in the series.  This content was so compelling to be almost worth the price of the magazine itself – far better than many articles I have read in the past.  It reminds me that advertising can be relevant and that when we educate and inform others in a valuable way, we might do a better job of marketing, persuading, or selling, than by trying to market, persuade or sell.

… page 56 – talks about a feature film based on a Beastie Boys concert.  This movie was created from footage recorded by 50 fans from cameras the band gave them for the length of the concert to film their entire experience.  Over 100 hours of raw amateur footage was edited together for this movie.  Though I don’t own a Beastie Boys album and haven’t been to their one of their concerts, I am completely captivated by this idea!  It appeals to me because the band got this idea and implemented it (the collection of the footage) in 3 days – from conception to footage.  3 Days.  This has been challenging my thoughts about how long it takes me to implement or being willing to implement something  . . . fast.  It also speaks to the power of getting your Customers involved in the experience of your product or service. This two thirds of a page has had me thinking a lot in the last few days.

… page 66 the Play section of the magazine shows pictures and brief descriptions of new products.  One on this page is called the Storm Tracker (This is an umbrella that has a bulb at the end of the handle that collects forecast information from local forecasts (wirelessly) and tells you if you need to carry it, based on how much it blinks.  The more it blinks, (up to 100 times per minute) the more likely rain will fall.  While I don’t see many people paying 99 for this, I was intrigued by the use of a small “non computer” device to give us data that we might be able to use. While I don’t design products like this, I am fascinated by how these types of technologies might be able to aid, impact or influence performance and learning in the future.  The Storm Tracker has opened my eyes to be watching and thinking about this question.

These examples get me through less that half of the magazine, and I didn’t even share all of my insights from the first 66 pages!

Rather than continue in this article, I encourage you to read more on my blog, as I will be sharing more of these snippets there.

I hope that riding along on my journey has been interesting, and I hope that you got an insight or two through my examples above.  More than that though, I hope that I have convinced you to pick up a magazine you’ve never read before, and try this process for yourself.  If you do, I promise you will learn something, and you may solve a vexing problem or identify an amazing opportunity along the way.

7 Unique Ways To Make Someone Smile

Do you want to put a smile on someone’s face?  Maybe make their day a little bit brighter?  It doesn’t have to take much time or money on your part.  In fact, many things can be done as a part of your normal routine and cost little or nothing.  You won’t know how many people are encouraged by your kindness because smiles are contagious. Try out one or more of these 7 ways today to put smiles on their faces.

1. Write an encouraging note to others that have encouraged you or that need encouragement. Handwritten notes that are given to encourage, not just for thanking someone for a gift, are rare. That makes handwritten notes even more special. Start a new practice of sitting down and writing an encouraging note on a regular basis. You just might start an epidemic!

2. Take a friend out to lunch or invite her to your home for a meal.  You will get to know each other even better than you do right now. If you feel like being more adventurous, throw a party for several of your friends and put smiles on a multitude of faces.

3. Give someone an inspirational book to read. You will feel good doing it, reading the book will change the person, and they will think of you every time they read it.

4. Ask a friend or relative if you can take care of their kid(s) for a day or evening. If you have been a parent, you know the value of being able to have a few hours of “adult time” without worrying about the children. Don’t wait to be asked to baby-sit when it is required. Offer to do it at a time when the parent can do something fun and relaxing.

5. Deliver a meal to someone you know that is sick or having a rough time. We have all been sick and know the last thing you want to do is be out of bed. There are also times when life is tough and it is hard to do all of the daily chores. You can be a tremendous help by providing a meal that can be enjoyed.

6. Volunteer time to supporting your local church or charity.  Every minute you dedicate to a church or charity will cause many smiles.  You will put a smile on the face of each leader just for helping without being asked.  You will also be putting smiles on the faces of those that are being helped through the organization.

7. Thank everyone that supports you throughout the day.  The list of those that you come in contact with is endless.  Remember family and friends, secretaries, co-workers, teachers, Sunday school teachers, pastors, store employees, janitors, gas station attendants, those that deliver your mail and newspaper, and servers at restaurants.

I know this is a list of 7 ways to put a smile on someone’s face, but there is one more way that can’t be ignored. Reveal a genuine smile to everyone you meet. You will experience how easy it is to get others to smile!

A Simple Formula For Overcoming Fear and Worry

If you ask most people why they have not achieved their goals or the level of success they desire, they will usually respond with some built-in excuse (negative belief) that is holding them back.  Underlying this excuse or negative belief is usually a fear or worry.  How many times have you attempted something new, only to stop before you ever got started because you were afraid of what others may think?  Or you don’t think you have the time or money or both?  Or because you believe are inexperienced or lack the knowledge to succeed?

Someone once defined F.E.A.R. as False Evidence Appearing Real, which means we have chosen to believe in something that is not really true.  But because it is our belief, it is our reality.  Worry is nothing more than a sustained fear caused by indecision. Sometimes we need to ask some tough questions to determine the cause of these worries or fears. Once the fear is identified, a simple formula can be used to overcome that fear.

The first step is to clearly define what you are afraid of or worried about.  Write in down.  Put in on paper.  Half of your worries and fears will be solved the instant you can define them clearly by putting them on paper.  What once seemed big in your mind will look small and insignificant on paper.

For the other half, you need to move on to step two.  Ask yourself, what is the worst possible thing that can happen if this fear or worry becomes true?  Make a list, yes, write it down on paper underneath your clearly defined worry.  Keep writing down everything that comes to mind until you have identified the worst possible outcome.  Do you realize that 90% of what we worry about never happens?  Think about how much time you spend on worrying about stuff that never will happen.  This list will help you see that.

Once you have completed your list, resolve in your mind that you will accept the worst possible thing that can happen.  Since 90% of those things will never occur and generally the other 10% will not kill you, realize you will survive.  Accept the worst possible thing by telling yourself, I can handle it, over and over again.  This will start to turn things around.

Finally, begin now to make sure the worst never happens.  Put together an action plan of exactly what you need to do to turn things around.  By focusing on positive changes and implementing your action plan, your focus will shift to the positive outcomes and away from your fears. You will begin to feel better because now you can DO SOMETHING!  Positive action is the only cure for fear and worry.  Try this formula today and see if it will work for you.  It has worked for me.

To Your Success!

1st Step to Manifesting Life

Do you know at least one person that seems to make the most of out every situation? Someone who has great success at the act of manifestation (the act or product of bringing about change through the direction of consciousness)?

You may even have felt a little jealous of the person because it appears they have everything, seemingly getting these things with minimal effort as though they were born ‘lucky’.  Well, it is probably time you understand that the power of manifestation lies within each of us and it is up to you to learn more about it.

Attracting abundance is knowledge. Just like any other skill people have, manifesting is no different.  Skills like playing a musical instrument or making gourmet meals require time and commitment to learn and practice.  So does the skill of manifesting.   How good you get, depends on how well you learn the skill and how well you apply it.

Even though some of us are better at certain skills, that doesn’t mean the rest of us, with practice, can’t improve or even surpass the talent expressed by another. Some seem to have learned it so well that they often times don’t even realize how they do it. Manifesting abundance now comes to them so readily it appears ‘natural’ just as a well trained pianist seems to play the piano without thought or effort. They learn to believe whole-heartedly that they simply deserve something; it is now part of their reality. Those are the ones that seem to be born ‘lucky’.  Luck is not how they got there!

So, how can you start on your journey towards manifesting great things for yourself and those you love?  Here is the first step – a basic understanding of the ‘Law of Attraction’.

Gaining a good understanding of how the “law of attraction” works is the first step in bringing abundance into your life.  You can create our own reality. You can attract riches, opportunities and happiness, etc., in our life when you learn to focus or attract yourself on them.  In order to do this, you must learn to believe and think in a positive way towards those things you seek.  You probably also know at least one person (hopefully not you!), who dwells on the negative and truly will focus on having less. They are attracted to ‘less’ not ‘having more’.  When you focus on “I hate my current employment” then you will never notice the aspects of your employment that might be satisfying. You must understand that just wanting something isn’t going to bring that to you if you continue to focus on the ‘not having’ of that something. You may have personally experienced that “not having” attitude and learned that it blocked your true desires.

You must learn to focus on a particular item or scenario rather than on vague goals like ‘more cash’ or ‘winning money’.  Focusing on winning the lottery, for example, is a fruitless event. Although, through luck, some win lotteries, focusing on winning the lottery is kind of like focusing on “not having.” Oddly enough, many who focus on winning naturally dream of what they could do to help others, even though many of those dreams could actually already be done with their current incomes on a smaller scale, but they don’t. This is probably because they focus on what they perceive as their ‘not having’ or ‘having so little’.  With this attitude they end up believing that those dreams are only possible by winning the lottery. They are literally afraid to act on their dreams for fear that they do not currently ‘have enough’ to offer.

For example, I know several decently paid professionals that repeatedly tell me that they too would really love to sponsor a foster child in another country and they would if they won the lottery.  They are afraid that they cannot currently afford 1 a day as that might leave them short of cash in case of an emergency like an unexpected auto repair.  Their focus is on “not enough” rather than being focused on sponsoring a needy child. When they are focused on “not enough” it won’t ever matter how much money they have, it will never be enough.

Just talking about sponsoring a child brought their fears out into the open. It would be great if they could trust that helping a needy third world child would not put them at financial risk.

So what I would tell these professionals, who would like to sponsor a child but feel they just cannot,  is that they focus on visualizing a starving child being fed by their contribution and perhaps a wonderful letter from that child, complete with a photo to be proudly placed along side other family pictures.   This would be a positive image/thought to get that picture to become a reality. Perhaps talk it over with the rest of the family to see what they could do without to create that 1 a day.  This is the first step in learning how to manifest their lives.  This same first step will work for all aspects of life from healthy, happy relationships to personal wealth.

Is it your turn to make the most of out every situation?  Is it your turn for others to see you as ‘lucky’?  Does your lack of ability to manifest life leave your soul wounded or lacking?  Would you like to learn all the steps to manifest life?  You deserve it and it is time to take action.

7 Blocks To Creative Thinking And How To Solve Them

Each of us has the power to be creative. It’s part of our natural make-up as human beings. The trouble is that, too often, we block our natural creativity and so make errors in thinking and give ourselves more problems than we should. Here are 7 ways to open up your natural creativity and keep the channels unblocked.

1. Don’t Make Assumptions. When we assume, we often make an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. Assumptions are examples of lazy thinking. We simply don’t wait to get all the information we need to come to the right conclusions. There is the story of the customer at the bank who after cashing a cheque and turning to leave, returns and says: “Excuse me, I think you made a mistake.” The cashier responds, “I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do. You should have counted it. Once you walk away we are no longer responsible.” Whereupon the customer replies: “Well, okay. Thanks for the extra 20.”
Tip: When you feel yourself wanting to draw conclusions, just wait until you have all the information.

2. See Things From Other Points Of View. A truly open mind is willing to accept that, not only do other people have other just as valid points of view from theirs, but that these other points of view may be more valid. A story is told that the modernist painter Pablo Picasso was once traveling on a train across Spain when he got into conversation with a rich businessman who was dismissive of modern art. As evidence that modern art didn’t properly represent reality, he took out a photo of his wife from his wallet and said: “This is how my wife should look, not in some silly stylized representation.” Picasso took the photo, studied it for a few moments and asked: “This is your wife?” The businessman proudly nodded. “She’s very small,” observed Picasso wryly.
Tip: Don’t have a monopoly on how things are. Things aren’t always what they seem. Be ready to consider other points of view.

3. Avoid Yo-Yo Thinking. Some people tend to have a tendency to swing from a highly positive mood one minute to a highly negative one the next, all because of what they see in front of them. It’s like a yo-yo: up one minute, down the next. It’s far more healthy to stay neutral and not let emotions get the better of you.
Tip: Remember that things are rarely as good – or as bad – as you think they are.

4. Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits. Habit can be a major stumbling block to clear thinking and another example of laziness. Try this experiment. Write down the Scottish surnames Macdonald, Macpherson, and Macdougall and ask someone to pronounce them. Now follow these with the word Machinery and see what happens. Most people are likely to mis-pronounce it. This is because we tend to think in habitual ways and don’t like what doesn’t fit.
Tip: Don’t think that, just because things happened in a certain way once before, that they will happen like that again.

5. Don’t Think Like An Old Person, Think Like A Child. Research shows that the number of synapses, or connections, in the brain is greater in a child of two than in an average adult. The reason for this is that, while a child of two has no limiting world view, as adults we do. It’s like a sculptor who starts off with a large block of clay, more than he needs, and then gradually removes the clay as he moulds his sculpture. If we use our brain like a child, accepting everything without judgment, we can actually halt and reverse the brain ageing process.
Tip: Don’t worry about the myth of age. With the right stimulus and a passion for learning, you can actually improve your brain’s powers.

6. See The Detail As Well As The Big Picture. You may know the poem by John Godfrey Saxe called “The Blind Men and the Elephant”. This tells how six blind men of Indostan go to see an elephant and each try to work out what it is from touching it. One blind man touches the tusk, another the trunk, another the tail, and so on. Of course, not being able to see the whole elephant, they come to wildly different conclusions.
Tip: Try to keep the big picture in front of you while looking at details. It will help to put everything in its proper place and context.

7. Think For Yourself. Taking time out to think is still frowned on in many organizations that prize activity over creativity. People who work in creativity-constrained organizations are likely to think the way they are supposed to think, or as others think, or as has always been the way to think. It’s like the blinkered thinking that Hans Christian Anderson describes in his story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. Everyone in the land refuses to see that the emperor is naked and has been duped into believing he is wearing a splendid costume for his coronation. Only a young boy who has been ill and not party to the cultural brainwashing can see the truth and cries out: “Look, everyone, the Emperor is wearing no clothes!”
Tip: Don’t let others tell you how to think. When others ask your opinion, tell it to them straight.

Once you make these 7 techniques part of your habitual thinking patterns, you will amaze yourself with how easy it is to come up with fresh, innovative and creative solutions to all of life’s problems.

2 – How to be a Responsible Coach

Assuming the Responsibilities that come with Being a Coach

Who can forget the famous line of Peter Parker (Spiderman`s grandfath0065r)?  He said, With great power comes great responsibility.

Society expects Spiderman a comic book, TV and movie superhero with extraordinary powers to be responsible for saving his town and the world from the forces of Evil.  And he never let us down. Despite the temptations of owning such powers, he uses his abilities only for the good of the people around him.

Being a coach has similar parallels.  They don`t have superhuman powers such as x-ray vision or flying through the air with magic sticky ropes.  But great coaches can have real power through their abilities to help others and with it, the responsibility to guide others towards success.  This is REAL power that can be used to help real people in THIS world.  Done well, coaches can help others turn around their lives.  Done wrong, and a coach could guide a client down the wrong path.

So, with this power to coach your clients towards manifesting their personal and/or business vision comes responsibilities.  Great coaches assume them all as part of the professional responsibility. This can include everything from making sure your client is moving in the right direction, getting them back on course when they are not, and developing and tracking their use of exercises to help them along the way.

There are a few things you can do to be a more responsible coach.  Just as important, these same skills can be imparted to your clients to help them lead more responsible, integrity-filled lives.

How to Bring out the more Responsible You in Yourself and your Client

#1 – Develop self-awareness.
Learn and know your own strengths and weaknesses to be able to view your behavior objectively.  Recognize your shortcomings, receive feedback, and make changes when necessary.  The more self-aware you become of all your aspects, the more you will know what kind of clients you can coach best and just as important those best referred to others.
Dr. Gerard Bell, business consultant and professor at the University of North Carolina in
Chapel Hill, advises us on how to expand our self-knowledge.  He said, Study yourself closely and practice self-assessment techniques to learn how you behave, and the effects you have on others.  As others for their option, feedback, and suggestions to become a better coach.
The lesson is simple: the more we grow, the more we can offer, and the more we can help others.

#2: Learn to Separate Responsibility from Worry
When we hear the word responsibility, we often think to ourselves, Another task, another problem.  However, responsibility is not about worrying over things give to us to work out.  Consider this story:

One night at the end of the second shift, the Head of Operations walked out of the plant he managed and passed a porter.  A porter he passed said, Mr. Smith, I sure wish I had your pay.  But I wouldn`t want the worry that goes with it.

Mr. Smith answered, I give the best I can when I am here.  But I drop the worry when I leave so I can be 100% with my family when I`m at home.

You, too, can learn to give your best to challenging work, but then leave it at the door when you`re off-hours.  Worrying accomplishes nothing except to eat away at us, and actually ends up making us less effective!  Don`t let worry taint your clarity of judgment and ability to take decisive action.  You can learn this as you grow.

Carrying the responsibility of coaching should not intimidate you.  It is the ability to help others that coaching is all about.  Embrace the responsibilities that come with it.

Nothing is gained by worrying about whether your clients achieve their goals or not.  Focus on supporting and inspiring them.  Be their partner in their growth.  Brainstorm with them when it is called for.  But ultimately, it is your client`s responsibility to assume responsibility for accomplishing their goals.  You merely help them see and achieve this state.

#3: Take Calculated Risks and Learn from Your Mistakes

Effective coaches have the courage to ask their clients to take risks when results and success are uncertain.  A willing ness to risk failure is a core attribute of all successful people.

As a coach you can help your clients work with risk and possible failure.  Help them learn to analyze their situation and options.  Work with them to list the pros and cons for each option, then assign each choice a risk factor rating from 1 to 5.  Next, have them determine the likelihood of each occurring.  This will help them quantify and manage the risk-taking process.
Also, lead them to a better paradigm regarding failure.  What is failure other than great feedback that our current course of action isn`t the right path?  Use this information for course correction.  Failure doesn`t happen until we give up.  If you don`t give up, then failure isn`t an option.

#4: Own and admit our mistakes
Our greatest lessons and growth come through our mistakes. Everyone makes them; it is part of life.  Help your client understand this, and they will be able to draw the necessary lessons and take corrective action.  If we do the blame game, we don`t even take the first step (ownership) in this process.

Not only does owning our mistakes and failures help us to be more truthful and powerful in our own lives.  Owning and assuming responsibility for them lets others see the integrity and virtue within us, and hence further gain their respect.

3 Ways to Use the Secret in Your Life

The first thing everyone wants to know after watching the move the secret is, How do I sue the Secret?  That`s understandable because although the movie is good and it does introduce you to the law of attraction it does not quite tell you how to properly apply it to your life.

The First Step

One of the first things you can do in using the secret law of attraction in y our life is to educate yourself as much as possible on the subject of the law of attraction.  Learn the very nature of the law of attraction and how it influences your life.

The core of the secret, are your thoughts which goes a lot deeper than negative verses positive thought.  If you understood the truly nature of thought you would be a huge step above those who think they understand the law of attraction.

The Second Step

The second step to mastering the secret law of attraction is to get a journal and begin to write.  Do you know most people have no clue what their predominant thought patters is, nor do they even know what it is that they want.

When you get a journal you can begin to explore your feelings on a much deeper level.  Seeing your feelings on paper clears it up from being cluttered in your mind.

The Third Step

The third step to using the secret law of attraction is to take small inspired action towards your goals.  With your new law of attraction journal you can begin to track daily every action you take that is in alignment with your goals.  Its very hard for most people to be aware of the way they spend their time.  When you set a specific plan and track it in your journal you have a better change of seeing how your week has gone, your month and then your year.

Much time can pass with many of us taking the same tiresome actions that get us the same lousy results again and again.  Then many people say that the law of attraction did not work in their lives but actually the law of attraction did work.  It simply worked to give you more of the same conditions you were creating again and again.