Creativity is a difference maker…
It helps us separate ourselves from our competition. It allows us to show others our unique selling position.
Need proof? Just look at the iPhone. It single-handedly changed the face of mobile phones.
Today we don’t even call them mobile phones or cell phones but smart phones and I can see a time in the near future where pretty much every mobile phone is in fact a smart phone.
Just like the CD wiped out cassettes, the smart phone is on a rampage.
Creativity is the lifeblood of any good business. Businesses that fail to adapt to the changing landscape get swept away, just ask Kodak or Borders.
And creativity is just as useful at home as at the office.
Creativity allows me to keep my son on his toes. It also helps keep the relationship between spouses fresh.
I consider myself a creator. I created children’s English teaching materials (games and cards). I created a textbook to be used for teachers and students in Japan. I created my book, iSucceed and I created my seminar, FFS. And I’m just 38. I intend to create a whole lot more in the years to come. And here’s the great thing, creativity compounds.
Being creative with my son helps me be more creative with my wife and again at my business. I guess it’s all about stimulating our minds.
I am constantly bombarding my mind with new information in the form of
- Books
- Audio Lectures
- Movies
- Technology
- Newsletters
- Seminars
By dousing myself with different forms of knowledge it forces me to not only adjust my thinking but to see how ideas in one area can be applied in other areas of my life.
But if you’re looking for some concrete tips why not follow the list I came across on FB.
Here are 33 ways to stay creative:
- Make Lists
- Carry a Notebook Everywhere
- Try Free Writing
- Get Away from the Computer
- Be Otherworldly
- Quit Beating Yourself Up
- Take Breaks
- Sing in the Shower
- Drink Coffee / Tea
- Know Your Roots
- Listen to New Music
- Be Open
- Surround Yourself With Creative People
- Get Feedback
- Collaborate
- Don’t Give Up
- Practice, Practice, Practice
- Allow Yourself To Make Mistakes
- Go Somewhere New
- Watch Foreign Films
- Count Your Blessings
- Get Lots of Rest
- Take Risks
- Break the Rules
- Do More of What Makes You Happy
- Don’t Force It
- Read a Page of the Dictionary
- Create a Framework
- Stop Trying to Be Someone Else’s Perfect
- Got an Idea? Write it Down
- Clean Your Workspace
- Have Fun
- Finish Something
While I could comment on each of these, for today’s post I’ll limit it to just two, the rest I’ll leave for a podcast (and here’s my channel by the way – http://www.ipadio.com/channels/iSucceed/)
Number 23 is Take Risks. Probably the great irony of life is that there really is no such thing as a safe life even though most people strive to achieve this.
Everything is risky.
Marriage is risky. Work is risky. Building your own business is risky. Driving down the street is risky. Crossing the street is risky. And heck, even just sitting on the beach can be risky (as I found out).
And in order to achieve anything, we must risk something. It doesn’t mean we have to risk everything, nor does it mean we can’t take calculated risks but risks are a requirement if you want to live life the way you want to live it.
Number 24 is probably my favorite of these – Break the Rules. For all those law biding citizens out there it is wise to remember that everything gets old, even rules. We’ve all run into rules that were just stupid.
Now I’m not condoning lawlessness. What I am saying is that we need to use good judgment.
Rule breaking goes hand in hand with creativity because so often we are told by others that we can’t, or aren’t allowed to do something because of a rule. Don’t let that stop you, think about it. Figure a way around it.
There is no law against bending the rules after all.
I hope you try all of these out, I believe I’m up to 29 and I think I have the results to show for it.
Adrian Shepherd