Creativity Sparks Success and Wealth

The more creative that you can be in life, the more you will be able to find new opportunities and new ways to accumulate wealth and to achieve success. When you look at some of the most successful people of the last century, you see a common denominator in that they all possessed the ability to go at things in a new and creative way.

People like Henry Ford who changed the automobile industry forever and Bill Gates who changed the way people thought about and used personal computers all met their challenges and obstacles with a certain amount of creativity in their approach. You cannot box yourself in the same old ways and the same old thinking and expect to elevate yourself and your life to new heights.

GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CREATIVE SIDE...

Allow whatever creativity you already possess to flourish and you will find that your thinking and your approach will change as well. And you will also find that people are looking for exactly that type of creativity and newness when they are looking for products or services. If you supply the same exact product or service that everyone else does, there is nothing that will set you apart or make you stand out.

To get the right attention, you have to allow your creativity the chance to take hold and express itself. Otherwise, you are doomed to keep doing the same things over and over and you will not make the necessary adjustments when you do face an obstacle in life.

Autor: Bryan Appleton Bryan Appleton
Level: Platinum
Bryan Appleton is an investor and entrepreneur. He is dedicated to helping others achieve levels of success that they once thought were unachievable. " You ... ...

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Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneuer who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.

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Added: January 31, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Biggest Single Reason You're Not More Creative

If I asked you why you weren't more creative, no doubt you could come up with a whole host of reasons. So let's try that. Take a pen and paper and write down all the reasons you aren't more creative.

- You might write about how you struggle to have enough good ideas.

- Or maybe you'd say it's because you struggle to focus on just one creative project?

- You might say you don't ever have enough time.

- Maybe you'd say a lack of motivation holds back your creativity.

- Or is it because you can never find the right materials you need at the right time?

Write out a list of every reason you can possibly think of that stops YOU from being as creative as you can be.

Now, here's the moment of truth. Here's how to find out what the biggest single reason you're not more creative is.

Ready for the revelation?

It's not about a lack of ideas, struggling to focus, not having time, low motivation or unorganised materials and workspace, or any other reason you've got on your list.

The biggest reason you're not more creative is quite simply the biggest reason you tell yourself you're not more creative.

Now that probably sounds like stating the obvious. Or nonsensical! So let's change the emphasis.

You're not more creative because of the reasons YOU TELL YOURSELF you're not more creative.

If you hear something often enough - whether it comes from someone else or from inside your own head - you start to believe it.

It will become your truth, your reality. And it will influence everything you do.

So by telling yourself: "If only I could have more ideas, I would be so much more creative", guess what? A part of you gives up on trying to have ideas, and taking the step towards reading the hundreds of articles, and researching the hundreds of resources available to actually help you have more ideas.

Your identity becomes that of someone who cannot have ideas. You inflict that disability on yourself, you hypnotise yourself into being an artist without ideas, and discard all evidence that would suggest otherwise.

The same principle applies whatever you wrote on your list above.

So how do we overcome this? How do we turn these beliefs around, when it seems like they're an immovable truth?

The first step you've already taken. You identify those damaging, limiting beliefs. Get them out in the open, shine a huge spotlight on them so they can't lurk in the shadows inflicting their damage in a destructive and underhand way.

The second step is to try a new belief on for size. Write down the opposite of that negative belief, say it a few times, see how it feels.

So to go with the ideas example, you might say: "I have an abundance of great ideas, they flow to me like water flows down Victoria Falls..."

Just saying this a few times you'll feel different. You'll have a glimpse into a different version of you. A you that believes in your creativity.

To back this up, go out and find some ways to have more ideas. Search on the internet, type "creative ideas" or "more creative ideas" into a search engine and spend some time going through the articles and resources that come up.

The bottom line is, you're as creative as you believe you can be, as creative as you allow yourself to be. Isn't it time you gave up the biggest reason you're not more creative and started to share your creative talents with the world?

Autor: Dan Goodwin Dan Goodwin
Level: Platinum
Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin helps people who are frustrated they're not making use of their creative talents and abilities. A highly creative person himself, in ... ...

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

Added: January 30, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Biggest Block to Creativity - Unreleased Negative Emotions

Creativity isn't essential only for artists or writers, but also for anyone who wants to be successful nowadays. We constantly need to adapt to fast-paced change, and also need to find ways to stand out in a sea of a multitude of business communications (advertising, free educational material, blogs, podcasts, etc.).

Being in the flow; tapping into inspiration; connecting to some unknown collective wisdom; all of that describes creativity.

Of course some of it is based on innate talent and experience, but an essential condition is the ability to tap into that "other realm" where ideas originate.

And nothing blocks that flow more than being caught up in negative emotion. There are three main reasons for that.

First, our mind finds it difficult to fully liberate itself from the emotion; it will chew on all aspects of it, the story that is attached to it, the regrets about what was said or not said, the possible outcomes and how they might change things, etc. A mind that busy has trouble tuning into anything else.

Also, we've all experienced that negative emotions make us tense. And tension always blocks flow. It's even true in the physical world: for example, tense arteries do not regulate blood properly resulting in high blood pressure.

Finally, we have innate warning mechanisms that are triggered by tension and will be on the lookout for the danger that made us tense. Do you think that they will allow us the semi-daydreaming state necessary to tune into inspiration? Not on their hyper-vigilant watch!

I know that we all have an image of famous novelists as tortured souls and therefore able to create despite being full of tense emotions. Maybe a few people are able to by-pass their crowded mind to get to the sea of ideas, but most of us average folks are well advised to not bank on it.

Saying we want to get rid of negative emotions is one thing, doing it is another. But even putting attention on our desire to get beyond them is a start. There is a lot of free information available on good emotional management techniques.

For example, feel free to grab the free course available on my site on how to stop fear from ruining your day...and your business.

Why focus on fear? Because it's the root of all negative emotions, whether we are conscious of it or not. So if you get good at dealing with fear when it arises, you've got your bases covered.

Autor: Helene Desruisseaux Helene Desruisseaux
Level: Platinum
Helene helps women entrepreneurs design their businesses to reflect their life purpose, unique strengths, and blind spots. This allows them to conduct business profitably while ... ...

If you want practical tips that you might not have heard elsewhere on how to stop fear from ruining your day...and your business, go to http://budurl.com/StopFearRequest

The free course is created by Helene Desruisseaux (Helene D.), who combines years of upper corporate management with research in the fields of personal growth, energy psychology, and mind/body/soul integration. She helps entrepreneurs design their businesses around their purpose and unique personalities, so that they can have both success and a high quality of life. Yes, even in this economy.

Added: January 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Sustaining Purpose and Meaning in Your Art

"Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use." - Carlos Castaneda

What first attracted you to your art form? Was it the way words weaved into a poem or story or how the movement of the body captured a mood through dance? Was it the means in which an actor conveyed such real life emotion or was it the strokes of paint onto a canvas that shaped a landscape? Even more importantly, was there a strong sense of purpose that gave birth to an irresistible desire to master the art? Was the initial intent obvious or did it evolve through time and become something far more meaningful then originated?

For many individuals who have selected a career in the arts, it wasn't just the joy in the doing of it, but it was through a found purpose that fed the artist. Perhaps some gravitated towards creativity to offset discontent from an unfulfilling job. Others tried to make a difference by utilizing their art to deliver a crucial message to the world. Many "creatives" found that it self-soothed during moments of loss, depression or anxiety. For others the sole purpose was an attempt to solidify one's mortality by externalizing a part of themselves in their art.

Whichever the purpose might have been, it is what propels the artist to continue to create. Art without purpose is the simple task in which the only goal is to provide a final product through the act of completion. There are no set standards to define one's purpose and is in fact relative to the individual. What is essential is that the incentive makes creating worthwhile.

Although obtaining the skills, knowledge and experience in your medium is an important part of mastering what you do, how do you sustain purpose or meaning for the long run?

What is draining your purpose?

If your creativity brings about a sense of dullness and feels unproductive, carefully access your life and your environment to determine what might be draining creative energy. Situations such as a monotonous job that is no longer challenging and provides no advancement, or a partner who belittles your creative passion and offers very little support, can bleed out meaning and purpose. Creating meaning offers continued sustenance in the artist's life. A deficiency of it can often lead to conditions such as creative block and existential crises. As creativity gives birth to the artist, their art gives birth to meaning. Are your surroundings providing fertile ground where your purpose can flourish and thrive, or are there areas that need some attending to?

It's not all about the money

Have you lost touch of the deeper meaning, while focusing on making money? Although financial abundance is important to support an ongoing career in the arts, it may not be enough to sustain purpose and meaning. Getting paid to do what you love may have been rewarding at first, however, the deeper meaning can easily go astray in the midst of a flourishing business. You may discover renewed inspiration by donating your skills. Consider seeking out a project for a non-profit agency or offer your talents for a cause that you feel passionate about. Not only can it revitalize a sense of purpose, it is also in the service of others.

Continue to evolve

I don't believe we ever reach the finish line and suddenly arrive at our full creative potential. Instead, we are in constant transformation, growing and expanding. When we expose ourselves to new things, either a new form of art, visiting a different country or learning about a whole new subject matter, we stretch beyond the boundaries of what is familiar. When we venture out of our comfort zone, we nourish the creative soul with new ideas and perspectives. Providing us the opportunity to redefine ourselves as artists, we shed what is no longer meaningful and try on what is new and stimulating. As a result, the creative self continues to emerge and progress in ways that are unexpected and within such moments, artistic alchemy can occur.

Take time to remember your original intent

After investing years in mastering your art, it is natural over time to lose sight of the original intent. It is crucial to reflect back on those moments when you felt completely in sync with purpose and creativity. It's those moments when you whispered to yourself, "This is what it's all about, this is exactly where I belong." When the artist pulls together all elements of skill, intuition, purpose and creativity he or she feels a oneness and an energized focus. If you haven't had this in awhile, try to recall what cultivated these experiences. Taking a moment to ask yourself the following questions can help you remember what was meaningful.

• What most excited and energized me about this work?

• What was it about this medium I found fulfilling?

• How did I "know for certain" this was what I was meant to do?

• What aspects of it most resonated with who I am?

• What were my visions of the future doing this work?

Getting back in touch with your initial purpose and re-establishing meaning helps to revive inspiration and motivation throughout your artistic life. This offers endurance during the challenging and often discouraging moments that naturally occur in one's artistic career. Sustaining meaning is the sustenance of creativity.

Autor: Lisa A. Riley Lisa A. Riley
Level: Basic
Lisa began her therapeutic career counseling individuals, couples and families at The Place Within, in Monrovia in 2002. She is currently in the licensing process ... ...

Lisa A. Riley, MA is a Marriage & Family Therapist Registered Intern in the San Gabriel Valley, California. In addition to her background in the arts, she has spent the last six years working with creative individuals in the expressive arts, such as artists, actors, musicians, writers and designers. Lisa also enjoys working with couples and individuals on relationship & dating issues, life transitions, grief & loss and on how to live a more authentic life. For more information visit her website at http://www.theartofmind.com or you can email Lisa directly at theartofmind@gmail.com

Under the supervision of Carol B. Trepashko, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Added: January 27, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Play With Your Creative Self

The creative urge lives within us all. It rumbles and bubbles up often like an underwater spring feed stream. When we say YES to the impulse the urge to do something with it, we have already taken the first step in play with our creative self. That my friend is the first practice in becoming more creative and probably the one most overlooked or under valued. The response is to say yes to the urge and watch what happens.

Help your creativity flow by watching and listening for your internal bubbles of brilliance and say yes to keep it flowing.

There is no perfect or magic formula and there are ways to practice. In the spirit of offering you ways to become more in tune with your creative rumbles and be in action around your creativity here are five playful practices to move you closer to your YES.

Set aside time each day to tap into your creative self. Yes, it sort of seems counter intuitive that you would have to schedule creativity time and you do. So mark your calendar and set aside creativity time for yourself each day to make sure that it happens. Write, dream, bake a cake, build a snowman, draw a picture just start somewhere, and tap into the place inside of you that wants to make something new.

Give yourself permission to make a mess and screw up. Oh how many artists could attest to this one? Creativity is messy. Let go of your inner critic and make room for not getting it right. Whatever right is?

Give yourself over to the process. Your inner muse wants to have fun. Let the dance of creativity start and stop and begin again sometime incorporating the mess and sometimes with a new page. There is no perfect answer...just keep trusting your daring spirit inside of you.

Follow YOUR natural instinct to create and play. This often means that you have to tune the outside world out. We can get stuck trying to do the proper thing and follow the guidelines of the outside world and we end up trying too hard to fit in and create some one else's way. This leads to more of the same old same old, how boring. With this sort of response going on we can start to feel tired and bored. Colour outside of the Lines!!

LISTEN to the small nudges that your creative self gives you and respond with a YES. We all have those little nudges and we can tend to dismiss them and not listen or respond. Our inner creativity goddess is always offering up suggestions to how she would like to be in your world.

So when she shows up with a silly idea (who are you to judge) go with it!! Like yesterday when it was minus 40 with the wind chill factor my creative muse said GO BOWLING! I know that she knows how much I crave to be physically active. What a brilliant and fun solution to what the weather was offering me.

LET go of any expectations. This practice makes space for having to get it right. Give that up before you start and see where the process takes you. More importantly tap into your feelings along the way. Are you engaged? Are you having fun? Has time sort of stood still? Is there a smile on your face? Is your body relaxed and enjoying itself too! Is your breathing deep and relaxed? All these are great signs that you have said yes to the process and not to any rigid expectations.

When you fall in love with your own creativity and creativity process the world falls in love with you. YES!

Autor: Teresa O'Neill

Teresa O'Neill is the founder of Become A Women Soaring movement where she champions and supports women in mid life to powerfully move through this time of life with more ease and flow.

Her motto is to play powerfully, work with ease and feel the flow.

Her playful, gentle and loving spirit creates a safe and comfortable environment where her client's explore there own unique spirit.

Teresa has empowered many women to celebrate there success and create even more space for gratitude and grace in their lives.

You can sign up for her enewsletter at http://www.womansoaring.com

Added: January 26, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Splatter-Painting Lesson For Life and Business

Recently, an image from when I was twelve years old came to mind. It was the first year a local elementary school held a weekend carnival. The usual junk food booths were there; but one where splatter paintings were created, captured my attention. A paper square was clamped to a turntable and the turntable spun as I squirted or dripped different colored liquid pigments from squeeze-bottles onto it. So, what's the lesson?

Many of us approach our lives and/or businesses as many approach creating a splatter painting. We have the tools and we participate, but we do it randomly or even too cautiously.

Maybe we watch what someone else does, admire their result, and copy them as best we can. Of course, we don't get exactly the same result because we can't be sure we use the same pressure when we squeeze the paint out. Maybe we didn't notice the exact order they added pigments or hand/arm movements they made; and even if we did and copy these, there's still too many variables too subtle for us to notice. The biggest one being we're unique individuals.

Some people might opt to create a splatter painting as simply as possible every time. If it were suggested they "juice" it up a bit, they might say there was no reason to (we sometimes hear people say, "If it was good enough for my parents, it's good enough for me," or something similar). Or maybe fear or doubt about their creativity holds them back, no matter the reason they give.

Others might create their paintings like this for a while and then think, "I wonder what would happen if I . . .?" Others might watch someone make their painting and then do theirs differently without fear or timidity. Some may attempt to copy the gestures and color combinations of the bolder types, but discover they're more comfortable somewhere between the "I'll do it how the majority does" types and the mavericks.

Others may decide to take it to a next level by using deliberate combinations of colors and create new colors. They may fix it so they control the speed of the turntable. They may use various paper sizes. They get proactive in every aspect.

None of these painters would ever have absolute control over the result, but the ones who deliberately, consciously play with the variables would gain greater and greater influence as they took greater and greater "risks" and enhanced their proficiency and understanding of what's possible.

Some people are content to create, metaphorically speaking, the same or similar splatter paintings day after day in their lives and businesses. The important word here is "content." Everyone's priorities are different and are to be respected. Most people would love to discover what it is they'd enjoy doing or figure out how to do it in a way that's fun and fulfilling.

In the examples of painters given above, speculate about the beliefs that don't serve and beliefs that do serve the different types, those beliefs that motivate how they make their paintings and how they feel about the results. The tools I share with clients in my coaching program, and use myself, open us to clarity and allow us to identify and shift beliefs that don't serve us and replace them with ones that do. I've heard we average around 64,000 thoughts a day with around 70% of them the same thoughts we had the day before. How many of the 70% are beliefs that don't serve you?

Think of an issue in an area of your life that has your attention. What beliefs about this issue don't serve you and so don't create outcomes you prefer? What beliefs do serve you? You could look at the ones that don't serve you and write their opposites. That may be enough to create an inner shift that leads to outer shifts, and you may need a bit more.

If you're not content with something about your life or business, it's a good time to gain clarity, set your intentions, and deliberately go for the outcomes you choose. It's time to take calculated risks. Playing it safe isn't always the path to a desired experience or outcome, but note I wrote "calculated," meaning thought out and planned.

What kind of splatter-painting experiences do you choose to have in life and/or business? What would be fun and fulfilling for you? Is it time to discover this?

Autor: Joyce Shafer Joyce Shafer
Level: Platinum
Joyce Shafer, LEC, Your Inspire Success Coach and author (jls1422@yahoo.com), offers an 8-week online program -- Right from the Heart: Quantum-Level Coaching for Independents in ... ...

Joyce Shafer, LEC and author/editor (jls1422@yahoo.com), offers an 8-week Right from the Heart: Spiritual Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs and Solo Practitioners program. See program details, sign up for her free newsletter, and get the $9-for-3 e-book special (plus 1 e-book free=4) at http://www.freewebs.com/coach4lifebalance

Added: January 25, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How to Develop Creativity

How does one develop creativity? By habitually taking creative approaches to life's challenges. To make this habitual, you just need to use certain techniques for a few weeks each, until they become a normal part of your thinking. One such technique is outlined here.

Develop Creativity By Changing Your Perspective

You have probably heard the expression, "there is more than one side to a story." But how often do you actually look for the other side? There is more than one way to look at almost anything, but we tend to stick with the perspective that we already have. That is going to change if you want to develop your creative problem solving abilities.

Suppose you work for an animal shelter and your goal is to place more dogs and cats in good homes. The usual perspective might be to think about how to "sell" people on the idea of adopting the animals. But what if you thought about it from the animal's perspective? You imagine what the animal would be looking for in a human.

That could lead to a new advertising campaign with "Human Wanted" advertisements. "Large collie looking for a human caretaker with a yard and time to play with me, with or without children. Can offer love and affection in exchange." "Small Persian cat looking for a man or woman with an apartment or house. I prefer to stay inside, and require at least one window that allows me to take my nap in the sun. Will purr when petted."

How do you change your perspective? What new perspectives can you adopt for creative purposes? This is something that needs to be demonstrated more than explained. A change of perspective can involve looking at a problem or issue from some other place (literally or metaphorically), with other eyes, from a different point in time, or with a wider or narrower view. Also, it's important to note that it isn't about then satisfying the goal FROM that other perspective, but about suggesting new ideas. Lets look at another example.

Suppose an investor is looking at houses in a neighborhood. He isn't sure if he wants to be a landlord or just buy a house to fix and sell, but he starts with the usual perspective of "How do I make money with this?" Then, remembering that he's trying to develop creativity in his approach, he considers other perspectives.

"What would renters like him to do?" he asks. It occurs to him that some would like to buy instead of renting. That suggests that there might be good profits to be made buying and then selling on easy terms to those who want to stop being renters.

What would the neighbors want him to do? This question reminds him of a comment one local made about the trashy houses bringing down property values. That gives our investor a new idea: buy the three worst houses on the street and make them look good. In this way, the value of each of them would likely be raised more than if he just fixed up one, because he improved the appearance of the whole street. His example may even encourage others to clean up their properties.

Notice that these two perspectives still relate back to his primary one of making money. But this won't always be the case. For example, if he imagines looking back on his investing activity from thirty years in the future, he might realize that he doesn't want to be involved in real estate. That might lead him to ideas for a life that is more fulfilling for him. An imaginary perspective from high above, looking down on the neighborhood, might encourage him to build homes that don't impact the environment so much.

Perhaps the most famous example of using an imaginative and even "crazy" perspective is that of Einstein visualizing himself riding a beam of light. That helped him create his theory of relativity. It's a great demonstration of how to develop creativity by using simple but powerful creative problem solving techniques.

Autor: Steven Gillman Steven Gillman
Level: Platinum
A collector and distibutor of unique and interesting information, Steve has two dozen web sites on topics ranging from how to have good luck to ... ...

Copyright Steve Gillman. For more on Creative Problem Solving, check out the new ebook, "Problem Solving Power" at: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/problem-solving-book.html

Added: January 24, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/