Tag Archives: Creativity

22

Getting Creative Every Day

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Creativity-quotes141I am grateful for the fact that I can be creative. The writing process is where I find my outlet for ideas, but it is not the only one I have tried. It may be the only one I care to share, but creativity in any medium can free up your mind and make you more productive, expressive, and even happy. Taking something that only exists in the recesses of your mind and turning it into a real thing is a fantastic human quality that allows the expression of our deepest selves. It is a procedure we should cherish and pursue in all circumstances and areas.

Finding My Creative Outlet

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, or how old you are, and there is a need for you to be creative. You may recognize this in yourself and create it regularly. I believe that each of us is blessed with some creative talent. These talents may be used for us to enjoy alone and not put on display for everyone to see. Your talent exists still, even if nobody sees it. Some people write, some draw, some dance, and others sing and create music. It doesn’t matter how you make; it only matters that your talent is fully expressed.

When you seek an answer to something, one way to find it is to quiet your mind by occupying it with something. Once all of your focus is on that thing, it frees up space for your heart to speak to you and allows you to listen to that conversation’s emotions. Creativity makes this possible, and the great thing is anyone can do it. Rather than sit in confusion and wonder, take a moment and get creative. You will be amazed at all the things you can create. And the good that can come from it.

Why I Share

This creativity isn’t for anyone but yourself, but eventually, you want creativity 555to know if what you are creating resonates with anyone else. So we venture out to share it. For me, it is easy to do. Publishing on this website is my playground of creativity. I am allowing myself the chance to share my thoughts and have all my imagination examined by others, for better or for worse. But I can put my style into my writing and work out my thoughts and emotions in my words. I almost always include a song expressing my feelings about a particular topic at the end. If you play the music while you read, it will make sense. But that is up to you. My part is to create.

I am sure that it needs some work, and none of my writing is perfect, but it does express something inside me that I feel has to come out. I think I hope that someone else will read it and say, “I get it. I feel just like that!”   I was recently told that it is a cathartic experience to know that your existence is not isolated. We are not alone and not the only ones going through something.   There is a feeling of joy in knowing you are not alone. How else will you find those who share what you have seen, felt, or heard in life unless you put it all out there?   We are all connected, and through creativity, you can see how.

Try Something New

Even though you may have found your creative outlet. Keep on trying other forms of

creativity
A drawing I made once when I had writer’s block. Expressing yourself is always healthy and positive for you.

Creativity presents itself in your life. I have found that even though I have no talent for it, drawing can help me be more creative in writing. Something about the process is foreign to me, but so much fun. I do not have talent in this area, but I do have enjoyment, which is enough reason to pursue something. Perhaps it’s singing or playing an instrument. Whatever it is that you like, please give it a go. What is the worst that can happen? It is for you and not anyone else, so who cares if you are not the best at it?

I am grateful today for having creativity and the courage to share it for all to see and know. They may like or hate it, but it is still a natural part of me, and that should be enough. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about your creations; what you think counts.

There is no reason to include this song today except that I wanted to. It is a great song, I love it, and I think there isn’t a reason you should be more creative in every way!! Enjoy.

22

Moving Outside the Box

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Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

My initial response is no, but when I look back, there have been many.

Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
The Screaming Man did.

I have seen that I initially dismissed it as insanity from my perspective but could see that the situation was creativity.

The most creative people create from a place that does not fit society’s norms and expectations. It comes down to your judgments of what is insanity and what is creativity.

Different was Bad

As I grew up and got my indoctrination into the world, I think I was conditioned to view anything different from the norm as bad or undesirable.

One of my favorite teachers fell under this category. I was a sophomore in high school full of hormones and wanted to get through life as quickly as possible.

I had decided to adopt an attitude of not trying because it didn’t seem good enough for those responsible for my education whenever I did. I especially hated writing because there were too many rules.

Then came this class, the teacher was a woman who looked at life differently from me, and to me, she was a little bit insane. In retrospect, I can say wholeheartedly she was not the least bit crazy. She cared and was willing to do whatever it took to allow us to grow as young people. My education would have been much more valuable with more teachers like her.

Winds of Change

Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
Picasso

She saw our class’s problem as a group that didn’t like English, writing, or each other. She went on a one-woman campaign to change all of those factors.

I remember she had us doing group-building activities outside on the field and in the classroom, and of course, at first, I was thinking, “This is stupid, and I hate it.”

But as I got to know her and the others in my class, I began to find that I liked writing things and having someone else see what I thought.

The writing wasn’t all rules; it was creativity and capturing what you think and feel. That you could express yourself this way was a revelation!

The insanity that had been her method to me led to the creativity of not only myself but many of the others in the class.

It is many years later, and I have relearned the lessons about writing that I learned many years ago. I am grateful to all of the people who have motivated and taught me something, and I know that tenth-grade English class was the first time I saw insanity and later saw creativity.

The Box is for Crackers

I believe this is an essential concept because most of the great.

Thinking Outside the Box
Keep your thinking here!

Discoveries and genuinely original work come from individuals who think outside the box and may be considered a little insane in their process and thoughts.

Think outside the box as often as you can, don’t let anyone else’s societal expectations change the way you think or dim the great thoughts and deeds in us all.

Don’t let your ideas be dismissed as insanity, stick to them, and they will set you free and most likely change the world.

 

22

Your Magic Power!!!

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Inside each person who has ever drawn a breath, there resides a personal power with which people can move down the path of their choosing in the manner they choose. A person can use their ability to gain great things and find incredible success. All people are capable of this, but it would be too easy if all people realized how powerful they are. We are born with the potential to use this power in our best interest. Still, life presents us with situations that slowly drain this power until we are left beholding to other people, places, and things to feel the energy we are born with. Don’t just give up your passion for reasons which don’t add any benefit to your life or existence.

All Power is Choice

Our personal choices drive us in every moment of the day and all situations. You are the one who decides to go to work on time or not. To be kind to someone else or not. The option to treat other people with respect and dignity or be selfish is all made by you and leads to the display of your power in the world. The effect your ability has on the world, and the experience of your existence will be determined by the choices you make.

We give our power away too quickly and often by either making poor choices or allowing choices to be made for us. When you drift away from your conscious awareness, choices in your daily life are made through the subconscious programming of your experience. Your life is at the mercy of a process with no thought involved. Take a moment and look at any situation you are in and evaluate the choices that brought this into your life. There are always choices you have made. And, of course, you can make choices that counteract your preferences. You are still in control of your power, and it stems from the decisions you are making moment to moment. Make good ones.

Don’t Let Strangers Dictate Your Path.

We are looking at your choices, which often give our power away for some silly reasons. One is to fit into what society portrays as acceptable. We are fed a narrative of what is pleasing to the world, and we buy it and never think of why. Each time we do this, our power is drained away a little. To fit in, to be accepted, to find our lives an unquestioned success, we need their approval of them. But we don’t know any of the people behind the message, and they certainly don’t know or care about you.

Let your heart dictate your path toward what makes you happy, and follow that trail to whatever end it holds. I have given too much power to strangers who judge me for being different or making choices with a bit of risk involved. The times I have given credence to these voices of criticism, things have ended poorly. When I follow my intuition and make the choices that feel good to me, life flows positively. Our intentions are always our own, even when circumstances dictate otherwise.

Actions and Feelings

Whether you give away your power or claim it again, your actions follow through with personal choice. Each choice will lead to a story; each step will lead to a result of one kind or another. Look at the actions you take at this very moment. You will decide to look at your power and where you are giving it away. Then you will choose to continue on the path in front of you or move in a different direction.

Being in tune with your feelings about certain things will be a guide for you. Each thought we have, the choice we make, and the action we take will have a corresponding emotional guide inside of us. We are responsible for learning to read these feelings because they will tell us if we are moving positively or negatively. Too often, we let our thoughts be the only guide, and our mind is often confused or dealing with inaccurate information, but our hearts are rarely wrong. Listen.

Personal Power Is Yours

These things dictate each moment, and to live your life without fear is the best way to find, keep, and grow your power. This is difficult to do in a world seemingly inundating us all with fear from all sides of existence. But you are restoring your energy when you learn to make choices without regard to the worry that seems to accompany everything we do. To take action without regard for the result. That is to do something because you know it is right in your heart and not because of a product you seek.

Look at our lives as a conduit to experience certain things and turn these experiences into a guide to take you in the direction you are supposed to be moving in. Disregarding the worry about the future or regrets about the past dictates the substance of our lives.

Maintaining Power

Don’t let life chip away at your power over time. People bleed their energy away over attachments built to specific outcomes in life we think are suitable for us and can’t see the better option sitting next to that poor choice. We allow the accumulation of things to become a false standard of our value when things are nothing. It is the experiences in life that build the substance of our lives. Seek knowledge and value the ones you are allowed to have in each moment of each day you live.

Fears and problems are developing in each person’s life; we continually give our power to these things. Most have arisen from simple distress or pain from a childhood memory or experience that has grown out of proportion. Even significantly traumatic experiences from childhood can rule our lives with power if we let them. Reclaiming our energy will come from forgiving others and, most importantly, forgiving ourselves for whatever has happened in our memories’ deep, dark recesses. Taking our power back starts with this.

Give it a Try

Look at your power today and see that it is responsible for creating your current life. If you have dreams, you feel the urge to follow and pursue them. In each choice you make today, look at the result and get used to seeing how powerful you are in all of your conscious decisions. Too often give away our strength because we are afraid of asking for what we want. Ask for what will make you happy and bring you experiences in life you want to have.

Start right now. Today. With the very next choice you make. Will this add to my power, or am I giving it away to something or someone out of my control? See where this path will lead you.

“The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.”

“Your soul has a plan, but it may not be
the one you could ever have dreamed of
without reaching for expanded consciousness.
Keep your eyes on the unlimited skies of Spirit
so you won’t miss something amazing.”

“Love is like emergency oxygen masks in an airplane:
just as you must put on your mask before assisting others,
you must love yourself first in order to love others next.”

“Your higher self guides your true voice,
who knows your life plan and can whisper advice
that will lead you down the path you were meant to take.”

 

 

 

 

22

The Moments That Matter

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Your perspective on life will determine your success, and that is the way of it, whether you like it or not. How you look at the experiences you have will choose your thoughts on life, the people in your life, the places you go, and ultimately which goals are achievable and which are not. Even the most talented and motivated people will not be at their best every day, and if you are not functioning at your highest capacity, are you contributing in every moment? Does every minute of your life matter to the results of your experiences and accomplishments?

My philosophy is that every minute in your life matters, and those who take the time to evaluate themselves, their efforts, and where their place in the world can find value in each moment. We are limited in the number of minutes we have in life, and it is up to us what we do with them. The choice of enjoyment or boredom is yours and yours alone each day. And, of course, who is to say what one seemingly little minute in your life will lead to? Every minute is the gateway to the best version of yourself. Do you walk through it, stand in front, or walk away from it?

Life Is Short

Our human experience is valuable because there is no clear ending to the journey. It could be many years, or it could be in five minutes. Nobody knows. Yet most of us live our lives as if all the time in the world is at our disposal. It isn’t, and the acceptance and understanding that at some point, this life is going to end give all experiences, moments, and minutes a meaning. Each one will matter before the end, for sure, and often to others around you. What are you doing with your time?

Most people do not live life consciously thinking about the value of the minutes, but if you take a minute and think about it, you can find ways to make each of your minutes a little more valuable. Just as gold or diamonds have a perceived value because of their rarity, should your minutes be treated. Each one is unique and will never come again. Spending time doing what makes you come alive is the most meaningful way is the best way to make your moments last. You get the choice to appreciate what you have in your life or not.

You Choose The Value of Your Minutes

The choice is the action that makes our lives uniquely our responsibility. We choose the value of all things in our lives. We decide how valuable the people we spend time with are or are not. Is this day disappointing, or is it the gateway to something beautiful? That is a choice only you can make about your own life, and you make it every minute. Don’t accept that some minutes are better than others because of factors outside of yourself. That makes you the victim of circumstance and not the master of your fate. You choose on the inside the value that any activity has to you. That is being proactive and will lead to greater enjoyment. If you are reading, decide to value it.

Some would question if you find value if you are not contributing to something or building toward something. But I think your life is something and each moment has a chance to be built into whatever you want. You may not see the value now, but two years from now or a week from now, you will realize the foundation you have started today. If you are not currently building toward something, then you have the power to create a purpose for yourself. Start a new project. Look for a place you can make a difference. Move your sphere of awareness to what you can contribute to the world to make things better in a small way. Helping others provides a feeling of contributing to the world and building a better life for yourself. You are the only one who can choose to value each minute you have.

Responsible for Meaning

Who is to say what value is. It may be one thing, and another person may find something different to be of value to them. Personal choice is going to play a role in this. Look at the last year of my life. Some moments were better than any I have ever known and some worse than any I could imagine. For sure, both of them were valuable for different reasons. Significant change inside of myself has been the result of both extremes. Goals have been reached, which could never have been achieved in any other way. My perspective on life has adjusted more positively because of these learning moments.

Each moment good and evil forced me to change how I looked at myself and dealt with my emotions. All of life is a learning experience, and in this classroom, you are the one who decides if you “pass” and take something significant into the next moment of your life. Or if you “fail” and sit around, feeling sorry for yourself. You are the only one who can choose the value of your life and the moments in it. If you decide to be more honest, open, and understanding because of your experience, it has value. In each moment you live. We are responsible for ourselves and our happiness. You can’t blame anyone else, and you can’t wait for that job, person, or experience to provide value to your life. You have to do it yourself.

Never Underestimate Your Value

We are all connected in this journey of life. We create barriers to separate ourselves from everyone else, but still, there are far more things that join us all. We are all searching for the meaning of one sort or another. Each person we come in contact with has an impact of some kind on them and us. Even if it is minimal, it is still an influence. You can decide how you let that influence affect you. Some people measure the value of their life through degrees earned, awards won, or even material possessions collected. But none of these things truly define a person’s worth. That can only be determined by the positive manner in which they affect the lives of people they come in contact with.

Look at your life and see what positive things you have contributed to the lives of others. Are people better off for your being in their life? If you doubt your contribution, then make a conscious choice to be more of an influence. It doesn’t take money, and it takes a conscious decision to make your life meaningful every minute. Simple things like honesty, encouragement, gratitude, appreciation, and joy of experience can change others’ lives. In looking to make others’ lives better, the life you really will change is your own. The answers to any problem you face might appear at this very minute, and I can’t think of anything more valuable than that.

  • “While we are postponing, life speeds by.” Seneca
  • “If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.” Benjamin Franklin
  • “Spare moments are the gold dust of time.” Bishop Hail
  • “I’ve always believed in savoring the moments. In the end, they are the only things we’ll have.” Anna Godbersen
  • “To do two things at once is to do neither.” Publilius Syrus
  • “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” Marcus Aurelius
  • “When you spend time worrying, you’re simply using your imagination to create things you don’t want.” Shannon L. Alder
  • “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” Bruce Lee

 

22

Just My Imagination

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One of our most powerful tools as people is our imagination. Each person can conjure up images of the most marvelous and creative things in the mind.  The ability to think in original thoughts separates the innovators from the pretenders in business and life.  Imagination is creative thinking running wild and looking at the world in a new or different way.  It is so unique that we all have this ability. It is one of the gifts of having a human experience.  We are only limited by the amount of effort we put into our imagination practice.  Our minds create the experiences we have in life.  Why is it that so many people do not use this gift?  Most people seek concrete avenues of thought which solve minor problems and lead to no significant contribution in life.  They are safe but will never lead to innovation in any area of life.  Let’s think about this for a bit.

The Concrete Path

This is a road of thought taught to us from our earliest moments. As we are taught the right way to behave at the dinner table and in public as children, which are all great skills, we are also inundated with many other things. The shame of not being exactly like everyone else, fearing being different, or not fitting in is also drilled into our minds. We are all seeking this level of normality in our behavior and, more significantly, in our thoughts.

Instead of being challenged to look at things creatively, we are stunted in our development and pushed into a fixed mindset of limitations.  This is true of the ideas of what is expected from children to what is expected from adults.  Follow the concrete path, and “you will be happy.”  Go to school, get educated, have a career, a family, work for 30 years, retire and wait for this ride to end.  Following this concrete destination is supposed to make us all happy with life, but it doesn’t work like that.  We have our paths to follow and things to create that don’t fall on that path.

Our Purpose

It is our purpose that drives us once we start looking for it.  It isn’t going to be found on the concrete path of society, but off of it, down some dirt path that others tell you not to follow.  Yet you still follow it to find the thing you have felt has been missing in your life.  That purpose is yours to discover, ignore, avoid, or build a life upon as you see fit, but it is always their calling to you. Some are fortunate, and they find their calling early on in life and have a chance to transform it and themselves over time.  Others are not so lucky; circumstances and experience will allow you to discover or rediscover precisely what you should be doing in this life.

Your purpose doesn’t have to be a giant mountain to climb or an overwhelming responsibility, and it can be a more simple life or better decisions about the ones you care about.  Mark Twain famously said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”  This is the process of finding out why.  Without looking for your purpose, you will never find it, and that is the secret to enjoying life, taking your path without fear, and seeing where it takes you. The most incredible tool you have is your imagination to help you.

Use Your Imagination

Imagination will allow you to see how things might be if you can follow your purpose. To create a world that only exists in your mind and actively look for steps that will take you in that direction. Nothing in this world was ever created by man that wasn’t first, just a thought in someone’s imagination. Each of us has the same ability to take an idea through the process of creation and into reality.  It is a matter of focus and commitment.

People can practice and fine-tune this talent, like someone training with weights works their body into shape. You can exercise the ability to be creative and make something where once there was nothing. I enjoy doing just that with an empty page and creating thoughts that weren’t there before. Like they are buildings holding the secrets to many lives.  Whatever you want to make, be conscious of the process, have a thought, imagine what it will be like completed, then take steps to move your idea toward reality.

We are all pushed down the concrete path of life to be exactly like everyone else, but none of us are the same, and all seek individual expression. Creativity is the vehicle for expression that lives in us and needs to be nurtured.  Practice the creative process, work with your imagination today, and see what path it leads you down.

“Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” -Stephen Covey

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”- Mark Twain.

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.”- Robert Fulghum

 

22

Being an Original

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“He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.”– Raymond Hull

sseuss

When I first saw the question, who do I compare myself to? I spent a few moments thinking of who I compare myself to. It was challenging because I didn’t compare myself to anyone. Not because I don’t want to grow and aspire to the positive traits of others, but instead, I like who I am quite a bit and can’t see myself being anyone else.

I do not care where I am in life, instead of someone else. I don’t care how much money I have compared to anyone else.  I don’t care about the car I drive, my clothes, or a particular hairstyle. I wear what I like, go what gets me there, and cut my hair the way it feels comfortable. How somebody else thinks about how I look or what I have is really out of my hands.

So I came up empty when it came time to answer this. Then it hit me. I am constantly comparing myself to someone, and I worry about how I do concerning that individual.  It is not anyone famous or rich or successful or that you would ever have heard of.   I am constantly comparing myself to the person I was yesterday.

I Don’t Want to Be Anyone Else.

henri_quote1Although I admire many people in the world, many of you reading this are definitely among them. Yet, I do not want to be you or anyone else other than myself.

I am the only person qualified to be me.  Nobody else can see things the way that I do or will think the thoughts that I do.

I am a unique, one-of-a-kind, original human who is creating things in the world that has never existed before and would never have existed if I didn’t come along.  That is the same for you as well as for me.

I Can’t Compare.

be originalThis makes it impossible for me to compare myself with anyone else, and I have read enough to know that there is a world of fantastic, thoughtful, creative, and talented people doing precisely what I am. Trying to get through this complicated game of life and still feel optimistic about how things are going and what we are contributing to others.

How do you compare one tremendous and unique human being with another?  We are all our stars, performing our parts the best possible.  That should be enough for anyone! It certainly is for me on this fantastic summer day!!

Quotes about being yourself

“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”- John Mason

“Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.”- Julius Charles

“There is only one success to be able to spend your life in your way.”- Christopher Morley

“If you don’t like my words, don’t listen. If you don’t like my appearance, don’t look. If you don’t like my actions, turn your head; It’s as simple as that.”- Anonymous

“Why live to please others? I mean, it’s your life. If you aren’t happy with it, what’s the use in living?”- Anonymous

“I never wanted to be different; I just wanted to be me.”- Anonymous

“Originality is a by-product of sincerity.”- Marianne Moore

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”- Anonymous

“The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.”- Anne Morrow

“Love who you are. Don’t hate yourself for what you aren’t.”- Anonymous

“Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess and to gain applause which he cannot keep.”- Samuel Johnson

 

21

Just My Imagination

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Imagine-Form a mental image or concept of something or a situation. 

When left to their own devices, children can imagine genuinely, thoroughly, and amazingly. Their power to look at the world and create a mental image that only exists in their mind is fantastic.  Unfortunately, as we grow up, we develop too much sense and forget to imagine anything outside of our daily reality.  It is little wonder that so many people are unhappy and feel desperate about life and their existence in it. Today I am asking you to look at what you imagine daily.  Do you see what your life might be like? Do you see places that you would like to go to?  Treasures you want to amass? Love you want to experience?  Imagination is a powerful tool in helping all people create great things.  Be conscious of your vision or lack thereof today.  In your thoughts, words, and actions today, know what is real and what you imagine.

Why We Don’t Imagine

We live in a world where imagination is ridiculed and discouraged. When we are young, we are naturally full of creativity, but as we are conditioned through life, each step of “growth” tells us to put our vision aside and focus on reality.  The message is clear, “Stop daydreaming and get to work!” The world wants you to believe only sober, cold interactions with facts, and what you see in front of you is all there is.  Sadly, most of us understand this and abandon our imagination, along with the rest of our childhood.  Never even realizing the tool for success and creation, you are casting away to assume the mantle of school, work, and death.

Our society prizes those with no imagination because they are very reliable and keep a straightforward version of reality running.  Imagine a world where this wasn’t the case.  All great artists, inventors, writers, actors, and entrepreneurs could imagine a different world.  It is through the use of this imagination things change for the better. Don’t listen to the message declaring what you believe is a waste of time. Anyone who rails against vision is afraid of change, life, and growth. Don’t live your life in fear. Live a life of possibility.

Imagination Hostage

Look at the messages you get today.  From the media, advertisers, and even the government. These entities are using your imagination against you. They do this by creating a dark, scary, and dangerous version of the world.  Each negative news story is sensationalized to the point, and you imagine that every person you meet has wicked intentions, and you can’t trust anyone.  Your imagination runs away with you, surrounding you in fear, and you live your life like a scared rabbit.

Advertisers use your imagination as well. They are very good at making you feel inadequate in some way, and you imagine buying this or that will make you whole again.  Messages like: “If you love her, buy this necklace.” or “If you want to be cool, wear these jeans I wear!” Imagination is the only thing that makes you feel less than whole, and jeans or a necklace will not fill that hole in you, and that is because there is no hole in the first place.

It was learned a long time ago; people who don’t use their minds will allow others to do it for them. Imagine if you took control of what you imagined every day.  It would be bad for the economy, and the government would be held accountable for their actions.  Imagine a world that doesn’t live in fear of terrorism, immigrants, crime, or nuclear war.  This negative view is the reality you are buying into, and it merely keeps you isolated and easily controlled.  Your imagination has been hijacked. Take control of your imagination back!

Imagine Being Free

All is not lost because once you’re conscious of the manipulation, you can see it everywhere and see the actual power of using your imagination.  Use your mind to imagine what you want to have or be.  The perfect day, the person you want to meet, the place you want to go, the thing you want to do, all of this is there in your mind, waiting for you to mine it out and use it. Visualize the picture the way you think it might be.  Try it right now, in a small way, and use your imagination to picture something not with you at this moment. Creating images in our minds on demand makes us powerful as people. When you can get a group of people to imagine something simultaneously, the magic happens.

Use your power to imagine to improve your life and the world. There will always be those who tell you that you’re mistaken, untalented, aimless and lost.  Remember that critics look in a mirror and project their faults onto you.  Ignore those who limit you and become the best version of yourself you can imagine. That is a person I would like to meet.  It begins with being conscious of what you believe each day and, even more importantly, what others imagine.  Be alert and aware of the imagination and vision used all around you.  The messages you choose to follow your thoughts, words, and actions will dictate the reality you experience.  Imagine that!

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will see what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein

“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.” Carl Sagan

“Imagination and creativity can change the world.” Anonymous

“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” Henry David Thoreau

“Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” ~ John Lennon

 

 

21

Being Mindful

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The thought is not uncommon in a day to see or deal with someone who is seemingly juggling two or three different tasks at a time.  They are hurriedly looking from one screen to another or carrying on a conversation and texting someone else. Our world encourages us by providing so many different outlets for our attention. It is no wonder people have a problem focusing their attention, and we present them with many flashy and distracting alternatives.

It is one of the limits of being a human being that we can only hold one thing in our minds at a time, and one thought can dominate our actions, emotions, and productivity at any moment.  The challenge then is to be a single-tasking person in a multitasking world. Here is my effort to convince you to do one thing at a time for the most productive and healthiest life experience.

What Happens In Multitasking

Some of my favorite people are lifelong multitaskers. When you question them on it, they funnily look at you and exclaim loudly, confidently, and even condescendingly, “I need to do this to be productive!” They continue trying to perform two or three tasks at a time.  People operate like performers juggling knives at the circus. They are very skilled, but I would argue, not completing studies at the highest level possible.  Here is the peek behind the illusion.

Nobody is doing more than one thing at a time, and they are merely moving from one task to another very rapidly. Attention shifts from a conversation to a computer screen to a phone in their hand, quickly and seemingly without interruption. But that is the illusion.  Since we can only focus on one thing at a time, as we switch from one thing to another, there is a brief moment of change in our mind between tasks called attentional blink.

This distraction is usually a very brief and almost imperceptible amount of time where you disengage from one thing and engage in another. When we are at our best, this phenomenon is not even noticed, but as we get fatigued during the day, these blips become more of an issue, and regaining focus can be troublesome to impossible.

Multitasking breaks down your ability to focus breaks down as you experience sensory overload. The once fast-moving multitasking machine is now making many mistakes and taking more and more time to refocus on getting different things done.

One at a Time

It makes a lot more sense to move in a pattern of work and thought, which requires you to focus on one thing at a time. As you are participating in or completing a task, be there paying attention to it.  Then when it is complete, move on to the next one. When your whole being is working on one thing, mind, body, and spirit, all of your power is focused on that thing. You will come up with your most creative and influential work, and you will perform the task consistently well.

Also, you will work at a higher level longer and experience less mental fatigue as you have fewer attentional blinks and more concentration on what you are creating. This task is a challenge to most people and contradicts what we have been doing all of our lives. Still, until you consciously give it a try, you will never know how practicing single-tasking will improve the quality of your ability and enjoyment of your life.

Is Multitasking Harmful

There are several behind-the-scenes issues that multitasking can cause in your life experience. The number of things we try to pay attention to become an addiction.  When these stimuli are removed, we are left feeling empty and lost.  As if something is missing.  We have gotten away from using our minds to be creative or “entertain” ourselves. The ability to use our imagination needs to be practiced.  All of the external stimulation turns us into imagination pygmies.

We become bored if we have a moment that is not filled with electronic stimuli from video games, television, computer, or of course, our ever-present phones.  Electronic devices are replacing our ability to be naturally creative and think and solve problems, leading to boring results from our lack of ability to be creative in any situation. Things are not dull; people lack the skills to think appealingly.  That ability is all up to you, and it always has been.

Final Focus

Every experience you encounter has some value from building confidence in solving a complex problem. To contribute to your community, increasing your ability to create wealth in your life. Multitasking will not disappear because we believe we are more intelligent than nature.  But in the end, it is your own ability to be creative and fantastic that is being stunted.  Make a conscious effort to do one thing at a time, give it your complete attention, and see how your life experience is different.

“To do two things at once is to do neither.”-Publilius Syrus

“If you chase two rabbits, you will catch neither one.”-Russian proverb

“Efficiency is doing the thing right.  Effectiveness is doing the right thing.”-Peter Drucker

“Success demands a singleness of purpose.”-Vince Lombardi

“Be like a postage stamp —stick to one thing until you get there.”- Josh Billings

“Not everything matters equally, and success isn’t a game won by whoever does the most.  Yet that is exactly how most play it on a daily basis.”-Gary Keller

“Multitasking is the opportunity to screw up more than one thing at a time.” -Unknown

 

 

21

Creative

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Create-bring (something) into existence.

What is Creativity?

Create The ability to bring things into existence that previously didn’t exist is an awesome power and allows an individual to enjoy life and the experiences it brings. When you create, the energy produced is positive and contagious.  All people have a force in themselves that yearns to create. It could be to create paintings, writing, thought, woodwork, plays, songs, or any other of a billion different things. When you have a question about your direction in life, look to create, and it will guide you.  Raise your consciousness today by looking at how you create in thoughts, words, and actions.  (See Video)

The Concept of Creativity

The ability to create allows people to connect their mind, body, and spirit in one activity. Most religions see creativity as a gift from God, and to use that gift will honor all involved. The result doesn’t matter, and it is the process of bringing something into existence that

Createpreviously didn’t exist that is powerful, memorable, and self-supportive.  There is a creator in all of us looking for a way out, and that can only come through making the conscious choice to free our creativity.

Choosing to let your ability to create lie dormant will decrease the enjoyment you have in life. Creativity is a joy we give to ourselves and the world. Try not to waste that gift, and you never know what your creations might lead to. Fame? Fortune? Connections? Whatever it is, the world will be better for it. Your method and inventions may open ideas for others and solve problems in ways you never thought of before.

Characteristics of Creativity

There are several simple things a person can do to create more easily. One of the most effective is to read. Find books that challenge you and teach you something. A mind that expands will never regress again.  Once you become aware of new thoughts in your existence, they often lead you to creative action. The more depth in your knowledge, the bigger the field of creativity you have to play on.  Read, think, expand your mind, Createand read again.

Never be afraid to lose yourself in a task of creativity. When the time doesn’t matter, and you are focused on the creation. It is in these moments that we find the answers to who we are.  The concentration is away from the chatter of thoughts existing in our minds, creating something that never existed before. You are this powerful creator. Once the channel is open, higher and grander creative forces will build in you.  Find out where your creative limits lie if you have any!

Today raise your awareness of what you are creating in all areas of your life. In your thoughts, think of what you would like to develop and how you will bring it into reality. In your words, look for ways to express your desire to create and encourage that desire in others.  In your actions, create something.  Make time to do this today.  The desire to develop connects you to your soul and allows you to enjoy the experience of life. Paint, write, sculpt, build, dance, act, sing, play, do what your soul guides you to do, and answers will come to you.

Concepts of Creativity

Every soul has the power to create something that can only come from them, so find it and create it and release it to the world. It is your duty to live.

If, at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. ~Albert Einstein

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. ~Erich Fromm

The chief enemy of creativity is good sense. ~Pablo Picasso

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life. ~Sophia Loren

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. ~Edwin Land

Creativity is never a waste of time !!

 

21

Creative

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gold-fish-jumping
Sometimes you have to think outside the box (or bowl) to solve a problem.

Being creative is one of the gifts of being human. We all can look at the same situation and develop different ways of solving the puzzle and finding a solution. Problem-solving can be one of the most valuable tools we have when making money, excelling in a career, or simply just being as high as ourselves.  Sometimes it can be difficult to muster a creative answer, but there are some things that you can do to make your thought process more creative and perhaps find a solution that you are seeking. Become a monarch of creativity.

Ask the Right Question

questions 22One of the most creative things a person can do is to ask the right question. And to me, the right question leads to a new solution. All questions bring with them an unlimited level of possibility.  How can I do this differently? What would make this easier? What can I contribute to that project? How can we complete it in less time? How can it be done more efficiently?

All of the questions you can ask will allow your mind to roam freely if you let it. Our brains are a great tool, but they can only work as well as we make them. So ask a question, and then allow your mind to work on it. The answers will come in their time, and then you must treat them appropriately.

Answers Lead to More Questions

The right follow up questions can lead to the most original solutions.
The right follow-up questions can lead to the most original solutions.

Each question asked represents the possibility every answer given is a dead-end. It sounds contradictory but thinks about it. Once a solution is determined, there is no more time wasted on the question. In the long run, one seemingly great solution may be only a significant first step in solving the problem, so the answers should lead to a new question.  How can we do this even better? What else can come from this that I don’t see right now? How can we make it even better?

These are just some simple examples of how to move your creativity into overdrive. Keep the mind working. Keep the solutions coming because of the next thought, maybe the one worth a million dollars.

Lose Yourself in Something

Losing yourself in a task is easy when you are young, but it is much more challenging for adults. First, you lose-find-in-lovehave to put in a little effort to find something that will take all of your attention. It can be drawing, painting, putting an engine together, building a model, knitting, sewing, or any other activity on which all your focus can be. As your focus and attention get tested, you lose track of time, and it allows your subconscious mind to work in overdrive, and you can get the answers to other questions that you have asked yourself.

As you work on a drawing or an engine and your conscious attention is captured, the limits of our minds rise, and the subconscious can create new ideas, and we are receptive to hearing them. That is where answers to problems come seemingly out of the blue.  Lose yourself to something creative, and your creativity in thought will grow.

Change things Up

All of us are creatures of habit. Our activities tend to fall into patterns that we find either safe or How-to-change-things-up-and-make-the-everydayenjoyable or both. These behaviors turn into routines that turn into a daily path. One of the most creative things you can do is change your daily activities. Take a new route to work, stop at a different food stop, take a slightly longer way, change things up.  Try something new to eat, talk with a total stranger about life. Try something you have never tried before.

By changing these simple things, you will force your mind to use different thought patterns and know what will result from that. Each new experience will expand your mind and your experience and allow your creativity to grow as well. Perhaps the answer you seek is inside of you all along, and you need the right catalyst to free it.  Changing things up might do this.

Read! Read. Read? Read…………….

The key to every kingdom is located in between the covers of a book
The key to every kingdom is located in between the covers of a book.

One of the most natural things a person can do to increase your creativity is to read quality books about topics that interest you. Reading provides a personal connection with the information in a book that is difficult to replicate in any other way. As a result, your mind can easily expand, and there are many possibilities for that growth. That is where creativity can come in large bounds.

In my experience, a mind expanded through the written word changes for the better permanently. That is why being literate is one of the greatest gifts we have. There are absolutely no limits on what you can learn if you can read. All you need is access to a library and the most exceptional thoughts in history expose to you. Read every chance you get, and your creativity will grow. Read, and you will find roads you never knew existed before. Read and grow to your true potential.

“The creative adult is the child who survived.” — Ursula LeGuin

“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its perfect moments out of ordinary ones.” — Bruce Garrabrandt

“Everything you can imagine is real.” — Pablo Picasso

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” — Albert Einstein

Imagine what you can create……….