Tag Archive for: creativity

Daring to Take Risks

The first time anything new and creative is proposed, it gets labeled. And the label put on these novel things is likely to be "risky." Can't you just hear it?

"Let me get this straight, Orville. You and Wilbur are building a machine that will do what? Heavier-than-air flying machines are the riskiest hoax anybody ever palmed off on two gullible boys like you Wrights. Get a real job!"

Or maybe it was somebody's harebrained idea of talking pictures, black and white children attending the same school, or people walking on the moon. More than one person was berated simply for giving voice to such "silly" ideas.

It turns out that some of the people who dared to propose such outlandish possibilities are now regarded as geniuses - revolutionaries - heroes. And it was only because they dared to question others and to question themselves. They challenged the limitations others were willing to take for granted.

There is something in your profession or business, your family or church that could be done better. A situation could be more productive. A relationship could be healthier. An objective could be clarified. Some lofty ideal to which all in the group give lip service could actually be implemented. But I warn you up front: Like restoring a car or house, it will take twice as long as you thought, cost far more than you anticipated, and strain every important relationship in your life!

Only you can decide if it will be worth it to undertake something so ambitious and costly. There will be false starts. There will be embarrassing mistakes along the way. But the potential outcome could be as important to your personal situation as the achievements of the Wright brothers, Rosa Parks, and Neil Armstrong were to their time and place.

The problem with our world is not that there are no more frontiers to challenge and conquer. It's that there are too few explorers. There are too few people willing to ask the obvious questions and challenge the traditional wisdom. In a word, too few of us want to take the risks that could make us look stupid.

If you are fortunate enough to have a dream in your heart, be willing to make mistakes in pursuit of it. Be a risk-taker. You just might change the world.

Rubel Shelly
Rubel Shelly is a Preacher and Professor of Religion and Philosophy located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. In addition to church and academic responsibilities, he has worked actively with such community projects as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, From Nashville With Love, Metro (Nashville) Public Schools, Faith Family Medical Clinic, and Operation Andrew Ministries. To learn more about Rubel please go to: www.RubelShelly.com

Willingness

 

Without our willingness to channel the best, we cannot even begin. Whether it is creating a new life, or a new world, or a piece of art or music or writing, it all begins with being open.

 

First in imagination, then in will, then in reality, is an old saying but true.

Our gifts to this world, and this realm’s gifts to us can come in many ways, often as we least expect them but they come especially when we are open to give, open to receive.

If step one is being willing, then step two is making the time to clear some space in our lives to receive. Being in stillness, enjoying the silence so that we can tune to the inner realms where the intuitive creative flow runs like a river, a subtle current, through us all.

Step two is also about being aware of rhythms.

Step three is then deciding which channel you wish to tune to, to download from, rather than just opening without discernment to any channel, for there are many layers within the fields, many realms seeking expression — from the astral to the realms of ascended light.

Step four is the process of allowing, allowing it all to flow though us – always listening to the rhythm of our heart, to its natural song of expression, so that this heart energy is embedded in all that we do.

 

You are welcome to visit Jasmuheen.com! You will find data on Jasmuheen’s research and global service agenda. As an artist, Ambassador of Peace, International lecturer, author and leading researcher into pranic living, Jasmuheen also offers programs and projects through the Embassy of Peace to improve personal and global health and harmony levels in ways that benefit all!

6 Time Management Techniques For Crazy Creativity

 

At first glance, "crazy creativity" and "time management techniques" seem to contradict each other. Of course it's not very creative to live enslaved to a fixed schedule. However living surrounded by a "creative chaos", you can easily become distracted and feel overwhelmed if you have a lot of things that you need to keep in mind. To prevent that from happening, check out the 6 best time management techniques to get your mind clear:

1. Be Aware That Time Management Is Actually Self Management
When we say "time management", we actually mean "self management". Time will pass regardless whether you manage it or not. What we need to do is improve our own behavior, in order to increase our focus and productivity.

2. Know Your Prime Time
Everyone has their own biological rhythm. Most people are able to work best in the mornings, others in the afternoon, still others (like myself) in the early evening or even at night. One of the most important time management skills is to be aware of your biological clock, and not to force yourself to work against it.

3. Activate Your Subconscious Mind
Before going to sleep each night, write down or go over your planned tasks for the next day. This will get your subconscious mind to process your plans while you are sleeping. Often, the next morning you will wake up with new ideas and inspirations.

4. Set Written Goals
Make sure you write your long-term goals down somewhere. This will help you to focus and actually achieve them. I never got into the habit of setting goals until I started writing them down, however once I did, I started to achieve many of them without even having to think about them a lot.

5. Have A To-Do-List
The most important habit for time management is to have a list where you keep track of all your small and large tasks, and tick them off once you achieve them. This does wonders for keeping your mind clear, allowing you to focus on the task at hand. Whenever inspiration strikes and you have a new idea, add it to the list, so no creative thought ever gets forgotten.

You can use pen and paper for your to-do-list or a text file on your computer. However, over time these lists have a tendency to multiply and paradoxically, you will spend time managing your time management lists. If you want to be really efficient, you may want to try a task management software to make sure you have all your data in one spot. (Click on the link towards the end of the video.)

6. Prioritize efficiently
Start your day with a couple easier tasks, just to make a dent in your daily to-do-list. This is great for motivation. Once you got the little tasks done, focus on whatever task will advance you most towards your goals. Don't try to get as much stuff done as possible, try to make as much progress as possible.

Put together, these time management techniques really help to get things done.

 

Author unknown.

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10 Wonderful Ways to Ignite Your Creativity

 

Each of us is born with a unique set of talents and gifts.

Whether you paint, write, sculpt, dance, compose, sing or play music... whether you're an entrepreneur or an aspiring leader in your field... or looking to be more fulfilled in your chosen profession...

When you get your creative juices flowing you feel more alive. When you express yourself in some creative fashion, you feel more joyous, fulfilled and free. We are all born to create and be creative.

With that said, here are some wonderful ways to help you get those juices flowing...

Connect to the place of wonder and awe within - Play with crayons and let your inner child out. Watch the sunset. Find the awesomeness and wonderfulness in life. Creative inspiration will follow.

Let go of any "conscious" agendas - Getting out of your own way can spark the creative impulse. Be guided by your intuition or "Higher Self" and allow the creative spirit to move through you.

De-Clutter - While "creative types" may have a knack for messiness, clutter can block the flow of your creative juices. Do a spring cleaning regardless of the month of the year!



Get out in nature - Nothing like majestic mountains, towering evergreens or an expansive ocean to stir the heart and inspire a creative burst. Take a walk, a hike, a jog, a bike ride or a drive through nature and your creativity will blossom.

Listen to great music - Music adds colour and dimension to life. Play one of the great classical pieces or any other music that inspires you and unleash your creative genius!

Follow your bliss - Passion is the essence of creativity. It's what gets you up in the morning and keeps you going all day long. Focus on what you're passionate about and ignite your creative fires.

Dance as if no one's watching - Dancing is a great way to move energy. If you're feeling stuck or in a rut, get your groove on! Pretend no one's watching... even that part inside you that may think the whole idea is just plain stupid. Rekindle the fun.

Watch an inspirational movie - Inspirational movies connect you with your heart wherein creativity is given birth. Make some popcorn and rent a good movie this weekend!

Break for beauty - Find beauty in your surroundings... in the opening of a flower, the setting of the sun or a star-filled sky. Take beauty breaks throughout the day and reconnect with what inspires you.

 

Unplug - Turn off the cell phone and television. Leave your inbox alone. Decompress from the constant bombardment of our hi-tech world. Find your creative centre and live from that place.

Bonus Idea - Meditate. Take some time each day to meditate. You can sit in mindful silence... focus on a "mantra" or phrase... or even do a walking meditation. However you choose, meditation can help you stay connected to the inner source of your creativity and vitality.

Bonus Idea - Gratitude. Overwhelm and stress are creativity-killers. Sometimes just thinking about all the things you are grateful for in life can lift the fog and weight of your concerns. You'll feel more free to be the creative, magnificent person you are meant to be..

Life can be a creative adventure... even when the path is rocky or the road ahead is unclear. Use these suggestions to help unlock and ignite your creative genius. As a wise person once said, the journey is the destination.
Here's to making it a creative journey!

..............................................................
Lawrence Neal Katzman is an artist, writer and visionary spirit, whose art is inspired by love, beauty and the cosmos. He paints and writes about lost civilizations, ancient wisdom and the quest for love. You can view his art at http://www.theartmystic.com.
Lawrence's beautiful soulmates art is featured in his eBook, "101 Soulmates Quotes", which you can download for free by visiting: http://www.101soulmatesquotes.com/.

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Changing education paradigms

In this talk from RSA Animate, Sir Ken Robinson lays out the link between 3 troubling trends: rising drop-out rates, schools' dwindling stake in the arts, and ADHD. An important, timely talk for parents and teachers.
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

http://bit.ly/QCLhWy

The Beginner’s Guide: Accessing Your Imagination!

pivotal stories - Kung fu

 

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

There is magic in making things up. It takes one idea, one dream, one leap of faith, one friend, one second in time, to change everything forever!
All you need is a little imagination for, as Mark Twain once said, "You can't depend on your judgement when your imagination is out of focus."
There have been many times when I've said to myself "it's only my imagination". I've said it at a moment of strong intuition - a gut feeling that eventually proved to be correct, but at the time I didn't have any strong supporting evidence to back up those intuitive feelings.
I've also said it when I've glimpsed at something wonderful that was about to happen and then dismissed those gut feelings by trying to rationalize how it just cannot be so.
Gut Feelings don't happen in your stomach
They happen in a part of your brain called the limbic brain which is responsible for all of our feelings. It is also responsible for all our decision-making and our human behaviour.
What can't it do?
The limbic brain has no capacity for language.
It is this disconnection that makes putting feelings into words so difficult. Our language part of the brain allows us to rationalize those intuitive feelings. But, when a decision feels right, there is no rational explanation for why we did what we did.
The kingdom of images is a real world, a creative state of consciousness. It is in this limbic brain region that meaning takes on form and objects become meaningful.
Honouring our imagination is vitally important because we live by images. They seep into everything we think and do, from taking a bath to speaking or choosing to remain silent at a meeting, to making love.
When we listen to the "imagination" part of the brain, our decisions tend to be faster, higher-quality decisions.
It's only our inability to verbalize the reasons why we should do something that cause us to doubt ourselves or to trust the evidence-based opinions over our gut feelings.
The practice of imagination every day will help to clear blocks that mis-direct our energies by allowing us instead to choose to focus on positive images that give us courage and confidence.
Why do this? 
An image carries a charge. It sends electrical impulses through your whole body.
If you are sad and low, your focused thoughts manufacture "low vibrations". If you're thinking angry, aggressive thoughts you are sending adrenaline through your body.
If you call to mind images of triumph, you not only help to raise the vibrations of your body, you raise your immune system as well.
You see, "the stronger the imagination, the less imaginary the results!"
What we can imagine has the likelihood to become real in our bodies and our world.
We need to begin by cleansing and healing our own minds through imagination. Let go and imagine your possibilities. Let it be a preview of life's "coming attractions".
Hint... DREAM BIG!
Here's what I have for you.Visit me at http://www.calmtoday.com

You can catch the free online webcast to see for yourself how easy this can be. (Come on, you know you can do this!) Invest in yourself. You're worth it!  ... Deborah L. Hall

Inspirational quote from Aeschylus

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… the primary engine of creativity and innovation

"...conflict is the primary engine of creativity and innovation. People don't learn by staring into a mirror; people learn by encountering difference."

-- Ronald Heifetz

Power Your Mind With Creative Visualisation

Hypnosis Can Spawn Unlimited Creativity

by Steve G. Jones

Hypnosis has the ability to withdraw that which is deep within the mind but often pushed aside by thoughts needing more immediate attention. Such is often the case for those latently creative individuals that know that deep within them is the next great American Novel or musical masterpiece. Through hypnosis creative connections are made and the motivation to put the thoughts into tangible creations is possible. Whether the need to be more creative with writing, art, music, or every day problem solving is the goal, hypnosis can help.

Even for those people who are not obviously creative but wish to become more so, hypnosis is an effective way to develop more creativity. That is because hypnosis works to relax an individual to the point that ideas and images can be suggested and put to use. For example, after a few weeks of creative training hypnosis, the listener can actually begin to think in more creative terms. This works because the signals and messages that spark creative thinking are already within the person. It is just a matter of relaxing the mind to the point that they are unleashed. Then as an added tool toward success, hypnosis teaches the listener to visualize their end goal of coming up with new ideas and putting them into action.

Creativity is not limited to the fine arts. There are times when an imaginative and creative solution to an everyday problem is called for. Hypnosis can accomplish this type of creative thinking by removing stress factors that inhibit rational and unique solutions to problems or challenges. It also works to remove the negative thoughts creative hopefuls may have about their abilities.

Clinical Hypnotherapist Steve G. Jones guides the listener of Unlimited Creativity through a serious of relaxation steps that are completed when the listener can lie down and focus on nothing else, usually just before going to sleep at night. When this relaxed state is reached, the tools to creative thinking are introduced and ready to be implemented.

Visit the Unlimited Creativity Hypnosis product page for more information.