Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon

Home
>
Creativity
>
Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon

Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon

It seems like this week a ton of people have been asking me how they can become more creative. I even had one client jokingly accuse me of being in cahoots with the Devil in trade for my creativity. "Where do you get all of your ideas?" he asked. Well, I have decided to share my secret with you in this issue.

In the following paragraphs you will learn my creativity secret weapon. I use it all the time. It will work for you just as it works for me. It has served me well and it is this technique that got me into the buyers meeting of a major drug store when I was just 15 years old. Yup! You read that right. At age 15 my creativity strategy got me an appointment with a major drug store buyer where I sold my "Idea's" to them. I didn't even have a clue what I was doing and I walked right past the suit and tie businessmen right into the office of the guy they were trying to get an appointment with. This happened simply because I was more creative. I know you will have fun with this weeks issue. Enjoy!

It's not rocket science! : Creativity doesn't have to be rocket science. We all have fountains of creative energy flowing within us. Our problem is that the world teaches us, in the interest of our own security, to use our heads far too much. In the process, we shift from the habit of spontaneous imaginary expression to intense self- censorship in service to our security conscious ego-minds. We become so concerned with the image we project that we lose touch with our inner "wizard behind the curtain."

I've learned that when I feel stuck, confused, and frustrated, and my intellect can't seem to find its way out of the cage, that it's this same mind that created the prison in the first place. Fortunately I've found a very simple way out. I've taken up the mantra during times such as these to simply "Just Make Stuff Up."

Experts became experts by studying other experts: Now our culture typically doesn't give a lot of credence to stuff that's just made up. Particularly if it's yours and you're a nobody (a non-expert with questionable credentials). But I think you'll find that in most cases, the experts became experts by studying other experts. And if you follow the line of experts to the very heart of their lineage, you'll most likely find that the originator of their expertise actually "just made stuff up" that hadn't been seen before and that happened to work, at least for the time being.

So the next time you or your group is stuck in a problem-solving or creative venture, please, encourage them to try "just making stuff up," and see what comes forward. There's something about this approach that frees us of our need to be right and invites our inner creative children out to play. Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Example: I've been personally challenged with just about all of my major projects for the past few weeks. I've felt a change of course was not only needed, but the path I was taking with these projects seemed to be reaching an impasse. Now I'm a pretty creative guy, but I felt really stumped, to the point of giving up on some of them. But being open-minded and self-reflective, I realized that the frustration and confusion I was feeling was energy that I could use to evolve these projects to the next level. This process could be effortless if I simply surrendered to the timing of the project in lieu of my ego-mind.

I discovered that I could view these projects as living beings with intelligence and a natural impulse to unfold in a way they are "intended." Like seeds that know fully what they are to become if nurtured properly and patiently. I made all of that up and you can do the same thing. Make stuff up that makes your life easier, more free, happier, etc.

We make up everything: So I began to actually listen to what each project had to tell me. I also started "just making stuff up" around each project. I found that the openness and freedom brought by the attitude of "just making stuff up" combined with the act of doing something, got me moving again into creative new arenas, with a sense of childlike lightness, fun, and adventure.

My Coach Steve Davis was discussing this with his partner Anna Dargitz. She decided to consult the wisdom of her seven year old daughter on this subject. When asked what she thought about the nature of "making stuff up," she replied with something like this. "Well, I make stuff up when I want something real." It took me awhile to decipher this sage advice. But then it hit me that we make up everything, including what we call real, and that admitting that we make it up, is the closest thing to real we can get...she's now our new guru.

How to practice this... This week, try just making stuff up or if you find your group, friends, clients, or colleagues stuck or confused, give them permission to try just making stuff up to see what happens. I'd love to hear you're perspectives and experiences on this. Please email them to me.

Before Ricky Brandon was a life coach, he was a professional Magician. He dedicated his entire life to learning and understanding how to tweak people's perception of reality. By by his early 20's, he was consulting and working with the worlds top Illusionists as well as training tigers for large production shows. Ricky now combines his skills as a Magician with Personal Coaching to teach people how to see through life's illusions so they can focus on what really matters. email him at: ricky@mymomentum.com

Visit Ricky's website at: http://www.mymomentum.com

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Atty. Gen. Mukasey collapses during speech (AP)

AP - Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the no-nonsense ally in President Bush's war on terror, was hospitalized Thursday after he collapsed during a late-night speech and lost consciousness.

Aides: Obama plans to nominate Clinton (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, a new milestone for a former first lady and a convergence of two political forces who contested mightily for the presidency.

Most Asian markets rebound after Wall Street rout (AP)

AP - Most Asian markets rebounded Friday after days of sharp declines in stocks around the world as investors scooped up battered financial and technology shares.

Dems delay auto bailout vote, seek plan from Big 3 (AP)

AP - The $25 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, desperately sought by Detroit's beleaguered Big Three, collapsed Thursday as Congress drew the line at one more bailout and Democrats said they wouldn't even consider it until the companies produced a convincing plan for rebuilding their once-mighty industry.

China says 19,000 students died in May earthquake (AP)

AP - China acknowledged Friday for the first time that more than 19,000 schoolchildren were among the dead in the massive earthquake that struck Sichuan province in May.

Judge orders release of five terror suspects at Guantanamo (AP)

AP - A federal judge on Thursday ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in a major blow to the Bush administration's strategy to keep terror suspects locked up without charges.

Report: Records search on Joe the Plumber improper (AP)

AP - An agency director improperly used state computers to find personal information on "Joe the Plumber," a government watchdog said in a report released Thursday.

Dr Pepper to deliver on its free-soda promise (AP)

AP - Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.

Cell phone in man's chest pocket stops bullet (AP)

AP - A man says his cell phone saved his life. A stray .45-caliber bullet hit R.J. Richard's chest while he was mowing the lawn hitting so hard he thought it was a stone kicked out by his tractor. He pulled out the phone. It fell apart.

Steelers defense controls Bengals in 27-10 win (AP)

AP - Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers know exactly how to beat the Cincinnati Bengals with or without Chad Ocho Cinco.

Recovery from crisis seen slow (Reuters)

Reuters - Signs of distress in the global economy mounted, with shares in U.S. bank Citigroup Inc plunging on fears about its future, oil prices falling and the future of U.S. automakers hanging in the balance.

Obama on track to name Clinton as top diplomat (Reuters)

Reuters - Retired Marine Gen. James Jones emerged as a leading contender for White House national security adviser as President-elect Barack Obama worked on Thursday to assemble his foreign policy team.

Democrats demand Big 3 offer survival plan (Reuters)

Reuters - Democratic congressional leaders, seeking to salvage a bailout of the Big Three automakers, demanded executives provide a business survival plan in exchange for their support of up to $25 billion in loans.

Citigroup eyes options including merger (Reuters)

Reuters - Citigroup Inc lost more than one-quarter of its market value on growing worries over whether it has enough capital to withstand billions of dollars of potential losses and despite new support from its largest individual investor.

Verizon staff had unauthorized access to Obama's cell (Reuters)

Reuters - Verizon Wireless said on Thursday that some employees had gained unauthorized access and viewed a personal cell phone account held by President-elect Barack Obama that is now inactive.

Attorney General Mukasey vital signs strong after collapse (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey was "conscious, conversant and alert" at a local Washington hospital after collapsing while delivering a national security speech at a hotel, the U.S. Justice Department said late on Thursday.

Bush takes financial reform agenda to APEC forum (Reuters)

Reuters - George W. Bush makes his last scheduled trip abroad as U.S. president on Friday, heading to an Asia-Pacific summit where he will seek support for global financial reform and hold talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program.

Fed's Bullard: U.S. deflation an issue Fed must face (Reuters)

Reuters - Deflation would be very damaging to the United States economy and with nominal interest rates already very low, quantitative easing may be needed to keep it at bay, a top Federal Reserve official said on Thursday.

UN raises DR Congo troop numbers to 20,000 (AFP)

AFP - The UN Security Council approved an extra 3,000 peacekeeping troops to help end conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fresh fighting erupted earlier in the day.

Military 'only solution' to piracy, says tanker firm (AFP)

AFP - A more aggressive military approach is the only answer to an escalation of piracy off Somalia, the world's biggest oil tanker company said Friday.

Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon

Creativity Creativity