Tag Archives: decision

The ultimate act of creativity

Posted on April 2010 | Leave a comment

In “Your Backup Plan is Your Plan,” Chris Guillebeau writes that playing it safe may not always be the best path to take. When you’re committed to a goal, it’s sometimes better to just eliminate escape routes and go for it.

When things aren’t going as planned, you may have to tweak or even make a dramatic change to your approach, your direction or your attitude. And that’s when your creativity kicks in.

Creative problem solvers are the most successful people in the world. They’re the folks who always land on their feet no matter what the circumstances.

“Burn the ships” was one of the first orders that Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez gave when he landed in Mexico…right after he unloaded the food supplies and other important items.

Notice that he didn’t burn the ships hastily — He unloaded them first. The guys had to eat, right? A little forethought can go a long way…

Being creative with projects, problems or party planning is one thing. Being creative with your life is a whole new level of creativity, the ultimate act of creativity.

Are there any ships that need burning in your life? Are you getting too comfortable with the status quo? If so, maybe it’s time to get a creative with Plan A and see where you end up.

Have a refreshing and productive day!

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Posted in creativity

Tagged creative flow, creativity, decision

Spice up Your August with Creative Intrigue

Posted on August 2009 | Leave a comment

If August is leaving you spent because of boredom, the weather or the hectic pace of getting the kids back in school, a little creativity may be just what you need.

Living creatively makes life more interesting. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed because I want to try my hand at so many different things. Then I realize there just aren’t enough hours in the day, so I have to narrow it down.

If It Intrigues You, Try It!
I’m a strong believer that being intrigued by something is a sign that you could be gifted to do it. I also believe that if you’re good at something, it’s for one of two reasons:

You have an innate talent for it, and it comes easily to you.
You have a little talent and a lot of passion and commitment.

Take singing, for instance. I am in awe of vocalists. I don’t care what genre of music it is, singers inspire and intrigue me.

Have I taken classes? Yes. Do I sing? Yes, badly! Even after patient instruction from compassionate teachers, I can carry a tune and that’s about it.

I do not have the innate talent nor the commitment to train so I can belt out an amazing aria (or anything else, for that matter). So I am quite content to listen, enjoy and be inspired.

Acting, however, is a different story. I became intrigued with the stage when I was four years old. I knew I would be an actor after seeing a mesmerizing performance of Rapunzel. Fortunately, I was blessed with a little talent and a lot of passion to move this idea into action.

I recently tried a new type of performing: improvisation with ComedySportz, a group that serves up family-friendly entertainment. (Think “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”)

I felt a bit awkward after years of depending on a script and rehearsals to guide me. But I was determined to “hold my own” on-stage and make my teammates shine so that together, we could offer up some laughs.

Did that happen? Yes. Was I in my comfort zone? No. Do I have more to learn? Yes. Will I continue pursuing improv? Absolutely! My abilities, passion and commitment have come together to offer a new challenge. I tried it, and I liked it.

Creativity Lies in the Trying
If life is a little ho-hum right now, why don’t you spice things up by trying something new? If you don’t try you won’t know, will you?

Here are three tips to help you narrow down your interests. (And it spells A-R-T. Isn’t that clever?)

Ask. What intrigues you? Quickly write a list off the top of your head. Don’t worry about whether you’ll be any good or not. Just write it down. Once it’s on paper, narrow your list to the activities that get you jazzed when you think about doing them.
Research. Do you know someone who is doing what you want to do? Invite them for coffee to ask questions, find out how they got started, get their advice, etc.
Take a class. Classes abound for creative endeavors like sculpting, voice acting and guitar. Classes are the perfect place to begin your exploration because they offer a safe learning environment. If you’re not up to being with a group, your local library or bookstore has plenty of resources for you to dip your toe in the water before you dive in.

Go on, give one of your activities a try and let me know how it goes! Click “Leave a Comment” at the top of this post or, to share with others, click the links below.

Have a Refreshing and Creative Day!

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Posted in creative living, creativity, play

Tagged creative living, creativity, decision, play

Improving Communication Begins with a Decision

Posted on July 2009 | 3 Comments

My mom just left after visiting for a few days. She’s a very young 83 years old. While she was here, her doctor said she was living in the body of a healthy 70-year-old. That made her pretty doggone happy. It made me happy too — It’s nice to know that I come from fantastic genes!

We have a great relationship. It’s had its ups and downs, but our relationship improved dramatically after I attended some leadership and character development conferences last year. What made the difference?

I decided to change.

I can see you rolling your eyes now. “Yeah, right, Michelle,” you say. “It’s just that easy.”

Honestly, it is. Because once you decide to change the way you communicate, you become aware of how you communicate.

Communication skills are simply tools you use. A change of mindset, a change of heart — whatever you want to call it — is the key to making change actually work.

For me, it was important to become a better listener. I decided to be more available, more present for whoever was speaking. That meant closing the laptop or putting down the mail or stopping myself from glancing at my To Do list. I was surprised at how significant this small change was. When someone was speaking to me in person or by phone, I realized that I was truly hearing what was being said instead of existing “halfway in/halfway out” of the conversation.

Was it easy to do? Not until I decided that relationships were more important than work. Sometimes I used to get so caught up in tasks that I forgot about people. A big part of it was because I didn’t like the work I was doing. I wanted to hurry and get it over with, and I viewed interruptions as simply delaying that.

Now I’m enjoying work and people more, but I still have boundaries. Most folks know that I write in the morning. They also know that I’m exceptionally good at returning phone calls and emails. And when we talk, they know that I try to be fully present.

One important benefit: Listening well means asking better questions, which results in a more efficient use of time. (Most clients like that!)

Are you being fully present when you’re speaking with employees, colleagues and customers?
Is there a small change you can make to become more available to people?
Can you adjust your schedule so you can be fully present when speaking to people, yet protect your “closed door time” to get other work done?

Think of small ways you can make changes…once you decide to change, of course. Here’s to a refreshing and productive day!