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Page 1: Creativity Secrets
Page 2: Creativity Secrets

© 2005, Stu McLaren

ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDAll work contained in this book is the copyright of Stu McLaren. No

part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted for resale or

used by any party without express written permission from the author.

LEGAL NOTICEWhile all attempts have been made to provide effective, verifiable

information in this document, neither the Author nor Publisher

assumes any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Any

slights of people or organizations are unintentional. The information

contained in this package does not make any claims or guarantees.

Many variables affect each individual’s results. Results will vary. The

author does not make any promise of your personal success. The author

has no control over what you may or may not do with this information,

and therefore cannot accept the responsibility for your results. Any and

all references to persons or businesses, whether living or dead, existing

or defunct, are purely coincidental.

CreativitySecrets:WhatCreativeThinking CanDo For You

2

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Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Chapter 1: Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

What is Creativity? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

What Creativity Can Do For You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Overcoming Obstacles & Roadblocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Chapter 2: Characteristics of Creative Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

The Driving Factors for Creative Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Overcoming Fear & Breaking the Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Creating Your Own Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Chapter 3: Generating Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

The Rules of Creative Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

The Power of Stimuli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Opening the Floodgates of Your Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Chapter 4: The Basics of Brainstorming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

What is Brainstorming? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

The Uses of Brainstorming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

The Benefits of Brainstorming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Conducting a Brainstorming Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Chapter 5: Creative Thinking Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

How Does Creative Thinking Work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Making Creative Thinking Work for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Continuously Improving Your Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Learn thedrivingfactors forcreativethinkers

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Chapter 6: Mind Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

What is Mind Mapping? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Mind Mapping in 6 Easy Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Uses For Mind Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Chapter 7: Creativity In Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Short Stories on Creativity in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Useful Web Site Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Discoverthe secretsof mindmapping

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Introduction You have a problem and you can’t think of a solution. You sit there,

scratching your head, racking your brain for answers. Nothing happens.

In fact, the harder you think, the more frustrated you get.

Why is it that some people seem to have an endless source of creative

ideas? You know the type-the ones who never seem stuck for cutting-

edge thoughts, the ones who make heaps of money from their ideas, the

ones that everyone want to work with. How do the superstars of the

business world come up with such innovative technologies and

products? How do inventors dream up creations that everyone want?

Why are you struggling to generate those kinds of valuable ideas-and

most importantly, how can you unleash your own creative potential?

Every single person in the world has a kernel of creativity inside him or

her. We have it at birth, and we have it as babies. Think about it: what

are infants but great inventors? They develop language, they make

associations between various objects, and they associate words with

objects. So why, as we get older, does it get harder and harder to come

up with really groundbreaking ideas?

The answer is sad but true. All too often we get sucked in by the

constancy and stability of a life in which there are no challenges, no

innovations, just doubts. We don’t push ourselves because we’re afraid

of the unknown-as a culture, we have a fear of failure, that’s a fact.

What that often means is that we don’t try new things out of our fear of

failure. We stagnate ourselves deliberately. Nothing changes, and we

don’t move ahead. We are in fact our own biggest obstacle to success.

Every personin the worldhas at leasta kernel ofcreativityinside himor her

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So what if you could learn the secrets to mastering your fear, stimulating

your mind, freeing yourself from the daily grind, and positioning yourself

for unlimited wealth and success? Well look no further-this book is the

key to unlocking your creative potential and living a more lucrative,

more satisfying, more successfully creative life.

The principles and rules of creativity that will be shared with you in this

Ebook will change your life dramatically, for the better! Let’s get started

on a journey that will tap into your hidden creativity and bring it to the

surface so that you too can learn how to use that creativity to change

your life, forever!

This book isthe key tounlockingyour creativepotential

Page 7: Creativity Secrets

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CHAPTER 1: Creativity

What is Creativity?Before we go any further, let’s take a minute to consider a word that

we’ve heard hundreds of times, probably without ever really thinking

about it. The word is “creativity.” So just what is creativity?

In the simplest possible terms, it’s taking an idea and putting it into

action. It’s bringing something unprecedented into being, solving a

problem, inventing new techniques or dreaming up innovative

products or services. Take, for instance, an Advertising Executive.

An advertising executive is creative: he’s an “idea man” who acts on

his creativity by designing a brilliant ad campaign, one that catapults

a product to the heights of success in the marketplace. Or consider

the example of an Artist.

An artist is creative as well: she/he has a burst of insight and rushes to a

canvas to give that thought physical expression through painting. Don’t

forget that a child is also creative, simply by stacking building blocks

into various shapes, the child is trying to create something. Creativity

exists in all of us to some degree, it is the place where the individual and

ideas collide. It’s where unique inspiration and circumstance come

together to yield something exciting and brand-new. It’s a way of

thinking-and living-that makes you strong, profitable and successful!

Creativity is

the place

where the

individual

and ideas

collide

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“Creativity is really believing entirely what you see and hear. Butfinding another angle and seeing the truth in that. That is very muchpart of creativity, because it means taking yourself out of the shell.”

-Sir Peter Ustinov, two-time Academy Award Winner

But where does creativity really come from? It is something we are born

with, or do we acquire it, like a skill? I prefer to think of creativity as

being like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes; but

if you are lazy and don’t tap into your creativity, it will grow weak and

shrivel up. People who have an incredibly strong creative instinct are

like bodybuilders: they give their creative muscle regular workouts and

nourishment, and they thrive with this process. People who think of

themselves as less creative are like couch potatoes: their creative muscle

has turned to flab due to inactivity. They may never have a creative

idea pop into their heads throughout their entire lives.

If you are one of those couch potatoes, the idea of getting your creative

mind into shape can seem like a long, arduous uphill battle. It may be

tempting to sit on the couch with a bag of potato chips, watching the

television instead of thinking about the possibilities for leading a

successful life. But you, too, have the potential to become a strong

creative thinker! Just as exercise floods your body with endorphins-

those wonderful natural chemicals that make you feel amazingly alive

and full of energy-creative thinking fills up you with inspiration, making

you emotionally healthy, mentally fit, and poised for success.

And while there’s a limit to how much iron you can pump, there’s no

end to your creative resources. Once you commit to your daily “creative

Creativityis like amuscle —the more weuse it, thestronger itbecomes

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exercise” plan, you have the power to grow and grow and grow. As the

supremely creative poet Maya Angelou puts it, “You can’t use up

creativity. The more you use, the more you have restored.”

At first, it can be tough to get out of your old habits and into new

ones. We are, after all, creatures of habit. We tend to think the same

things over and over again and follow the same schedule day in and

day out. “Yes, it’s boring,” we tell ourselves, “but it’s easy.” We love

to stay in our comfort zones because it’s simple and undemanding.

But just as it doesn’t require much energy to “coast” along, it also

doesn’t give us much in return.

If you are mired in the daily grind, if you are stuck in a rut, if you are

a creature of habit, bear this in mind: consistent thinking produces

consistent results. Not good, not great, not even interesting-just

consistent. The success and failure we experience in life are mirror

reflections of the way we think. People who are timid and afraid to

stick their necks out lead small, bland, uninspired lives. But creative

thinkers push the envelope, always looking out for opportunities,

always engaging the world around them-and this exciting way of life

produces dramatically different results, including enormous financial

and personal rewards.

If you want those huge rewards, it’s time to start pushing yourself. It’s

time to begin using new parts of your brain. It’s time to challenge

yourself by rejecting the status quo and entering the exhilarating world

of “What if?” It’s time, as famous author and radio host Mike Litman

would say, for you to “unleash your greatness!”

The success

and failure we

experience in

life are mirror

reflections of

the way we

think

Page 10: Creativity Secrets

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It all starts with learning the rules of creativity. Why is it so important

to have creativity guidelines? Just take a look around. We all start off

as truly creative beings, babies who invent solutions all the time as they

discover new aspects of the world and themselves. But from the

moment you are born, the world works to age you quicker than is good

for you. As time passes, you are taught and influenced to think in a

certain way. The world pumps us full of experiences and information

that grinds away at our innocence and creativity, leaving behind a mere

skeleton of our creative potential. Slowly but surely, our youthful spirit

of adventure and limitless possibilities turns into an obsession with

deadlines, budgets and boundaries.

“We all started creatively free...remember the sandbox, all weneeded was a bucket and a good shovel. Then we went to school,we learned that the chairs were to be in rows and that tree trunks

were to be colored brown, if you lived in a world of purple treetrunks, you probably learned to hide it”

-SARK, author of Creative Companion

As we get older, it becomes harder and harder for us to let our creativity

shine. In school, we learn that success means making the least mistakes.

We’re taught to play it safe. We are made to feel that emotions, beliefs

and ideas that differ from the norm are “bad” or “abnormal.”

In short, our creative abilities take a massive nosedive the older we

get. I’m here to tell you that the ideas we shared so freely as kids

need to come out of hiding! We must recapture our innocence in

We all startoff as trulycreativebeings

Page 11: Creativity Secrets

100

80

60

40

20

0

3-5 years old 8-10 years old 13-15 years old over 25 years

Percentage Testing Genius in Divergent Thinking

11

order to be able to generate ideas that are original, distinct and

fresh. The graph below proves it:

Results of 1,600 children given eight tests if divergent thinking ability show:

Ages 3-5 years, 98% scored in the creative genius category.

Five years later, 32% scored in the creative genius category.

Ten years later, 10% scored in the creative genius category.

In tests of over 200,000 adults over 25, only 2% tested in the creative genius category.

Source: Breakpoint and Beyond by George Land and Beth Jarman

That sinking line is an alarm-it’s time to hear it and wake up!

What Creativity Can Do For YouAs I’ve already said, opening up your mind and life to new ideas and

solutions can bring you a treasure trove of riches in return. But what

can you realistically expect to happen once you’ve made a conscious

We must

recapture our

innocence in

order to be

able to

generate

ideas that are

original,

distinct and

fresh

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effort to become a more creative person? What opportunities,

specifically, will come knocking?

The rewards will be both material and emotional. When you start

generating innovative ideas, and after you put your plans into action,

the money will start rolling into your bank account and lining your

pockets. We live in a world that prizes new methods for solving old

problems. We live in a society jumps on original ideas and hungers for

inspiration. We revere entrepreneurs, people who build up their

businesses from nothing but a dream and a plan to make that dream into

reality. You can be one of them! Just start thinking outside the box!

When you do, not only will you make financial gains but you’ll also feel

a greater sense of satisfaction, contentment, and accomplishment. A

creative thinker’s most important commodity is his or her brain, and the

well-being that comes with using your head efficiently and inventively

is largely its own reward. Getting creative means becoming self-reliant:

when you make your living off your own ideas, you are your own boss!

So what can you expect? If you implement the steps in this book you’ll

meet new people, gain valuable exposure to new ways of thinking,

strengthen your financial livelihood and establish a secure, more

efficient professional life for yourself!

The world is full of phenomenal personal and professional

opportunities. What most people don’t realize is that we have control

over them. Just listen to what leadership expert John Maxwell has to

say: “Creativity is being able to see what everyone else has seen and

think what nobody else has thought so that you can do what nobody

We live in a

world that

prizes new

methods for

solving old

problems

Page 13: Creativity Secrets

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else has done.” Once you start designing and creating a lifestyle that

suits your goals and your dreams, others will marvel at how many

opportunities seem to fall into your lap. They’ll probably think that you

were born lucky, but you’ll know it isn’t luck at all-it’s your ability to

generate creative solutions.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it isn’t-take my word for it! Start taking

control of your success, and get ready for your life to change for the better.

But before you get creativity to work for you, you have to start getting

creative. That means finding creative ways to meet people you want

to work with. That means developing solutions for problems. That

means learning how to rely on your mind, and doing your “exercises”

so that your creative muscle is always in peak condition. If you can

commit to these goals, the rest of this book is your key to a life in

which YOU are the boss.

Remember, YOU create your own success. And in the end, your

creative skills will find a way to consistently bring you a never-ending

stream of “cash heavy” opportunities. You’ll never have to be a slave to

a paycheck again! Getting creative gives you the most important gift of

all-the freedom to do what you want!

Overcoming Obstacles & RoadblocksEvery single one of us experiences ups and downs, triumphs and failures.

But you may have noticed that there are some people who are

constantly down and almost never “up.” Is this bad luck? Is it

Start taking

control of

your success,

and get ready

for your life

to change for

the better

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inevitable? NO! Then there are those who have far more ups than

downs, who seem to shine with success and accomplishment. Are they

blessed with some magical ability to get what they want? Are you

doomed to watch them pass you by? Should you just give up and resign

yourself to a life of mediocrity? NO!

Thinking creatively is the key to tipping the odds in your favor, so that

the triumphs vastly outweigh the failures. In the beginning, of course,

you’re not always going to come out on top. There may be moments of

frustration, of uncertainty, of difficulty-and that’s GOOD! Obstacles and

roadblocks are hurdles that you should actually look forward to! That’s

because challenges are a sign that you’re getting out of your mundane

comfort zone. And like anything new and worthwhile, you may stumble

a bit before you can walk, and then run. Think of a child learning to ride

a bike: he will probably fall a few times once he takes off the training

wheels, but soon he’ll have newfound freedom and independence.

Similarly, you might start off with more failures than successes. But

remember that failures are learning experiences. Even the most successful

people in the world have gotten where they are through trial and error.

And soon you’ll be achieving your goal a lot more often than not.

And don’t forget that if you are finding something difficult, chances are

that it’s difficult for everyone. That’s actually GREAT news. Let me

explain-if you run into a tough challenge, there’s a good chance your

competition is facing a similar problem. What that means is that if you

come up with a creative solution first, your success will be even bigger

and more financially rewarding!

Thinking

creatively is

the key to

tipping the

odds in your

favor, so that

the triumphs

vastly

outweigh the

failures

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It’s sound marketplace logic. Creativity guru Doug Hall who founded

the Eureka Ranch think-tank, found that, among “like” products and

services, those that entered the marketplace first had a much greater

market share than those that entered second or third. In other words, if

there are three similar inventions, the first one to hit the shelves is the

one that’s going to make the most money. And that means that

whoever solves problems or creates solutions the fastest will tip the odds

of success in their favor.

So in a sense, roadblocks and obstacles are actually incredible money-

making opportunities. You want problems. You want difficulties. In

fact, these challenges-which up ‘til now probably seemed like negatives-

are going to become your favorite things in the world, because people

are willing to pay you big bucks to solve them. When you’re in the

position to provide creative solutions quickly and reliably, you’ll find

that the world is chock-full of financially rewarding opportunities!

Whoever

solves

problems or

creates

solutions the

fastest will

tip the odds

of success in

their favor

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CHAPTER 2: Characteristics ofCreative Thinkers

If you put Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart

together into a room, you’d have not only four of the world’s richest

people but also four of the world’s best-known creative geniuses (okay,

okay, and one convicted felon-but she’s still an incredible success

story!). All of them saw opportunities that no one else had ever seen,

and they took paths that no one else had ever taken. Sometimes it

seems like they have attained heights that no one will ever be able to

match, but it’s not luck or chance or birthright or even destiny that got

them where they are today. If you ask each of those four people how

they became so successful, they’ll invariably respond, “Through hard

work and determination.”

Creativity is not a gift. It’s not something only a chosen few have. It’s

a set of characteristics and skills that anyone can acquire, with the right

tools for learning. In this section, we’ll go over the key personality traits

of creative people, and we’ll discuss how you, too, can obtain and

strengthen these characteristics.

The Driving Factors for Creative Thinkers

1) Creative thinkers value ideas

America is a country founded on the power of ideas-literally. Our

history as a nation begins with one man’s farfetched dream of exploring

Creativity is

a set of

characteristics

and skills that

anyone can

acquire, with

the right

tools for

learning

Page 17: Creativity Secrets

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undiscovered lands. Because of his driving ambition, millions of

immigrants were able to start new lives and claim new territory.

Columbus is in the history books as a great explorer, but in a way he was

also a great entrepreneur and a truly creative man.

He also perfectly embodies the risk-reward dynamic of creative

thinking. Just think of all that he was risking when he announced his

plan and embarked on his journey to the New World! To see the

rewards, just take a look around. The American dream has its roots in

Columbus’s dream-a man who created his own opportunities discovered

a land of opportunity! One idea, courageously and ambitiously

accomplished, is responsible for the livelihood of millions and millions

of people. If you ever find yourself wondering just how much you could

possibly expect to gain from harnessing your creative abilities, remember

this example of the power and value of thought.

All creative thinkers know just how valuable ideas are-and not just the

obvious, flashy, immediately lucrative ideas. After all, creativity is a

game of odds. Not every risk pays off, and not every sure thing actually

delivers. So the more ideas you come up with, the more likely you are

to succeed. Every idea counts! People like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs,

Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart know this, and so they value ideas

whether they are big or small. Every light bulb that goes off in your head

can potentially lead you on the path toward that Million Dollar Idea.

Think about it: all it takes is one flash of insight, one new product, one

innovative service, to create a multi-million dollar business. With one

idea, a scientist or researcher could uncover the cure for a previously

Every light

bulb that goes

off in your

head can

potentially

lead you on

the path

toward that

Million Dollar

Idea

Page 18: Creativity Secrets

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incurable disease. With one sudden epiphany, a software engineer could

invent the next major advance in computer technology.

Creative thinkers never underestimate the power of ideas. And they

never underestimate the value of simple ideas, either! Sometimes it’s a

seemingly simple idea that others dismiss as silly that ignites a creative

thinker’s imagination. It’s like a seed with the potential to blossom-and

its growth depends on the skill and integrity of the person who plants it

and cares for it. Ignoring that seed will, of course, kill it. The bottom

line is this: you don’t know what kind of beautiful flower you could end

up with until it actually blossoms.

2) Creative thinkers celebrate the offbeat

In the competitive world around us, everyone’s trying to be different.

Being unusual is a good way to guarantee that people will take notice of

you, and being noticed is a short distance from becoming a success story.

Just think of the TV ads shown on Super Bowl Sunday-the commercials

you remember are the ones that stick out. And the ads that stick out are

the ones that generate lots of customers-and lots of revenue!

Creative thinkers prize a variety of ideas, but they are especially

passionate about ideas that are new and original-things that no one

has ever thought of before. They let their imaginations run wild and

make associations that others haven’t thought of. Creative thinkers

connect the unconnected.

Of course, there’s a huge amount of pride and excitement that comes

with being the first to come up with a thought, an ad campaign, a story

Creative

thinkers never

underestimate

the power

of ideas

Page 19: Creativity Secrets

19

line, a product. But offbeat, imaginative solutions are not just

hallmarks of creative thinking. They are also financial cash cows-

people will pay more for unique ideas they can’t get from anyone else.

When you think outside the box, you pretty much guarantee that

people are going to take a second look.

3) Creative thinkers explore all possible options

Imagine a world in which everyone is the same. In this world, we all

have the same features: the same eyes, the same nose, the same hair. We

all have the same characteristics: the same attitude, intellect, emotions

and worldview. We look the same, think the same, and act the same.

What a tragic world this would be. We wouldn’t have the freedom to

make choices for ourselves because there would be no choices to begin

with. We wouldn’t be stimulated to think in new ways. We wouldn’t

ever have the drive or ambition to get ahead, because everyone would

always be at the same level.

Or take another example: what if everyone you ever dated was exactly

alike? Think how boring that would be when it came to the prospect of

choosing a spouse! All the excitement we have when we find the “right”

person would not exist, because there wouldn’t be any “right” or “wrong”

persons. In short, we wouldn’t really have any options-because every

single potential spouse would be exactly like every other potential spouse.

Thankfully, we live in a world full of differences, and therefore full of

options. Every day we have the chance to make hundreds of real

choices, each one of which has a different outcome. This is the joy of

When you

think outside

the box, you

pretty much

guarantee

that people

are going

to take a

second look

Page 20: Creativity Secrets

20

being human and living in a free society. And it’s something that

creative thinkers value highly.

Creative thinkers explore many different possibilities. Every option

leads to a new and different consequence, so the more chances you take,

the more avenues you explore, the better your chance of success. Don’t

block yourself off! Don’t censor your brainstorming! Letting yourself

consider many different possibilities opens up your way of thinking. It

challenges you to solve problems in a variety of ways. And the more

options we give ourselves, the higher the likelihood that a truly original

thought will occur and evolve into a winning plan.

4) Creative thinkers embrace the unknown

Remember when we talked about choosing between mediocrity and the

unlimited potential for success? The difference boiled down to doing

what’s comfortable and doing what’s risky. In other words, the difference

between creative thinkers and the rest of the world is that they aren’t

afraid to explore the unknown. The people who discover new countries

are the ones who decide that they want to explore uncharted territory.

The people who invent new technology are the ones who believe that a

better solution is out there. The people who launch a spacecraft to the

moon and other planets are the ones who understand that pushing

ourselves to the limit yields phenomenal results.

Imagine yourself standing in front of two doors. Behind the first door is

the road well traveled. It’s well groomed and has lots of signposts, there

aren’t many twists and turns, and you’re pretty much guaranteed an easy

journey. But you already know where this road is going to take you, and

the destination isn’t too exciting.

Letting

yourself

consider

many

different

possibilities

opens up

your way of

thinking

Page 21: Creativity Secrets

21

What about door number two? Well, what’s behind it is limited only by

the reach of your imagination. If you choose to take this path, you can

expect it to be wild and unpaved. You’ll have to be a true trailblazer,

swinging your machete through the branches. But in return, you’ll go

down in history as the one who created the road, instead of just

following it. People will say that, instead of standing idly by and

watching others pass before you, you made things happen. Behind door

number two is your reputation as a calculated risk-taker, a person of

great courage, someone who gives a lot in order to get a lot. Door

number two is the gateway to your boundless success.

Because creative thinkers open themselves up to exploring all sorts of

opportunities, it’s inevitable that sometimes they’ll find themselves

staring into the unknown. In fact, they often find themselves on the

brink of new, undiscovered territory. Creative thinkers are people who

love to open that second door. They enjoy a healthy dose of

uncertainty, because to them, uncertainty means new obstacles, new

challenges and new problems that need to be solved. They know from

experience that uncertainty is a vital part of wealth and success.

5) Creative thinkers don’t fear failure...as much

You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, and you can’t

become a successful creative thinker without experiencing some failures.

Most people are afraid of looking silly, so they don’t share their ideas.

For example, during brainstorming sessions these people like to hide

behind others, agreeing with other plans and endeavors. Sure, this is

easy, but is it rewarding? Absolutely not! Not only are these people

Door number

two is the

gateway to

your

boundless

success

Page 22: Creativity Secrets

22

losing out on individual success, but they are also hurting their

group’s chance of success.

Brainstorming with a group is like cracking open those eggs, mixing

them up with other ingredients, and cooking them up into a tasty

dish. As different group members explain their ideas, others listen

and start thinking about how to improve upon them. Hearing other

ideas gets your own creative juices flowing. One idea generates

another, and so on, until you hit on a fantastic solution that

incorporates elements from all the different ideas.

But clamming up and being a “yes” man is like leaving the eggs in

the carton. You can’t accomplish anything new or interesting if

you’re afraid to speak up and share your thoughts. Instead, you’ll be

right back where you began.

Creative thinkers know that offering their ideas is a way to test

potential solutions-and, inevitably, sometimes those solutions will

fail. It’s the law of probabilities! You can’t be right all the time, on

the first attempt, and no one expects you to be!

Fear is a human instinct, and it’s natural to want to protect yourself. But

fear of sharing your ideas because you’re not sure if they’re “good”

enough is something all creative thinkers know they have to overcome.

Fear impedes your ability to create and destroys the possibility of

innovation. If you can’t talk about your ideas, how can you ever hope

to put them into action?

Hearing other

ideas gets

your own

creative

juices flowing

Page 23: Creativity Secrets

23

Even worse, people who let fear run their lives become increasingly

fearful and unable to think creatively. It’s a vicious cycle: the more you

second-guess yourself, the less willing you will be to take necessary risks.

Creative thinkers know that the occasional failure is nothing to fear-it’s

part of the creative process.

Overcoming Fear & Breaking the CycleFear paralyzes our creative impulse, so the first step in learning to think

creatively is breaking the cycle of fear. And in order to do that, we need

to understand what that cycle is. After all, we need to know our enemy

in order to vanquish it!

How does fear inhibit our creativity? It diminishes our willingness to go

out on a limb and reach for new ideas. The greater our feelings of fear,

the smaller the chance we will speak up and articulate our ideas. The

less willing we are to speak our ideas, the less chance there is for our

ideas to be realized. If our ideas don’t get realized, we feel an even

greater sense of fear. And then, of course, the cycle repeats itself.

This will continue to go on and on, around and around in circles, until

you decide it’s time to break the pattern!

Everyone experiences a little fear every now and then. Even the most

successful people have a little voice inside them that sometimes speaks

up and expresses doubt. Even big risk-takers have worries with the

The more you

second-guess

yourself, the

less willing

you will be to

take necessary

risks

Page 24: Creativity Secrets

24

potential to stop them dead in their tracks. But they also know how to

master and manage their fear.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.”

-Mark Twain

How do creative thinkers do this? Well, they prepare to meet their

enemy by being aware of it. They recognize that fear exists in each

of us. They don’t ignore it or pretend it’s not there. They embrace

fear-or, more precisely, they embrace the thrill and exhilaration that

comes only when you try something new. They thrive on the

excitement you feel when you dare to let go and make a change.

They recognize that fear can be a signal that you’re on the cutting-

edge and onto something great.

Think of it this way: what are you afraid of? If you’re like most people,

you’re probably worried that you might fail. But remember what we’ve

said before: creativity is a mix of failures and successes. Failure is a

crucial part of generating success. The more you fail the closer you get

to a successful result.

This is exactly what Armand Morin (www.AudioGenerator.com) and

Alex Mandossian (www.AskDatabase.com), two highly successful

Internet marketers, realize as they tackle the task of producing new ideas

and products. They found that initial failures are the businessman’s

friend. They are testing fanatics, always looking for which ideas

outperform the others. Without purposely trying new ideas and looking

The more you

fail the closer

you get to a

successful

result

Page 25: Creativity Secrets

25

for failures, they’d be stuck with underperforming products.

Understanding upfront what doesn’t work helps you to rule out

possible solutions. That means that early failures actually save you

time and money.

So why should you fear failure? Accept it as part of the game.

Things are only going to get easier-trust me. The more success you

have-and you will have it-the more confident you will become.

Confident people are less likely to experience fear and more likely to

take risks in the future. On the other hand, people who’ve recently

experienced a defeat are more likely to lick their wounds and be more

cautious. This is the vicious cycle I mentioned earlier! Don’t get caught

up in it! Don’t let one or two or three failures drag you down. Instead,

let them pull you up!

And keep in mind that there is something far worse than fear-and that’s

regret. Imagine yourself in the future, looking back on your present life.

What will you have to say about yourself? Will you be able to say that

you did what you wanted to do, that you embraced life to the fullest and

took courageous risks, or that you stuck to the status quo because you

were afraid of making a change?

A study conducted by Cornell University asked senior citizens to

describe their greatest regrets about their lives. An overwhelming

majority of the respondents said they regretted actions that weren’t

taken as opposed to actions that were taken-even when the

outcome was bad!

Understanding

upfront what

doesn’t work

helps you to

rule out

possible

solutions

Page 26: Creativity Secrets

26

Take it from those senior citizens-you don’t want to find yourself retired

and wondering “What if?” The fear you feel today can prevent you from

acting on your ideas, but don’t let it! An idea without any action is

as worthless as not ever having the idea in the first place. Say yes to

your ideas. Make an investment in yourself and your future. Take a

chance. If it turns out badly, time will heal the pain. On the other

hand, if you are met with success, then you’ll have one less regret

when it’s time to look back.

Creating Your Own SuccessThe business world will always need new products and services. People

want to make their lives easier, so they’ll always be searching for new

solutions, systems and techniques. They’ll always want to do things

cheaper, better, and faster. And who comes up with all the new ideas?

Creative thinkers! That’s why creative people will always be in demand,

no matter what the market is like or what the unemployment rate is.

At the same time, being creative in and of itself is not necessarily a

guarantee of being successful. After all, no one can predict what’s going

to happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year. Remember, there are

virtually no limits to creative possibilities, and that is both fantastic

and dangerous. It’s great when YOU are the one coming up with

those possibilities, but what about when it’s your competitor?

Imagine this: just when you have a phenomenal product flying off the

shelves, your competition comes up with something better, stealing

away your market share. Or maybe customers are just gradually losing

interest in your products or services. Perhaps a social issue, like an

Creative people

will always be

in demand, no

matter what

the market

is like or

what the

unemployment

rate is

Page 27: Creativity Secrets

27

interoffice divorce, divides your staff into happy coworkers and sworn

enemies. A natural disaster or a terrorist activity could change the

way you do business forever. The point is this: there is no way for us

to know what’s going to happen.

So we have to be prepared. We have to work hard to create our own

success, and to maintain it. In reading this book and following the steps,

you’re doing just that. Did you know that:

According to the Wall Street Journal, a two-year in-house creativity course at

General Electric resulted in a 60% increase in patentable concepts.

At Sylvania, several thousand employees took a 40 hour course in creative

problem solving. The ROI: $20 for every $1 spent.

Hewlett-Packard invested over $2 billion in R&D in 1999, and generated

more than 1,300 patent applications. Net revenue: $42.37 billion.

All the odds are saying that you’re going to be just fine-no, WAY better

than fine! So let go of fear, and embrace your creativity. Your future is in

your hands. It’s time to take responsibility for creating your own success!

“In order for all of us to prosper, perhaps even to survive, in thecoming new century, we need to start thinking smarter, more

comprehensively, more creatively.”

-Joey Reiman, CEO and founder of Brighthouse

We have to

work hard to

create our

own success,

and to

maintain it

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28

CHAPTER 3: Generating IdeasWe’ve talked about how new ideas breed success and that they go hand

in hand. But those new ideas and the fantastic opportunities that they

come with don’t just appear by chance. They need to be cultivated, not

just hoped for. In this chapter you’ll get a step-by-step, easy-to-use

method that, with repeated use, produces the same result-great ideas.

This versatile method will help you generate new ideas for different

markets and unique solutions for unusual circumstances. It will fit any

situation, anytime, anywhere. It’s a road map for creative thinking-if

you follow it, you’ll discover a never-ending stream of ideas.

The Rules of Creative ThinkingWhen you hear the word “rules,” what’s the first thing that comes to

your mind? Limitations? Boundaries? Do you think of your parents’

household laws, and the negative consequences of breaking them?

For most of us, the word “rules” implies restriction. And restriction

implies a lack of freedom.

But in the case of the creative thinker, rules can actually set you free.

Following a definite set of rules increases the odds of exceptional ideas,

maximum productivity and outrageously unique inventions and

solutions. How so? Well, first of all, learning the guidelines means that

you can become an expert in your area quickly. Why not take

advantage of those that came before you and learn the time-tested rules

New ideas

and the

fantastic

opportunities

don’t just

appear by

chance

Page 29: Creativity Secrets

29

of the game? And second of all, obeying the rules-at least in the

beginning-can actually strengthen your sense of imagination and

creativity. As the painter Pablo Picasso said, first you need to learn the

rules, and then you can break them!

In order to counteract all those years in which we have been taught to

suppress our creative urges, you need a set of guidelines to live by.

Instead of rules that show you how to be “normal,” you need rules that

remind you how to think differently. Your creative instinct is innate;

these guidelines are simply going to help you recapture it!

RULE #1: There are no rules!!

Say it with me: anything is possible. Your best ideas will flow when you

no longer feel limited by boundaries or restrictions. Great ideas shake

the world. They defy the ordinary and redefine what is possible. A

unique idea should break rules-and if it doesn’t, it’s been done before.

So push yourself and explore new territory-no limitations, anything

goes. There are NO rules!!

RULE #2: Play with the Play-doh!

Ideas don’t just arrive in the world as polished, finished products. Like

Play-doh, they are raw, cold and lumpy. It’s extremely important to

remember this, because all our lives we are trained to respond quickly to

new ideas with phrases like “that will never work,” “it’s not reasonable,”

or “only in a million years.” Negativity is like a toxin that poisons your

Your best

ideas will

flow when

you no

longer feel

limited by

boundaries or

restrictions

Page 30: Creativity Secrets

30

creative environment. At the beginning of the creative process, no idea

is a bad idea! That lump of Play-doh can easily be molded and shaped

into a wonderful creation. It takes an open mind and patience.

RULE #3: Go where no one has gone before

No, it’s not a sci-fi movie tagline, it’s another creative rule to live by!

Let’s face it, it’s easy to go numb to reality. If things are around us all the

time, we eventually stop seeing them. So if you want to create fresh,

new, eye-opening ideas, you have to be willing to go farther then you

have before. It’s time to start asking “what if?” It’s time to explore

places you never thought you’d go. It’s time to seriously consider ideas

you might have dismissed as “silly” before. Blockbuster ideas almost

always push the envelope, and creative geniuses are people who do what

has never before been done.

RULE #4: Go big or go home

You might know that when Reggie Jackson ended his 21-year major-

league career, he had 563 homeruns-a number that landed him in 6th

place on the all-time homerun hitter list. Pretty impressive, right? But

did you know that Jackson was also high on another list-strikeouts?!

That’s right, one of the greatest homerun hitters of all time had the most

strikeouts (2,597) of any baseball player ever. And Reggie isn’t alone.

Many of the players on the top ten-homerun hitter’s list are also very

high on the all-time strikeout list.

If you want

to create

fresh, new,

eye-opening

ideas, you

have to be

willing to go

farther then

you have

before

Page 31: Creativity Secrets

31

What lesson can you take away from all this baseball trivia? You need

to swing LOTS in order to achieve the best results. The secret to

succeeding in the creative process is to generate as many ideas as

humanly possible. 99% of all those ideas will probably never be used,

but the remaining 1% will be pure gold. Swing for the fences and go

big-quality will come naturally along with quantity.

RULE #5: Let loose

The best ideas are dreamed up by passionate people. But we’re so often

encouraged to think of work as a chore that we don’t usually have fun

when we’re brainstorming and planning and implementing ideas. How

can you feel passionate if you feel obligated?

Let yourself have fun-after all, the creative process is all about getting

back to that true creative state you were in as a child. Without fun,

there’s no enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm, there’s no energy. Without

energy, there’s no way you’ll ever achieve blockbuster success. So let go

of worries, inhibitions and timidity. Loosen up and enjoy the ride!

The Power of StimuliIt’s 10 a.m. You and five coworkers are crowded around a conference

table, drinking instant coffee and stale donuts. Debbie, to your left, tells

you about her daughter’s soccer match. Allen, to your right, wants to

discuss his golf game. Then the “chief creator” walks into the room and

everyone quiets down. The chief says it’s time to start brainstorming.

He goes around the room and asks everyone to share the 5 ideas you’ve

The secret to

succeeding in

the creative

process is to

generate as

many ideas

as humanly

possible

Page 32: Creativity Secrets

32

prepared before the meeting. Everyone has variations of the same ideas.

There are no break-throughs, there are no truly exciting prospects.

When everyone’s done sharing his or her five ideas, silence falls over the

conference room. What next?

The chief looks grim. “These ideas aren’t going to change the way we

do business. We want our competition to sweat and feel envious, not to

laugh because we’re tagging a new name onto an old product.”

Uh-oh. The reality sets in: this is going to be a long and painful process.

Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this common scenario is the

standard for business brainstorming. It’s as conducive to creativity as

someone putting a gun to your head and telling you to think of

something new and innovative. In fact, it makes for such a negative

environment for creative thinking that Doug Hall, in his book Jump

Start Your Brain, calls it braindraining:

“...people desperately try to suck solutions from their heads. They

squint, grind their teeth, and sweat profusely, all in hopes of

squeezing a few angry pellets of ideas from their straining craniums.

In short they use their minds as a mere reference libraries. This

SUCK method of creativity will shrivel your brain like a prune in

the dessert sun. It’s not good for you.”

Interesting solutions and creative ideas don’t just sit inside your body,

waiting to be pulled out. There isn’t some “golden answer” waiting to

be plucked out of thin air. Remember when I said that anyone could

become a creative thinker-that creativity is not a gift or a birthright but

Interesting

solutions and

creative ideas

don’t just sit

inside your

body, waiting

to be pulled

out

Page 33: Creativity Secrets

33

rather a skill? Well, it’s true: all you need to do is learn how to tune

your creative “antenna” to the world around you, and you’ll find that

it supplies you with an amazing number of possible solutions! There

is a fantastic proven method for generating a wealth of great ideas,

and I’m going to tell you what it is. Read on, and you’ll never have

to drain your brain again!

A man named Dr. Arthur VanGundy came up with an extraordinary

brainstorming technique that guarantees a 1000% percent increase in

new ideas versus the technique of braindraining. His method has also

been proven to generate a 558% increase in “super smart” ideas- ideas

that become a blockbuster hit in the marketplace. Think about it-558

times as many fantastic ideas as your competitors in the boardroom. It’s

like having five brains in your head!

So what’s the method? How does it work? Well, get ready to be floored,

because this technique is not only vastly more effective than

braindraining but it’s also much, much easier and more fun. It’s all about

flooding your brain with stimuli.

Now, what do I mean by stimuli? The shortest answer is that stimuli can

be considered the fuel for new ideas. You see, the creative process is like

a game of dominos. Once you’ve lined up your dominos in a long line,

all it takes is a little push to get the entire line of dominos to fall in one

gigantic chain reaction. Similarly, your brain needs a nudge in order to

start generating ideas.

Stimuli can

be considered

the fuel for

new ideas

Page 34: Creativity Secrets

34

In Dr. VanGundy’s method, stimuli is that first nudge. They turn

your brain into a smoothly-running computer, so that you can process

input and crank out ideas. On the other hand, in the old

brainstorming method, braindraining, your brain is more like a

reference library: you’re never really sure where to go to get the

information you’re looking for, and you have to do everything

manually. It’s like having to push over each individual domino with

your finger one at a time. Which brain would you rather have-a

yellowing, musty set of outdated books, or a supercomputer?

Brainstorming isn’t like playing the lottery-coming up with great ideas is

not a matter of luck. There is a time-tested formula success, and this is it:

Take a look at the chart below.

You are no longer a warehouse of mediocre ideas; you are now a factory

that produces unlimited fantastic ideas! Instead of struggling to suck

ideas from your poor brain, your mind gorges itself on stimuli, creating

new associations and connections almost effortlessly!

Brainstorming

isn’t like

playing the

lottery-

coming up

with great

ideas is not a

matter of luck

New Ideas New, original idea or concept

Stimuli Anything you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch

Life Goggles The lens through which you filter, perceive, and react to

stimuli. Life Goggles are a function of your collective life

experiences that you bring to every situation. It’s the thing

that makes you see the world the way you do.

NEW IDEAS = (STIMULI + LIFE GOGGLES) * FUN

Page 35: Creativity Secrets

35

So what it all boils down to is paying attention to the world around you

and letting stimuli do their work on your brain. But what exactly should

you be on the lookout for? Stimuli can take many forms, including

sights, sounds and scents. It can even take the form of competitors’

products, customer feedback and firsthand experiences. In fact, almost

everything around you can act as stimuli, triggering a reaction in your

brain. The whole world is a virtual playground for the true creative

thinker, and that’s why some people always seem to be able to come up

with great ideas, regardless of the circumstance.

The following are some examples of stimuli.

Things you might...

Pay attention

to the world

around you

and let

stimuli do

their work on

your brain SEE HEAR SMELL TASTE TOUCH

Family pictures Dogs Barking Dirty laundry Peppermint gum Feathers

Headphones Phone Ringing Apple pie Ketchup Paper

Phone TV Commercials Roast beef dinner Milk Play-Doh

Deodorant Rock Music Wet dog Toothpaste Ice

Books Guitar being played Perfume Salt water Nets

Batteries Toilet flushing Dog poop Oranges Water

Guitar Wind blowing Play-Doh Chocolate Egg shells

Wheels Doors shutting Fresh air Peanuts Zippers

Magnets Someone singing Burning leaves Vanilla ice cream Computer keyboard

BMW Mini Someone snoring Roses Bacon Pen

Banana A conversation Coffee Syrup Guitar strings

Tube A video game Wet leaves Fish Facial whiskers

Computer Mouse Someone typing Gas (car or human!) Beer Basketball

Digital Camera Microwave timer Fresh laundry Sour candy Chair cushion

SEE HEAR SMELL TASTE TOUCH

Page 36: Creativity Secrets

36

You’re probably thinking that most of the items on this list don’t have

anything to do with problems you are trying to solve-but that’s okay! In

fact, that’s the point. Remember when I said that creative thinkers

connect the unconnected? Well, that’s what stimuli will allow your

mind to do-your brain uses this input to associate, connect and piece

together concepts, thoughts and ideas that on the surface seem totally

unrelated. So when you feed your brain with lots of stimulation, you

won’t just wind up with new ideas-you’ll wind up with creative, unique

ideas with roots in the real, practical world.

Stimuli are actually divided up into two categories: related and

unrelated. As you can probably figure out, related stimuli have to do

with the task at hand, and unrelated stimuli seemingly have nothing to

do with it. But that doesn’t mean that unrelated stimuli won’t help you.

The general rule of thumb is: the more related the stimuli to the creative

challenge, the greater the quantity of ideas produced; the more

unrelated the stimuli, the fewer the number of ideas but the higher the

number of dramatically different ideas. What that means is that you

can’t just have one or the other: you need to blend both together in

order to get the best possible result - lots of ideas mixed with concepts

that push the envelope of what’s never been done before.

You need to

have lots of

ideas mixed

with concepts

that push the

envelope of

what’s never

been done

before

Number of Practical Ideas Invented

High Stimulus 47.0

Medium Stimulus 38.4

Low Stimulus 22.3

Source: Jump Start Your Business Brain, Doug Hall

Page 37: Creativity Secrets

37

You’re probably wondering what this means in practical terms, so let’s

consider an example. Sally, a professional speaker, is trying to come up

with new methods of delivering informational products. She starts with

related stimuli by looking through some catalogues containing home

study courses of other people in her industry. She follows that up by also

visiting several web sites of other speakers. Then she also opens herself

up to unrelated stimuli. Sally sits down and starts watching the Home

Shopping Network, the she visits a university lecture hall, and finishes

her day by leafing through the latest edition of Women’s Fitness. It’s

easy to see that relying on related stimuli alone might not yield a new

and different idea. But when you watch the home-shopping channel

with the intent to come up with a delivery method for information,

you’re setting up an environment in which unique ideas will flourish.

What Are Some Good Sources of Stimuli?

Okay, so now that we understand what stimuli can do for us in theory, how

do we physically start making it work for us? I’m going to show you the two

basic ways to process stimuli and turn them into gold-standard ideas.

Set up anenvironmentin whichunique ideaswill flourish

Catalogs Good questions Drinks Infomercials Seminars

Magazines Conversation Movies Cable TV Shopping mall

Family pictures Web sites Commercials Competitors products Best Buy

Web sites Words Paint chip display Dr. Seuss books Book store

A mix of music Food Play-Doh Cookbooks Carnivals

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38

Direct Connection

Direct connection involves a straight line from stimuli to idea, a single

leap of imagination-a direct connection from Point A to Point B. In the

simplest terms, you look at something, and a thought occurs.

For example, let’s say our speaker, Sally, is trying to design a cover of a

pamphlet, but she’s not sure what she wants it to look like. So she goes

to the bookstore and leafs through some magazines, looking at the

glossy ads and layouts. As she flips through the magazines, she sees

many possible color combinations and designs that trigger a response in

her brain. Then she moves over to the bookshelves. Looking at the

covers of various novels, she sees many possibilities for what her

pamphlet could look like.

Now, the purpose here is NOT to copy someone else-it’s simply to give

those dominos the push they need in order to start falling! You’ll never

set off the chain reaction if you just sit at home, waiting for inspiration

to occur. You need to get out there and flood your senses.

Obviously, if you’re using this method, you need to look at as many

pieces of stimuli as possible in order to generate the most usable ideas.

People often get stuck on one piece of stimuli, but the trick is to move

fast. Once you can’t think of any more ideas based on one piece of

stimuli, move on! Keep a pen and paper handy so you can jot down all

the ideas that occur to you. At the same time, be selective, because you

only want those ideas that make sense given the task at hand.

You’ll never

set off the

chain reaction

if you just sit

at home,

waiting for

inspiration

to occur

Page 39: Creativity Secrets

39

Indirect Connection

Direct connection is simple and effective. Indirect connection is

equally effective, but it’s a slower and more deliberate process. In this

method, instead of using stimuli to make direct connections, you break

a stimulus into its essential parts, then twist or tweak those traits to suit

them to your task. This method is a bit more complicated than direct

connection, but if you stick with it you will end up with ideas that have

never occurred to anyone else.

Start with a piece of stimulus, related or unrelated, it doesn’t matter

which. Write down all the aspects of that stimulus that you can think

of. Examine it critically: what does it look like, feel like, sound like,

taste like, or smell like? How does it make you feel? View it from close

up, then move farther away, so you can see it from different angles. How

does your stimulus work?

Once you break it down into these component parts, the light bulbs will

start flashing. You’ll see how each individual characteristic can be

applied to one of your own goals or ambitions. And you’ll have exciting,

new products and ideas that are yours and yours alone!

Let’s illustrate this method with an example. Let’s say that Sally wants

to create some new products to sell after her presentations. She starts

by thinking about what products that she has personally purchased from

other speakers over the past year. Her favorite, most-used purchase is an

educational package. She pulls it off the shelf and studies it. It’s made

up of several different elements: a binder, a booklet, and a bunch of

CD’s. A new CD arrives every month, and she adds it to the binder,

If you stick

with indirect

connection,

you will end

up with ideas

that have

never

occurred to

anyone else

Page 40: Creativity Secrets

40

which is also a CD holder. Sally enjoys the fact that she receives new

content every month and she decides that this is something she would

like to incorporate into her own product. She also loves that the

binder does double-duty: it doesn’t just hold paper, it also features

plastic sleeves that house the CDs. Again, this is a great feature to

incorporate into her own product.

Then she notices that the binder isn’t the normal size-it’s a bit smaller.

In fact, its size makes it stand out on her bookshelf, and it also feels nice

in her hand. Because it’s a bit different, it seems special somehow. Sally

decides that when she designs her own product, she’s going to play with

dimensions to make the size somewhat unexpected.

The process can go on and on for as long as you feel like studying

your piece of stimulus.

If you’re ever in doubt about the power of stimulus, just remember

that one of the greatest inventors of all time-Thomas Edison-was a

stimulus junkie!! He was a firm believer in letting himself be

inspired by brilliant ideas, allowing them to trigger his own thoughts

and creations. So take it from Edison:

“Make it a practice to keep on the lookout for novel and interestingideas that others have used successfully. Your idea has to be an

original only in it’s adaption to the problem you are working on.”

-Thomas Edison

Be a firm

believer in

letting

yourself be

inspired by

brilliant ideas,

allowing them

to trigger your

own thoughts

and creations

Page 41: Creativity Secrets

41

Opening the Floodgates of Your MindChanging your perspective on things and people you see every single

day dramatically expands your creative possibilities. The world

around you hasn’t changed-but now you see everything differently.

While others see, for example, a book as a book, you see it as the

nudge to an idea reaction.

Becoming attuned to stimuli is the key to unlocking your brain’s power

and potential for productive creativity. It will make you more

valuable and resourceful to those around you. Who wouldn’t want

someone like that on their team?

The world needs ideas-big ideas, small ideas; ideas that make money,

solve problems, bring people closer together and keep relationships

fun and exciting! We need ideas to stay ahead in the fiercely

competitive business world, where “faster, faster!” is the mantra. With

the methods outlined above, not only will you be inundated with great

ideas, but you’ll also be able to do in minutes what used to take days.

No more sitting around waiting for that flash of insight. YOU have

the power to set off that flash yourself.

We need

ideas to stay

ahead in the

fiercely

competitive

business

world, where

“faster,

faster!” is

the mantra

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42

CHAPTER 4: The Basics ofBrainstorming

What is Brainstorming?We’ve already talked about what corporations seem to think

brainstorming is-sitting around a conference table waiting for someone

else to speak! The fact is, that kind of brainstorming doesn’t do anyone

any good. So what kind of brainstorming is good, productive, healthy

brainstorming? Before we answer that question, let’s start by talking

about what brainstorming really is.

At its most basic, brainstorming is a technique for coming up with new

ideas. It generally involves a group of people all sharing their thoughts

on a particular problem or issue, so that each person can “play off” the

others. Or, you can brainstorm by yourself, using stimuli as described

above. Once you start to realize that everything around is related or

unrelated stimuli, the potential for new ideas is virtually limitless. Even

better, the process works in a cycle: as different ideas collide, they give

rise to even more new ideas. Unlike a presentation or a more formal

meeting, a brainstorming session allows people to shout out new ideas as

they occur, without criticism or judgment. All the ideas are written

down so that they can be considered more carefully later on.

Once you

start to

realize that

everything

around is

related or

unrelated

stimuli, the

potential for

new ideas is

virtually

limitless

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43

Essentially, brainstorming is the freedom to let your mind roam wherever

it wants to roam, using a central issue or problem as “home base.”

Now, traditional brainstorming-the kind that makes you want to tear

your hair out!-is what most of us are used to. It’s when a group of adults

get together around a board room table and read their prepared ideas off

a sheet of paper. We’ve all been to at least one of these meetings, so you

know the drill: everyone reads his or her list, and it inevitably turns out

that most of the ideas the group has come up with are the same. And

there’s always at least one person who doesn’t hesitate to tell you when

he thinks your idea is silly or impractical. These kinds of meetings are

full of tension and silent (and not-so-silent!) judgment, and that’s not

conducive to creativity at all!

The worst is when you find yourself being judged-and you’re not even in

a group at all. You know the feeling: you’re working on your own to

solve a problem, but your internal critic keeps cutting you off before you

can even have your say. Well listen up: that voice of inner judgment

needs to hush up. The critic needs to leave the room! You won’t get

anywhere and you won’t come up with anything new if you don’t give

yourself permission to think radical, strange, untested thoughts.

So what should brainstorming be, ideally? Well, it should be a spontaneous,

lively, uncensored, fun experience. Nothing gets the synapses in your brain

firing like immediate mental and sensory stimulation, and nothing

encourages you to come up with new ideas more than being in an

environment where ALL ideas are accepted and considered.

Read on for how to brainstorm, and how to make brainstorming work for you!

Nothing

encourages

you to come

up with new

ideas more

than being

in an

environment

where ALL

ideas are

accepted and

considered

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44

The Uses of BrainstormingBrainstorming can be used to solve just about any problem you can

think of. You can brainstorm to come up with solutions to

professional problems, to create new products, or to help enrich your

personal life. You can brainstorm to get your own brain juiced up, or

you can brainstorm with a group to get everyone’s mind going.

Whatever you use it for, brainstorming is a powerful technique-the

cornerstone of any creative process.

These are just a few of the products and results of brainstorming sessions:

ad campaigns, essays, articles, marketing strategies, new research

procedures, government policies, patents, new technologies, new

industries, investments, company infrastructure, more efficient

machinery, better engineering components-the list is endless!

And not only can brainstorming be used to obtain material results, it

can also be used to effect psychological change! Brainstorming

teaches you new processes for coming up with ideas, and it trains you

to feel less inhibited and self-critical. It opens up your mind to new

ways of thinking-letting ideas collide and mingle and turn into new

ideas. If you are one of those people who tends to hide behind others

at meetings, agreeing with other ideas but not offering your own, you

can use brainstorming to train yourself to become a better, more

valuable member of the team! Give it a try-as you’ll soon see, the

benefits are well worth the effort.

Brainstorming

teaches you

new processes

for coming up

with ideas,

and it trains

you to feel

less inhibited

and self-

critical

Page 45: Creativity Secrets

45

The Benefits of BrainstormingHow can something as simple as writing down your uncensored

thoughts on a piece of paper guarantee you a higher salary? Easy!

Brainstorming helps you come up with great ideas for your company,

whether it’s a massive corporation or a one-person operation. Those

great ideas translate into new products and services, and that, in turn,

means an increase in market share. When the company profits, you

profit-a great year for your business means a healthy salary for you, and

maybe even a bonus or a promotion.

People who don’t contribute original, innovative ideas stagnate in

the same position, year in and year out. They don’t rise through the

ranks, and they don’t get hefty pay increases. Do you want to be one

of these people? Of course not!

You want to be the person everyone likes, who makes the meetings fun,

who is full of high-level concepts and strategies. You want your

superiors to praise you for your successes. You want to improve your

working environment by enabling coworkers to get along better.

Brainstorming can accomplish all of these wants: not only will you shine

at your brainstorming sessions, but you’ll also be responsible for a change

in the way you and your peers work. The kinds of creative freedoms that

are highly valued during a brainstorming session invariably trickle over

into the rest of the working day. Brainstorming can enhance the

freedom and productivity of a business overall.

Brainstorming

can enhance

the freedom

and

productivity of

a business

overall

Page 46: Creativity Secrets

46

If you are an entrepreneur, the importance of being able to come up with

new ideas is even greater.

Without developing the skill of generating ideas you are always at the

mercy of others. Your future will depend on other people. People who

create jobs, put business ideas together or create products or services.

Ideas Are Today’s Currency

Whether you are looking for more customers, ideas for your

marketing, or exciting press coverage, generating fresh, unique ideas

are vital for every entrepreneur. The quality of these ideas will

determine your success.

People Pay for Ideas and Solutions

If you can learn how to consistently solve problems or challenges for

your customers or prospects, you’ll always be in demand.

Unfortunately, if you do it in a way that others have already done it, you

BORE your audience.

People don’t want the same old thing. They want fresh. They want

unique. They want different.

That’s why we have elections every 4 years. People want new ideas.

That’s why toy companies scramble to create the next hot Christmas

gift. That’s why TV companies constantly change up their

programming; people want new and exciting shows.

If you can

learn how to

consistently

solve

problems or

challenges for

your

customers or

prospects,

you’ll always

be in demand

Page 47: Creativity Secrets

47

However if your ideas look, sound and appear like everything else, it

becomes a “been done” and the probability of success goes down.

Your future depends on your ability to identify problems and then

generate fresh, unique ideas to solve those problems.

Brainstorming helps you as an individual as well as your entire business,

whatever your business may be. If you’re a freelance writer,

brainstorming will help you generate a treasure trove of article ideas. If

you’re a salesman, brainstorming will help you come up with better ways

of pitching your product. If you work for an advertising company,

brainstorming will help you devise new campaigns and slogans. If you

work for a restaurant, brainstorming will help you create new dishes. If

you are a stay-at-home mom or dad and you want to make some extra

income, brainstorming will help you hit on a winning plan. Whatever

your profession, whatever your endeavor, whatever your goal,

brainstorming benefits you by guaranteeing that you never run on

empty. You will always be full of cutting-edge concepts, and that means

you’ll always have cash in your pocket and the respect of your peers.

And who wouldn’t want that?

Here’s a short list of just some of the benefits of brainstorming:

l Having more ideas to choose from means an increased probability of

hitting on a “winning” idea

l Inviting a group of people with various backgrounds, interests and

personalities to share ideas means that you’ll get a very broad range

of possible solutions

You will

always be full

of cutting-

edge

concepts, and

that means

you’ll always

have cash in

your pocket

and the

respect of

your peers

Page 48: Creativity Secrets

48

l Ideas that didn’t look like they would work to begin with, can be

huge successes after they are tinkered with in a brainstorming session

l You can often create a great solution by putting together lots of little

ideas from various sources

l By encouraging others to share their ideas without fear of criticism,

you guarantee that others will listen to your ideas, too

Conducting a Brainstorming SessionWe’ve now defined a productive brainstorming session as what happens

when a group of people get together, without inhibitions, to generate as

many ideas as possible. Sounds great, but how does one actually go

about accomplishing this? How do you set up an environment in which

there are no inhibitions, and everyone feels free to say whatever he or

she wants? How do you put people at their ease? How can you ensure

that there is adequate stimulation in order to generate new ideas?

In this section we’ll go over the logistics of running a brainstorming

session, from preparation to the session itself to what to do immediately

afterward. Don’t worry about things getting out of hand-as freeform as

a brainstorming session should be, there ARE rules and guidelines to

follow. And the great thing is that you can follow these steps whether

you’re working with a group of twenty people or you’re alone in your

room. This is a plan to ensure success, no matter how big or small your

group, no matter how long or short the session.

You can often

create a great

solution by

putting

together lots

of little ideas

from various

sources

Page 49: Creativity Secrets

49

First, arrive early so you can prepare the room and get used to being in

it. You may want to bring a poster which lists the rules of creative

thinking-these are the rules which all the participants should follow.

Stick the poster up on the wall where everyone can see it at any time.

Take this pre-session time to go over the rules yourself. Remind yourself

to be supportive of everyone and their ideas.

Then, when the group members start to arrive, treat the occasion

like a social gathering rather than a business meeting. Welcome

each participant and chat a bit with everyone. This is all part of

ensuring that the atmosphere in the room is relaxed and friendly.

Make sure to introduce people who don’t know each other, because

it’s hard to feel uninhibited in a room full of strangers. Remember,

the point of involving other people in the brainstorming session is so

that you can bounce your thoughts off of one another, generating

countless new ideas. When properly directed, dynamic interaction

between team members results in other people’s thoughts becoming

potent stimuli in their own right.

When it’s time to get started, invite everyone to take a seat. Explain

what the purpose of this session is going to be. Show them the rules and

emphasize that at this early stage, all ideas are valuable-brainstorming is

about generating ideas, not judging or dismissing them. Tell the group

outright that you hope they come up with odd, offbeat ideas, because

they are what lead to innovative practical solutions and products.

Explain that they should all listen carefully to everyone else-what

another person says may give you a brilliant idea that wouldn’t have

occurred to you on your own!

Remind

yourself to be

supportive of

everyone and

their ideas

Page 50: Creativity Secrets

50

You may wish to do a warm-up session to get people ready for the real

session. To do this, think of an unrelated topic that doesn’t have

anything to do with work. For instance, ask the group to think up ideas

for new movies or web sites. Then, after a few minutes, ease everyone

back into the main issue at hand. Explain the topic and then invite

suggestions and concepts having to do with that topic. Write down

each and every idea that someone shares with the group. Encourage

your group members to jot down their own ideas on pieces of paper so

that they don’t forget them while others are talking.

Then broaden out to unrelated ideas-let your group members share wild

and outrageous ideas that may not be directly related to the main topic

or problem. Write these ideas down on separate pieces of paper, and

then tack them to the wall so everyone can see them. All the ideas you

write down will serve throughout the rest of the session as stimuli,

provoking new concepts and suggestions.

If anyone criticizes an idea, make it clear that this is not the time or

place. Say that you’re interested in hearing all suggestions, both

mundane and strange. Thank people for their thoughts, remain

supportive, and always keep things moving along. If an awkward

silence falls over the group, use the ideas you’ve already written

down as a springboard for conversation. Tweak and twist those ideas

to come up with new ones. Encourage people to use other team

member’s thoughts as a springboard for new ideas-even if a certain

idea doesn’t seem feasible, you can use bits and pieces of it to come

up with something better. If you want to change things up, or if the

group members seem to be inhibited, ask everyone to write some

ideas down on a piece of paper. Collect the papers and then

Thank people

for their

thoughts,

remain

supportive,

and always

keep things

moving along

Page 51: Creativity Secrets

51

redistribute them, so that everyone has someone else’s sheet of paper.

Then ask everyone to read the ideas aloud.

In order to increase the potency and productivity of your brainstorming

session, you should consider providing sources of stimuli (both relate

dan dunrelated) as discussed in the previous chapter. For example, if

you are trying to brainstorm a new ad campaign, have magazines handy

so that the team can flip through the advertisements. Tape up a big

poster of a color wheel so that everyone can be thinking about color

schemes. Pass around sheets of paper with various fonts printed on

them, so that everyone can be thinking about typography. If you’re

trying to come up with a new jingle, bring a tape recorder and a variety

of music tapes. Ask the team members to contribute their own stimuli-

have people sing their favorite jingles, or childhood songs or Christmas

carols that stick in one’s head so effectively. Remember that flooding

yourself with stimuli is a surefire way to get the brain’s synapses firing!

Continue brainstorming for as long as you feel things are fun and

exciting. Take a break if you feel like it. But when everyone starts to

get tired and ideas are running low, it’s time to bring the brainstorming

to an end. Thank everyone and then send him or her on their way.

After the session, immediately combine all the ideas into one list. Do

it now, so everything’s clear and fresh in your mind. If more ideas occur

to you as you are doing this, write them down as well. The simplest,

easiest way to store all these ideas is in a computer database or

spreadsheet, so you can have fast access whenever you want.

Now you should have a huge list of ideas to analyze, and a large number

of probable solutions to choose from!

Considerprovidingsources ofstimuli toincrease thepotency andproductivity of yourbrainstormingsession

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CHAPTER 5: Creative ThinkingTechniques

How Does Creative Thinking Work?From having read about stimuli and brainstorming, you’ll know that

creative thinking works by stimulating the brain and generating

original ideas. It allows for new concepts to emerge under conditions

that are equally conducive to offbeat and ordinary kinds of thoughts.

And while it’s true that some great ideas occur accidentally, in an

unexpected flash of insight, creative thinking is a way to create that

flash of insight anywhere, any time.

Sometimes making you aware of stimuli and setting up brainstorming

sessions can produce amazing results. But at other times, these

techniques are not enough. You may be tired of the same old stimuli

you see around you from day to day, and you may find that

brainstorming with the same group of people does not produce as

many diverse ideas as you had hoped.

If you’ve given these methods a shot and they’re not working for you,

don’t give up! There are plenty more creative thinking techniques that

you can use to generate lucrative and innovative new concepts. There

are so many, in fact, that you’re bound to find at least one-and probably

more-which suit you perfectly.

There are

plenty of

creative

thinking

techniques

that you can

use to

generate

lucrative and

innovative

new concepts

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53

Remember that the way creative thinking works is to get your mind in

contact with fresh, new thoughts, people and things. A new idea is born

when two or more smaller ideas come together and form something

bigger and better. For example, creative thinking is combining your

design for a print ad campaign with your coworker’s suggestion of getting

a certain celebrity to appear in the ads. It’s stirring a pot of jam on the

stove and watching Martha Stewart making gift baskets on TV when,

all of a sudden, you realize you should go into business selling gift baskets

full of different jams and jellies. This collision of various stimuli and

ideas makes for brand-new products and services, and there’s always a

market for things no one has ever dreamed up before.

And if you practice creative thinking, you’ll never have to be without a

fresh new idea ever again!

Making Creative Thinking Work for YouIn this section we’ll talk about some alternative creative thinking

techniques to get your mind in gear and your solutions off the ground.

But first it’s essential to isolate the matter at hand and to define our

problem, so that we can understand exactly what it is we are trying to

solve. I’ve developed a plug-and-play formula that does just this, in a

way that’s both extremely useful and fun. Start by telling yourself, “My

problem is....” Then, continue this line of thought: “So, I need ideas

for....” It’s a simple and efficient way to get your head into the game so

that you can generate appropriate solutions.

A new idea is

born when

two or more

smaller ideas

come

together

and form

something

bigger and

better

Page 54: Creativity Secrets

54

Let’s take a look at some examples of this in action:

My problem is... I have a TON of competition in my market

So, I need ideas on... how to separate myself from my competition

My problem is... I have a lot of customer service calls and I can’t handle

them all on my low budget.

So, I need ideas on... how to handle customer service on a low budget.

My problem is... I don’t have a web site, any technical knowledge or a

BIG budget to pay a web designer

So, I need ideas on... how I can create and manage a web site with no

technical skills and a low budget.

Defining a problem is very important to the creative process because it

forces you to zero in on precisely why you are generating ideas. When

you are able to state a problem in a clear way, the creative exercises that

follow in this section become much easier.

Now let’s discuss some of those creative exercises:

1) Random Word

This technique is just what it sounds like. It involves picking a word at

random-from a dictionary, for example-and using that word as the basis

for making creative associations. You need to start by defining a

problem or topic. What is it that you’re trying to solve? Let’s say you

work in product development and you want to come up with exciting

new toys for pets. Now put that to the side for one moment. Go get

your dictionary (if you don’t have a dictionary, any book will do) and

Defining a

problem

is very

important to

the creative

process

because it

forces you to

zero in on

precisely

why you are

generating

ideas

Page 55: Creativity Secrets

55

flip it open to any page. Without looking, drop your index finger down

onto the page. Now look down and see what word you’re pointing to.

For this example, let’s suppose you’ve landed on the word “computer.”

Using the random word technique, you need to build a bridge between

“computer” and pet toys. Think of ways-any ways that occur to you, no

matter how seemingly silly-to connect those two things. The point is to

force yourself to see a connection, because that means that you’re

making yourself think outside the box and potentially coming up with

unprecedented ideas. Maybe you could come up with a toy that has an

internal computer chip-for example, a ball for dogs that bounces around

on its own. Or maybe you could appeal to cat-lovers who are also

computer geeks by making a toy “mouse” for felines that actually looks

like a computer mouse. Or, pushing yourself even farther, might there

be a market for a computer game that has to do with domestic animals-

maybe a pet-centric version of the wildly popular “The Sims”?

You can also apply these rules to any number of “random” things.

For instance, go to a random web site and use its content and design

as a springboard for your own ideas, no matter how unrelated this

web site may seem. If it’s a commercial site, how are products being

sold? Are there advertisements on this site? What kinds of links do

they have, and how are they organized? Or select a random picture

from a magazine, book, or web site and follow the same principles as

outlined above for random words.

Let your imagination run wild. You’ll be surprised and pleased with how

many innovative ideas occur to you when you practice this technique.

Let your

imagination

run wild

Page 56: Creativity Secrets

56

2) SCAMPER

The SCAMPER technique is another method of forcing yourself to

approach your problem from unusual angles. SCAMPER is an acronym

that stands for: “Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Other

Purposes, Eliminate, Rearrange/Reverse.” The point in this technique

is to use these directions as the basis for a series of questions about the

problem you are trying to solve.

Begin by thinking about substitutions for parts of your product or

service. What would happen if you switched materials, people, time or

location? Could you better your product or service by substituting one

element with something else? Often, people hit on brilliant ways to

improve their ideas by forcing themselves to consider substitutes.

Then think about combining two or more parts of your product or service.

Can you decrease the time it takes to do something by doing two things

at once? Can you use a single process to accomplish two end results? Can

you make things more efficient by blending different elements?

The next step is to think about adapting the product or service-what

about it could you possibly change? Then, as a corollary to adaptation,

consider what would happen if you warped a given feature, making it

bigger or smaller, for example-this is modification.

Next, ask yourself if there is any way your product or service could be

recycled to serve some other purpose besides the one it was originally

intended for. For example, a coffee bean grinder is not just useful for

grinding whole coffee beans-it can also be used to grind up whole spices.

Ask yourself if

there is any

way your

product or

service could

be recycled to

serve some

other purpose

besides the

one it was

originally

intended for

Page 57: Creativity Secrets

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Think of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda. That product is used for so many

different things ranging from toothpaste all the way to an air freshener and

baking ingredient. What else can your product do or be used for?

The second-to-last step is to hypothetically eliminate part of the

product or service. What would be the consequence of removing a step

or section of it? How would you handle the situation? This will force

you to consider alternative solutions.

Finally, gain new perspective on your problem by looking at it from

different angles. If it’s a service, reverse the order in which it’s

performed. If it’s a product, turn it around of upside down. Changing the

way you look at something can enable you to see its hidden potential.

3) Analogy

An analogy is when you use the word “is like” to compare one thing to

another. In the analogy technique, you use comparisons as a way to see

your situation from new angles. For example, if you think your job, as a

salesperson is similar to being an actor, you might say: “Making a sales

pitch is like playing a role in a theater production.” Now step back and

analyze why you feel this way. Consider both sides of the analogy and

try to see why they might be related. In this example, perhaps the

comparison is that both a salesman and an actor need to follow a script

but also remain in the moment, ready to improvise if the situation calls

for it. A good actor is one who feeds off and responds to his audience,

and this is also what a salesperson must do. This analogy could lead to

the creation of actual scripts for new sales people. And just like an actor

in different scenes, you could have different scripts for different sales

situations like on the phone, in person, or in an email.

Gain new

perspective

on your

problem by

looking at it

from different

angles

Page 58: Creativity Secrets

58

Making an analogy is a great way to approach your problem, because it

helps you see how other related fields tackle similar issues. Then you

can apply those solutions to your own situation.

4) Brainwriting

This technique is very similar to brainstorming, but with an important

difference. Brainwriting is a process in which a person writes down all

of his own ideas, rather than sharing them out loud with a group. Then

he passes his written ideas to the next person, who uses those ideas as

stimulus to come up with even more ideas. This can be extremely

helpful for people who are more visual than auditory, or for groups in

which there is still some tension over sharing ideas out loud.

5) Free association

This is another technique that is quite similar, though not identical, to

brainstorming. In a brainstorming session, participants come up with ideas

related to a central problem or issue. In free association, however,

participants start with a “trigger,” and then let their thoughts go in any

direction, one thought generating the next, in a sort of stream of

consciousness. This can result in extremely unusual and creative solutions.

6) Provocation

The technique of provocation stimulates your brain to think about new

ideas by shocking it with “stupid” assumptions. In other words, you’re

provoking yourself into thinking in new and different ways by saying

something that is patently untrue. The point is to say something so silly

The

technique of

provocation

stimulates

your brain to

think about

new ideas by

shocking it

with “stupid”

assumptions

Page 59: Creativity Secrets

59

that you can then suspend all judgment and let your mind wander into

new territory. For example, you could say, “Bikes do not have wheels.”

A dumb sentence, but once you start considering it, your mind is free to

explore the unknown. Perhaps it was a sentence like this that led to the

invention of the stationery exercise bike!!

7) Role-storming

This technique is similar to brainstorming, except that you try to find

solutions by putting yourself into the mindset of another person.

Freeing yourself up by assuming another identity can be an incredibly

powerful way to generate new ideas. So think of someone you know or

invent a new identity; then say to yourself, “Hmm, I believe this person

would suggest....” Don’t censor yourself-that’s the point of entering

another person’s headspace! If you get stuck, change roles. You can do

this many different times, assuming several different identities.

8) Relaxation

It is virtually impossible to think effectively when you are stressed out

or feeling harried. You tell yourself you have to come up with a solution,

and the pressure causes you to have even more trouble solving your

problem. The best ideas come out of a relaxed state in which your mind

is open wide. So make sure to find time for activities that relax you.

One of the best ways to do this is to meditate. Find a comfortable area,

like a spot on the floor, and lay there with your back on the floor, arms

outstretched, neck relaxed. Ensure that you won’t be interrupted or

disturbed. Starting with the top of your head, visualize each part of

Freeing

yourself up

by assuming

another

identity can

be an

incredibly

powerful way

to generate

new ideas

Page 60: Creativity Secrets

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your body and focus on relaxing the muscles there. Relax your neck

muscles, your shoulders, your back, your arms, your hips, your legs,

your ankles, and your toes.

For more creativity techniques than we have room for here, visit the

web site www.CreativeThinkingOnline.com (which is also the source

for the techniques we’ve discussed here).

Continuously Improving Your CreativityThe wonderful thing about creative thinking techniques is that they

don’t just change the way you do business-they change the way you

think and feel. Once you start experimenting with these techniques,

you’ll begin to realize all the ways you’ve been stifled. You’ll recognize

your own habits, and you’ll see how tempting it can be to have a routine

instead of trying new things. You’ll come to terms with your fear of

making mistakes, and you’ll learn to question the beliefs and

convictions of the status quo. You’ll understand that work doesn’t have

to be boring-and that playing creative “games” like the ones above are

actually a powerful tool for unlocking hidden creative talent. You’ll

overcome your self-doubt and open yourself up to experimentation.

Doesn’t this all sound great?

But wait, it gets even better! Creative thinking doesn’t just benefit you.

It won’t change your life alone. The effects of creative thinking have a

way of getting into the air, and creating a new atmosphere, so that

EVERYONE benefits and starts to see the world in new ways.

The

wonderful

thing about

creative

thinking

techniques is

that they

don’t just

change the

way you do

business-they

change the

way you

think and feel

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It’s so easy to stomp on a person’s feelings, telling him, “That’s an

impractical idea” or “That will never work.” This kind of criticism can

create unwanted tension, and that makes EVERYONE in the area feel

inhibited and self-defensive. That’s exactly what we DON’T want,

because it hinders the creative ability.

In order for creativity to flourish, we need a sense of freedom and safety.

And how can we ensure those things? By insisting on positive,

constructive language and interactions with others.

Positive vs. Negative Language

An Idea Critic An Idea Supporter

Would Say: Would Say:

“No.” “That’s a good idea!”

“No one will go for that.” “Let’s prove to the boss that we can do it!”

“It’s never going to happen.” “How can we get it to work?”

Don’t dismiss the effects of positive thinking and positive

encouragement in the workplace (or anywhere, for that matter). You

surely know how amazing it feels to be happy, productive, efficient, and

proud of yourself. You also know that when even one person is in such

a good mood, that good mood is infectious. It’s the same with

creativity! When even one person starts to think creatively,

implementing creative thinking techniques and shifting the negatives

to positives, the whole office benefits.

But the best part of all is that all the positive energy you put out is going

to come back to you in the end. When you listen to others and

Don’t dismiss

the effects of

positive

thinking and

positive

encouragement

in the

workplace and

anywhere else

Page 62: Creativity Secrets

62

encourage their ideas, no matter how quirky, others will listen to you

and indulge your ideas, too. If you express your appreciation for others’

participation in brainstorming sessions, participation is going to get

more and more efficient and productive. If you make others feel

valuable for contributing, they’ll make you feel valuable for your

contributions, too. If you create a fluid environment in which others

feel they can suggest solutions to help you fix your problems, you can

suggest solutions to them without causing animosity or defensiveness.

If you give others the freedom to work out their solutions as they see fit,

they’ll give you the freedom to explore your ideas, too. If you don’t

constantly judge and criticize others, they won’t judge and criticize you.

And because creative thinking involves people from all levels of an

organization, from all departments, from all backgrounds and interests,

you will soon become very comfortable mingling with both your

subordinates and your superiors.

Creative thinking is a continuous process. As I’ve said above, there’s no

end to the possibilities for improvement and invention, so there’s no

reason for you ever to stop being creative. When you help create an

environment in which creativity is nurtured, appreciated, supported and

encouraged, you guarantee yourself a place in which you can continue

to grow as a creative thinker and to strive endlessly toward success.

Creative

thinking is a

continuous

process

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CHAPTER 6: Mind Mapping

What is Mind Mapping?When you brainstorm and do your creative thinking techniques, you’ll

find yourself overflowing with ideas. It’s exciting to have so many new

thoughts and plans at your fingertips, but it can also be incredibly

overwhelming! What on earth should you do with all that information?

Mind mapping is the secret weapon of creative thinkers. It’s a powerful

tool for organizing your ideas and is also a form of visual brainstorming

in and of itself. Developed in the 1960s by a man named Tony Buzan,

mind maps are incredibly popular-used by millions of people all across

the globe-because they are stunningly effective.

Basically, a mind map starts off with a central point-a main subject,

thought, worry, problem, idea, what have you. After writing this

main point down in the center of a piece of paper, you simply let your

mind go, allowing the momentum of your thought process carry you.

New ideas are noted down, in two key words or less, as branches

extending from the central idea, and then related ideas appear as

offshoots of those initial branches. As you continue, the map will

grow increasingly complex.

As with brainstorming, you shouldn’t let yourself judge or criticize any

thought that occurs to you during this process! Just get your thoughts

down on paper. You can go wherever your mind takes you, from the

Mind

mapping is

the secret

weapon of

creative

thinkers

Page 64: Creativity Secrets

64

upper right-hand corner to the bottom left-hand corner, from one

branch to another branch. There’s no path to follow; this is non-linear

thinking in its very essence.

In short, a mind map is an incredibly useful graphic technique that has

the power to unlock your mind’s potential. It uses words, colors,

numbers, images, and spatial relationships to gives your ideas a visual

representation, and at the same time it allows you to delve deep into the

corners of your brain. By starting with a focal point and moving

outward, a mind map can help you to illustrate thought pathways, to

hold and arrange data, to present the details and the overview

simultaneously, and to understand how you might want to plan a course

of action. Mind maps are also very attractive to look at, much more so

than a simple spreadsheet or a long, rambling list you’ve made on the fly.

If you’ve never mind-mapped, get ready to become addicted!! Once you

try it, you’ll never turn back!

Mind Mapping in 6 Easy StepsStep 1) Armed with a large piece of blank paper and pens or pencils in

several different colors, envision the problem or issue that you are going

to consider in your mind map. Refer to your problem statement and

place this issue in the middle of your blank page. The reason for putting

it in the center of the page is so that your ideas and associations can

spiral out in whatever direction they want to go. And try to use as few

words as possible-you want to get to the core of the problem, so don’t

write paragraphs or even full sentences!!

Use thepower ofmindmapping tounlock thepower ofyour mind’spotential

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Step 2) Let loose and allow your mind to go wherever it wants. Start

free-associating and don’t censor yourself.

Step 3) Once the ideas start to flow, begin to write them down on

your sheet of paper, on lines that branch out from the central point.

Use one- or two-word descriptions. As those ideas start to spawn

new ideas, create more branches and sub-branches. It’s very

important to write down ALL of your ideas, because so many ideas

can be lost during this process otherwise.

Step 4) It’s a fact that our brains like to go through 5- or 6-minute

creative bursts, so take advantage of this explosion of ideas while it lasts!

That means you should work as quickly as possible. You can use simple

key words or phrases, pictures, symbols, or anything else you want to get

your thoughts down on paper FAST.

Step 5) Always keep your hand moving. If you can’t think of any new

ideas, draw a branch and leave it blank. Your mind will help you fill it

in later. If you’re really stuck, choose a different colored pen. And if

you find that mind mapping on a smaller sheet of paper cramps your

style, use an easel or something even bigger so that you can draw bigger

branches and make bigger movements with your body.

Step 6) If you see associations between different things you’ve written

down, connect them with sub-branches. If an idea doesn’t seem

related to anything you’ve written down yet, connect it to the central

point with a main branch. Although mind maps are great for

organization, you can always reorganize things later on. Remember

Start free-

associating

and don’t

censor

yourself

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that the main goal of mind mapping is to get your thoughts down on

paper before they leave your head!

Some additional tips:

l You don’t have to use standard letter-sized paper if you don’t want

to. After all, you’re not writing a letter or a typical business

document. Use poster paper or an easel if you want! Use crayons

or markers if you feel like it! Remember that this is a creative

process-there are no boundaries!

l There are different types of software that you can use to help you in

the brainstorming process. They will actually create the mind map

for you and some of them even enable you to export the information

into other programs. The advantage of using some software is it

helps to keep your ideas organized. The disadvantage is it sometimes

slows down the creative process. For a full review of different types

please visit www.CreativitySoftware.com.

l I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t censor yourself!! Write

down anything and everything that occurs to you, even if it may not

seem related at first. The mind works in mysterious ways-sometimes

it comes up with connections that you won’t recognize until later on.

Also, if you ignore a thought because you think it’s unimportant,

chances are your mind will keep going back to it at the expense of

other potentially brilliant ideas! So just jot it down and move on.

l Because bursts creativity can happen at any moment, keep an

“idea journal” or “idea binder” where you can quickly write down

Get your

thoughts

down on

paper before

they leave

your head

Page 67: Creativity Secrets

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ideas as they come to you. This journal can also serve as a

reference or additional stimuli when you need ideas for another

problem down the road.

Uses for Mind MappingMind mapping is a phenomenally useful tool, not just for visualizing the

results of a brainstorming session but also for a number of other

organizational tasks. It’s particularly great for any activity that requires

you to think quickly but still arrange your thoughts in some way. Here

are some of the ways that creative thinkers put mind maps to good use:

1) Brainstorming

Mind maps are the ideal way to represent the information that comes

out of a brainstorming or free association session because they’re non-

linear and can grow and grow and grow with no limit. Like a spider’s

web, these maps can expand outward in infinite circles. The central

issue of the brainstorming session sits at the center of the mind map, and

all the spontaneous ideas form the branches that shoot out from that

center. It doesn’t matter how quickly the stream of association’s flow-

the mind map will accommodate them all.

2) Writing

Many writers are huge fans of mind mapping because it is a way to make

an incredibly arduous and often frustrating process-writing-a heck of a

lot easier. If you just sit down to write an essay or an article from start

Like a spider’s

web, these

maps can

expand

outward in

infinite circles

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68

to finish, you’ll probably wind up banging your head against the wall.

That’s because the linear process of writing from introduction to

conclusion is almost impossible to do well-the mind just doesn’t

naturally run in straight lines!

A mind map is a surefire cure for writer’s block. Starting with one

central point and then working outward in branches frees up the mind

and allows a writer to put down on paper ANY thoughts that occur, not

just the thoughts that he or she believes should come next.

Mind maps also enable writers to get material down quickly. Our minds

often work faster than we can write-no sooner do you finish writing one

sentence than the thought you intended to convey in the next sentence

has vanished! Well, with mind maps-which include only one- or two-

word descriptions of core ideas-a writer can put down every single

thought and then go back later to flesh them all out.

3) Process organization

It can be incredibly frustrating to think about an entire process all at once.

It’s hard to keep the end in sight when you’re working on the beginning,

and it’s difficult to focus on what you’re doing right now when it’s not

separated from the next task. Mind maps are a great way to quickly chop

up a process into manageable pieces. By separating a process into its

components, each task becomes much easier to accomplish.

4) Presentations

Anyone who’s in the position of giving a talk to an audience is faced

with the dilemma of how to express one’s ideas-not only orally, but

A mind map

is a surefire

cure for

writer’s block

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visually, as well! There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that lectures

accompanied by visual aids are more effective in keeping the audience’s

attention than lectures without any sort of visual aids.

Mind maps are an excellent visual accompaniment to talks, because

they present the kernel of each idea without distracting from the

speaker him or herself. It’s up there for the audience to see, but it’s not

so elaborate or detailed that it draws attention away from the lecturer.

5) Note-taking

One of the challenges of being a student or attending a seminar is

finding a note-taking system that works for you. Some people just

scribble all over a page with no rhyme or reason. Others are incredibly

neat, paying more attention to writing down an outline of the professor

or speaker’s presentation than they do to the actual lecture itself! Still

other people give up entirely and don’t take any notes at all. Those who

mind-map, however, know that mind mapping is the perfect way to

organize notes on the fly. It allows you to write down a speaker’s key

ideas without spending all your time with your head buried in your

notebook. It also makes your notes visually interesting, which makes it

easier when it comes time to study. Mind mapping just might be the

ideal way for you to take notes!

In a way, mind mapping is a perfect synthesis of everything we’ve been

talking about in this book. It embodies the five rules of creative

thinking, refuses to let us censor ourselves for fear of judgment, forces

Mind maps

are an

excellent visual

accompaniment

to talks

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us to trust in the creative potential of our minds, and stimulates an

ongoing cycle of even greater creativity. It incorporates images,

symbols and colors, because all these things can stimulate our senses

in various ways and enable us to see new associations between

seemingly different ideas. And it represents visually the unlimited

potential of the creative mind: not stilted linear progression but rather

an organic, endless expansion of ideas.

The creativemind hasunlimitedpotential

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CHAPTER 7:Creativity In Action

Short Stories on Creativity in ActionOkay, so it’s one thing to read about creative thinking techniques in

theory, but how do you go about implementing them in your own life?

You’ve read the broad strokes, but what about the nitty-gritty, the

essential details? How do you create an environment in which you are

free to think your thoughts? How can you encourage others to follow

your lead? What can you do if someone’s resistant to your attempts, or

if you’re not meeting with the success you expected?

In this final section I’m going to talk about a number of real-life

scenarios that present challenges to the creative thinker. You’ll learn

how to prepare yourself for the difficult situations that will inevitably

arise once you commit to a creative lifestyle. After all, as we said way

back at the beginning of this book, mediocrity is easy-it’s being new and

different that’s hard. And that’s what makes it worthwhile in the end.

1) How to Respond to New Ideas

Once you’ve started practicing creative thinking techniques, you and

those you work with will be generating an enormous number of ideas.

At the brainstorming stage, no idea is silly or irrelevant, but since we’re

trained to be critical it can be quite difficult at times to keep this in

Mediocrity is

easy-it’s

being new

and different

that’s hard

Page 72: Creativity Secrets

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mind. It is very easy to shoot down someone’s idea-all it takes is a “No”

or a “That won’t work.” But you’ve got to be careful not to be

dismissive. People are defensive creatures, and if our ideas meet with

disapproval we’re likely to stop sharing them in the first place.

Even if an idea seems like it might be impractical in the long run, you’ve

got to give it its due consideration. Remember that no one offers ideas

that have absolutely no merit at all. Try to think about the reasons why

a person might make a particular suggestion. See if from their point of

view. The more you consider it, the likelier it is that you’ll see some

angle of the suggestion which is useful to you.

Because we’re so used to letting negatives jump right out of our mouths,

it may be useful to have on hand a number of responses to ideas that

others have suggested to you. Here are few especially versatile ones:

l That sounds interesting. Can you tell me a bit more?

l How would you go about implementing this?

l What are the advantages, and how can we eliminate or minimize

the disadvantages?

l How can we get the resources to accomplish this?

l Let’s take this idea apart and see if we can use small parts of it to fix

the current situation.

l Let’s make time to see if this will work.

Remember

that no one

offers ideas

that have

absolutely no

merit at all

Page 73: Creativity Secrets

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If an idea really is just plain unworkable, it’s up to you to explain that in

a rational, appreciative way. Of course, this is impossible to do unless

you make a sincere effort to listen and understand it in the first place.

2) What to Do When Brainstorming Goes Bad

Brainstorming is an essential component of creative thinking, but it

doesn’t always run as smoothly as we’d like it to-especially when we’re

working in groups. Any time you have a number of people together

in the same room you’re inviting the potential for trouble. Not

everyone has the same ability to let go of inhibitions-some

participants in a brainstorming session might just naturally be quieter

than others because they are intrinsically shy. People might be stuck

in a rut and unable to think outside the box. Or some group members

who are new to brainstorming might think the process is “silly” and

be reluctant to get fully involved.

There are a few steps you can and should take in order to get your

brainstorming session back on track.

First, explain the rules of creativity again. Make sure that everyone

understands them and agrees to abide by them. Remind everyone that

criticism-whether verbal or physical, as in facial expressions or body

language-stifles creativity, and that all ideas can serve as stimulus for others.

Second, consider breaking the group up into smaller sub-groups. This

will encourage the quiet group members to do more talking and will

make them feel less on display. It will allow people to get to know each

other better and to relax a bit more.

Brainstorming

is an essential

component of

creative

thinking

Page 74: Creativity Secrets

74

Third, if there’s one person in the room who persists in being critical,

get him or her to leave, or avoid inviting him or her to the next session.

Consider bringing in new people from other departments-they might be

able to offer fresh perspectives.

Fourth, if the energy in the room seems to be sagging, ask everyone to

get up and move around. Take a bit of a break. Play some relaxing

music or tell a few jokes. Distract your mind for a couple of minutes.

Get everyone’s mind off the problem for a few minutes, so that you can

all come back to it refreshed.

Finally, introduce some of the creative thinking techniques outlined

above. Change up the techniques so that the group doesn’t get stuck

in a creative rut.

If, at the end of all this, you still haven’t met with successful, do some

hard thinking about whether it was the brainstorming session that failed

or whether the solution you’re already using is the best one and doesn’t

need improvement. Think about inviting different people next time,

and eliminate any elements that did not seem to you to go well.

3) What to Do If You Are the Victim of Bad Brainstorming

The techniques for brainstorming seem fairly straightforward: open

your mind, consider a set of stimuli, and let the ideas flow out without

censorship. In practice, however, brainstorming-when done badly-

can be an exhausting, frustrating experience. This is especially true

when you’re new to brainstorming and don’t know quite what to

expect. You may feel like you’re on the spot, and you might not want

Change up

techniques so

that the

group doesn’t

get stuck in a

creative rut

Page 75: Creativity Secrets

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to share all your ideas. You may still be hesitant to say things that

seem silly to you. Or perhaps you’re part of a brainstorming session

that is badly run or that includes outspoken, critical participants. If

you are feeling nervous, frustrated, agitated, persecuted or mocked,

don’t take it personally-just participate as much as you can and then

let the leader know how you feel.

Here are some suggestions for making the best of an awkward situation:

l If you feel uncomfortable sharing your ideas out loud, write them

down on a piece of paper and give them to the leader, or pass the

paper to someone else and ask him to read it for you.

l If you want to speak up but are afraid of looking silly, preface your

comments with a phrase like, “This might sound a little foolish,

but....” If you find yourself facing criticism, explain that even

outlandish ideas can be worked into practical solutions.

l Make a sign of approval whenever you hear or see someone following

the creative rules. Likewise, murmur your disapproval whenever

someone criticizes someone else or otherwise breaks the rules. This

may help get the session back on track.

Who knows? Even a terrible brainstorming session has the potential to

produce a winning idea!

4) How to Build a Creative Environment

Even the most creative people feel stifled in environments that are not

conducive to free thinking. You can’t expect people to generate

If you find

yourself facing

criticism,

explain that

even

outlandish

ideas can be

worked into

practical

solutions

Page 76: Creativity Secrets

76

cutting-edge solutions to problems if they don’t feel comfortable

expressing themselves. And ideas can’t be turned into practical

solutions without explicit support.

If you are in a place that inhibits creative thinking, here are some steps

you can take to improve the atmosphere:

l Don’t criticize others, and stop others from being critical, too.

Thank people for their suggestions and encourage them to share

their thoughts with you often.

l Don’t just listen and nod-practice ACTIVE listening and ask

thoughtful questions that show you understand what someone has

just told you. For example, if you don’t understand an idea

completely, ask, “Can you give more detail?” If you want someone

to elaborate on a process, say, “How do you see that working?” If a

portion of an idea did not make total sense to you, ask, “What did

you mean by XYZ?”

l Ask others for their opinions and ideas. This will encourage them

to come to you with suggestions in the future, and it will also create

a sense of mutual confidence and respect between coworkers.

l Organize, run and participate in your own brainstorming sessions. If

you do a good job and your group generates lots of great concepts,

others will hurry to follow your lead.

l Make a list of problems and issues that need to be addressed. Post

this list and invite people to share their thoughts and suggestions

with the whole office.

Ideas can’t be

turned into

practical

solutions

without

explicit

support

Page 77: Creativity Secrets

77

l When you come up with a great idea, explain that it’s the result of

creative thinking techniques. When others hear this they will

probably want you to tell them more about it.

l Realize that you can’t change corporate culture overnight. Lead by

example and give it some time. When people start noticing your

successes, they’ll quickly follow.

l Be an idea collector so that you always have a collection of

GREAT ideas at your fingertips. Gather both related and

unrelated stimuli and use them to nudge your mind during your

next brainstorming session!!

When people

start noticing

your

successes,

they’ll quickly

follow

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USEFUL WEB SITE LINKS

General creativity sites:www.MyIdeaGuy.com

www.CreativeThinkingOnline.com

www.CreativitySoftware.com

www.Ideas4Everything.com

www.StimuliSessions.com

Visit thesesites forgreat ideas

Page 79: Creativity Secrets

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DEFINITIONSBrain Storming: An uncensored, organic process for generating new ideas.

Creative Thinking: Using various techniques to improve your

ability to create new ideas.

Creativity: The ability to implement innovative ideas.

Life Goggles: The lens through which you filter, perceive, and react

to stimuli. Life goggles are a function of your collective life

experiences that you bring to every situation. It’s the thing that

makes you see the world the way you do.

Mind Mapping: A technique for representing ideas visually.

New Ideas: Innovative, original thoughts or concepts.

Problem: Something that presents difficulties and therefore demands

to be improved upon or corrected. For creative thinkers, problem is

synonymous with opportunity!

Stimuli: Anything you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Provides an

external “nudge” that feeds your brain and helps you crank out new ideas.

For creative

thinkers,

problem is

synonymous

with

opportunity!

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80

INDEX Accomplishment, 9, 11

Achieving, 12

Action, 6, 9, 39, 42, 65

Ambition, 32, 35

Benefits, 47, 49, 61, 62

Big ideas, 30

Brainstorming, 19, 20, 21, 22, 35, 37, 45, 46,47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 59, 60, 62, 64, 65,68, 72, 74, 76, 77, 78, 80

Challenges, 4, 12, 13, 35, 37, 71, 72

Change, 5, 10, 20, 40, 42, 43, 47, 48, 52, 58,60, 61, 79

Characteristics, 31, 34

Circumstance, 6, 23

Comfort zones, 8

Consider, 6, 18, 25, 35, 57, 58, 66, 73, 75, 76

Consistent results, 8

Contentment, 9

Control, 2, 10

Create, 6, 11, 18, 28, 33, 39, 43, 47, 49, 54,61, 62, 63, 66, 72, 78, 81

Creative abilities, 16, 32

Creative beings, 15

Creative geniuses, 18, 31

Creative ideas, 4, 21

Creative instinct, 7, 17

Creative people, 31, 43, 77

Creative possibilities, 30, 43

Creative process, 17, 18, 19, 22, 39, 47, 67

Creative resources, 7

Creative talent, 61

Creative thinker, 7, 9, 14, 21, 23, 33, 37, 63,72

Creative ways, 10

Creativity, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 21, 30,32, 41, 43, 44, 46, 60, 61, 62, 63, 71, 75, 80

Cultivated, 14

Discover, 14, 15, 36

Endeavors, 38

Exciting, 6, 8, 20, 28, 30, 36, 52, 55, 64

Explore, 17, 18, 34, 35, 36, 62

Exposure, 10

Failure, 5, 37, 39, 41

Fear, 5, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 50, 60, 71

Financial gains, 9

Freedom, 11, 12, 14, 35, 45, 48, 61, 62

Generate ideas, 16

Great ideas, 14, 21, 22, 23, 30, 48, 54

Habits, 7, 60

Harnessing, 32

Hurdles, 12

Ideas, 4, 6, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 37,38, 39, 42, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53,54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69,70, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 81

Implementing, 19, 62, 72, 73

Improve, 38, 48, 57, 78, 81

Inhibitions, 19, 50, 74

Inspiration, 6, 7, 9, 27, 80

Inventions, 12, 14

Leadership, 10

Learning experiences, 12

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INDEX Maximum productivity, 14

Mind mapping, 67, 69, 71

Money, 4, 9, 12, 13, 30, 41

New ideas, 9, 14, 17, 21, 22, 25, 41, 42, 45, 46,47, 50, 66, 67, 81

Obstacles, 3, 11, 12

Opportunities, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 31, 32, 37

Original ideas, 9, 54

Perspective, 30, 58

Planning, 19

Positioning, 5

Positive energy, 62

Possibilities, 7, 15, 27, 35, 43, 62

Potential, 4, 5, 7, 15, 30, 33, 35, 36, 38, 40,58, 65, 71, 74, 77

Preparation, 50

Problem, 4, 6, 12, 29, 44, 45, 46, 47, 52, 55,57, 58, 59, 60, 64, 66, 75, 81

Process, 7, 20, 22, 26, 27, 29, 58, 59, 62, 64,65, 69, 70, 74, 81

Profitable, 8

Rewards, 8, 9, 32

Risk, 32, 37, 40

Roadblocks, 12, 13

Rules, 5, 14, 15, 16, 17, 50, 51, 56, 71, 75, 77

Satisfaction, 9

Secret weapon, 64

Secure, 10

Self-reliant, 10

Skills, 11, 31

Small ideas, 30

Solutions, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 34, 38,41, 42, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 58, 59, 60, 62, 77

Springboard, 52, 56

Stimuli, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 45, 52,54, 55, 76, 81

Success, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 22,31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 50, 63,72

Technique, 21, 45, 47, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 65,81

Thinking, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 20, 24, 28, 32, 34,35, 38, 44, 47, 50, 54, 55, 57, 60, 61, 62, 64,65, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79

Think-tank, 12

Triumphs, 11

Wellbeing, 9