Follow Me On Twitter
Subscribe to the Network
Flexing Your Creative Muscles
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t consider yourself as being creative. Very few people do, and I think this may be because most of us have too narrow a definition of what “creativity” means and also because most people never practice being creative.
A New Definition of Creativity: Most people think being creative means inventing something out of nothing, or coming up with an idea that has never been thought of. I like to define creativity as simply being willing to think differently and try something new. That’s it. When faced with a project, an opportunity, a challenge, a problem etc. most of us will typically default to our normal pattern of addressing such things; usually patterns that have found success in the past, so we assume they will bring success again….and they often do. Creativity is simply the willingness to take our normal patterns of thinking a step or two farther by thinking differently and trying something new when faced with life’s scenarios.
Here are a few simple exercises to help you flex your creative muscles.
- Make a list of your 5 favorite ways to spend your free time. Now, pretend those things no longer exist and you have to come up with 5 new hobbies or interests to occupy your free time. What would they be? What new skills would you need to learn to enjoy them? What new people would you need to spend time with in order to learn more about these new interests?
- Pick a recurring “challenge” or “problem” you face at work. Come up with two new ways to address the situation that you have NEVER entertained before.
- Purchase your LEAST favorite food at the grocery store and force yourself to create your own recipe that would turn it into an enjoyable dish.
Routine and doing things the way you have always done them are sort of like anchors on a boat; they are super important when you need stability, but can slow down progress if you are trying to move forward.
Related posts:
Kurt… great stuff bro! Love the post. And… I don’t think there’s any help for cottage cheese.
–Terrace Crawford
http://www.terracecrawford.com
http://www.twitter.com/terracecrawford
Kurt, I love any chance I can to flex my creativity muscle. It is really good for me to think outside of the way I have before. Thanx for throwing this one out there for us to consider!