|
Complete list of life
& happiness
How you can improve your creativity
Would you like to enhance your creativity? Do you think
that increased creativity is something that would improve your life?
Before you answer yes or no to that question, take some time to explore
what the word “creativity” means to you.
If you think that creativity is something that you only need if you’re
an artist, while you happen to be a middle-manager in a corporation, you
may decide that increased creativity is not really important to you. But
creativity is actually something far broader than artistic expression,
and it’s required in many areas of life.
Your idea of a creative person might be someone who lives in a loft,
painting gigantic canvases all day long. Or perhaps a writer at her computer,
working on a long novel. Or a musician, actor, or singer performing on
stage to an audience. All these people are expressing themselves artistically,
and they can all rightly be said to be creative people, even if no one
else enjoys their art.
But what about an entrepreneur who has an idea for a new product, who
forms a new company to produce and distribute it, eventually employing
hundreds of people? Doesn’t this also require creativity?
What about a research scientist toiling in a lab, developing new compounds
in an effort to cure disease? Isn’t this creative? What about a
single mother who manages to come up with healthy delicious meals on a
tiny budget? Isn’t that creativity?
To one person, creativity can mean gluing seashells to a picture frame.
To another, creativity might mean solving a grand unified theory in physics.
And to another person, being creative might mean coming up with an ingenious
new way to speed up a factory assembly line.
When we define creativity only in terms of artistic expression, we miss
a lot of other potential applications for creative thinking and problem
solving.
An artist painting a picture, or a writer working on a novel, both have
something in common with the researcher in the lab, and the entrepreneur,
and the person gluing seashells to picture frames.
They are all working on problems and devising solutions that didn’t
exist before. These people are using their minds to imagine fresh ways
of doing something, putting together existing forms and ideas in new ways.
They may be creating a new idea, a new look, a new product, or new technique.
Sometimes the ability to be more creative can lead to personal fame and
fortune; sometimes it just provides a deep sense of personal satisfaction.
Can we improve our ability to be creative? Yes, in fact, learning to
be more creative can be quite enjoyable and easy to do. Most of us were
very creative as children, before we learned the official rules about
how things are supposed to be. We can resurrect our ability to be more
creative by exploring some of the many techniques that have been developed
to improve creative and artistic ability, as well as to improve creative
problem solving.
Some of the techniques that are used to improve creativity include brainstorming,
mind-mapping, various forms of hypnosis and meditation, and guided imagery.
The techniques that have been developed to try enhance creativity all
have one thing in common. They are all trying to bypass the inner “judge”
or “critic” we have in our minds.
Most of us have an inner voice that is running a constant commentary
on everything we think and do. We might barely notice this inner voice
much of the time, yet it has a great impact on what we can accomplish
in our life.
In many of us this inner voice is usually very negative. No matter what
we want think about, or want to do, this inner voice is running like a
tape in the background of our minds, criticizing our ideas, our performance,
and our ability to be successful.
When we come up with a new idea, our inner voice may be saying, “This
idea is stupid.” Or it might tell us, “I should never be mediocre
or average, I must be brilliant and perfect all the time. All my ideas
should be totally brilliant and innovative. If my ideas aren’t perfect
right from the start, I am a failure and it’s better not to even
try”.
Our negative inner critic does not always appear as a voice. Sometimes
we see visual images of ourselves failing. Or we may have physical sensations
of fear and embarrassment that stop us from pursuing new ideas or new
actions.
Your inner critic isn’t being evil when it criticizes you, or when
it tells you your ideas are not very good. Your critic is actually trying
to protect you from being ashamed or embarrassed by the potentially negative
comments and reactions of other people to your ideas.
Our inner critic is trying to make us perfect and safe, but it can have
an unforeseen damaging effect.
If our inner judgmental dialogue is mostly negative, our creative abilities
will suffer.
Instead of helping us to come up with better ideas, this endless barrage
of negative inner commentary will hurt our ability to come up with new
ideas.
You can’t be creative, and be critical at the same time. These
two processes require different ways of thinking. The critical, judgmental,
analytical function of the brain is not the part that knows how to generate
creative ideas.
Even the types of brainwaves that you generate when you are being rational
and analytical are quite different than the brainwaves that go with maximum
creativity.
When it’s time for you to be creative, you have to send your inner
critic out for a walk.
| » How
to choose a home coffee maker
There are two main considerations when buying a coffee maker
for your home or small office: type of brewer and features.
» Remodeling
your bathroom on a budget
When you want to give your bathroom a facelift, you may
not have the available funds that you want to create the best space
possible. If you are on a tight budget, there are some ways to update
your bathrooms look and do it for less.
» Obesity
and weight loss - Muscle and the importance of low body fat!
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or becoming
obese or both. And if you do, then chances are you will be in for
a long life filled with pain, discomfort and little quality in your
life. However, it does not have to come to that.
» Student
travel - Backpacking in Europe
For the fortunate few, life isn’t complete without
a backpacking trip through Europe.
» Cambodian
taxi chaos - a leaf, a radiator and a MacGyver moment
The roads in Cambodia are vicious, angry slabs of asphalt
filled with potholes that would qualify as valleys in some countries.
» Alternative
therapies for acid reflux disease
Acid Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common disease which
affects approximately 5-7% of the population.
» Smart
kids: Use it or lose it this summer
The brain is like a muscle -- you use it or lose it.
During summer vacation is your child "losing it"?
» Weight
loss - The importance of low body fat
Most people will always have a love – hate relationship
with the scale in their bathroom.
» Parents
- Create an emotionally healthy connection with your child
Creating a loving emotional connection with your child
starts when the mother becomes pregnant.
» Planning
stress management
Deadlines at work, demanding bosses, bills to be paid
at home, kids demanding for time and attention, changes in the environment,
etc. AAARRRRGH.
» Infidelity
discovered? 10 ways to calm your powerful feelings
When you find out about the affair, the first few hours,
days and weeks can be emotionally wrenching to say the least.
» 5
reasons to organize your home today
Home organization isn't just for neat-nicks or those
drawn toward organized living.
» The
hidden truth about diets
Quick, what's the first thought that pops into your head
when you hear the word "diet?" Probably that when you're
on one, you feel like you're going to "d-i-e" right?!
» Exercising
- How do you sustain momentum
The number one reason people say they do not exercise
is lack of time.
» Survival
China travel tips and tricks
These China Travel Tips, Survival Techniques, will help
you get around and make your trip to China easier, so you will be
able to experience the real China with a little less stress.
» Losing
weight is not about numbers - It's about perspectives!
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of it
that works, but the basic principle of any good eating program,
no matter how sugarcoated, centers around calories IN— calories
OUT.
» The
weight loss key to success - Are you a sell out?
The only way you will follow through on an exercise program
is to be sold out.
» Weight
loss, fitness, and a peace of mind for life!
I am Greg Ryan, a high profile fitness expert with 50,000
hours of paid personal training under my belt, and twenty years
of consulting health clubs.
» Weight
loss - The soft drink diet
In the early ninety’s doctors were beginning to
see the growing trend in American’s waist lines.
» Parenting
- Roots and wings
I’m sure many of you have heard that old Hallmark
card adage that goes something like this: Parents give their children
two great gifts---one is roots, the other is wings. This is what
I address in this article.
» The
wonderful benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the
healthiest in the world consisting as it does of large amounts of
fresh fruit and vegetables, salads,nuts,seeds, omega-3 rich oily
fish, olives and olive oil and being comparitively low in dairy
products and red meats.
» The
Costa del Sol - Europe's premier holidaty destination
Since the 1960's and the advent of package holidays the
Costa del Sol has always been one of the premier holiday destinations
in Europe, and with good reason.
» Get
out and play: Top 7 outdoor exercises
Do you remember when our parents used to yell at us to
go outside and play? They would get so tired of us running around
the house munching junk food and fighting with our siblings that
they would practically kick us out of the house!
» Spoiled
rotten: The big 3 reasons for fitness failure
Read below to learn how this mistaken philosophy is applied
on a frequent basis when people practice the 3 basic tools of fitness:
Cardiovascular Training, Resistance Training, and Nutrition
» Backpacking
trips - Ten essential items
I've had backpacking trips that included rain, snow,
lightning, rockslides, altitude sickness, and twenty-mile days -
all in a summer weekend. Wilderness trips can be dangerous, but
you can make then less so, by having the following ten essentials
in your backpack.
» Picky
eater kid nutritional guidelines
Although many children are picky eaters at some stage
in their lives, the experts say not to worry.
» Fitness
goal secrets revealed here for the first time
Everybody finds it hard to arrange time to do various
day to day chores or tasks, including your muscle and fitness training.
» Adult
ear infection
Though adults are not affected as frequently as children,
it is important for adults to be aware of how adult ear infection
can affect them.
» Do
you have an acid reflux problem?
Most people have digestive problems that create a variety
of illnesses that we see as they age.
» Granada
Spain - Glorious city of southern Spain
Situated at the foot of the southerly Sierra Nevada ski
resort, Granada is one of the most splendid cities of eastern Andalucia.
» How
to think clearly
Does your mind sometimes feel like a television station you can't
quite tune in?
» How
to remember things
What's the biggest problem with memory tricks?
» Relationship
tips: 16 practical dramatic ways to know if he/she is really changing
Every relationship hits a snag, or worse, a major crisis
(such as infidelity), that demands significant change if the relationship
is to survive.
» Backpacking
with sand, snow and coyotes
I was backpacking in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was
March, so when I made it through the woods and over the dunes, I'd
have miles of beach to myself.
» How
to know if you are in the right career
Ever wonder if you are in the right career? If you are like most
people you have.
» Arthritis
- The pain and the reasons
Many fear the pain of arthritis as they age. But, it
can attack anyone at any time.
» Easy
steps to weight loss
It can be intimidating to follow a weight loss plan,
right?
» How
to save money on air fares
Unless you are a frequent business flyer and have your
air fares paid for by a company you will need to consider how to
save money on air fares.
» Treat
your anexiety disorder effectively
If you find symptoms of anxiety disorder in any of your
near and dear ones then the best way is to visit your physician
as soon as possible.
|
|
|
|
