Posted: May 18th, 2009 | Filed under: creativity, insights, life purpose | Tags: personal development | No Comments »
Since the dawn of the human race 106 billion people have lived on this planet. 5.8% of whom are alive today. So, the problems that face you, are they really so large given 106 billion lifetime experiences? Think of the opportunities you have – they are a thousand times greater than the ones facing most people who have ever lived. Knowing that, how are you going to make them happen?
Posted: May 18th, 2009 | Filed under: creativity, insights | Tags: personal development | No Comments »
We live in a world of abundant choice. A world where goods that used to be luxuries have never been cheaper to produce, a market where companies and individuals can move, sell and work across time zones and geographies with an ease we take for granted without often really being aware of the consequences. Consequences that include projects and jobs moving to “low production cost economies”; economies which are developing fast and moving up the value chain. It’s not just about call centres; India now has more software developers than any other country in the world.
In this world of abundant choice, increasing commoditisation, and lowering barriers to entry it is more important than ever for countries, companies, brands and individuals to compete on the VALUE they offer. Value that the markets they operate in believe is worth choosing over the competition and, hopefully, paying a premium for. And by markets I mean everything as diverse as competing on the supermarket shelves, for jobs, or a lifetime partner.
Over everything else this value is generated by CREATIVITY. Creativity makes you stand out; you conceive and produce in a way that encourages the market chooses you over the competition. Creativity is the biggest agent of change in the world. It has always been, and in these tough economic times, creativity is more important than it has ever been.
It is my deep-rooted belief I belief that everything significant in our world came from an IDEA – from somebody CHALLENGING HOW THINGS ARE DONE, CREATIVELY THINKING ways to make it better, and MAKING IT HAPPEN.
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
There are three aspects to anything creative produced by humans:
1. It is based in INSIGHT
2. It is OUTSTANDING.
3. It is accepted to have VALUE.
INSIGHT
Anything creative is rooted into a fundamental thought about how a situation could be changed for the better. This is usually based in an understanding of people and how their needs can be answered more effectively.
- People want to spend money on their holidays not their flights.
OUTSTANDING
Creativity makes you stand apart. It gets you noticed and, usually, talked about. How? Because it grabs your attention and you feel that there is something inherently special in it that you connect with it.
- “Their no-frills service means that I pay the lowest fare possible to fly.”
VALUE
When people connect with something they see as different and possibly unique, then they create a vivid picture in their mind of its potential.
- “I can travel more because it costs me less.”
We know that something is creative when:
- It is unexpected.
- It leverages some uniqueness, something inherently special in itself that can be copied but will only ever be a copy.
- It is disruptive and creates disequilibria in its favour.
- It changes the direction and sometimes the speed of actions.
It is also important to understand that true creativity is both the CONCEPTION of an idea, and then its EXECUTION. You might have the best ideas in the world but they are, essentially, worthless if they remain locked in your head or notepad.
For creativity to be truly creative; it has to WORK.
WHY DOES CREATIVITY WORK?
Creative ideas work more effectively than safe and boring ones.
In these tough times the weak and insecure go for safe and boring ideas.
It is the weak and insecure who suffer in these tough times.
This is a time to be more creative, more brave.
Why? Quite simply because creative ideas work more effectively than safe and boring ones.
Creativity is so important because it:
- Stops people doing what they are doing, pay attention, and feel rewarded for the experience
- Because the experience has meaning and resonance for them; they connect more with what you are saying
- If you are a brand that’s really good because it means you stand apart from the competition
- And by brand I’m talking about whether you are a bar of soap or a recently graduated textile designer – we are all our own brands
- The other really good news is that creative ideas have an impact well out of proportion to their cost
Creativity makes money – and that’s more attractive than ever in these tough times.
HOW DO YOU BE CREATIVE?
Creativity isn’t a destination; it is a journey, an approach to life – who you are BEING. You are at your most creative when you are BEING creative, when every aspect of who you are thinks and feels how things are and questions how they could be. Just DOING creative; well that’s impossible.
The creative act is not only one of conceiving, it is one of PRODUCING as well. The best ideas in the world are of limited value if they are locked away in my head, notebook, or computer.
How do you be creative? Start with QUESTIONING. Have the curiosity to look at how things are, and ask questions – “smart” ones and “dumb” ones.
Smart ones like: “could it be better”, “what happens if we add this part”, “how can we make this unique”?
And “dumb” ones (like kids ask): “why can’t we smell television”, “why does my brain have to be in my head”, “why are all the US Presidents white men”?
Funnily enough, it’s usually the dumb questions that lead to the most creative answers.
Over the years I’ve developed some “rules” for how to be creative. They’ve worked for me and, hopefully they will for you.
Magnus’s rules for being creative:
1. Have a vision and inspire those around you with that vision
2. Work with inspiring people
3. Create work that is at the edge of what has been done before
4. Make money
5. Have fun every day
Have a vision and inspire those around you with that vision
If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for everything. Whatever you are doing, you’ve got to have an idea that guides what you are doing. Guiding ideas are the glue that hold your work together and which bind people to you and together.
Work with inspiring people
Low-energy and negative people drag you down. Seek out and collaborate with the bright sparks, the passionate ones; these are the people who change the world.
Create work that is at the edge of what has been done before
Try. Fail. Learn. And try again. Following the work of others will just leave you at the end of the queue for interest, and the beginning of the queue for things that get cut out.
Make money
There is no point in being creative if you have to stop it because you can’t eat. I know, I’ve done it. I started a business once and ran out of cash on more than one occasion. Poverty is not fun and when your back is to the wall you make the wrong decisions; which can lead to failure. Either get paid for what you love. Or find another income source to fund you until the money from what you love kicks in.
Have fun every day
Smile. It’s not THAT bad out there. And the more you enjoy yourself the more successful you’ll be – in all areas of your life.
Posted: May 11th, 2009 | Filed under: insights | Tags: personal development | No Comments »
I have to confess a particular interest here. I am a Libran, the sign of which is the scales of balance and, whilst not being completely convinced by astrology, being balanced has always been an interest of mine. Not because I am particularly but because, like most people (particularly Librans it seems) I swing from being balanced to being totally out of balance. Often in the same day.
THE BENEFITS OF BALANCE
There is a simple reality here. Well-balanced people are happier, healthier, more creative and productive, and more interesting to everyone around them. Obsess about one part of your life and you are, quite frankly boring, and closing down all sorts of interesting possibilities.
Martial arts masters have learnt about the importance of balance. These are highly-charged conflict situations where you need to be ready for the unexpected. Balance helps you achieve this as much in Aikido as it does in life. When you are balanced you are fully in the flow of the moment: open to possibilities, at your most creative, and able to have the impact you desire.
10 CATEGORIES TO BALANCE
There are 10 ways you can think about your life, and to live a balanced life you must attend to all of them over time. Some areas will inevitably have more focus than others but do make sure each week that you are checking in to all of these categories.
The 10 aspects are:
- Career
- Health & Vitality
- Family
- Friends
- Fun & Recreation
- Money
- Personal Growth
- Physical Environment
- Relationship
- Spirituality
These are categories that can help achieve balance in your life and prioritise; both within similar types of things you can or should do; and between different types of things. Creating the life we want for ourselves is about choices; sometimes the choice is not to do things as much as it is about doing things, and thinking in categories helps us to do that.
CAREER – what you do that pays the bills, as well as the work you choose to do that’s part of your life purpose. If you’re lucky these will be the same thing but, like most people, you will be working towards making your life of purpose one that pays you what you need.
HEALTH & VITALITY – from eating well, to making sure you exercise and rest, to looking after your health; this is everything about keeping you healthy and full of energy.
FAMILY – whatever your family background there are usually at least one or two family members with whom you value your relationship: make sure that you are getting the most out of each other.
FRIENDS – it’s too easy to take our friends for granted; make sure that you and your friends are really getting the most out of each other.
FUN & RECREATION – I used to spend too much enjoying myself and not enough time creating the life I wanted; achieving balance is important, as is making sure that you are creative in how you enjoy yourself.
MONEY – from watching your spending to working out what to spend it on, we’ve all got things we need to do about money; make sure that you spend the time you need and prioritise what has to be done.
PERSONAL GROWTH – people with rich lives are almost always committed to ongoing personal development. The Japanese call this Kaizen, a commitment to continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. Make sure that you make time for your own personal growth; keeping a journal, reading, going somewhere new, whatever feels right for you.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT – where we live is important to feeling balanced; make sure that you are spending time and energy making your home help you do this. It doesn’t always have to be major, for example something as simple as lighting a candle in the evening can be very restful.
RELATIONSHIP – our “significant other” if we have one, or energies applied in finding one if we haven’t. Do make sure that you spend time and energy on making the relationship as good as you can be, or that you put yourself in the best place to meet that person.
SPIRITUALITY – for some that’s going to the church or mosque and for others it’s time spent in nature. Whatever beliefs you have; do make time for them.
SIMPLE WAYS TO REGAIN BALANCE
All getting on top of you? Make sure you stop. Even for just 10 minutes. Find a quiet place and breathe deeply. This will quickly help you find your balance, so that you can listen to your inner creative voice again. When you do that you can see your way more clearly and have the impact you should be having on the world.
Posted: May 7th, 2009 | Filed under: insights | Tags: personal development | No Comments »
We are all utterly unique, and what also makes us unique also mean that we can all have our own individual profound impact on the world that enriches it every day. There are three jobs we all have in life:
1. Find your unique purpose
2. Live it every day
3. Enrich the world with your unique talents
YOUR UNIQUE PURPOSE
Your life purpose is the reason why you are here in the world. It’s the impact that the uniqueness that is you can have on the world. Your life purpose is ongoing and a way of being. Your life purpose informs every area of your life. It gives you direction.
There are as many different types of life purpose as there are definitions of success. Some people’s purpose will be centred on the achievement of something physical – winning, buying or building something – which in effect amounts to having. Others will be centred on their work, project or career – or what they are doing. Our prime or first purpose, however, is always who we are being.
It is who we are being that leads to achieving our life purpose.
Your life purpose may not be directly centred on your work but you can always be passionate about your work because it is a vehicle to help you live your life purpose.
Finding your life purpose is about finding the answer to a simple, yet powerful question: What is the one way of your being that makes you special, that you will be known for, and will be the legacy you leave?
LIVE YOUR PURPOSE EVERY DAY
Once you discover your own unique purpose in life, your life takes on more meaning – it really is one of the most important things you can do. You will find that you have more drive and energy, and that what you do as your day job usually becomes more enjoyable or bearable because you shift to see it as a route to delivering on your life’s purpose. And if your day job is your life’s purpose – then you will be even more positively focused.
Once you discover your main aim in life, in a self-reinforcing way it becomes easier to live that purpose every day. You know what you are heading towards; and so the actions you need to take to get there become clearer. And as you take action, you feel more energised because you are making progress towards your purpose. Your courage rises with each step towards your purpose; what once seemed challenging will be a welcome opportunity.
When you make your life’s purpose become reality your days become more fun, fulfilling, and energised. By acting on your unique life purpose you become more settled and content. Quite simply, you move from uncertain and unfocused, to passionate and channelled. Your life becomes more simpler and more enjoyable because you both have meaning and you are taking positive steps.
Patanjali, compiler of the Yoga Sutras put it best:
“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a great new wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
ENRICH THE WORLD
According to ancient Eastern philosophy your unique life purpose – your “Dharma” – is your unique way of enriching the world.
Living your life purpose is about who you are being, every day. If you are someone who enriches the world, you too will receive riches. It really is that simple. Do something because it is what you love to do, or you are helping somebody, or there is an important lesson to be learnt. If you only do it for the money or the fame it is unlikely that you will get either. Do it to enrich the world, and the world will enrich you in return.
As the Chinese proverb says, “A little bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.”
Posted: May 1st, 2009 | Filed under: relationships | Tags: personal development | No Comments »
Everything is connected, everything physical, mental and spiritual. How you think, what you think, what you say, what you do, what you don’t do – all of this impacts your life and changes everything, every second of every day.
SOMEBODY MIGHT GET THE PRIZE BUT WE CAN ALL WIN. OK so sometimes you don’t get the deal / medal / eBay item / job / girl / boy / etc. But everything is an opportunity for success. You didn’t win; your success is only my failure if I don’t congratulate you, as well as work out why you beat me and take action on what I need to do in future to win. Our relationship has become a learning one. All failures and mistakes, as well as a major event such as an illness can make you stronger if you learn the lesson.
But, more than competing every day; think win:win. Stephen Covey’s 4th habit. Get out of your win/lose attitude and look for a solution in which everyone benefits. The best deals are always those when both walk away from the table satisfied; long-term the results are always worth more than any short-term gain. Even though times are tough, don’t have a scarcity mentality; don’t be stupid but there is usually enough to go around. People remember when you support them, and support you in your times of need.
FEEDBACK is essential to personal and professional success and development. If those around you trust you and know they can speak their mind without nasty repercussions, then your relationships, perspective on life, delivery and success will be enhanced every day.
YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL ON YOUR OWN. No matter how good you are. Successful individuals build strong teams around them: whether that’s a partner and friends they confide in and go to for support, or a team at work who are all passionate about delivering for each other. Powerful relationships in your personal life and work mean that you share: advice, affirmation, ideas, lessons, perspective, and changes in direction or tactics when needed. Having a good team around you supports you in the tough times and helps you celebrate in the good.
IF I WAS TO GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO MYSELF if I was to start my career again
it would be to remember and keep in touch with everyone I met at work and socially: friend them on Facebook, drop them an email asking how their day is. As my great friend Horace said the other day
“later in life it’s not about WHAT you know but WHO you know.”
EVERYTHING IS IN EVERYTHING. Fundamental to our understanding of the importance of relationships is the knowledge, derived from modern physics but always known in ancient wisdom, that everything is enfolded in everything – everything is all part of one unbroken whole, all and always connected.
According to the physicist)
David Bohm all of existence is enfolded within each “fragment” of time and space – whether it is an object, a thought, or an event. Everything affects everything else because they are all parts of the same whole. Basically when the Universe started everything came from the same place, and we have never lost that connection. A blade of grass, you, your mum, and your friend’s car – if you go back far, far enough we all started in the same place. As Bohm says,
“The entire past is enfolded in each one of us in a very subtle way. If you reach deeply into yourself, you are reaching into the very essence of mankind. When you do this, you will be led into the generating depth of consciousness that is common to the whole of mankind and that has the whole of mankind enfolded in it. The individual’s ability to be sensitive to that becomes the key to the change of mankind. We are all connected. If this could be taught, and if people could understand it, we would have a different consciousness.”
Mach’s principle states
“The whole is necessary to the understanding of its parts, as the parts are necessary to the understanding of the whole.” The
ancients also described this
“As above, so below.” The Chinese proverb says
“If you cut a blade of grass, you shake the Universe.” Local events have an influence, no matter how small, on the universe as a whole; particularly when there are many of them. Throw trash on the ground and it doesn’t look good; but if everyone does it people might think “why should I care about this neighbourhood?”, and who knows what they might then go on to do? An overseas businessman visits and notes that people in that area don’t seem to care about where they live: “why should we locate our factory there – the workers are going to be trouble”.
Relationship is the organising principle of everything; create a positive relationship at home, at work, on your travels throughout the day and that positivity ripples out to have affects well beyond where you could imagine because we are all part of the same whole, all connected.
“Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are each so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that a significant number of our atoms – up to a billion for each of us, it has been suggested – probably once belonged to Shakespeare. A billion more each came from Buddha and Genghis Khan and Beethoven, and any other historical figure you care to name.”
Bill Bryson, “A Short History of Nearly Everything”
Everything is in everything and we are all made of stars.
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