Museums are the custodians of epiphanies.

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Barry

“Museums are the custodians of epiphanies.”

—George Lois, American Art Director and Designer

Image of two people walking in the woods

Image from Flickr by Gavin Clarke

How many of your most creative ideas come when you are working diligently at your desk?

Venturing to new and varied places could help you uncover potential incubators of future insights and epiphanies.

Consider a few ideas for places to get out of your “box” and think differently:

Take a long shower
Take a walk in nature
Meditate
Practice rhythmic exercise such as Yoga
Take a long, scenic drive
Visit a museum

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you shift your perspective by shifting your physical position to enhance your creative capacities?

Feel free to reply to this post with your own epiphany-generating strategies.

Create What you Want

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Barry

“Sometimes you gotta create what you want to be part of.”

-Geri Weitzman, PhD, California Psychologist

Doing work I love is one of the greatest joys I know. Who wouldn’t want to wake up each day – especially Mondays – to a vocation or career that utilizes their strengths and unique abilities? Who wouldn’t want a career that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of others and the world around them?

I was inspired by the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games to start my career as a coach. In that ten-day span, 5,000 athletes worked with about 2,000 coaches, producing gold medal performances. I thought I’d bring this idea to the business world to help people pursue even greater levels of performance in their professional and personal lives.

The challenge was that business coaching wasn’t considered a “profession” at that time. Still, the idea seemed to be such a great fit for me, and I had gained a great deal from studying the few people who were beginning to be known as coaches. I resigned from my 12-year career as a pharmaceutical industry sales and marketing professional, and created a coaching career for myself. That was 24 years ago – and the best career decision I ever made!

EXERCISE:

Where in either your personal or professional worlds do you need to create something for yourself so that you can be a part of it?

“You don’t get into something…”

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Barry

“You don’t get into something to test the waters. You go into things to make waves.”

—Author Unknown

Image from daystarus.org

When was the last time you went swimming? What approach did you take as you entered the water? Are you a toe-dipper? A cannon-baller? Something in between?

Many people take a “safety first,” somewhat timid approach as they take on new experiences. This is often a wise move as they explore the risk/reward potential.

When, however, we feel fairly confident that the waters are not shark-infested, today’s quote encourages us to displace as much water as possible.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what professional or personal situations is it time for you to stop testing the waters and take the plunge?

“Ignorance killed the cat…”

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Barry

“Ignorance killed the cat; curiosity was framed!”

—C.J. Cherryh, Speculative Fiction Writer

Image from Flickr by jinterwas

Two highly correlated factors to success are life-long learning and, of course, hard work.

Examine the levels of success of people who have dropped out of school, or never cracked a book after graduating from college or university. Formal education is not the only course to pursue success. There is a wide array of true stories in which people who lacked a formal education became extremely successful. These individuals possessed a curious nature, and a desire to learn and grow in support of their passion or purpose.

EXERCISE:

Where could greater curiosity and expanding your learning efforts bring you and those around you a more satisfying and rewarding life?

“Excelling at any job is…”

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Barry

“Excelling at any job is about doing the things you weren’t asked to do.”

—Mary Egan – founder of Gathering Table and Former Senior VP at Starbucks

Photo from www.soccer-daily.net

What does it take these days to be extraordinary, exceptional, and remarkable? Notice how often you require events in your personal or professional world to meet those definitions in order to gain even a few moments of your valuable attention.

I recently saw a film titled “Dope,” which involved an ambitious, intelligent, and creative main character living in an undesirable Los Angeles neighborhood. He was pursuing his dream of attending Harvard, where straight “A’s” and top SAT/ACT scores are the bare minimum to even be considered.

The audience was taken on an amusing romp in which the character clearly demonstrated his capacity, creativity, and courage to do what was extraordinary, exceptional, and remarkable, and to excel and stand out.

EXERCISE:

How can you and the organization with which you associate foster an environment where people do the things they were not asked to do, to explore new levels of excellence?

“Never judge a book by its movie.”

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Barry

“Never judge a book by its movie.”

—Don DeLillo, American novelist

image from icezen.com

Reading a book takes effort. Watching a movie, not so much. More often than not, many if not most movies fall short of their books.

Tens or hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in movies based on books because the characters and stories amaze readers. It is in these stories and characters that our visions of these works of art are envisioned and portrayed by producers and directors. Unfortunately, even with brilliant actors and special effects, the images on screen rarely capture what our own creativity and imagination can create from the words of a masterful storyteller.

Books allow us to pace ourselves and literally savor each bit of dialogue or image painted, if we choose to do the work the writer intended. Phrases like “I couldn’t put it down,” or “page turner” are familiar to all of us who have been fortunate to get our hands on great books.

These works also tend to have a lasting impact in that their messages and images penetrate deeply, due to the active role the reader must play.

Perhaps a picture does not always paint 1,000 words, and the words found in books allow us to paint more masterful pictures in our hearts and minds.

EXERCISE

Consider reading the book upon which a current film has been made, either before or after attending a screening.

Determine which you enjoyed the most, or felt had the greatest impact.

“Broken Crayons Still Color.”

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Barry

“Broken Crayons Still Color.”

—Author Unknown

Photo from Flickr by Nicholas Noyes

I remember receiving, as a child, a brand new box of Crayola Crayons – one with 64 colors in a flip-top box with that super-special sharpening tool built into the back.

Once I began my work as a burgeoning artist, I noticed that my favorite crayons – the colors I was most drawn to – would quickly become shorter than the others. Sometimes they would break, due to my zealous artistic efforts.

Later, if I wanted to use my favorites, I had to search for the stubby remnants of years past in an old cigar box that once belonged to my grandfather, Papa Lu-Lu.

EXERCISE:

What are the metaphorical crayons you work with each day? How can your daily efforts and practices with these qualities and skills continue to help you generate a beautiful, colorful professional and personal life?

“Yesterday is but…”

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Barry

“Yesterday is but today’s memories, and tomorrow is today’s dream.”

— Khalil Gibran, 20th century Lebanese artist, poet, and writer

#687-01

The human mind is a wonderful thing. It can be a calculator when it is in analytic mode, and it can also venture into wondrous arenas of creativity and innovation. The mind also has the ability to travel back and forth in time, from the beginning of the universe to the end of time.

EXERCISE:

How can you tap into the wondrous power of your mind to learn from the past, enjoy the experiences of today, and venture into the possibilities of the future? Consider doing this exercise with others within your professional and personal communities to explore what will likely be an even more remarkable experience.

“Criticize by Creating.”

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Barry

“Criticize by Creating.”

— Michelangelo

Photo from Flickr by Nathan Rupert

We have all heard the phrase “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Though we may not share our criticisms verbally, they are still heard loud and clear by our inner selves, and perhaps are observed by others through facial expressions and body language.

Michelangelo coaches us to mobilize our creativity to improve a situation rather than sitting in judgement of the situation. This simple idea is critical in the business world in that our leaders and managers are looking for optimistic, “can-do” people to forward their organizations, not negative “the-glass-is-half-empty” people who rain on other people’s parades.

EXERCISE:

How supportive or critical are your thoughts? Pay close attention today. Should you notice the dark side emerging more often than you desire, ask yourself what creative action you can take to move things in a better direction. Don’t be surprised if engaging your creativity gets you noticed by others and has others around you holding you in higher regard!

“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Barry

“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”

– Frank Capra, American Film Director

Photo from Flickr by Dania J

Do you have them? Hunches, that is.

Sometimes they are called intuition, instincts, gut feelings, or inklings.

For some reason, almost everyone has them, but they tend to be elusive in our ability to harvest them at will.

Over the last decade or two, the subject of creativity and non-linear thinking has gotten considerable attention, particularly in our ability to harness it to fuel the economic engines of business.

All you have to do is generate your own list of the most innovative and creative companies that have become mega stars and economic powerhouses.

EXERCISE:

How can you bolster your own capacity to tap into your own hunches to further develop your own creativity muscle to enhance your personal and professional worlds?

Two books I recommend on this subject are:
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
Blink by Malcom Gladwell

Feel free to reply to this message to share some of your own favorite hunch-expanding ideas and resources.