Make a difference

Creativity, in many people’s opinion, is something a select few are born with!

And most go through life without touching their creativity button.

Many people assume creativity to be the cornerstone of an artist’s and writer’s arsenal. Not so. Creativity touches every aspect of your life- and how you differentiate yourself from the others.  A very good trait that can help drive your career or your child’s thinking in directions that not many have taken the trouble to tread on.

While other tools are available, I find the exercise of Mindstorming to be one of the best I have tried out. I read this in a Brian Tracy book – and since then found out many other well known authors and professional recommend it as well. 

So, here’s how you do it!

Start with a clean paper.

1. Step 1: Write down the Key Question for which you are looking for a solution.
• Make this as focused and precise as possible- this will lead to better quality of answers.
2. Step 2: Start writing down the answers – 1 to 20.
• Let the thoughts flow.
• Some of them may be like repetitions but don’t stop
• Don’t look for original ideas from the first point.
• Don’t stress yourself out trying to force your brain to churn out those ideas …  let this be an enjoyable exercise.

Simple enough?

For most of you, the first 5-8 answers will just pop out. These are typically the ideas that people take & get to work. These are also the ideas that are most common and most others would also come out with. Now is when you persist!

Till you come to 15, it will be a stretch – but the ideas will still come out.

This is when you don’t give up! Keep at it and squeeze every drop from your brain.  The next 5 will come from the depths of your brain, which will surprise even you!

List out the 20 answers. Identify the answers that address your question and give you solutions that may not have been apparent to you otherwise.

Great. Ready to go.

So, how does this apply to you?

In every aspect of your life (work or personal).

If you are faced with a problem today, try this out.

Remember:

Very precise questions will lead your brain to lead down a very precise path. Vague questions will let your brain wander around 🙂

E.g –  From – “How do I get promoted?” to – “What are the things I can do to get promoted in the next 6 months”

Or

From: “ what can I do for my daughter’s birthday?” to “What can I do differently for my daughter’s birthday that will make it memorable for her?”

Try this out.

 

 

Courtesy: www.dilbert.com

Recent Gallup results from a poll conducted over 102 countries, showed that less than 20% of the people replied that they are not stressed.  

Dr. Deepak Chopra, believes stress in modern society occurs from a few key areas –

• • Career Dissatisfaction

  • Financial Concerns

  • Lack of Social Engagement

  • Lack of exercise

  • Poor Sleep

  • Poor Diet

  • Lack of Spiritual Fulfillment.

It is well accepted that career dissatisfaction is one of the main reasons why people get stressed. If you look at the list above, it is also the only one- which you don’t control directly – but is controlled by people outside (your boss, his/her boss, other colleagues etc.).

Like the Dilbert cartoon, many people create a mental image of what they should be doing. They also tend to compare themselves with people who have “made it” (read, got promoted) – and in many cases, instead of picking on the things that worked for the more successful folks, focus on the negatives- which creates a downward spiral.

Here are some tips on how you could possibly lower your stress level based on career dissatisfaction and convert it to a list of to-do’s that will help you ramp up & become more successful.

1.       Vision – this is something that we all are advised to do – take any leader, and they will ask you to set goals & set a BIG BOLD VISION & GOAL statement for yourself.  This is absolutely required and I am suggesting the same. Just ensure that this is a goal that is achievable- and something that you COMPLETELY believe in- and are willing to stake everything to achieve it.

2.       Do a SWOT analysis on yourself.  This is a very good exercise to figure out development areas that you need to focus on.  This will also ensure that you will be able to focus on areas that are critical for your success.  Doing a honest SWOT analysis, will ensure that you identify specific strengths to leverage on – and building a plan ground up. 

3.       People who have done well in your organization – but you don’t think they should be there! – This is a tough one.  One truth in EVERY organization – there are always people who grow into senior positions that You (and possibly others) DO not believe deserve that place.  In 20% of the cases, possibly that is very true.  However, all said and done, they still did grow- and it is going to worth your while to sit down & plan WHY and HOW they got there.  Instead of spending time badmouthing them- and thereby building stress on yourself – sit down and do a quick analysis on what worked for them.  List out their strengths- and rather than focus your energy on the negatives, focus on the positive!  Identify only Positive points – 2-3 of them – and identify traits that you need to BUILD.

4.       Now build a Plan – use any plan you are comfortable with, to build a step by step, time based, quantifiable plan.   Identify on these key parameters –

a.        Things/ Skills you want to learn in the next 12 months

                                                               i.      Tip: Focus on Learning – and identify specific SKILLS that are unique and those that you will not learn otherwise.

                                                              ii.      Work within your job area- and still look at things you can go deeper on.

                                                            iii.      When you feel low- READ through your vision statement & identify the one thing you can do immediately to get back your energy.

b.       Things/ activities you will achieve in the next 6 months

                                                               i.      Specific- that feeds into your long term goal.

c.        Specific activities I am going to do on a Monthly basis

                                                               i.      List out

                                                              ii.      Identify people to work with – and support you need.

d.       Things I will do today to make it happen.