We are all creative. But, we need inspiration and motivation to turn our creativity into action. Lately, I have been too focused on details, and as a result, I am starting to feel disconnected from my creative side. Here is a reminder, at least for me, of the many ways we can inspire our creativity. What works for you?

Just show up

As with anything in life,  showing up is the first step. You need to prioritize and schedule your creative time. This may not seem like an inspiration strategy, but what came first: the chicken or the egg?! With that said, you do want to tune into your natural creative rhythm to avoid swimming against the current. For me, trying to engage in anything before my morning coffee is a futile exercise (i.e., I am not a morning person). However, by mid-afternoon my creativity starts to flow and by early evening I feel intense focus. My challenge is to work my life around my creative rhythm; like weeding the garden, it’s never ending work…..

To discover your natural creative rhythm, you just need to pay attention. Pay attention to when you feel most creative, when ideas are flooding out and when you can tap into that energy with ease. Once you find that rhythm, figure ways to arrange your life around it, however you can. Your creativity and productivity will thank you.

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“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”

–Buddha

We all have ideas… They come out of nowhere: in the shower, while driving, over coffee, reading newspapers… But, without taking the time to develop your ideas, they are nothing but a thought, a blink in time.

In this blog, I’ll share my 5-step process of taking an idea and transforming it into a business concept blueprint. The goal of this exercise is to engage your thinking muscles. Here is a quick overview of the steps.

1. Dive into your problem space to refine your vision
2. Chisel out your opportunity and state your mission
3. Map out your product/service concept and strategy
4. Explore the profit potential
5. Write down your next steps and action plans

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We are all creative, even when we don’t acknowledge our creative powers. How we take ideas and combine them in unique and unexpected ways is what creativity is all about. Motivation, inspiration, exploration, constraints and sharing are the ingredients of creativity. Sharing is also the igniter that starts us on the path of invention and innovation.

Sharing is risky. It generates conflicting emotions… What if someone steals my idea? What if I make a fool of myself? What if they don’t like it? What if? Yet, sharing is a must in order to prosper, to thrive, to evolve … A story comes to mind that I read recently about the difference between Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee.

…. The Dead Sea has no outlet. Both are fed by the same source but the Dead Sea can only receive an inward flow. The Dead Sea is prevented from flowing outward and the accumulation of salt has killed it. The Sea of Galilee is alive, only because what flows in can also flow out.

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Here is my blog’s Wordle based on my recent postings. Wordle is a fun toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. What do you think? Have I been writing about Apple little too much?

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Is there anything more obvious than presidential elections to highlight the feebleness, fallibleness and natural biases that we call human nature?

From birth, we start building a view of our reality, our own “Matrix”, completely driven and influenced by what we see, touch, feel, think, value, experience… As a survival mechanism, we are programmed to classify and sort everything we see in terms that are familiar to us: too liberal, very conservative, too skinny, fake blond, risk taker, risk adverse, real thinker, open and approachable, too talkative, stuck in his ways, … As bad as this may sound, it is natural and it is human. Other than our past experiences, our values that have been developed through the society we interact with, we have no additional reference for what we see and hear.

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”
–Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”
–Harry M. Warner, president of Warner Brothers Pictures, about 1927.

We like to believe we are open minded. But we seldom realize this is an illusion, a paradox. We are social creatures. We look for ways to belong and be accepted. So we seek people that share our beliefs, values and opinions. We look for evidence to support, to confirm our opinions and ideas. But we neglect to search for contradicting evidence. As much as we try, we can’t escape this natural law of humanity. However, if we recognize and accept that we are feeble and fallible, then we can establish practices to balance these natural biases that are inherent in every one of us.
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Creativity was wandering around aimlessly, without a purpose, almost lost. Inspiration wondered what might be the cause of such restlessness. As she reached her arms forward, something changed, something awakened. A glimmer of excitement and light appeared in Creativity’s eyes. Creativity could see and feel the purpose and the meaning she was yearning for. But would she, could she, should she?

Every step was a question in Creativity’s head. Each step forward was followed with a step sideways and back, yet it didn’t seem to matter. Could she? Would she? Inspiration longed for her sister’s help… If only she would come by and give her a helping hand. Inspiration couldn’t do this on her own…

It was dark, and Creativity was exhausted. Exhausted with the questioning, wondering, wishing, doubting… Just then, she looked up and saw a shooting star: “I wish I may, I wish I might; have the wish I wish tonight”. She tilted her head down. As the tears rolled off her peachy cheeks, her internal struggle to gather her strength and her will was obvious.

Inspiration reached out for her sister with all her heart and mind. She needed her, and she needed her now. This couldn’t wait! What happened next was magical. The two sisters were reunited: Motivation and Inspiration. They reached for each other and touched Creativity. They could not be stopped now. They were unstoppable.

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For the first time in my life, I really felt the difference between motivation and inspiration. In life, many things motivate me: something new, something challenging, my integrity, the need to deliver my best… I don’t seem to run low in motivation; but now I am looking for my inspiration. My light went out, or it is really dim. I can’t tell.

A successful manager is a good motivator. A good leader is inspirational. A great leader delivers both: inspiration and motivation. One can’t just count on motivation to get through, day after day… Yes, the job gets done, but it is tiring, exhausting, draining. It is inspiration that simplifies and energizes, letting one finish with more than what one started with. Without it, the experience is like harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.

I mentioned before that creativity is about combining ideas, approaches or actions in a unique and unexpected way, and establishing useful associations among what seems disparate ideas. Yes, inspiration is certainly needed to kick start the imagination and curiosity. But motivation is what drives the endless experimentation, trial and error, and the need to succeed.

It seems that many see motivation as an external force, a fear that is the opposite of inspiration. For me, inspiration and motivation are sisters who work best together, especially in the time of need. They are the why and the how so we can deliver the what.

At one time or another we may all lose our inner light for one or the other. We may not feel inspired.. Or we may not feel motivated.. But somehow, through the support of the other, we can rekindle what was once lost or dimmed. It is if we lose both that we may lose all hope. If you are not inspired nor motivated, what’s left?

May your light of inspiration and motivation forever burn bright, so in turn you can create and innovate with all your heart and mind.

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In the end, Creativity went up a hill and came down a mountain.

The End

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