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The Heart of Innovation: 20 Qualities of an Innovator
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com
I originally saw this a while ago - Very enlightening!!
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Heart of Innovation: 20 Reasons Why Many People Get Their Best Ideas in the Shower
I have always been one of those who gets their best ideas in the shower (and while making the bed.) Now I know why?
The Heart of Innovation: 20 Reasons Why Many People Get Their Best Ideas in the Shower
The Heart of Innovation: 20 Reasons Why Many People Get Their Best Ideas in the Shower
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Create a Culture of Successful Failure
Just came across this article which closely follows my earlier piece on Success and Failure.
What are your thoughts on success and failure?
Success and Failure
Like most words, success and failure carry with them a wildly diverse assortment of meanings. For many, success is only seen as Olympic gold, Best Sellers' Lists or Awards for Outstanding Achievement. In the western world, success is typically equated with big homes, fancy cars, stock portfolios, etc., ergo, the phrase Status Symbols.
Conversely, failure is most often construed as the antithesis of the former. Not only does it reflect NOT achieving the desired goal, but likely would also include evidence of lack and limitation. It’s as though you took a 180° shift and simply added the word NOT to the earlier achievements.
When I first came up with the idea for my company CreativeSuccessWorks back in '04, one of the things that became clear to me was that with regard to creativity, success or the lack thereof, was a primarily a matter of personal viewpoint. Now, I’m broadening that perspective to include the idea of success in any arena.
Think about this for a moment - - What if success were looked at as merely any movement in the direction of a goal and "failure" was merely a stumble, a wrinkle or temporary backslide. Paulo Coelho, author of the highly-acclaimed book, The Alchemist, has said that "success is falling seven times and getting up eight."
This theme also brings to mind Thomas Edison's response when asked what he had to say about his 9999 failures at attempting to invent the light bulb. Edison's reply was along the lines of "Those weren't failures, I just learned 9999 ways NOT to make a light bulb."
Abraham Lincoln is another great example. Neither bankruptcy, mental illness or numerous failed attempts at achieving public office, thwarted Lincoln. He just kept moving forward. The result, of course, speaks for itself.
Like most people, I have had my own fair share of successes and failures. On one occasion, I had a scheduled book signing at Borders on a Saturday afternoon. After standing at the front door for 3 hours, greeting shoppers and handing out postcards, I had not sold one book.
Now despite the fact that I had had a huge success only a few weeks earlier where I had sold 100 copies of the book to a single organization, the Borders’ "failure" really knocked me for a loop. Self-doubt and negative thoughts engulfed me, and I began a downward emotional spiral.
But the episode drove me to examine what others had to say about success and failure. I began by looking up quotations on failure and in every case, I discovered that the ONLY true failure is to have given up or never to have tried in the first place.
Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM, summed it up beautifully when he said, "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't that at all. You can be discouraged by failure -- or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember, that's where you will find success."
Curiously enough, the next thing I knew my mood had lifted and the blues were gone. What I concluded was that the success or failure of our lives is determined by our attitude and our point of view.
So, in closing, I'll leave you with my personal recommendation for a life filled with success - - "Fail On!"
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Movie Genius
These seven movie clips not only exemplify the genius of the actors, but also the power that film has to impact and influence our culture. Movies have the ability to do much more than entertain!
http://www.spike.com/blog/top-seven-classic/91367?page=1&numPerPage=1
http://www.spike.com/blog/top-seven-classic/91367?page=1&numPerPage=1
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Creative Chai
I discovered this book quite by accident and fell in Love with it. It's along the same lines as my own Play or Pay: 77 Ways to Have FUN or Suffer the Consequences and End Up Paying the Price. But I love the color and the design.
I emailed the author Jan Sokoloff Harness and she was most enthusiastic about me sharing it. Simply click on the title above and enjoy!!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
InNOvation E-book
FANTASTIC RESOURCETaking The No Out Of InNOvation by Mike Brown
View more presentations from Mike Brown.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thought to Ponder
Just saw this on Twitter:
Defining your Vision gets you no closer to your goal, in the same way that filling your car with fuel doesn't either. - - AlexGoodall
Defining your Vision gets you no closer to your goal, in the same way that filling your car with fuel doesn't either. - - AlexGoodall
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Business and Personal Development
There's a Japanese term that's been traveling around business and personal development circles for the last 20 years. The word is Kaizen, and it refers to the "art and science of continuous, ongoing improvement."
Kaizen is often considered the magic of taking something that is good and making it great - - and while it may indeed have some magical quality - - there is no great secret to it either.
Bottom line - - it's all about small, steady incremental improvements. Nothing more - - Nothing less. It's no different than the old one about How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One small bite at a time!
This is by no means 'rocket science.' It's actually as simple as the lesson we learned from The Tortoise and The Hare - - with one addition. Slow and steady will win the race for you every time - - Just be sure to break down whatever it is that you're trying to achieve - - into bite-sized pieces!
Kaizen is often considered the magic of taking something that is good and making it great - - and while it may indeed have some magical quality - - there is no great secret to it either.
Bottom line - - it's all about small, steady incremental improvements. Nothing more - - Nothing less. It's no different than the old one about How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One small bite at a time!
This is by no means 'rocket science.' It's actually as simple as the lesson we learned from The Tortoise and The Hare - - with one addition. Slow and steady will win the race for you every time - - Just be sure to break down whatever it is that you're trying to achieve - - into bite-sized pieces!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Special Announcement
Are you up to speed with Social Networking/Marketing?
Do you have a business Blog, Newsletter or Facebook page? Do you use Twitter? Do you need help to get started?
marketingvision has just announced their Summer Special for Small Businesses with a 20% price reduction off their standard set-up for Blogs, Newsletters and Facebook pages. Monthly maintenance service is also available. Call 770-578-9393 for a mini-strategy session and pricing.
Offer good until 6/30/10.
Do you have a business Blog, Newsletter or Facebook page? Do you use Twitter? Do you need help to get started?
marketingvision has just announced their Summer Special for Small Businesses with a 20% price reduction off their standard set-up for Blogs, Newsletters and Facebook pages. Monthly maintenance service is also available. Call 770-578-9393 for a mini-strategy session and pricing.
Offer good until 6/30/10.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Timely Topics
Did you know that over 89% of the business books that people purchase and download go completely unread?
Of those remaining 11%, only 1% who read the book will actually implement any of the ideas they find in the book - even if they are well aware that doing so will cause immediate and drastic improvements in their lives.
And of that remaining 1% who attempt to use the ideas, an even smaller percentage will use the ideas effectively.
So, that means that the average person has a less than 1% chance of benefiting from any downloads or purchases.
Where do you stand?
Of those remaining 11%, only 1% who read the book will actually implement any of the ideas they find in the book - even if they are well aware that doing so will cause immediate and drastic improvements in their lives.
And of that remaining 1% who attempt to use the ideas, an even smaller percentage will use the ideas effectively.
So, that means that the average person has a less than 1% chance of benefiting from any downloads or purchases.
Where do you stand?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Creative Envisioning
I can't remember where this came from but I thought it was particularly relevant to the piece I wrote this week. I hope you enjoy it!
"When you run inspiring, imaginative pictures through the movie screen of your mind, wonderful things start to happen in your life. Einstein said that 'imagination is more important than knowledge.' You must spend some time every day, even if it is just a few minutes, in the practice of creative envisioning. See yourself as you want to be, whether this means serving as a great judge, a great father or a great citizen in your community."
- - Robin Sharma from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
"When you run inspiring, imaginative pictures through the movie screen of your mind, wonderful things start to happen in your life. Einstein said that 'imagination is more important than knowledge.' You must spend some time every day, even if it is just a few minutes, in the practice of creative envisioning. See yourself as you want to be, whether this means serving as a great judge, a great father or a great citizen in your community."
- - Robin Sharma from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Mind Matters
I'm sure we've all heard and read tons of material relating to goals. Like most, you've probably gotten all fired up and set to task - - only to fizzle out within a relatively short period of time.
Truth be told, goal-setting (and maybe even more importantly goal-keeping) is probably the single most important requirement for business - - or any kind of success, for that matter! It would be like trying to explore the Amazon without a guide or a map.
The mind is a funny thing - - not Ha Ha funny, but more like curious or odd or peculiar. The truth is that the mind has "no mind of its own" (now that is Ha Ha funny, to me.) What I mean is that it will only go where you focus it. Only then can it do its job - - but you have to set the course.
From there, it's very simple. You get whatever you focus on. You get what you think about all day. Positive pursuits, ideas and attitudes beget positive results. Likewise, the same goes for the negative.
Think of the mind as an energy generator. I once heard it said "whatever you think about expands." So, you give it an idea or goal - - it focuses its energy on that idea or goal and voila - - that idea grows and begins the process of creation. But remember, the mind has "no mind of its own," it will always follow your lead.
But, here's the clincher. This principle works all the time - - whether you realize it or not - - whether you've consciously set goals or not. You are always achieving your goals. Your mind is always focusing its energy - - on one thing or another - - on something positive or negative.
And what's more, it seems that if you don't consciously choose something positive to focus on, the mind tends to gravitate to something familiar, and sad to say, more often than not, it's not something positive.
So, what's the point of all this? The point is that it is in our best interest to take the personal responsibility for choosing our goals. Commit to them by writing them down. Add dates as to when you want to see the goals achieved. Be as specific and detailed as possible. Remember, the mind has "no mind of its own." Its nature is to simple focus on and add energy to whatever is placed before it.
If you've never used this process before, try it. You might like it! You'll be surprised when you begin to see your results. But, keep in mind, this is not a one-shot deal. You can't do it for a day or a week and expect to see immediate results. But, if you follow these simple guidelines and stick with them, you will be amazed at what you'll achieve in your business - - and in your life!
Truth be told, goal-setting (and maybe even more importantly goal-keeping) is probably the single most important requirement for business - - or any kind of success, for that matter! It would be like trying to explore the Amazon without a guide or a map.
The mind is a funny thing - - not Ha Ha funny, but more like curious or odd or peculiar. The truth is that the mind has "no mind of its own" (now that is Ha Ha funny, to me.) What I mean is that it will only go where you focus it. Only then can it do its job - - but you have to set the course.
From there, it's very simple. You get whatever you focus on. You get what you think about all day. Positive pursuits, ideas and attitudes beget positive results. Likewise, the same goes for the negative.
Think of the mind as an energy generator. I once heard it said "whatever you think about expands." So, you give it an idea or goal - - it focuses its energy on that idea or goal and voila - - that idea grows and begins the process of creation. But remember, the mind has "no mind of its own," it will always follow your lead.
But, here's the clincher. This principle works all the time - - whether you realize it or not - - whether you've consciously set goals or not. You are always achieving your goals. Your mind is always focusing its energy - - on one thing or another - - on something positive or negative.
And what's more, it seems that if you don't consciously choose something positive to focus on, the mind tends to gravitate to something familiar, and sad to say, more often than not, it's not something positive.
So, what's the point of all this? The point is that it is in our best interest to take the personal responsibility for choosing our goals. Commit to them by writing them down. Add dates as to when you want to see the goals achieved. Be as specific and detailed as possible. Remember, the mind has "no mind of its own." Its nature is to simple focus on and add energy to whatever is placed before it.
If you've never used this process before, try it. You might like it! You'll be surprised when you begin to see your results. But, keep in mind, this is not a one-shot deal. You can't do it for a day or a week and expect to see immediate results. But, if you follow these simple guidelines and stick with them, you will be amazed at what you'll achieve in your business - - and in your life!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Hello World!
It was back in 1999 that I first came up with the name marketingvision. I used it with the tag line Your Vision Our Mission to describe my corporate gifts, incentives, recognition and rewards company.
Things were progressing quite nicely until 9/11. It wasn't much longer after that that marketingvision was laid to rest. Fast forward 9 years and I've decided to resurrect the name marketingvision but with a very different intent and approach.
I don't think I need to tell you that the world is a very different place today from the world we lived in only 9 years ago. And while the statement may be patently obvious - - what may not be so obvious is the ways in which we are compelled to live our lives differently - - and maybe equally as important - - run our businesses differently.
marketingvision's new intent is to help you keep up with the times -- to be your source for the most current marketing strategies and services. The marketingvision blog is just one example of how today's businesses must stay connected.
Things were progressing quite nicely until 9/11. It wasn't much longer after that that marketingvision was laid to rest. Fast forward 9 years and I've decided to resurrect the name marketingvision but with a very different intent and approach.
I don't think I need to tell you that the world is a very different place today from the world we lived in only 9 years ago. And while the statement may be patently obvious - - what may not be so obvious is the ways in which we are compelled to live our lives differently - - and maybe equally as important - - run our businesses differently.
marketingvision's new intent is to help you keep up with the times -- to be your source for the most current marketing strategies and services. The marketingvision blog is just one example of how today's businesses must stay connected.
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