Creativity is an "inside job"

Everyone wants to think of something new, businesses try and encourage creativity by giving bonuses, having brainstorming meetings and talking a lot about creativity.
But is that the way to encourage creativity?

In my mind it is not! In order for people to call forth their natural creative selves, what is needed is a supportive environment, intriguing and challenging questions and a mindset that is not afraid to "be wrong".
The only way to "be creative" is to take down the barriers, the templates, the expectations and the authority above you and connect to "real freedom".
I think we also tend to overlook that creativity comes from focusing our attention on something we really want and care about.

Less talk about bonus rewards, more respect for natural dialogue that listens to people and helps them to listen to themselves…in the end we will be able to call forth the natural, creative power in all of us. Not only will we gain but so will our organizations and the world itself!

Move it ahead 10%

Remember when you were going up that mountain and it looked SO far away and SO out of reach?
Do you remember complaining and worrying about how you were going to get up that thin? Well, you might not remember but many of us do…and we also probably remember that the worrying and complaining did not do us very much.

This is not any different that what happens to most people who want to make "big changes" and reach "big achievement" here and now.
Actually, what defeats so many people and makes them fail in their "New Year Resolutions" is that they see the "all or nothing" paradigm as the way to go forward.
Dangerous… if you really observe how things move ahead and how progress is made you will notice that it is normally little by little, inch by inch, stage by stage.
That is why I often encourage my clients to take the "10% perspective" on things:
What is it that you can do to move the project ahead by 10%?
Suddenly I find that the client moves ahead, things systematically, manages expectations and capitalizes on small successes.

Taking joy from the process and not just from the results is a small "secret" that many successful people abide by.
These small victories fuel continued efforts which is the basis for making things happen.

Move it ahead by 10% and enjoy the process!

How to Push your Career forward? Start by Believing in Yourself!

If you ask me, there is always one point everyone can start from which any career can move forward- believing in one's self!
Sounds  kind of fluffy and "New-agey"? Perhaps, but is also very much "Old-agey", feet-on-the-ground, I have found it wherever I have gone and with whomever I have been in touch.
There is something about a person aligning him or herself with what they do that transmits to others a sense of strength and purpose that always makes a mark.

Hey, let's not confuse this with over-confidence, aggressiveness and pop-psychology affirmations- I am talking about genuine belief in one's self.
When you are there you know it, it shows up, in your speech, body language, writing, tone of voice, facial gestures and who knows what more.
With some it is pure charisma, with others it might be tenacity, perseverance, inspiration, among others.
But whatever it is, go out and find it- trust me it will take you much farther than some more tools in that virtual "toolbox" you have been collecting.
Tools are things and techniques. I am talking about the "big mamma", that which sits inside your mind and body and moves things around.

Push that career forward- do it from within and you'll be amazed what will start happening around you.

And YOU will make them happen!

Write it Down!

One day soon I bet people will just forget how to write. Amazing, ay? How in one generation or so people have lost confidence or need for pencils and pens and by the keyboard alone they live.

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but what interests me more is not how we record things but why people just don't seem to want to put it down on paper (or "virtual paper") and that's a shame.
When you write things down they seem to somehow "move themselves".
And the more significant these things are the less people seem to do it- how many people do you know who write down their life plan, family plan, health plan, etc.?
If you say the word "business plan" something goes off in the brain which sees lots of numbers, long documents, fancy graphics or whatever, all seems somewhat threatening and tiresome.
However, writing down is not just a good habit, it is probably much closer to being ESSENTIAL than you would think!

Writing down your goals, ideas and commitments make them real for you. Every step you take to define what you want and what you need to do to get it increases the chances that you will actually pursue these goals and something will really happen.

Research has shown all this to be true: people who regularly keep a journal or some kind of written record pertaining to their aspirations are 32% more likely to feel they are making progress in their lives (Howatt 1999).
And we all know if someone FEELS they are making progress they are probably DOING something about it!

I have seen it in myself, in my clients who may be dealing with a change they need to make, a problem they need to solve or a dream they want to bring about. 

WRITE IT DOWN!