Get Creativity Fit – Week of October 4, 2021
…has a built-in compass to consistently navigate competing challenges, Fight the Right Foe, outsmart and outmaneuver them. Most often it’s not a fair fight. He uses facts, data and logic to choose which foes to fight. He prioritizes the challenges that he has the energy, passion, expertise and resources to pursue, and those that will deliver the greatest impact. With his ability to laser focus he prevents expensive false stars that consume valuable time, resources and energy.
His Powers are:
- See It
- Find It
- Be Versatile
Take these three actions this week to Get Creativity Fit, strengthen your creative thinking muscle and anchor the creative habit to be repeatable.
- See It: Produce a visual image of the journey that is possible and put yourself in the place of greatest potential – your dream, your big goal. There is nothing stronger or more powerful than a dream. Dreams cannot be defeated, broken or taken. You cannot accomplish big feats without a big idea; you can’t sustain a long ascent without a solid trail guide; and you can’t fully harness your energy without first Seeing It. Transport yourself to the future (e.g., one year from today, write down the date), and visualize in vibrant imagery that you have realized your dream, your big goal. What does it feel like? Engage all your senses and take it in. Now, look back over the past year and identify the steps you took to realize your dream; the barriers you had to overcome; and the key milestones. If you are genuinely excited and invigorated with your vision and all its possibilities…onward!
- Find It: With your dream/big goal in full panoramic view, it’s time to find the data, details, facts and information required for a successful ascent. There are several trails you can take to get there; you must choose the best ones. Stay clear eyed and don’t get distracted by shiny objects. Data, facts, information can come from a variety of sources including literature reviews, interviews, field excursions, observations and experiments. Develop a solid data collection plan and cast a wide enough net to find the most important and relevant facts, yet not one so wide to boil the ocean and get bogged down. Ask, what are the most pertinent facts and information? What does the data tell me? What does the data not tell me? What do my gut feelings, intuition and instincts tell me to do?
- Be Versatile: After sorting through the data and information and discerning the most important and relevant facts, it’s time for action. A key here is to remain versatile in your approach because it’s almost certain that you will face ambiguity and complexity as you move forward toward your dream, your big goal. Anticipate that you won’t have 100% conclusive information, and there won’t be a yellow brick road laid out for you. You must blaze your own trail. Stay open and curious to new information as you move forward. Stay resolute and never stop questioning, never lose your curiosity. You most likely will have to adapt your plans, modify timelines and reallocate resources. When you are proactive and versatile, as one door closes another one invariably opens.
