When I think back on life, I realise that the times when I’ve really thrived, when life was exciting, was when I decided to march to the rhythm of my own drum. The times I’ve felt stifled, on the other hand, were when I conformed to everyone else’s view of the norm.
This has taught me that whether they think they can, or think they can’t, everyone has the ability to be innovative. It just takes time, practice and daring. The box of crayons in kindergarten were not limited to those who possessed potential; because the truth is, everybody has potential for personal development. You are not stuck with who you are now, unless you choose to be.
How long did it take you to learn to drive a car and pass your test? How long did it take you to learn anything worthwhile? The trouble is we live in a get rich quick, fast fix world. But reality is not like that; it takes patience, it takes time and it takes effort. And a sense of humour helps too! It’s the same with innovation. It takes a bit of practice and a lot of time before the mind accepts that you are innovative, especially if you are out of practice.
Creativity is a Licence to Play. You weren’t always like that, just look at small children. They are so innovative and creative and this article will teach you a few tips on how to remember what it was like as a child and to bring innovation back into your life. You may need to learn to play again and to not beat yourself up over the slightest mistake.
Don’t be constrained by what other people say. Sing your song in your voice – it’s unique to you! Trying to include elements of other people will only bring cacophony to the music you are trying to make. If you have an original idea, don’t waste your time and effort trying to make people understand. They won’t. And the help you will probably get comes in the form of negative feedback. By all means listen to the feedback and adjust if you truly believe it to be necessary – but that’s not the same as copying other people from the start. If all those geniuses listened to their peers, we would probably still be living in the middle ages.
Find your own style. You can always tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse. You’ll know Hemingway wrote something by the choice of words on the paper. So it is the same with you. People will appreciate your innovation more because it is uniquely yours and that no one else would have thought of what you were thinking. That will let people see how valuable an asset you are.
Spend time on it. I cannot stress that enough; it takes time, effort and discipline. If you are juggling your innovative side with a day job, this involves some tricky time management. But with a little discipline you’ll be able to squeeze both in.
Exercise Tip. Take a walk. Run a mile or two. Send all those endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears and relaxes your mind and allows for anything to pop up. If you don’t like that kind of exercise, take the dog for a walk or spend a couple of hours making mad passionate love with your partner – that releases endorphins and serotonin!
Record your dreams. Aren’t some of them just the craziest things that your conscious mind would never have thought of? If you’ve had these dreams before, and I’m sure have, this only shows you the untapped innovative power you have lying within. So jot down those notes. Those dreams may just create an innovative spark in you.
Don’t hide behind technology, gadgets or tools. Don’t mistake the technology with the goals. I’ve made this mistake, continually fine-tuning my website believing that if I could only make it perfect, people will flock to it. You don’t need the most expensive set of paints to produce a masterpiece. The same way with writing. You don’t need the most expensive laptop or desktop to write high quality material. fact, J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter Series on bits of tissue. I’ve come to the conclusion that as I improve, it’s better to reduce the number of tools I use and to get the most out of those I use regularly and therefore understand.
Be Selective. The internet is teeming with advice, some of it good, much of it contradictory. It’s tempting to try to chase down the latest piece of information, believing that with it we will have the answers to all of our problems. In reality, it always boils down to the same thing: do the basics well. Find the sources you feel comfortable with and stick with them. Most of us who are interested in on-line writing have spent hours visiting site after site after site. The truth is? Most of that time would have been better spent being creative!
Nothing will work without passion. It’s a much over-used word these days, but I can’t find a better synonym. As I wrote in an earlier article, you need to find your passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame burning? What is the one thing that you’ll die if you don’t do? Sometimes people with talent are overtaken by the people who want it more. Think the hare and the tortoise.
Ellen Degeneres once said that if you’re not doing something that you want to do, then you don’t really want to do it. And that’s true. Sometimes you just want something so bad you become a virtual unstoppable. And that is passion. Passion will keep you going.
Don’t Wait for Inspiration. You can’t force it; inspiration hits when you least expect it to, for those unpredictable yet inevitable moments you should prepare. An idea could strike you on the subway, yet alas, you poor unfortunate soul; you have no sheet of paper to scribble down a thought that could change the world. Avoid these disasters. Have a pen and paper within your arm’s reach at all times. Or use your smart phone!
I hope this article has helped you bring more innovation into your life. Keep in mind that you’re doing these things for your own satisfaction and not anybody else’s. But soon enough they will notice, and everything should snowball from there.
And remember what Einstein said: “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
Which ones are important to you and are there any you would add to the list?
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“Don’t be constrained by what other people say” – totally agree, Seth Godin said “Find your own space and occupy it”, irrelevant of what other people would want and say.
N
Absolutely, Nick.
I would also add that finding your own space is more than just looking distinctive – you need to have, as you have, a message to back it up or you just end up looking mad!
Nic
I believe that passion is the most powerful motivator. Without this important element we are easy to slide to laziness.
Walter,
I agree – and it’s a shame that the word has been overused to the point of being almost meaningless!
Thanks for commenting,
Nic