Just as energy is the basis of life itself,
and ideas the source of innovation,
so is innovation the vital spark of all human
change, improvement and progress
What is the power of innovation? It is a talent that everyone possesses, yet most people don’t think they do. If you have ever marveled at someone else’s creative prowess, guess what, you can create and innovate too. It just some takes time. Everyone is born creative. Remember that box of crayons the teacher pulled out in kindergarten? Their use was not limited to those who possessed a specific potential. Because the truth of the matter is that everybody has potential.
You remember how long it took you to learn to ride your bike, or to drive well, or to never commit the exact same mistake again at work? It is the same with innovation. It will take you a bit of practice and a lot of time before this mind-set comes easily to you when called upon.
Tips to invigorate your life with innovation:
1. Listen to your inner voice. Don’t listen to what other people say. March to the beat of your own drum. Allowing for the input of other people can be helpful at times, but it can also bring confusion and 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 everyone understand; most won’t. And most of the advice you will probably hear will come in the form of negative feedback. If all the geniuses you have read about had listened to their peers, we would probably all still be living in the middle ages.
2. Put in the time. This will involve your skills both in time management and discipline. But, if it is important to you, you will find a way.
3. Get some exercise. Take a walk. Run a mile or two. Get all of those natural endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears, relaxes and opens your mind.
4. Record your dreams. Some of your dreams, I am sure are just the craziest things. They are things that your conscious mind would never have thought of. If you have had these types of dreams before, and I’m sure have, this demonstrates that you have untapped innovative power lying within you. Keep some paper by the bedside. Jot down some notes before the thoughts are overtaken by the day’s necessities. Those dreams may just create an innovative spark in you.
5. Find your own style. If you have look at any art, you know that you can always tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse. If you have done much reading, you will know that Hemingway wrote something by the choice of words used. It is the same with you. People will appreciate your innovation more because it is uniquely yours.
6. Don’t put your light under a bushel. Resist the temptation to hide behind your nifty gadgets or tools. You don’t need the most expensive set of paints to produce a masterpiece. Much the same way with writing. You don’t need some expensive fountain pen and really smooth paper for a bestseller. In fact, J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter Series on bits of tissue. Does it really matter that you have an expensive SLR camera if you are a crappy photographer? Who cares if you have a totally blinged-out, cool laptop if you never write a word?
The artist actually reduces the number of tools he has as he gets better at his craft. She or he knows what works and what doesn’t.
7. Get passionate! Nothing will work without passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame inside burning? What is the one thing that makes you feel life you will just die if you don’t get done? Oftentimes 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 very true. Sometimes you just want something so bad you become virtually unstoppable. And that, my friend, is passion. Passion will keep you going.
8. Stay prepared. Don’t worry about inspiration. You can’t force it. Inspiration will often hit you when you least expect it to. For those unpredictable yet inevitable and precious moments, you should stay prepare. An idea could strike you on your subway ride, but sadly, you don’t have no sheet of paper to scribble down a thought that could change the world. Or at least change yours. Avoid these disasters and the attendant regrets. Have a pen and paper within your arm’s reach at all times.
The most important thing that you must keep in mind that you are doing these things for yourself and your own satisfaction, not someone else’s. But soon or late, they will notice the shift in you, and so will you!
Doc
Photo Credit: mdezemery via Compfight cc
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