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Posts Tagged Imagination
We’ve been talking about Noise this week - external and internal noise.
We talked about the challenges of being heard by your prospective clients above the noise.
Today, let’s talk about the challenges of hearing yourself above the noise.
In this noisy and busy world, we have become almost constant communicators. We spend much of our time either speaking, writing, listening and reading. We are surrounded by words from many sources.
Let me say here that I LOVE words! I love finding just the right ones to express exactly what I feel. I love word games…well, you get the point.
Words are wonderful!
However.
Sometimes they get in the way.
Since they are really symbols of things, they require translation. The word “happy” is not happiness, but just a symbol of that state of mind. When you hear someone say “I’m happy,” you must translate that into your understanding of the feeling they are expressing. Of course this happens automatically, and very quickly, and you don’t really notice the effort it takes.
It does take mental effort, however.
If, on the other hand, someone looks at you with a huge smile, you get the same information - and probably more - in a much more direct way. You immediately understand, and even feel, their emotion without translation.
When we take words out of the communication, we recieve it more directly - and with less effort.
You may know this, and can probably think of examples very easily.
What you may not know, is what we have discovered in our Imagination Lab. Many of our exercises are done in silence. And the result is a truly amazing increase in the creativity and clarity that partipants experience.
Even in group activities which require the participants to communicate with each other, such as preparing a meal together, become totally new experiences when words are not allowed.
Creativity increases dramatically - and, almost as a bonus, it’s also more fun!
The next time you are playing with your imagination, or looking to inspire creativity (especially with someone else or a group), try it without words. You might be surprised at the results!
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Awareness, Awareness Exercise, Imagination
One of the most popular myths we hold about buisness is that competitors are the enemy, and that marketing is a battle with them ~ one that we must win in order to be successful.
Traditional marketing is full of techniques to do just that.
That view is based on the belief that there aren’t enough clients to go around, and that we must be the biggest and best in our field.
After all, we’re taught from early childhood that being number one is all that matters. There’s no glory in second place. That’s a whole other subject, but it does explain why we have the mindset around competitors.
We have a bit different perspective, however. And it serves just as well, if not better, in creating success in your business.
We view others who offer competitive products and services as our partners. And mentors. And marketing people. And research associates. And we love them for all the help they provide.
That sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? After all, we are competing for the same clients.
So, how does that work for us?
Obviously, we watch what they do to see what works and what doesn’t. That’s just common sense.
We take it a bit further, though. We actually applaud them for the marketing they do, and the presence they create, because they’re saving us a lot of time and money.
How so? They are out there educating our future clients on the features and benefits of what we offer. They are actually laying the groundwork for us!
Here’s the perfect example of this: When I became a Web developer in 1995, I was among the first wave. I learned the skills, and understood the potential of this new medium. And for the first 6 to 7 years, I spent most of my time educating potential clients about what I was offering. It was quite a relief me when so many others entered the field and began doing the educating for me! It allowed me to finally focus on doing what I started out to do.
To this day, I am thankful for all the competition, and my business has continued to thrive through all the ups and downs as the Web has grown and matured.
As more and more people entered the field, I was challenged to be creative in making myself stand out from the crowd, to learn new skills, and to grow in all ways.
I may look like just another Web developer to you, and certainly there are many who are more skilled, have more resources and knowledge. Yet I continue to be successful - and to grow.
I attribute much of my success to the beliefs that I hold about competition:
- there are enough clients out there for everyone
- my competitors’ success is good for me and them
- as long as I focus on providing service to the best of my ability, I will be successful
Take a new look at your competitors - view them as partners - and see how that fuels your success!
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Awareness, Imagination, Perspective
Have you been paying attention to your daydreams in the past two days? (If not, see our posts from Monday and Tuesday.)
 Have you noticed recurring themes?
If you tend to go down the same path often when you daydream, that’s probably a sign that you’re either trying to work out something complex, or that perhaps you’re just trying to escape the doldrums of daily life on a regular basis. Either way, it may be worth examining those themes to see if they have some tips for you that can help you resolve something.
Now, there are all sorts of daydreams. Some of them are about things on your to-do list, your daily schedule, etc. These daydreams may be helping you to stay oriented in your daily life.
And then there are those daydreams that leave you wondering… where have you just been? What was that all about? These are the daydreams that may have some creative clues in them that you might be able to consciously use.
Does it feel funny to think about using your daydreams? It sometimes does for me, too. Yet, if we spend up to 1/3 of our waking time daydreaming, can you imagine how productive we might be if we mine those daydreams for information and then put what we find to work?
The first step to putting the insights in your daydreams to work is to notice your daydreams. If you have been doing this the last couple of days, you probably have a pretty good idea of the times and places when your mind likes to set itself free and drifts off. The next time you enter a daydream-prone period, set the intention that you will notice that your mind is starting to wander.
Then, as you begin to drift, try guiding your thoughts as little. Think of an issue, a challenge, or just something that you’d like more clarity on. Focus on it briefly – just a few seconds…then let your mind go wherever it wants. Resist the temptation to “think” the issue or topic through logically - you’ve probably already done that a number of times, anyway. Just plant the seed, and see what comes up.
Imagine that you are an outside observer to your thoughts. I know, that sounds strange…and sometimes it’s not that easy to watch your thoughts without trying to influence them. It does get easier with practice, though.
So, give it a try, see what pops up, and let us know if you have positive results. We love hearing about the amazing results people find when they just let go!
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Awareness, Awareness Exercise, Imagination
Everything in life – and business – is ultimately about relationships. We have lots and lots of them, some close, some distant, some strong, some tentative, etc, etc.
It’s therefore a huge subject, and not one to be fully explored in a few blogs. I came face to face with an experience last week that made me think of relationship as it relates to building a business. And this brought me to some very interesting observations.
First, a quick summary of the event that spurred this train of thought:
I was invited to join another social networking site by a friend. I get these often, and have made it a practice to focus my efforts on only a few networks, so to get the most from them, without spending my whole day in the process.
For some reason, and a bit reluctantly, I accepted this particular invitation. I signed up. Easy, simple process. So far, so good. The moment I arrived at the front page of the site, I was immediately asked to upgrade…and recommend everyone I know. (They talked about inviting hundreds of people.)
Now, I don’t recommend things I don’t find useful myself, so I started looking around the site, adding some information, seeing what they offer, etc.
Every page I visited shouted at me: UPGRADE!! INVITE PEOPLE!! And, without much searching I discovered that these two things are necessary to access the functions of the site I might be interested in.
After leaving the site (and not planning to return), I started thinking about why I decided in very short order that this is not for me.
Over the course of the next few days, it took me a bit of searching to figure out was behind my negative reaction, and what I could learn from that. (And one of the reasons it kept coming up was the 10 or so emails I received from this site every day!)
I won’t bore you with my process (sometimes I “percolate” things for a long time before the coffee is ready to drink) – just the realizations that came from it:
This company is attempting to create a business relationship with me – they want me to be a client.
Before I enter into a new relationship, I evaluate my new partner:
- What do they have to offer that I value?
- What do they want in return?
- Is it a fair exchange (are the two values roughly equal)?
- Do they seem truly intent on providing value for me, or is it just about them?
This last question is where this new potential relationship fell down. Almost all of their communications center around what I can do for them.
OK, I understand business models, and totally appreciate that the owners of this site are not doing it just for fun. I have to wonder, though, if this is the best way to court a new relationship partner.
All of this led me to a deeper understanding of business relationships – how to start them, how to build them, how to make them strong…and we’ll explore those areas this week in our blog.
Tune in each day this week for some insights and creative ideas you may be able to use.
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Imagination, Perspective, Possibility, Relationship
One of the marvels of 21st century living is “dollar stores.” They are truly a tribute to human imagination and ingenuity. The amazing variety of things you can find there – ranging from useful to silly – is simply incredible.
That’s what makes them such a rich playground for the imagination. Have you ever taken a hour and just poured over all the displays? It’s a great way to engage your imaginative, playful side! And, if you want to take something home – it only costs a dollar!
So, the next time you’re looking for a new perspective – an innovative thought – hop in your car and go to the closest dollar store. As you walk in, set an intention to find something in the store that will give you the answer you’re looking for.
Or, just have the intention to find something fun and interesting for your mind (or your hands) to play with for a bit.
Be open – let yourself be a kid – look on all the wondrous “toys” for the fun they can bring. Or, just marvel at the technology that makes them possible. Try to find things you never knew existed, and wonder who it was that created this…
Open your mind to all the creative genius that went into making this little place possible…and awaken your creative genius!
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Imagination, Imagination Exercise, Possibility, Possibility Exercise
I’ll admit it. I’m a word-junky. I love words. I love finding a word that conveys just the precise meaning I’m looking for. I love taking a word and thinking about all the ways it can be used, and combined with other words.
One of my favorite techniques for stimulating thought, generating ideas, and just generally changing my perspective, is to pick up a dictionary or thesaurus.
Sometimes I set an intention first. For example, if I’m looking for the solution to a specific issue, I hold that in mind before I begin. Sometimes, I just set the intention to find any useful idea.
So, I pick up the dictionary (actually it works just as well with any book or magazine – but I love dictionaries). I turn to a random page, and read a random entry. If it sparks something, I follow that thought. If not, I choose another page and another word. It’s difficult to describe the actual process without writing a book – essentially, it’s like having a spark for free-flowing ideas.
And, quite honestly, it still amazes me how many times I hit upon a new thought, or am reminded of an old one, that leads me to exactly what I was looking for.
I think what makes this work so well is that I let go of trying to figure something out with the left side of my brain, and I just let my creative right brain have some fun.
Give it a try – use any book that appeals to you, or a magazine full of pictures, or even go to Google, type a random word, and click “I’m feeling lucky”. Follow whatever seems interesting, and see what happens…
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Imagination, Possibility Exercise
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