Steps for Creativity in Problem Solving

By Paul Andrew Todd

At times we all have challenges we need to overcome or problems that need solving. This is just part of life. These problems and challenges can be solved with effective step by step focused problem solving. Realize that there is a solution to the problem and believe that you can solve it. Below is listed an easy to follow guide in helping you tackle these challenges and problems.

The first thing you want to do is take out a blank piece of paper. At the top of this page write down your problem or challenge in just one sentience. After you have the problem sentience on paper write down what you know about the problem or challenge. Be specific on what you know about the situation, try to clearly define everything you know about it.

Once the above step is completed you can look over what you have written and see if you can make any connections. Having everything on paper in front of you will allow you to see the big picture and not just separate elements of the picture. Look for things that are interrelated, use your brain and ask questions of what you have written.

Try not to reinvent the wheel. Think of how other people have handle the same or similar problems. Think about how someone you look up to would handle the situation. Try to think about what solutions others would use. next ask yourself if any of the strategies others have used would help in your situation. Can you mold them or change them a little to make them work for you? As you are going through this process it is good to write down any ideas that come to mind. You can look this over later and make a decisions then. The important thing is to get it down on paper now. Your goal is not to make a decision at this point, but to create a large number of ideas.

If your problem or challenge has several different elements it is helpful to break it down to the smallest parts possible. Once you have done this go over the process above once again. This is a very good technique when you are faced with hard to solve complex problems.

Another technique is to imagine how you would like to see the final result. Once you have done this, work your way backwards solving the problems one by one. You can even combine this technique with the one above.

If you are having problems coming up with solutions, ask someone to join you and brainstorm together. When I have a clear defined question I have even asked complete strangers. Amazing enough they sometimes have a point of view that I never even considered. These steps seem very simple, but will get you to the root of the problem and most likely give you an answer. Do not give up, the answer is out there, you just need to find it.

The author Paul Andrew Todd was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and Since a very early age Paul has had a interest in metaphysics. He has read and studied extensively in the fields of spirituality, metaphysics, religion, mind control and other personal improvement areas. Paul has been a certified hypnotherapist for thirteen years. He graduated from the Cincinnati School of Hypnosis in 1996. Paul also has been practicing meditation daily since 1994. He is a trained yoga teacher and meditation instructor. Paul learned yoga at Rishikesh Yogpeeth in India. Since early 2009 Paul has been traveling the world and living on the road. His web site can be found at Increase Creativity

For more information please visit Creativity

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What Would You Create If No One Could See It?

By Christopher Edgar

To help us find a compelling direction in life, self-development writers often tell us to ask ourselves "what we'd do if we couldn't fail." For example, we might ask, what kind of book would we write if we knew that whatever we produced was destined to be a #1 bestseller?

I've taken to asking myself basically the opposite question: what would I create if I knew no one would ever care about it? In other words, what would I do if I knew Iwould fail? Believe it or not, this question has been much more helpful to me in finding the direction and motivation I want.

Why? Because I think the reality is that much of our creative output will be ignored - or, at least, it won't get the huge audience we're hoping for - and that's a reality we need to accept and even embrace.

Odds Are That They Won't See It

For instance, I don't know the exact statistics, but I'd wager that close to 100% of writers hope their next book will be a bestseller, or their next blog post will go massively viral, and so on. But how many of them will get what they want? I think it's safe to say the number is much closer to 0% than 100%.

So, since most of our work is overwhelmingly likely to "fail," in the sense that it won't get the attention we want, "what would you do if you couldn't fail" is an unrealistic question. We can, and will often, fail.

But I think the deeper problem with this question is that it plays into the common belief that the pleasure of creating comes from others seeing and appreciating our work, rather than from the act of creation itself.

The conventional wisdom has it that, if lots of people think our project is cool, it must be a "success." But if it doesn't get enough readers, pageviews, retweets, or whatever else, it's a "failure," and we've "got nothing to show for our work."

Being Okay With Being Unseen

If being seen by others is what matters most to us, I think, we're destined for disappointment. Here's why: every creative project requires long periods of unseen, unappreciated work. Even a writer who produces a bestselling book must spend hundreds of hours alone, with no audience, putting it together.

If being by ourselves, unnoticed, is too painful for us, we're going to have trouble making progress in our task. This is a big reason, I think, why many people keep "planning on" doing a big creative project, but never get around to it. They can't bear the thought of all those solitary hours.

But what if being seen wasn't our priority? What if we genuinely enjoyed the project we were doing so much that it didn't matter whether anyone cared about the finished product? If we were having so much fun that it didn't even occur to us to agonize over being unseen?

If we want to know what this kind of project would look like for us, a great question to ask is: what would I do if I knew no one would ever discover my work? If I "knew I'd fail," by the usual standards of fame and fortune? If I knew, whatever the end result was, that I was going to have a blast?

If we can sincerely answer this question, I think, we'll have discovered a true "labor of love."

Chris Edgar is the author of Inner Productivity: A Mindful Path to Efficiency and Enjoyment in Your Work, which uses insights from mindfulness practice and psychology to help readers develop focus and motivation in what they do. You can find out more about the book and Chris's work at http://www.innerproductivity.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Edgar

Exercising Your Creativity - 10 Tips

By Sheena Witter

Creativity is a lot like any muscle or skill. It has to be stretched and exercised in order to grow. Here are a few simple ways of exercising your creativity and that of your kids.

Ideas for exercising your creativity:

* Keep looking for new ideas - you never know where you will find them or where they might lead.
* Keep an open mind. Don't say "It can't be done," "Silly," or "Impossible."
* Keep your goals in mind, write them down!
* Keep your mind alert and active - Pay attention to your surroundings and look for inspiration everywhere.
* Don't always go it alone. Sharing a problem with someone else may reveal an unexpected solution.
* When your mind says "enough", take a break and get some fresh air. A walk or other outside physical activity is a great way to take a creative break.
* When you reach a dead end, back up and try a new approach. - don't just give up!
* Break a problem down to smaller, logical parts. How do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite.
* Write any useful ideas down when inspired and before you forget.
* In the early stages, don't commit yourself to a single idea - brainstorm as many different solutions as you can. It doesn't matter how unlikely or far-fetched they are.

Exercising your creativity allows you to build skills that will help throughout your entire life. Kids will find school easier and more enjoyable if they can take a creative approach to problem solving.

Sheena is an educator and author who is passionate about creativity. Her website "Growing Creative Kids" is full of ideas, resources and creative inspiration for parents, educators and care givers. http://growingcreativekids.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheena_Witter

How to add install a Twitter Retweet Code Button in Blogger Blogspot

1. Login to your blogger.com account --> Layout -->; Edit HTML --> check Expand Widget Template
2. Copy the following code:

    <!-- Start TweetMeme Script -->

    <div style='float: right; margin-left: 10px;'>

    <script type='text/javascript'>

    tweetmeme_url = &#39;<data:post.url/>&#39;;

    </script>

    <script src='http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js' type='text/javascript'>

    </script>

    </div>

    <!-- End TweetMeme Script -->

    3.   Put the code before or after this code <data:post.body/>
    4.   Save Template. Done.

Notes:

• Putting the code before/above <data:post.body/> will locate the Re-Tweet button at the top of the post.
• Putting the code after / below <data:post.body/> will locate the button below the post.

What is Seven Platinum Rules of Life ?

1st
Don't let someone become a priority in your life, when you are just an option in their life.
Relationships work best when they are balanced.

2nd
Never explain yourself to anyone.
Because the person who likes you doesn't need it, and the person who doesn't like you won't believe it.

3rd
When you keep saying you are busy, then you are never free.
When you keep saying you have no time, then you will never have time.
When you keep saying that you will do it tomorrow, then your tomorrow will never come.

4th
When we wake up in the morning, we have two simple choices.
Go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.
Choice is yours.

5th
We make them cry who care for us.
We cry for those who never care for us.
And we care for those who will never cry for us.
This is the truth of life, it's strange but true. Once you realize this, it's never too late to change.

6th
Don't make promise when you are in joy.
Don't reply when you are sad.
Don't take decision when you are angry.
Think twice, act twice.

7th
Time is like river. You can't touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.

Where is Enough? Ten Questions About Financial Sufficiency

By Rich Dixon

The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right.

One of my favorite presentations is titled ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS. It's a wonderful context in which to talk about realistic optimism, hope, and the possibilities of a new beginning.

Whenever I speak about dreams I invite audience members to write their "big dreams" on a feedback form. I've encountered an amazing variety of aspirations, but it's interesting that no listener has ever listed "being wealthy" as their central desire. In fact, the dreams rarely involve money directly.

Browsing the responses always prompts me to ponder my own dreams and how they're related to my attitudes toward finances. I'm not certain that my beliefs and behaviors are clearly defined and consistent.

I think it's okay to seek more-up to a certain point. But I don't want the pursuit of more to become an all-consuming quest for most. There needs to be some sense of where more becomes enough.

I want to be clear about my own definition of, and approach to, sufficiency.

Have I personally defined enough or am I always blindly seeking more?

Do I consistently act from a perspective of abundance, or do I sometimes imagine that my success only happens at the expense of others?

Have I developed a clear distinction between needs and wants?

Am I behaving like a faithful steward, clearly living my belief that everything I have is a gift from God?

Do I control my possessions, or do I allow them to control me?

Am I choosing to invest my time in important ways, or do I chase a buck at the expense of relationships and principles?

How often do I lose sight of the distinction between people and things, so that I begin to treat people like things?

Are my principal motives always safety and security, or am I willing to take risks for compelling reasons?

Are my choices aligned with my beliefs, or do I settle for expediency and short-term rewards?

Do I really trust that God will provide for my needs?

I'm not advocating a commitment to a life of poverty. There's nothing inherently evil about money and material possessions.

Money is generally neutral. It's a tool, and like any tool can be deployed to build or destroy.

It's what we do with money that matters. I need to remember that my level of contentment depends less on how much I have and more on my attitudes.

What's your strongest financial tension?

Rich Dixon is a writer and motivational speaker who addresses issues related to leadership, inspiration, encouragement, and faith based on grace from a Christian perspective. Visit Rich's blog at http://www.richdixon.net/bouncingback

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Dixon

Positive Psychology and Liberated Learning

It taps a huge market for the optimization in human achievement, which can be attained more efficiently through positive psychology and liberated learning.

By narrowing the digital divide throughout Indonesia, we should be able to implement effective liberated learning through an online environment based on positive learning psychology.

While many of self-help and motivation gurus are self taught, a few distinctive positive psychologists are making their marks in the scientific study of optimal human functioning. The state of happiness as a feeling must be translated into learning activities.

In his extremely popular class, Ben-Shahar defines “happiness” as the overall experience of pleasure and meaning. Happiness, after all, is the key to optimized, if not maximized, human achievement.

In liberated learning framework, both present and future benefits are also placed in proportionate importance. According to SLOAN Consortium, a professional organization dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education, in Fall 2008, with over 4.6 million college students took at least one online course.

Among the top universities in the United States integrating online with mainstream courses are Stanford, UC Berkeley, University of Wisconsin, Columbia University, NYU, and California State University System. On K-12 level, California Virtual Academies provide free online public education curricula that would prepare students for future demands as guided by credentialed teachers using the promises of online technology. Learning is both individually tailored and mass marketed.

Learning is “individually tailored” as students and parents have the freedom to choose learning subjects and styles that fit their needs, while it is “mass marketed” as learning is no longer a scarce commodity in which one class of tens of students must be taught by a teacher who is a sage on the stage. Teachers are facilitators by the side whose main interest is ensuring a positive learning environment to optimize knowledge and skill retention. Here, Freud’s philosophy of pleasure and Frankl’s philosophy of meaning play a distinctive role.

It might take a while for Indonesian education policy makers to agree to adopt such advanced techniques in learning, particularly in distributed liberated learning. University of the People, a new online university that doesn’t charge any tuition fees is an example of democratization and equalization of learning opportunities using open source instructional materials and low-cost Internet-based technologies. Let us push the direction of education policies in Indonesia to allow equality in learning opportunities by implementing reliable and affordable — if not free — Internet connections throughout the country.

Summarized from The Jakarta Post

Be Real, Be Passionate, Take Risks!

By Jennifer M. Stewart

Logic can be so seductive, and seem so sensible - and be so completely wrong, in the long run. It's easy to forget that any conclusion is only as good as the information that backs it. For example, take the "logic" that says if you want success you have to work out what people want, and provide it. Seems pretty sensible. Seems statistically supportable. But is it really? Does it actually bring the kind of success we long for?

I'm always reading articles which say that if you're writing and you want readers or success it's no use writing what you want to write, you have to figure out what your audience wants. I can understand how that seems logical and based on common sense. After all, I read what I want to, and I tend to look for what I've been interested in so far. But for writers - and publishers, I guess - to conclude that I only want to read something similar to what I've liked so far, and won't be attracted to a new voice and way of writing, a new perspective, a fresh way of thinking, is just dead wrong.

Publishers, agents, producers, some teachers, even writers, are always making two mistakes. The first is thinking that the potential audience won't respond to the energy, the thrill, the excitement an author conveys when they write on something they're passionate about. The second mistake is thinking that the audience doesn't like what's new. It's ridiculous: marketers and manufacturers are always looking for new perspectives and new products, because they recognize that LIFE CHANGES, that people need newness. Newness is the lifeblood of the commercial world. And it is the artists who create the newness which we all crave, yes?

Yet publishers, producers and agents are always telling writers and artists that they must conform to some nebulous idea of what the public wants - which is in fact a formula they the publishers et al have created out of what's been done. What is it with these guys? They've got to be the most ignorant bunch of humans ever. And they don't seem to change from generation to generation. Somebody should write a book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and publishers, producers et al are from - hmm...

Look at every individual who has risen above the masses - haven't they all been complete individuals? Haven't they all been rejected by agents, publishers, producers, you name it? Haven't they all been told "nobody will want to listen to you / watch you / read you /you're your art because you're too different"? Yet they've shot to great heights of fame and fortune - not because they adapted themselves to "what people want" but because they gave free reign to their passion and individuality. And it always turns out that the audience was utterly starved for something new. Oh yes. It's been proved time and time and time again. Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Sidney Poitier, Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey (reputedly fired as a reporter for being "unfit for TV" - boy was that a mistake!), The Beatles, Elvis, J.K. Rowling (very big publisher oops), Stephen King (ditto).

Publishers and "authorities" are bullies, that's all; egotists trying to hold onto their power, trying to control their world. They can never have enough uniformity, it keeps them safe. Or that's what they believe. But here's the curious thing. They could be so much safer if they recognized talent and newness and understood how much it is craved by the multitude.

How misguided can you be? And really, aren't there already enough people spewing out formulaic rubbish that has no life in it, is predictable and utterly dull dull dull?

The funny thing - right, it's side-splittingly funny - is that the authority bullies never ask anybody real what they like. They don't actually speak to anybody and say "excuse me, what do you think of this or that?" Their bullying isn't based on anything real at all. Ever. It's based on their own fear-driven, control-freak-driven narrow-mindedness. Greed might play a little role in there. They don't think they'll make so much money if they take a risk on an individual. Well the joke always ends up being on them. Always. Think of all the publishers who rejected J.K. Rowling! They must kicking themselves. And they deserve all the bruises they self-inflict.

All of us, artist and audience alike, we're all human, we're not sheep or lemmings. We all have hearts and souls and minds and we all long to be touched by somebody's passion - and when we are touched by it, we all register it. I know it's true, because if it wasn't the bright individuals would never rise above the mundane, to shine like stars for the rest of us to be inspired by. There's real logic for you.

Personally I love to hear somebody say "whatever you do, don't try to please people. Be real, be passionate, take risks".

Robert De Niro said that. Good on you, Mr. De Niro.

Jennifer Stewart experienced bankruptcy six years ago. It changed her life dramatically - for the better! She now writes a blog about her experiences and her journey of Stepping out of History. Visit its-not-about-the-money

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_M._Stewart

How Fear, Resistance and Failure Are Central to Your Success

By Lisa A Cherney

It may sound counterintuitive, but fear, resistance and failure are central to your success as an entrepreneur! In fact, if you can embrace these feelings and actions, then you may be on the verge of a business breakthrough - and a spiritual one, too.

Let's face it, all entrepreneurs, no matter how successful they are, hit a rough patch now and then. This is something I like to call the "dark-night-of-the-business-soul." Believe me, I know - because I've been there myself (more than once!)

Does this sound at all familiar? You're procrastinating big tasks that are central to your success; you're spending a lot of time networking, but have too few clients to show for it (you're having trouble "selling" yourself); your head and heart are often in conflict; and most importantly, you are just not having fun anymore? If you said yes to any of these, then you are likely suffering from "dark nights."

I've seen so many people struggling recently with these "dark nights" - believe me, you are not alone. So how do you get past them? It's all about starting from the inside out and defining what it is that you really want to do. It's about finding the clarity you need to define your business strategy and "leap frog" forward.

My entire journey as an entrepreneur has been about integrating my spiritual understanding with my professional knowledge. When those two things merge, magic happens. I feel whole and complete, I don't worry, I have confidence, I offer products that resonate with people, and people invest a lot of money in my programs.

If you can learn embrace your failures, use them to your advantage and take the next step forward, it will be like entering a wormhole and coming out five years in the future living the life - and running the business - of your dreams. If you can face these "dark nights" head on, learn from them and break through them, you are on the verge of a massive, life and business-changing experience that will change everything.

Lisa Cherney is a Marketing Intuitive and President & Founder of Conscious Marketing™. Lisa has helped thousands of business owners tap into their intuition and market their businesses from the 'Inside Out'. For 15 years she worked at Fortune 500 companies and top advertising agencies.

Lisa tells her story in the new co-authored book Inspiration to Realization, available at http://www.ConsciousMarketing.com. Conscious Marketing also offers workshops, coaching and creates marketing materials. Visit her website for more details or call 888-771-0156.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_A_Cherney

Direct Download of Information Into the Brain?

By Gloria Adams

How can a child learn a language in no time, while an adult has to go through a time consuming series of memorizing words, grammar and structural rules? How come anything the child observes during the age between 2 and 7 is like a direct download into the brain, without any effort or strain?

If you take an EEG reading of an adult brain, you will see a variety of brainwave frequencies. Researchers have divided the millions of possible brainwave combinations into five general frequency ranges: delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma (lowest to highest). The brainwave pattern of an adult will change depending on what the person is doing - sleeping, analyzing, relaxing, etc.; the higher the alertness of the brain, the higher the brainwave frequency.

A child between the ages of 2 and 7, on the other hand, while in an awake state, does not have any of the higher frequencies. The child's brain has not ramped up to alpha, beta or gamma yet and is operating predominantly in theta.

Because there are no high brainwave frequencies present at that time, there is no consciousness to analyze and evaluate before information is accepted into the subconscious mind. When the brain operates in theta, like in the case of young children, any information that is presented, is like a direct download. If a child hears from the parents "You are not good enough," for example, the "You are not good enough" program is downloaded and installed. It will run for the rest of the person's life, unless it is uninstalled and replaced by a different program.

Unlike children, if an adult is learning something new, the conscious mind (characterized by the higher frequencies) is constantly analyzing; trying to understand and evaluate. The process of direct downloading is not possible anymore for the adult mind. Before any information is allowed into the subconscious mind, it has to pass the evaluation of the conscious mind.

From the brainwaves perspective, what the child has and the adult does not, is the predominance of theta brainwaves. When the brain is predominantly in theta, the door to the subconscious mind is open and allows for any corrections and improvements.

Now, thanks to modern technology, going into the theta brainwave state is easy and does not require extensive training. There is a process called brainwave entrainment, or brainwave synchronization. When the brain is presented with a rhythmic stimulus, it tends to synchronize it's brainwave frequency with the frequency of the stimulus through a natural process called "frequency following response."

There are many brainwave meditation audios offered in today's market to stimulate the brain into a desired brainwave state, including that of theta and low alpha. When in this state through the processes of visualization or affirmations, one can successfully alter old patterns of behavior, improve performance in any desired area, and expand knowledge.

Click here to download a theta brainwave entrainment audio.

http://brainwave-meditation.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gloria_Adams