INCREASE YOUR CREATIVITY

We now know that physical activity can keep us vigorous into our 80's. Did you also know that by changing our mental outlook, we have the potential to for continuing a creative life as well? The "it's-too-late" kind of thinking is a good excuse for not dusting off that easel and paints, enrolling in that pottery class, or joining the creative writing course you always claimed was on your agenda. Many of us do not see ourselves as being creative, because we don't have much of an audience for what we do. In fact, we focus too much on "Big C" creativity--the glamorous achievements of geniuses-- and overlook the ways each of us displays flair and imagination in our own lives. Anyone can increase their creativity by encouraging their spontaneous self to re-emerge.		Rejuvenate your outlook! Examine the following six areas: Discover and nurture your capacity for creative PASSION; Develop these skills: Flexibility Emotional sensitivity Receptiveness to new ideas Intuitiveness Perseverance Openness to risk Curiosity Playfulness Tolerance of disorder Apply creative skills in every aspect of your life (from self to relationships; from workplace to community). Learn to value ideas from whatever source they come. Look at ideas as stepping stones to other ideas rather than things to be judged. Keep a note pad or sketchbooks with you at all times. Record all your ideas, together with details of what you were doing when the idea came to you. Look back over your ideas a few months later, and see if you can discover your most creative environment. Learn from your failures. Remember, "The only person who never makes a mistake is the person who never does anything." - Theodore Roosevelt