Category: Personal development (page 37 of 37)

A collection of blog posts about personal development. Here, Zamai Banje writes and discusses personal development and how it affects young individuals.

Want to be Creative? Then adopt these 3 easy steps used by Children

I’m sure you remember when you were very young, worry-free and constant ideas ran through your little mind.

Or maybe you currently have a kid bro (or sis) who is happy drawing with crayons, building blocks and tapping away on your smartphone.

And then you wonder:
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME? WHY DON’T I FEEL AS CREATIVE AS BEFORE?

Don’t worry.

After reading this post, your creativity will be boosted in double folds.

You will work on your business without fear, but with joy and happiness. You will learn the traits children express in their prime, which gives them unlimited passion and energy.

And you will apply it to your life and activities too.

This post contains three ultimate tips to boosting your creativity, just by observing the beautiful minds of children.

Have you ever seen the statement below?

“Every child is born an artist; the problem is staying an artist when we grow up.”

The above quote is attributed to famous painter, Pablo Picasso (most likely where the photo editing app, ‘Picasa’ got their name from).

We might be adults now, but here are the three ultimate tips we can adapt to our creative lifestyle:

BE PLAYFUL AND IDEAS (EVEN PEOPLE) WILL DANCE AT YOUR FEET

Ironically, I underestimated this tip because I was not playful during my childhood days. However, Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a moment’s notice, stresses the importance of play in the life of a creative.

Only through play, you can apply those crazy and quirky techniques you probably won’t do in a workplace or in a job of a client. Try them out.

Play and explore with unbridled freedom.

Have a sense of adventure. Be full of life and energy. Don’t grouch and greet everybody with a sneer (unless that’s your outward style).

But, always be happy and happy inwards. Let your heart always scream with joy when you create. Let your brain tingle with excitement when the time for work starts.

Playful energy also happens to be contagious. People are always attracted with lively creatives. It is probably the wildfire of long-lasting and beneficial relationships. Because positivity is infectious and spreads very fast.

BE CURIOUS AND THE DOTS WILL SURELY CONNECT

Children love to explore with a sense of wonder and animated curiosity. They constantly open themselves to new experiences.

Be curious. Have a sense of wonder. Always look at your task from a fresh perspective. No matter how monotonous the task could be. Or even if you have been doing the said activity for years.

Success often comes by consistently improving yourself and your craft. But Mastery comes from finding the dots from other fields and connecting them to your own work. This can only come through curiosity.

BE VULNERABLE AND THE UNIVERSE WILL OPEN TO YOU

With their immaturity and openness, children are the most vulnerable in the life stages of humans. Yet, this weakness is also their greatest strength.

In a world where almost everybody puts on a “all-is-good” mask, smiling faces and refuse to share their problems, be the opposite. Share your hopes, fears, and beliefs in the work you produce.

Ask questions. Don’t hide your ignorance. Open up to a few people you can trust with your secrets. Take advice from mentors and people you admire.

Appreciate feedbacks even the crazy pessimistic ones. Sift out the sense your haters and nay-sayers may be trying to say. As the adage goes, there is an element of truth in any rumor.

Whether you want to be a god in your self-talk and attitude. Or be human in your mistakes and when limitations come. Just be yourself. Just do you.

So, be vulnerable. Trust in your work. Trust in yourself. Trust in your friends to like you and share your work. Trust in your clients to come back and for more referrals. Trust in giving more value, even for free, sometimes. Just keep trusting.

Sometimes, trust will get you stabbed in the back: it might earn you ridicule and jest in your career or craft. But trust me, in the long run, vulnerability will get you into higher places. It will take you to higher levels where good always overpowers the evil.

And when that time comes, you will realize the Universe has always been opening doors for you. And it will continue to create opportunities for you, your work and your ideas.

So that’s it.

With these three traits copied from the younger versions of ourselves, our creativity can be boosted in a thousand folds.

Reading this hack might make you wonder less about the words spoken two thousand years ago:

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Maybe He was speaking about creativity too.

So dear creative, which trait will you adapt in your life today?

Photo credits: Unsplash.com

What is Creativity to You?

Whenever you hear the word Creativity, what comes to your mind?

Do you believe creativity is a unique trait found only in geniuses e.g. Albert Einstein, Mozart, Charles Darwin, Chinua Achebe or Leonardo Da Vinci? Or do you believe it is a value out of the reach of ordinary individuals like you and I?

You need to define creativity at one point of your life or the other.

In Elizabeth Gibert’s words, “Creativity is the hallmark of our species.” Creativity is a gift from the creator to you, and it should be shared to your audience.

Creativity is the zero to one formula. Creating something from nothing. It is the tendency to create works of art, science and business from thoughts generated from our mind, heart and soul.

To Leonardo da Vinci, creativity was exploring various fields from painting, sculpture, architecture, botany, anatomy to cartography and connecting the dots to create brilliant works of art.

To J.K Rowling, creativity was writing day and night to create a magical fictional universe currently loved by millions. Just because she observed her environment while waiting for a train.

To Paulo Coelho, creativity is paving a path of the Warrior of light, pursuing your dreams with a strong conviction that the Universe will conspire in your favour and make good things come to you. This eventually led him to write one of the most translated books of all time.

To Jay Shetty, creativity is using his past experiences as a monk and using videos as channels of wisdom on relationships, personal development and life in general. In his own terms, the focus is make ‘wisdom go viral.’

To John Obidi, creativity is building and maintaining a thriving community of problem solvers and creative thinkers spread across Africa. Just by providing value and sharing his drive for personal development.

To some individuals, creativity could be travelling to see new lands, cultures and connecting with strangers to gain a wider perspective on life.

And yet to others, creativity is a solitary task. It is simply securing a quiet spot and specific time where they can connect with their inner genie to create life-changing and soul-satisfying works.

Creativity is learning the rules and bending them to your advantage. When push comes to shove, creativity is breaking the rules.

So learn to define creativity in your own terms. Make sure your view on creativity comes from your interests, passions and experiences. And you can make creativity a deliberate and intentional act.

Because it is one of the few ways to distinguish yourself from others. It is the only way to build a strong personal brand and stand out in the crowd.

To me, creativity is being curious, open minded and enthusiastic about learning. It is learning to trust in my work and leaving a part of myself in anything I write. It is also breaking the illusion that creativity is meant for geeks and nerds alone.

To me, creativity can be a daily part of my life. And it can be yours too.

So, dear what is creativity to you?