Creativity

 

Creativity

Sleep on It!

We say it all the time, “I’ll sleep on it and get back to you with an answer.”  Often, it works.  Some of our greatest ideas, our most creative work can happen while we are sleeping.  It's even a time for problem-solving.

Does that happen for you?  Are your inspirations the result of a good night’s rest?  For me, the answer is often a resounding yes.  I ‘m sometimes amazed at the great ideas awaiting me when I waken.   I’ve even “slept” on some of my biggest decisions and the outcome was terrific.

The challenge in a sleep-deprived nation, how do we actually make “sleep on it” work?  If we go to bed worried or anxious, the odds of wakening with a brilliant solution or a terrific idea are reduced.  For the sleep-deprived, “sleeping on it” may even grow their sleeplessness. 

Naturally, good ‘sleep hygiene’ rules apply: no caffeine before bed, only use your bed for sleeping, go to bed at the same time every night and follow bedtime rituals consistently.  

Going to bed rituals are especially important.  If you like to read yourself to sleep, be sure it’s a book that enables sleep.  If it’s a book that energizes your brain, you’re less likely to fall asleep.  Worse, if your brain is “hooked” on your book, it’s not likely you’ll come up with an inventive solution. 

Instead of an exciting book, choose one that is calming.  Or, when you want to waken with a great idea, skip reading altogether.  Instead, as you lay down to bed, begin thinking about the subject you are “sleeping on”.  What ideas do you have so far?  What are your expectations for the solution?  Can you think beyond the expected?  Fall asleep with your mind on your subject.

Or, fall asleep remembering the good things that happened during the day.  That primes your mind, readies for it for good rest which is the ideal time for great ideas.

For your best “sleep on it” results, plan your nighttime rituals and give it some practice.  You may well surprise yourself with your innovative outcomes.

Strong People

 

Strong People

Why a Strong People Section?

Strength is a quality all humans share.  Originally, this tab was to be named Strong Woman Ways in homage to a terrific 1980’s musical theater song, Strong Woman Number.¹  Then, I realized that Everyday Success™ is for all people, women and men. Still, the words from the song are, as it says, strong.  We can all have this kind of strength.

I’m doin’ my strong woman number,
walkin’ with my head held high.
Doin’ my strong woman number,
determination in my eye.

7 Steps To Making Decisions

 

7 Steps To Making Decisions

Making Decisions Is Easier When You Use Circles Of Control.

Have you been wavering, trying to make a decision but you just can’t decide?  While it won’t give you the answer, using Circles of Control can be helpful.  Why?  With Circles of Control, you’ll actually figure out what must happen to reach your goal and you’ll figure out who controls each of the steps to your goal. 

It may seem backwards, but with Circles of Control, you’ll start at the end, at what it is you want to actually happen.  Here are the steps in Circles of Control. 

1. What do you want to happen, in other words, what is your goal?  To begin, ask yourself what it is you want to happen.  Are you trying to decide between job offers?  Or, are you and your spouse deciding to begin a family?  What about deciding to buy a home?  Whatever your outcome, see it clearly.  Make it come alive in your mind. 
2. What makes your goal meaningful to you?  What are the attributes of your objective that are most meaningful to you?  When deciding between job offers, for example, there are many points to consider.  Naturally, the details of the job itself will be important.  Does it use your greatest strengths?  Is there a pathway for promotion and growth?  What is the pay? What about the company, is it thriving, is it prestigious? What makes your goal meaningful to you?
3. List the steps to reach your outcome.  With your goal and the reasons it is important in mind, list all the steps necessary for you to reach your goal.  Remember that there is never a single straight path to an outcome.  Think of all the different routes you can take to get to your outcome.  Add those to your list.  Why?  Because you may need to alter your path somewhat as you determine the degree of control you have at each step. 
4. Assign levels of control to each step to your outcome.   For every step to your goal, decide between Direct Control, is it an action you can take where you are certain of the result? Influential Control, are you able to influence the person other than yourself, who has direct control? or No Control, an action where neither you nor another can exert control.
   A quick way to think about the circles of control is to think about the money you need for a trip.  You would have direct control over the money you need by saving a specific amount of money each month.  You would have influential control over the money you need for the trip if you decided to ask someone for the money.  You would have no control over the money you need for the trip if you decided you’d get it by winning the lottery.
5. Reality checks.  Every step to your outcome must be possible.  A regular reality check is helpful as you examine the level of control for each step of your planned journey.
6. Is anything in your No Control circle a barrier to your goal?  For the steps over which you have no control, determine if it is a barrier to your goal.  If the step is necessary to reach your goal but you have no control over making it happen, you’ll need to look at alternative paths to your outcome. 
7. Keep an eye on each step to your goal.  Surprisingly, steps to your goal or outcome can change.  Sometimes a No Control step can change to an Influential Control step.  Other times, a Direct Control can slide to a No Control.  Until you reach your goal, be sure to keep an eye on your degree of control for each step. 

Now that you’ve identified the steps to your outcome and who holds control for each step, it’s time to put your plan into action.

Life in Balance

 Home > Everyday Life > Journey of Life > Life in Balance 

Is Perfect Possible?

Imagine a field of red tulips.  If you’d prefer, make it a field of yellow tulips.  In your mind’s eye, see those tulips of a single color for as far as you can see.  Then, imagine there’s one white tulip in your field of red.  Or, see a purple tulip in your field of yellow.  Long thought to be the perfect flower, tulip folklore tells of growers planting one bulb of another color to prove the field was planted by man who isn't perfect. 

Many of us seek perfection every single day.  We don’t plant that extra bulb in our lives.  We don’t allow for the purple amongst the yellows or the white amongst the reds.  Instead, we wear the mantle of perfection, seeking to “have it all” and do it right. 

It’s a hallmark of today’s life.  We pack our lives with work and family and a load of commitments.  At the same time, we won’t settle for anything less than doing it all perfectly.  That’s the challenge.  Without a staff, without a team of helpers and assistants, it’s never easy to take on a heavy load of commitments and expect perfection. 

Taking on an extreme load can lead to an imbalanced life.  While we can manage an extreme and imbalanced load for a time, maybe a year or two, often there’s a point when one or more of the commitments suffers from our depleted energy.  

Where do we get this inclination to over-commit and then expect perfection?  Often, it comes from fiction.  That’s right, we see movies and television shows, we read books and magazines, all loaded with stories that glamorize extreme commitment making it seem possible.  It’s easy to absorb the message and expect extreme perfection of ourselves. 

It is also human nature.  We naturally want to do everything well.   Instead of chastising yourself, consider ways to moderate your demands for perfection.  Here are some considerations:

1. Reconsider your life's timing.  If perfection is your preference, emphasize chosen life goals at different stages in your life.  If, for example, you want to have a family and a terrific career, consider gaining strong career experience before you start your family.  Then, reduce your career commitments during your child-raising period, returning to heavier career commitment at a later point.  You’ll find your need for perfection is more easily managed when you aren’t trying to do it all at the same time.

2.  Be certain you value the commitments you’ve taken on.  Many of us are inveterate yes-sayers.  When asked to help out, to lend a hand, it's hard to imagine a response other than yes.  Review your commitments annually.  Hold on to those you value but, if they are consuming more time than you have, find a new or different way to express your commitment.  Weed-out or reduce your engagement in areas where you feel luke-warm.

3. No one knows what you’ve planned.  Your vision of perfection may not be the same as others.  Your expectations may exceed those of many.  Whether they do or not, keep watch on meeting extreme expectations.  At the same time, infuse the commitments you do accept with your personal style.  Your spouse or partner, your children, your family and friends, even your employer understand the essence of you.  If you take one item off your “must do to be perfect list”, it will not change your essence.  Besides, it's likely they won't notice that one item on your mental list of musts is missing – only you knew it was there. 

4. Add the bell-shaped curve to your thinking.  That’s right!  You remember, the bell-shaped curve showing that a tiny number of people are at the “best” and “worst” ends of any question.  Most people, about 96%, will usually fall into the center.  It’s okay to shoot for the upper end without maxing to the extreme of perfection.

5. Remember to take a breath, smile and appreciate the white tulip in your field of perfect red.

Money Matters In the 21st Century

 

Money Matters In the 21st Century

It’s a changed world.

We’re electronically connected.  So much so that governments have been toppled with tweets.  Vast numbers of us no longer do our work in an office, instead working virtually from wherever we need to be to get the job done.  Many of us no longer buy books or CDs or newspapers or even movies, instead, we download exactly what we want onto our phone, tablet, PC or TV.  Many of us even skip a trip to the mall, preferring to order online. 

We’re global.  The earthquake and tsunami in Japan slowed auto production and tv delivery into the US.  The upheaval of Middle Eastern political systems threatened US oil consumption which meant higher gas prices.  China tightly controls rare earth mineral mining, putting pressure on U.S. production of eco products.

We’re selective.  No longer do we buy a whole CD, no longer do we buy a whole newspaper.  We only get the podcast, article or song we really want.  We live where we want.  We wear what we want.  We read what we want. 

We’re inventive.   We’re instantaneous.  We have choices. 

Companies have changed.  Competitive challenge is greater than ever.  Economic pressures force operating decisions that result in painful outcomes.  Firms bypass domestic employees for far less costly offshore staffing and manufacturing.  Some firms have even changed their headquarters to foreign soil to avoid high corporate taxation.  Whole swaths of middle managers have simply become unnecessary. 

The employee-employer dynamic is altogether changed.  No longer does the employer take responsibility for each employee through retirement.  Today, we are responsible for all our retirement costs.  While some firms partially fund 401-k’s, there are few pension programs remaining other than for federal, state and local employees.

We’re personally responsible.  No longer can we count on cradle to grave employment packages.  No longer can we be absolutely sure our job will last even to the next decade.  In place, it’s up to us to not just figure out what we want and need in our lives, but also to make it happen.  That’s not just economics but also finding all the things in life that makes it a good life.  It is financial and it is personal.

It's a changed world.  Have we kept up?  Have you?  Have I?  Yes, we’re all connected.  Yes, we’re all electronic.  Yes, we’re now very selective about the things we choose to want.  Still, there are some deeper consequences to living in this changed world that are not as visible, not as talked about, not as easy to manage.

There are some basic 21st century rules for money:

Decide on your life economic goals.   What do you want to happen in your life that costs money?   Assign dates to each goal so that you can spread your economic goals over the course of your life.  Estimate the costs for your goals and dreams across your lifetime.  Then, work to make those goals happen.

Think profit.   Whether from the work you do as an employee or the work you do for your own company, profit is an imperative.  Profit is not cash flow.  Your personal profit comes after all your expenses, every last cost is covered.  The amount that remains is your profit.

What do you do with profit?  It’s your personal profit that you use to achieve your economic goals.   Your personal profit is what will fund all your economic goals from home ownership to travel and even retirement.

Multiple sources of income.   Today, it’s risky to rely only on your income from a job.  Whether you work for a company or for yourself, there are ways for you to bring in money from sources in addition to your working income.  Establishing multiple revenue streams is important. See Multiple Income Sources in this section.

What is Money Matters?

 

Money Matters

What is Money Matters?

The rules have changed.  We are each in charge of our own financial destiny.  We are each responsible for the money in our lives.  That means that the choices we make every single day can change our future. 

In the Money Matters sections, you’ll find tips, guidance and, hopefully, answers to questions.  At the left, you’ll find links to each of the sections. 

Two sections relate to work; they are working at the company and work when you own your own business.  Under At the Company, you’ll find tips for working success, job search success and career change.  For small business start-up ideas as well as tips on creating multiple streams of income, look at the Own Your Business articles.

Perhaps you will uncover an idea you can adapt for your life.