No, I’m not talking about banging your head with your camera! (although that would distract you momentarily!) These tips will help slow you down and remind you to be present. When you are fully aware of this moment, it is much harder to get overwhelmed, stressed and future trip.

1. Take yourself on a photo walk with your camera. Just 10 minutes is all you will need. Go slow. Breathe. Really look. Take photos of all the details along the way. Get closer to your subject and take more photos. This is a walking photo meditation. It’s sacred time for you to be shown the wonder that awaits you right outside your door.

2. Look for power signs. The universe is sending you messages all the time. Set your intention to notice the signs. When you do, take photographs of them. What does the sign mean for you? What is the universe trying to tell you. What is it that you’ve forgotten?

3. Pick a time of day and schedule taking one photo. Be mindful of this time. Be present while taking the photograph. Practice awareness while you look through the viewfinder. Here is an example of a photo a day called the “Nap” Series.

4.Visual gratitude list through photography. Take photos of all the people, places and things in your life that you are grateful for. I bet you can come up with at least 5 things. But even ONE thing is a great start. Do this on a regular basis. It will shift your attention from all the stuff out there, to all the heart felt stuff that really matters most.

5. Write a list. What does a list have to do with photography? Complete the first task on the list. Then get up and walk away. With camera in hand go find an interesting view or composition and take a photo. This practice can help bring more joy. Do a task. Take a photo. Rinse and Repeat. Get creative about the photo you take. It could be a self-portrait in the mirror or of your feet outside on the grass. Be curious. Shift gears. Let go.

Photography is a great tool to end stress. It can help shift your attention. You will find yourself more centered and productive. Look through the viewfinder as a way out from under the pile of “to do’s”.  When you do, it will bring you to a place of peace and joy.

Catherine is an award winning photographer with a passion for helping others achieve their dreams. Her photos have been published on the cover of National Geographic Magazine and inside Oprah.com. She leads Soul*Full Retreats and eCourses for women, merging creativity and personal growth. Find out which one is the best fit for you at http://www.catherinejust.com, and follow her on Twitter @Catherine_Just.

Imagine you received this letter from a child:

“Hello,

I will become a president.

I know … I know.

You’re thinking I’m a naive kid. You won’t believe in me or in my ability to reach that lofty goal. You’re laughing at me and thinking I’m like all kids who say things they don’t really mean. But I want you to know one little thing.

I’m proud of my childish way of thinking. And I mean what I’m saying. I want and will be a president. You adults spoil your lives with your dull and dumb way of thinking.

You adults spoil your lives when you become afraid of everything and play it safe.

You adults spoil your lives when you worry about everything.

You adults spoil your lives when you take it too seriously.

You adults spoil your lives when you try and be Realistic!

I was born differently.

I was born joyful to enjoy every moment.

I was born courageous to try everything.

I was born persistent to get what I want.

I was born to speak from the heart.

And I’m not shy of telling everyone what I feel is really important to me.

I don’t want to become realistic like you.

I don’t want to give up on my dreams.

I want to play it big, not to play it safe.

I love and believe in the beauty of my dream.

I will become a president.

And the only way I know to achieve my dream is to stop being realistic.

I know that one day I will grow up. But I will work hard to preserve my childish way of thinking and acting.

I don’t want to become realistic, if I have to spend the rest of my life at a job I hate.

I don’t want to become realistic, if I have to care about money more than I care about my family and the people I love.

I don’t want to become realistic, if I have to care about work more than I care about my well-being.

I don’t want to become realistic, if I have to give up on my dreams too early and too easily.

I don’t want to become realistic, if I have to ignore the love and light in my heart.

When I grow up, I will remain as foolish as you think I’m now.

When I grow up, I will remain as hasty as you think I’m now.

When I grow up, I will remain as naive as you think I’m now.

When I grow up, I will become all the bad things you think I’m now, but I will not become realistic.

See this lamp that is lightening my room. It wouldn’t have been there, if Mr. Edison was realistic.

I’m afraid to tell you that if I become as realistic as you are, I will achieve nothing!

Last night before I went to bed, I heard someone say to me, “Son, your heart is your one and only trusted friend and advisor. Listen to it”

I love this advice. It makes a lot of sense to me.

Ok, that’s enough for this letter. Now, I have a lot of work to do.

Presidents should be busy, shouldn’t they?

So, here is my final advice to you…

If you want to become a president like me, don’t be ______ (fill in the blanks).”

What do you think?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

M. Tohami, bestselling author and motivational speaker, helps unfulfilled corporate professionals safely quit a job they hate and start living with passion. He’s the creator of The P.A.S. Technique, the world’s easiest way to find your passion and purpose in life. Claim your free gifts at his blog, www.TransformationalMotivation.com

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“You are beautiful no matter what they say. Words can’t bring you down, no, no. Cause you are beautiful in every single way. Yes words can’t bring you down.” ~lyrics from ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera

(Note: Men, please share this with the women in your life.)

It’s hard to be beautiful — and even harder to feel beautiful.

The current media ideal for womenís overall appearance is achievable by less than 2% of the female population. But we are bombarded with this unrealistic ideal.

Young women today see more images of exceptionally beautiful women in one day than our mothers saw throughout their entire teenage years. It’s no wonder that 8 out of 10 women are dissatisfied with their appearance.

The standards of female beauty have become progressively more unrealistic and unattainable. We need full-time hairdressers, make-up artists, physical trainers, and dietitians just to attempt to keep up.

The truth is that most of us aren’t “beautiful” by the current media standards of beauty. And even models and actresses are outed as less than perfect when they are caught in their natural state by lurking tabloid photographers. Maintaining that standard of perfection must be exhausting and humiliating.

Even though we know this standard of beauty is unrealistic and unattainable, most of us spend far to much time, emotional energy, and money attempting to keep up. It doesn’t matter whether you are young with enviable skin and a tight butt or beginning to see gray hairs and wrinkles, you probably focus far more on your perceived flaws than you do on any aspect of your true beauty.

Although physical attractiveness can help you get a foot in the door, it has very little to do with sustaining relationships and even less with developing real self-confidence. We’ve all seen beautiful people who open their mouths and become instantly less attractive, or unattractive people who become more and more appealing because they exude something special.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wave a magic wand and eliminate all of the insecurities and self-loathing that is wrapped up in the struggle for beauty? What if you could just walk away from it all and just live your life focused on what makes you joyful and confident?

With practice, this can be done! For those of us in the 99% who will never make it on the pages of a magazine, we can feel absolutely beautiful by shifting our actions and attitude.

Here are 36 ways to start feeling absolutely beautiful right now:

1. Smile. It lights up your face. It triggers happiness in your brain. It makes others feel happy.

2. Remember your posture. Stand up straight. Hold your head high. Throw those shoulders back. You look confident, energetic, amazing!

3. Focus on the best not the worst. Stop staring at the wrinkle or the bulge. Quit comparing yourself to Patty Perfect. Let your “worst” features recede and focus on your best instead. You have far more beautiful features than you see!

4. Be amazed at the wonder of your body. No matter your size, shape, or age, your body is a miraculous temple. Observe how wondrously it operates to house the beautiful person you are.

5. Appreciate your flaws. You are part of the Great Community of Flawed Persons. Welcome to the club. So embrace your flaws as a reminder of your connection to humanity. Flawed is the new perfect.

6. Be expressive. When you are animated and expressive, the fullness of your personality shines through. What could be more beautiful?

7. Get excited. Allow yourself to be enthusiastic and excited about life. Don’t let your concerns about appearance hold you back from embracing the beauty of living. It will reflect back on you!

8. Break a sweat. Get some exercise. Put on that lovely spandex and move your beautiful body. Get an endorphin high. Let your hair get sweaty and greasy. Through the sweat you are shining like star!

9. Practice beautiful movement. Try ballet, tai chi, yoga or some other movement that is fluid and allows your body to respond in beautiful new ways.

10. Acknowledge your inner beauty. Get pen and paper and write down all of the beauty that you do, that you give, that you create, and that you are. You are a powerhouse of beauty.

11. Show kindness. A kind person is exquisite in their beauty. It shines from them like a beacon of hope and peace.

12. Don’t try too hard. Don’t overdo it with make-up or clothes. Don’t spend thousands getting surgery. Don’t exercise yourself to death. When you try too hard, you look desperate. It’s hard to feel beautiful when you feel desperate.

13. Don’t act your age. Your age doesn’t define you or your capacity for beauty. In fact, age ripens you and provides a lushness to your bad, beautiful self! Live the age you feel.

14. Create something. Creativity is the handmaiden of beauty. Creativity is beauty expressing itself through you. Paint, write, garden, scult, cook, sew, decorate — be creative and you will feel beauty spilling out of every pore.

15. Inspire others. As the poet Rumi writes, “Let the beauty we love be what we do.” Do beautiful things. Live beauty. Be beauty. You will inspire others through your beauty.

16. Stop your thoughts. It’s hard to feel beautiful when your brain is whirring away like a ticker tape with negative thoughts about your appearance or age. When you are trapped in those thoughts, stop yourself and redirect your thinking.

17. See yourself through the eyes of a loved one. View yourself the way those dearest to you see you. Offer yourself the love they offer you. Feel the beauty they feel around you.

18. Connect with the beauty of nature. You are part of the natural world in all of its infinite glory and seasonal changes. As you experience nature, become aware of your connection to the beauty around you.

19. Listen to beautiful music. Certain music speaks to your soul. It touches and enlivens the most spiritual and beautiful parts of ourselves. Listen to Brandenburg Concertos #5 by Bach to feel your beauty come alive.

20. Make love. No explanation needed.

21. Wear clothes well. If you aren’t a natural at dressing to suit your body type, age, and coloring, find someone to help you find clothing highlight the beauty inside of you.

22. Hug often. Share loving physical touch with friends and family. It’s a beautiful thing!

23. Get enough sleep. You know what lack of sleep does to your appearance, not to mention your mental health. A good night’s sleep is a mini facelift!

24. Dance. Dance alone. Dance with a partner. Dance like no one is watching. Dancing makes you feel like a beautiful child, carefree and happy.

25. Update your make-up. Make sure your make-up doesn’t look dated, too heavy, or just wrong. Sometimes we get stuck in make-up ruts. An new look can highlight your most beautiful features.

26. Have a beautiful mind. Don’t corrupt your mind with ugly thoughts about yourself or others. Don’t dwell on unpleasant things. Don’t watch violence or negative programs or movies. Fill your thoughts with loveliness.

27. Stop smoking. It ages your skin, it smells bad, it’s bad for you, and it doesn’t reflect self-love. Dropping this bad habit will instantly make you feel more beautiful.

28. Be outgoing, even if it’s hard. Initiate conversations. Show interest in people. Make introductions. Smile. Bridging the gap between stranger and friend feels beautiful.

29. Do physical work. If you have a desk job, sometimes you miss the beauty of a task completed with the physical evidence of your accomplishment. Do something physical like washing the car, raking leaves, gardening, etc. to see the fruits of your labor. Moving, working, accomplishing — that feels beautiful!

30. Take care of your teeth. Since you are now smiling often, you want your teeth to look their pearly best. White, clean teeth make you look ten years younger. Plus, it’s hard to smile if you are embarrassed about your teeth.

31. Create beauty around you. Let your surroundings reflect the beauty inside of you. Remove clutter. Clean windows. Add flowers. Let your home be filled with your beauty.

32. Cook a beautiful meal. Well-prepared, healthy, and delicious food prepared by loving hands is beauty for the mouth and the soul.

33. Reduce stress. Anxiety, a furrowed brow, a tense frown, hunched shoulders are all the physical manifestations of stress. Find the cause of your stress and do something to relieve it. Shine the light of your beauty on the situation. It might dissolve.

34. Exude self-confidence. Show the world that you know you are beautiful where it counts. Your self-confidence rises in direct proportion to your self-acceptance. Love the unique and beautiful person you are and share that with the world.

35. Dress up. Life has gotten increasingly casual. Dress up on occasion. In fact, be the best dressed person in the room. Wear red! Turn a few heads.

36. Express gratitude. Be grateful for everything you are and everything you have. The handful of complaints you have about your appearance is nothing compared to the cornucopia of blessings that surround you. Bathe in the beauty of your blessings, and it will transform you from the inside out.

Barrie Davenport is a personal and career coach and the founder of Live Bold and Bloom, a blog about fearless personal growth. She is the author of the free guide 7 Key Ingredients to a Meaningful Life.

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Photo credit: Carol Richardson Marty

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This post is for anyone who is trying to do artistic work (writing, painting, computer programming, sculpting, music composition and recording, whatever) – or trying to make money (entrepreneur, salaried, investor, whatever).

People that desire to create and enterprise do a lot to build the world, but it’s often a lonely and frustrating path.

And due to the nature of that, most creative and enterprising people make a key mistake.

They keep trying to re-invent the wheel.

Please stop doing that.

When you get into a new field, you start by getting a hang of the basics. You dabble, experiment, maybe read or research a little on the topic.

This is all good.

But then, a lot of artistic/enterprising people make a serious mistake – they get all their lessons on how to improve the hard way, by reinventing the wheel and struggling in ways that have already been struggled before.

You can cut a lot of frustration and learning curve time off if you do things more systematically.

Step 1 – Start dabbling and playing in the endeavor, seeing if you like it.

Step 2 – Pick up the basics, start putting a stable amount of time into your endeavor.

Step 3 – Now, before pouring energy in haphazardly, start also learning how the most successful people in the field did it.

Read summaries and biographies of people that have come before you.

It’s amazing how many people don’t do this, because it means you’re going to make serious mistakes and do inopportune things that could have been avoided.

For instance, if you’re a businessman thinking taking investment, you’d do really well to read Ted Turner’s biography, Call Me Ted. He references one of his biggest mistakes as giving veto power to two investors on his board of directors, who abused that power and blocked him from doing good deals sometimes.

By reading Call Me Ted, you learn about how Ted had free reign to produce at Turner Industries until he gave over that veto clause, and you make a mental note not to do that.

If you read the great biography of John Rockefeller, Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.,  you learn about potentially getting in trouble with the government. Microsoft had similar problems. So if you were building to a large scale, you’d want to start lobbying and putting some expense into building the general good simultaneous with your business in order to have regulators look favorably on you.

If you’re a salesman, you should find biographies of the best salesmen in similar fields.

Likewise, if you’re doing creative work, you should learn about the habits and practice of highly creative people. Napping is a big one that many great creators would use – Thomas Jefferson would half-nap in a chair with ball bearings in his hand. Immediately after he fell totally asleep, the ball bearings would hit the floor and make a racket and he’d get back up.

That way, he’d get short rests and get the semi-awake creativity bursts.

If you’re a musician, read about the great performers. There’s many biographies and stories about The Beatles’ legendary work ethic when they were first getting started.

If you’re into comedy, check out Steve Martin and Jerry Seinfeld’s writings on the topic.

If you’re a writer, check out  On Writing by Stephen King.

The nature of doing meaningful things in the world means it can be lonely and individualistic. The stereotype of creativity feeds into that. But if you wholesale accept that attitude, you wind up making many mistakes you could have avoided.

You’re not alone. Whatever you’re doing, someone has done an excellent job with it in the past. Seek them out, hear their words, learn their lessons, and make lots of great art and lots of money.

Sebastian Marshall writes daily on strategy, philosophy, personal finance, travel, and history. You might enjoy “How to Get a Raise” if you’re salaried and “What Skills Do You Need to be an Entrepreneur? Only Two” if you’re self-employed. His RSS feed is free to join if you like his writing.

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Do you remember those magical times in your childhood when you could lose yourself in your imagination? You could become anything and anyone, and life was full of infinite possibilities and exciting potential. Logic didn’t get in the way, blocking your sense of freedom and joy. And if life was miserable, you could escape from it all through the creative, imaginative world you made for yourself.

It’s no accident that as children we practice all sorts of situations and personas, trying them on for size and preparing ourselves in a safe and harmless way for whatever life might have in store for us. And that free-thinking, creative imagination is more than just a trial run at real life. It’s an invaluable tool when it comes to the resilience and creativity needed to solve life’s problems as they arise, and it’s a huge aid in remaining positive and avoiding or combating depression and negative patterns of thought.

But as we become adults, most of us let “reality” put us in straight-jackets. We let our thinking get into a rut, and allow our beliefs to become fixed and inflexible. If we’re lucky, we’ll find some kind of outlet, through our work or hobbies that will let us flex our creative muscles. But for many of us, those muscles are allowed to become stiff and unused, which in turn leaves us feeling stale and quite possibly bored with our humdrum existence.

So why not decide, today, to try to reawaken that creativity? It’s time to dust it off, stretch those wings, and access the light-hearted joy that comes from remembering that anything’s possible. The tips below can help to re-ignite your creative thinking, or can be consciously used to try to help you come up with new and different solutions to problems you may be “stuck” in. They’re all designed to get your creative unconscious mind firing, to help you think a little differently and have some fun. So take your pick, or if you’re feeling bold, why not try them all, and see how this rediscovered, creative “you” feels!

1. Allocate one day each week for a month as “taste something new” day, and commit to trying something you’ve never eaten before. It could be as simple as buying and tasting a new kind of fruit, or if you enjoy cooking, seek out new recipes you’d like to try. Or try out that new restaurant that just opened. Whether you like what you try or not doesn’t matter. Simply opening yourself up to new experiences helps you to feel less in a rut.

2. Think of a person you really admire. Someone you think is creative, exciting, strong and positive. They should have many attributes you aspire to. They can be a real person or a fictional character. Jot down on a piece of paper what it is that you admire so much about this person. In what ways do you wish you were like them? Now think of a problem you have, or a situation you’re not sure how to handle, and think to yourself, “If I were that person, with the resources I have available, what would I do about this?”

3. Take a familiar photograph, painting or image of any kind and turn it upside down. Spend a few minutes studying it from this new perspective. What details, shapes, patterns or thoughts do you notice that you never noticed before?

4. Think of a traditional fairy tale that you heard as a child, a story that you’re so familiar with that you know it thoroughly. Now pick either the antagonist (the “baddie”) or one of the minor characters (e.g. one of the seven dwarves), and think about or preferably write down how the same story might look from that character’s point of view. You might even want to change the ending of the story completely so your new protagonist is the one the wins out in the end, or just take that character and make a whole new story focussing on them… let your imagination run riot!

5. Take a problem or situation you have to think about, and imagine you are a child, about 6 years old. Children’s thinking can be refreshingly straightforward. What would a child say about this problem? Try to get into the simple, “why not?” frame of mind of a young child. We often overlook obvious, simple solutions and over-complicate our thinking.

6. Give something creative a go. When was the last time you drew something? Painted? Danced? Sang? Played an instrument? Acted? Made something from modelling clay? Carved something in wood? Knitted, embroidered or sewed? Took artistic photographs? Sign up to some evening classes, or get some good books out of the library and allocate an hour or two of your time once a week to rediscovering some creative pursuits.

7. Do you meditate? Regular meditation can be surprisingly effective in relaxing us and getting both halves of our brain (the creative and the logical parts) working in harmony with each other. Perhaps you’ve often thought about meditating but don’t think you’ve got the time? What if I said that just 5 minutes a day is all you need to get started? You can begin with a classic awareness meditation. Just close your eyes, and begin to notice your breathing. Notice how the air when you breathe in is cool and dry at the back of your nose and throat, but when you breathe out it’s warm and soft. Just continue to focus on your breath coming in and out, until you begin to feel yourself relax a little. Then just spend a few minutes noticing where your awareness takes you. You should feel calm and relaxed after just a few minutes of this, and doing this exercise regularly simply oils the wheels of your relaxed, creative mind, keeping it ready for use

8. Pick an image which includes people or a landscape. Look closely at the details in the image. Then imagine stepping into the image and exploring it. Who does your imagination decide these people are? Why are they doing what they’re doing? What are they thinking? Where does that path lead to? What is on the other side of that gate, door, river, etc. Allow yourself to roam free inside that photograph or image, and see what your unconscious comes up with.

9. Creative visualisation, a form of self hypnosis, can be used to tap in to your inner creativity. Get yourself really relaxed, then imagine yourself in a beautiful, natural place… exactly where is entirely up to you and your creative unconscious. Use all your senses to really feel yourself there. Somewhere in this place is a buried chest. Enjoy exploring your inner landscape until you find the buried chest. Inside the chest will be a gift, which symbolises a solution or an idea for the problem you set yourself (writers can use this to overcome a difficulty with plotting). Sit down and examine the gift in great detail, before coming back to the room, opening your eyes, then writing down all the ideas that come to you about what this gift could symbolise.

10. Try silence… the power of silence is very profound. We often run away from silence because in silence we only have our own thoughts for company, which can sometimes be quite a frightening prospect! But silence creates the space for truly creative thinking. Try sitting somewhere quiet – as quiet as possible – with no access to phones, tv, books, music or any other form of stimulus or distraction. Set a timer for one hour, and try to remain in silence with just your own thoughts for the full hour. If you haven’t done this before, it’s quite a challenge! At the end of the hour, grab a pen and paper and write down any significant thoughts that came up during that hour, or even just your thoughts on spending an hour in silence!

So there you go – plenty of ways to make space for the amazing, creative thoughts we can all have if we allow ourselves. Enjoy!

Donna Lee is a hypnotherapist with years of experience in helping people to empower themselves. She is the author of many hypnosis downloads (including one on creativity), which you can find over at HypnoShop.com. They have a large number of hypnotherapy sessions covering a wide range of topics.

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Creativity is a lot like oil. Society needs it in ever increasing amounts, yet as time progresses it seems to be quickly diminishing. No matter who you are, or what you do, you need creativity. Many people, such as bloggers and artists, rely on creativity every day. However, few people know how to really channel creativity. In this article I’m going to show you how to be creative whenever you want.

1. Creativity is a state of mind

Creativity isn’t some mysterious phenomenon that only happens every once in awhile. It’s a state of mind. Many people report that their creativity comes and goes, sometimes leaving for months at a time. This is because they only reach the state of mind responsible for creativity once every couple of months.

Rather than relying on luck, why not take conscious control of this process? It’s possible to train yourself to achieve that state whenever you’d like.

2. Consciously manifest the creative state

I’ve found that my ability to be creative is directly correlated to the peace of mind and focus that I have in any given situation. Removing stress and distraction is key to channeling the creative state. Here are some of the things you should do when you really want to be creative:

• Clear your mind and focus on what you want to create.
• Eliminate as many distractions as possible
• Create an atmosphere conducive to creativity
• Feed yourself positive thoughts about what you are doing
• Imagine the end result and let your subconscious do the real work

For example, I wanted this article to deliver a lot of value so I knew I had to be creative in how I went about writing it. Before starting, I closed my door and lit a candle. I then did a little meditation and relaxation. I visualized this article as being worthy of being read by many different people.

When I finally sat down at my computer, I felt a lot of positive energy surrounding what I was about to do. It was as if the words and sentences created themselves. I had channeled the creative state. This makes any creative endeavor you work on a breeze.

3. Love what you’re doing

If you find that you can’t be creative with what you’re doing, look at your thoughts and emotions. Are you feeling resentment or negativity? Do you have an attitude of “just getting it done?” Does it seem like it takes tremendous amounts of thought to create anything at all?

If any of these are true for you, there’s a good chance you aren’t enjoying what you’re doing. When I’m really into my activity, everything will be fun and flowing. It may be that you’re just over thinking what you’re doing or being a perfectionist. If that’s true, then go to #2 and clear your mind and really get into things.

On the other hand, you may already know that your heart just isn’t in it. Maybe you’re doing it for the money, or because your boss told you to. If that’s the case, you have to decide if inner inauthenticity and stress is worth whatever benefit you’ll eventually be given. More often than not, the best thing to do is to find something else you really love and work on that.

I hope this article helps you. After realizing creativity is merely a state of mind, you can learn to channel it. And of course the most important rule is, love what you do! Now go create!

Fred Tracy runs a personal development website where he blogs about insights and experiences designed to give you a better life. He also performs a lot of growth experiments on himself and isn’t above being a lab rat for his audience. You can find him on twitter and facebook as well.

GETTING yourself stuck in a creative rut can completely halt your productivity and hold you back. In my day-to-day, it’s difficult to write about things like credit cards and debt in an engaging way without at least a little creativity.

When you find yourself struggling to think of something new and innovative, consider these words from 10 great thinkers.

1. “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

- Scott Adams (American cartoonist)

Allowing yourself to make mistakes, without fear of failure, can be liberating for your creativity. This kind of anxiety keeps you from expressing your opinions and ideas, so get rid of it.

2. “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”

- Ray Bradbury (American sci-fi novelist)

Tying in nicely with the first quote, the ability to relinquish your fear of failure puts you in a position where you can simply pour every thought and idea out of your head. Don’t keep your bad ideas to yourself; let them out as they may develop into something better. Don’t second-guess your creative ideas, give them a fair shot.

3. “The air is full of ideas. They are knocking you in the head all the time. You only have to know what you want, then forget it, and go about your business. Suddenly, the idea will come through. It was there all the time.”

- Henry Ford (American industrialist)

Sometimes, ideas need to occur to you naturally. Sitting down and trying to come up with an idea can be counter-productive, so by busying yourself you may be just as likely to be struck by inspiration.

4. No chaos, no creation. Evidence: the kitchen at mealtime.
- Mason Cooley (American aphorist)

If you want to make an omelette, you have to break some eggs. The comparison to cookery is the perfect example of how creativity can be messy. You may have to tear up and throw away old ideas and practices to come up with something new.

5. “What’s the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules.

- Christopher Nolan (via Dom Cobb in the 2010 movie: Inception)

A good idea should take root and be self perpetuating. Allowing an idea to take hold and develop organically is important.

6. “And on the seventh day he rested.”

-  Book of Genesis, the Bible

Creationists believe that after six days of creating the heavens and the Earth, God had a day to rest. Taking a break is important for creativity, because working solidly will stress you out and stifle your creativity.

7. “Speed is absolutely key to creativity. The more time it takes to create something, the less likely you are to create something.”

- Patrick Stump (American musician)

Ideas are fleeting; make sure you capture them as soon as they strike. Carrying a notepad and pen or some sort of camera or audio recorder is the best way to lock down your ideas.

8. “Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”

- Charles Mingus (American jazz musician and Civil Rights activist)

The best ideas are often so simple everyone wonders why they hadn’t thought of them first. Think of things in their most basic forms, and eliminate the parts you don’t need.

9. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.”

- John F. Kennedy (American President)

Romanticize your ideas – believe that one great idea can change the world, and there is no reason that idea can’t be one of yours.

10. “Creativity is contagious, pass it on”

- Albert Einstein (German theoretical physicist)

Surround yourself with other creatives, sharing ideas breeds new ways of thinking and presents alternative points of view on the same subject.

Author Bio: Mark Hooson writes for Moneysupermarket.com about money-saving, consumer issues and personal finance.

Feeling burnt out or lacking creative ideas?

This article is especially for all you writers, artists, business owners or anyone looking for some new ways to get their creativity flowing.

Here are 15 ways to give your creativity a jump start:

Write Your Ideas Down

Get into the habit of writing your ideas down as soon as you get them. This way you train your brain to keep coming up with ideas, and as soon as you get them you write them down.

When they are written down you don’t have to worry about remembering them and this allows more room for new ideas to form in your mind.

Relax

Good ideas and creativity usually do not appear under stress. When you are relaxed and rejuvenated, creative ideas usually come rather naturally.

Take a walk on the beach, take a nap, go and play some sport or do whatever it is that relaxes you so that your brain can be more creative when you get back to work.

Have No Expectations

Similar to living with no stress, but specifically no stress from the outcome.

When you create with love and passion and no expectation of the outcome, the chances are much greater that you will create something remarkable!

Be Easy On Yourself

Stop criticizing yourself and stop being so harsh for yourself. Accept yourself the way you are and do things to the best of your ability.

You are enough and you are creative. Don’t let self-limiting beliefs block out your creativity! Remove the barriers and the ideas will begin to flow.

Read

Reading stimulates the mind. The more you read, the more you open your mind up to new ways of thinking and thus the more creative you will become.

I know that reading can be a bore, especially if you have to force yourself to do it. Just start small.

Choose a book on a topic that you like (it can even be about your favorite sport or artist) and spend 30 minutes before you go to bed reading that book. This way you can read 1-2 new books every month without it being a lot of effort, and it will definitely contribute to you being more creative.

Listen to Mozart

Albert Einstein said he owes his creativity to listening to Mozart pieces. Certain songs and compositions allow the brain to be more creative and function better.

Albert Einstein did not know why this was the case, but he found Mozart compositions to help his thinking.

In the present age the concept of music enhancing your thinking has been scientifically researched and proven. Certain frequencies have a positive effect on increasing your brain’s performance and creativity. Today they are known as Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tones.

Basically, scientists have engineered sound-files (I canít really call them songs) with researched frequencies that have proven to increase brain performance. Simply buy purchasing some of these tracks and listening to them with stereo headphones, you can already notice an effect on your thinking and creativity.

Meditate

There are certain techniques that allow your mind to find peace and that allow you to silence all the hundreds of thoughts that constantly run through your mind all day.

When you achieve this inner calm, it has all sorts of benefits like being more creative and having better ideas.

Exercise

The effects of exercise and physical movement on the mind and creativity have been studied for centuries.

There is no doubt that you feel much better after exercise. This is because after you exercise, endorphins (feel-good hormones) are released into your bloodstream.

Ask For Help

Don’t be scared to ask someone for help or for their opinion. The input from a friend or stranger could be enough to jump-start a whole series of ideas and new creativity.

Expand Your Horizons

Do something you have never ever done before in your life. Go sky-diving or bungee-jumping. Sign up for hip-hop classes.

The experience of it may be enough to boost your creativity tenfold and give you many new ideas.

Eat Blueberries

Blueberries are said to be the richest in anti-oxidants and good for your brain an thinking abilities. Eat a handful a day, and even if you donít get extra creativity, enjoy the taste and the health benefits.

Stop Doing Drugs

I’m talking about sugars, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes.
(I shouldn’t have to tell you not to do hard drugs!)

Not only will your health benefit, but you will feel much more energetic. The chances are huge that you will find all sorts of new inspiration that comes with your new energy levels once you start eating healthy and stop consuming junk.

Do Puzzles

Puzzles stimulate your brain to look at a problem from different angles. The easier you are able to open up your mind to new ideas and new approaches, the more likely it will be that you become more creative.

Make Music
I personally like playing piano. It is relaxing and it allows me to experiment with new tones, melodies and ideas. Often while playing an instrument and making music I get very creative ideas for my own projects.

If you’ve never played an instrument, why not start with something simple like piano, guitar or the drums?

Practice

Practice makes perfect.

Yeah it’s cliche, but it’s true. Do you want to be a great writer? Then write ever single day, even if it’s just about your dog.

Do you want to be a good designer? Then design something new every day, even if it’s just a logo for your favorite food.

Diggy shares his experience about self improvement at his blog Upgrade Reality

Diggy also created a cool course that will teach you how to cook easy healthy dinner recipes in 10 minutes or less.

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Whatever your career, and whatever your goals in life, ideas are going to matter to you.

One great idea could give you that million-dollar business you’ve dreamt of.

One great idea could raise thousands of dollars for a charity that you support

One great idea could be the perfect present for someone you love.

One great idea could change your life.

The thing is, you probably don’t have as many great ideas as you’d like. Perhaps you feel unimaginative and unoriginal. You keep hoping that a really good idea will just pop into your head, but that never seems to happen.

The good news? Ideas aren’t magic dust sprinkled by the Muses. There’s an awful lot you can do to generate ideas any time you want.

Set Aside Quality Time to Think

This is the most crucial step. You need time to come up with ideas – and quality time, where you’re not worrying about the chores or your emails.

Some ideas come on a grand scale: life-changing moments where you recognise a new possibility that you’d never seen before. These occasionally appear out of nowhere, but more often, they crop up when you’ve prepared yourself.

Getting quality time ideally means taking a whole day away from your regular responsibilities. Go out to a coffee shop with a notebook, or shut yourself in a room at home without internet access. Get a zoomed-out view of your life: set aside worries about “but what would people think?” and “is it sensible?” and let yourself dream.

You’ll be amazed what you come up with.

Get Proto-Ideas Out of Your Head and Onto Paper

Ideas often come to us half-formed. You might have a vague concept in your head – perhaps you’re thinking that you’d like to travel for an extended period of time, for instance – but there’s no real detail there.

Instead of trying to mull over the idea in your head until it becomes something, get it out onto paper. Write (or draw) what you’re thinking, and add in all the new possibilities that start coming to you. A mindmap is often a good format for this, so that you don’t feel constrained by working linearly.

Don’t Judge Your Ideas

Ever had an idea which you immediately dismissed? You probably told yourself “That’s stupid,” or “It’s been done before.”

When you’re generating ideas and thinking through possibilities, you’ll inevitably come up with a few false starts. Some ideas will be unoriginal, undesirable or unworkable.

But that’s not a bad thing. One idea often leads to a whole train of thought – and you might end up with a really good idea from something which seemed, at first glance, unpromising.

Talk to Other Like-Minded People

Although I’m a bit of an introvert – I like to spend a fair amount of time on my own – I also get a great buzz from being with like-minded people and discussing ideas and projects with them.

You’ve probably experienced something similar yourself – maybe in a brainstorming meeting at work, or maybe just at a bar with friends. The energy generated by several people together can spark some brilliant ideas – ones which you’d never have come up with alone.

How do you find like-minded people to bounce ideas off? You could try:

• Local groups, such as evening classes.
• Getting together with a couple of friends who “get” your dreams.
• Finding an online forum of people with the same interest or goals as you.

Read Widely

Ideas don’t just appear in a vacuum. They’re formed from all the various input that you take in. Sometimes, a news story might give you the perfect idea for a Christmas present for your sister, or a book that you’re reading might get you thinking about a particular goal in your life.

The more widely you read, the more open you’ll be to new ideas cropping up. That might mean reading a magazine or journal article that’s far outside your normal area of expertise, or turning to a biography of someone who you know almost nothing about.

A great place to start is online: blogs, news sites, forums and even Twitter and Facebook are all a rich source of ideas, just waiting for you.

How do you come up with great ideas? And is there a particular area of your life where you feel like you’re lacking inspiration?

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The more we stress about our problems, the bigger they get.

Sometimes the best thing to do is let go of our problems.  Not to give up, but to let up – and make some “space.”

Yesterday I took the afternoon off.  Even though it was during the week I decided to go on a date with my wife.  No blackberries, hand held devices or computers.  No email.  Just the two of us hanging out for the afternoon; just like we used to when we first met.

It was such a great afternoon.  I forgot about all my problems.  I forgot about all my concerns and I forgot about my work.   That evening, 8 or so hours later I solved two of my biggest problems… one of which didn’t require any work on my part.  The other one came to me as a new idea.

How did I do it?  What’s my secret?

Here are the three steps to think more clearly and creatively:

Step 1: Think on Paper (30 Minutes)

There is a quote from one of the Rich Dad’s from the popular book Rich Dad, Poor Dad Book.  It goes,  ”Always think on paper.”

I’ve always loved this quote and lived this.  I have a white board in my office where I do all of my thinking.  I draw and doodle; I connect the dots.  I look to see how things flow together.  I cut and paste.  I use words and text to mold my ideas and explore my problems.

Once I’ve emptied my head I’m then ready to…

2. Mastermind (1 hour)

The phrase “two heads are better than one” is an understatement.  Masterminding is when you have two or more people brainstorming and working together to come up with new solutions to problems.  It’s also a great tool for generating new ideas.

My business partner and I have these mastermind sessions quite often.  We use these sessions to brainstorm ideas and bounce new concepts off each other. Before we start our mastermind sessions, we normally ask ourselves these 4 questions:

What is this meeting about?

What are we trying to achieve?

What are the challenges we want to overcome?

How will this help us? Our clients? Our business?

These are great questions to ask yourself when masterminding.  Just let the ideas flow and you’ll be surprised at how crazy and remarkable the solutions will be.

The last step is to…

3. Take a Mini-Vacation (2-6 hours)

Take a what?  Yes, a mini-vacation.

Decompress and disconnect.  This has helped me solve my biggest problems with the least amount of effort.

You’ve got to give your subconscious breathing room.  It’s part of letting go and trusting in yourself.  My best ideas are not the ones I get during a mastermind session or when I’m writing them out.  They come 2-48 hours after I’ve done my deep thinking or had a really good masterminding session.

So the trick is to be patient; to let go and relax.  The more relaxed you are the better.  That’s why I suggest taking a min-vacation; taking a nap, go for a walk in nature or socialize with friends.  Just give yourself a break.  The ideas will come.

Think clearly and more creatively by following these 3 steps.  You’ll be glad you did.

Steve is the creator of Freedom Education: Manifesting Your Desires Download Steve’s 7 Secrets of Rapid Transformation.

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