7 Ways to Stimulate Creative Thinking

Whether you're an artist, a writer, an online business owner or somewhere in between your efforts likely require a healthy mix of creative thinking. In fact creativity and innovation are crucial for business success or to excel in most any other type vocation.

Realizing the important role creativity plays in your professional efforts it is vital to maintain a continual flow of fresh new creative ideas. Unfortunately we all experience times when this flow slows to a trickle and sometimes even stops. Coming up with even a single creative idea seems to be an insurmountable challenge. What do you do when this happens?

Maintaining Motivation, Energy, and Drive

The first time I ever rowed a boat, I quickly learned that I had to use both oars properly in order to get the boat in the desired direction.  Not only did I use them at the same time, I often used them differently.  For example, to turn required propelling the boat with one oar, while dragging the other a bit in order to get the boat turning.  Trying to row with just one doesn't get you were you want to be.

Life is similar: you want to get going in the right direction, but you need to use both oars to get the best momentum.  When goal setting, people tend to get excited when at the beginning; motivation is easy then. Then you get your boat going, but the other side seems far away.  Hopefully this article will help: it defines how to be maintain motivation.  --Debra Contreras

Creating a Positive State of Flow

In a recent comment to my post Flow: What It Feels Like to Be Perfectly Motivated, Kaizan said, “I think the concept of flow as Csikszentmihalyi describes it is fantastic, but I didn’t really follow him as to how I was meant to apply it to my life.” It’s a good point: psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has researched and depicted flow beautifully, but actually finding flow takes some work. Here, based on what I know about flow so far and on my own flow experiences, is a starter “how to” list for getting into flow.

Self-Motivate: Generating Your Own Healing

How many times have you “lost heart” and given up on your dreams and goals? You start out having this great idea of what you want to do and then somewhere along the line you loose steam. You begin to wonder if it is possible to achieve your dream. Road blocks begin to spring up and it seems as though there are just too many hurdles for you to cross before you actualize what you want and you give up. The chances are that you have given up right before your dreams have become reality. So how do you keep the momentum that you started with? How do you keep plugging away at your goals when there seems to be no progress made?

Power of Your Mind: Use it to Generate Prosperity and Contenment

Can we really take control of the things that happen in our lives? According to Law of Attraction we can all make good things happen using the power of our own minds! The Law of Attraction theory claims that thoughts have an energy, which attracts whatever it is we are thinking of, both good and bad. Remember the phrase ‘Be careful what you wish for’? Law of Attraction suggests that we are all responsible for the events that happen in our lives through our own thoughts. Using this theory to our advantage requires visualisation and positive thoughts in order to manifest our hopes and dreams.

It’s About Time!

Given my experience working with at risk children, I am cautious about giving children a mental illness diagnosis. The first step, in my opinion, should be the evaluation of all environmental factors that may contribute to problematic behaviors. I also think people in contact with a child should be assessed as to whether they are contributing or even creating the problem. Additionally, children should be assessed for allergens, especially dietary. Without addressing these issues first, a detrimentally incorrect diagnosis may be given. So, this bit of news makes me happy!

February 10, 2010
by ALIX SPIEGEL

Since the mid-1990s, the number of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder has increased a staggering 4,000 percent. And that number has caused a lot of controversy in the world of child psychiatry.

You Only Hit What You Aim For

Keep in mind always the present your are constructing.

It should be the future you want. 

Alice Walker

What we think has a direct effect on both our physical being as well as our actions.  What we think turns into what we believe; what we believe turns into our actions.  The following article by Roseanna Leaton discusses broadly the effects of beliefs on our actions.

Defining Your Purpose

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose – a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 

The most successful businesspeople genuinely care about what they're doing. They wake up in the morning looking forward to the day ahead. They take great interest in every aspect of the business, because they view it as an extension of themselves. They have a sense of fulfillment that sees them through the tough times and makes the good times that much sweeter. 

And then there are those who are just going through the motions. They halfheartedly trudge through their to-do lists each day. They look to the bottom line to tell them how they should feel about the company. And when things aren't so great, they are quick to start looking at other options. 

What does the first group have that the second is lacking?

10 Tips for Living Your Dream Life

Ask any great person and they will tell you that making it to success means being a survivor of negativity, bad experiences and those who pledge to help, but never do. How do you move on from those who held you back or refused to support you? The answer: living well.

Below this article is a power packed plan that kick starts you at living your dreams. Before you begin your quest, I challenge you to rise above any issues with self-esteem, failure or life challenges. if you don't deal with problems, they will hinder you.

Be the Star of Your Life!

Finding Purpose

Whatever you do in life, you can have a more joyful, meaningful experience if you shine the light on and share what is unique about you. We sometimes assume the way we do something is how everyone does it. This isn't necessarily, and usually isn't, the case. This is why something you do that you don't think is very special or unique might be seen as very special or unique by someone else.

Releasing Your Secret Self

You have no idea how strangely magical you are.

Most of us could never imagine the fire and promise we hold. We live in a culture that tells us to be “realistic.” That means dampen our enthusiasms and compromise our vision. We are encouraged to bow to the known world, and shun our unknown powers. But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to listen to our inspired hearts, spread our full peacock feathers, and awaken the invincible love inside us. We’re here to discover, express, and unleash our true capacity.

When you follow inspiration, you follow an invitation to be more than you knew you were. You tap unlimited powers. You can sing, you can heal, you can run a business, and you can meet the people you need to meet. It’s where you take a different track and love replaces fear and ease eclipses struggle. Julia Cameron writes “Our dreams come from a divine source. Moving in the direction of our dreams moves us toward our divinity.” Yet, how many of us, in the name of safety, have spent a life time trying to put a cork on the genie? But that which fascinates you grants you wings. Anything you love holds power. There are miracles waiting for you in the “forbidden country” of your true desires.

Start Living the Life of Your Dreams

Can a missile hit its target if no one programs in a destination? Can it even be launched? No! The missile's guidance mechanism needs to know the destination. Think of yourself as that missile, and your Vision as the program that gets you to your destination. I know you're saying, "But, I've never created a Vision for myself." When you do not consciously create a Vision for yourself, your unconscious mind creates one for you. You are headed somewhere. In every category of your life, such as your career, your relationships, and your energy, you are following a plan designed by your unconscious mind.

Everyone is following a plan. This is so important to understand. If you do not deliberately create a Vision for each category of your life, your unconscious mind will do it for you. Maybe it will create the Vision from significant emotional events in your past, or maybe it will model your peer group, or the media, or your childhood beliefs or your parent’s behavior. If you don't know where you're going, just look around at your life because your unconscious mind has had to create a vision for each category of your life in order for you to function. This is so important to understand.

Are You Playing "Let's Make a Deal" with Your Life?

Make This Your Best Year Ever!!

So: how many of your New Year's Resolutions have you broken?  If you are like me, it's been ALL of them!!  However, don't get discouraged, because February is a better time to start them.  The holidays and their temptations are over, the decorations are packed up and the house is back to what is normal for you.  Now you can really focus and discipline yourself to accomplish all your dreams this year. 

Or at least get the foundations laid by getting all your ducks in a row.