Our greatest ideas – the ones that move our message forward – are not born inside of process, procedure, meetings, systems, or mantras, they’re born inside people and out of inspiration. Without the soul of the creative person, our greatest ideas will never impact our message or our methods. It’s so important that we FIGHT to stay open, keep our antennas up, act curious, ask questions, be imaginative, and stay connected so that moments of inspiration can be birthed.
While ideas live all around us, we often miss them because of the pace and habits we cultivate. Creativity is not magical – it requires labor.
To master our moments, we have to:
- Slow down – Pause creates perspective. Slow down a little. Take a minute to evaluate all the data.
- Change perception – Look at things differently – intentionally – to make sure we’re getting all the angles and perspectives.
- Listen more & talk less – Start trying to hear what others are saying rather than waiting to talk. Sometimes what you hear will not be comfortable, but often it makes us better.
- Question everything – Why? Why are we doing this? Why do we do it this way? Why have we not tried another way? How are we going to do this? What do we want to accomplish? When are we doing it? What are the action steps?
- Revisit the Expectation – What’s the expectation? When it’s defined, revisit it often during the project to avoid drift.
- Seek feedback – It helps. Find it. Accept it. Digest it. Find answers and moments in it.
- Appreciate the opportunity – Never take for granted the fact you GET to do what you’re doing. There’s someone who wishes they had the opportunities that you have. Appreciate the chance to work, create, innovate, and make a difference.
- Study – Do the research. Find out what’s working and working for others. Study your industry. You can’t be better if you don’t know what others are doing.
- Refuel – Be intentional in refueling. No one is going to refuel you, so it’s your job to make sure you do it on your own. When you’re empty, you discredit yourself and your influence.
When we’re prepared to master the moment, it doesn’t get too big for us and allows us to feed momentum. What would you add to this list?
