Here's lots of ideas so you'll never run out of ideas...
/Do you become paralyzed when it's time to come up with an idea?
If you do, I'm here to help — coming up with ideas is one of my favorite things to do! It's fun, but also extremely profitable.
(Let's be honest here: Life isn't just about money, but if being more creative will both save and make you money while you have fun, then it really is an important skill to nurture. So why not start today?
Here are some of my best tips for idea generation. I hope some of them resonate with you!
Make the Time: If you want to have a lot of great ideas, you need to structure time into your life to come up with them. I prefer doing this daily, but if you think you don't have time to daydream try blocking one hour a week, and then use the time to think of new things. It's much more pleasant than the time you have to schedule to balance your checkbook.
Surround yourself with many different influences: Experiences are raw material for your idea brain. Read. Try different things. Take classes. Make a fool of yourself. Go out there and live.
Embrace discomfort: So here's a little secret...Creativity dies in complacency. Comfort kills ideas. As counterintuitive as it seems, discomfort makes it easier to be creative. (It makes sense if you think about it. If everything is easy for you, why would you need or want anything new?)
Don't hoard your ideas: You are a fountain, a generator of ideas. You are not one idea. If you silence your creativity because you're worried that others will steal your ideas, what you're ultimately doing is robbing yourself!
Don't worry about what others think: I'm well aware that people love to talk shit behind each other's back (language! sorry, but it's true), but covering your mouth with your own hand before others do it for you just makes it more efficient for the haters doesn't it? Don't make it easy for those fools. Stay whole and let them choke.
Remix: Ideas don't come out of thin air. New combinations create extraordinary ideas.
Brainstorm on paper: I'm as lazy and tech-reliant as you are, but computers are a double-edged sword. I find the delete button so tempting, and end up editing ideas before I even have them. Let your ideas breathe on the page before you edit them! I usually write my idea babies long hand, with a pencil (gasp!) and then go back to my notebook and type up my notes a week later. (Yes, I also schedule time for this.)
Act! Dreaming is fine, but to be a creative problem solver you also need to act. Loosen yourself up to great ideas, but please do something with them too.
Solving problems and creativity is the ability to imagine what doesn’t exist yet — a real life accessible superpower. You can do it.
I can't wait to hear your ideas. I mean this! Please reply to this email and share any ideas you have thanks to my tips. They don't even have to make sense to me and it would make my day!
