I was recently having coffee with a mate of mine.
He is naturally creative, and we were talking about accessing the right side of your brain more easily.
I quipped that I thought the right side of my brain was non-existent as I am generally very analytical.
Of course, we all have both hemispheres of the brain. It's how we oscillate between the two that's the key to accessing the strengths of both sides of the cerebrum.
I marvel at how creative people operate. There are quite a few farmers I know that are able to manufacture something from an initial thought.
In most cases they are trying to improve an existing piece of equipment, or put another way, build a better mousetrap.
In my earlier days on the farm I would often witness my father, uncle and cousin devising some sort of structure or contraption in their mind's eye. I was only able to see it once it was almost complete.
I could, however, work out how much the material would cost. It was an enjoyable process being involved in the manufacture of something, even though I couldn't really imagine the end result.
The research tends to suggest that as children we are generally more creative and can imagine various possibilities more easily.
As children, we haven't learnt about, or been exposed to self-limiting beliefs.
It's a shame we tend to lose this sense of unbridled imagination as we get older.
I think sometimes we take on other people's opinions too readily, without taking the time to analyse whether they are valid for us.
There is no doubt certain opinions are valid for the person espousing them, but we have the choice if we take them on board or not.
Being able to tap into the right side of the brain is particularly useful when you are business planning. Especially long-term planning.
For those that have well thought out 10-year plus plans, it does help if some imagination is used in the process.
If you are able to attach a feeling to the thought, you are more likely to want to achieve whatever it is you can envision.
Another useful piece of advice I heard this week on a podcast was about putting bad days, or not so productive days into perspective.
If you have a 10-year plan, it's highly unlikely the path to achieving your goals is going to be linear. One bad day on a journey that has 3650 days in total isn't going to knock you off course.
As humans we have a tendency to blow things out of proportion. It's best to put events in their proper context and keep moving forward.
I have friends that are adamant they could teach me to draw and paint.
I'm not so sure - self-limiting belief right there - they tell me it's all about just letting it flow and allowing the creative juices to stew.
Perhaps we should all try something creative that is foreign to us. You never know, it may help in other aspects of our lives.
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