Become an Innovator: The Top Three Ways to Boost Creativity in Everyday Life
Working in this industry, the one thing we seem to hear most often when speaking with clients is, “I’m just not that creative.” While it’s just a fact of life that someone will always be more creative than you, it is possible to teach yourself to be more creative—and doing so will affect almost every area of your life.
This isn’t exactly a news flash, but how you live your life directly affects how creative (and successful) you are. In every role we take, whether it is starting a conversation, applying for a job or just being involved in a good cause, creativity is usually at the top of the list when it comes to the most desirable qualities. Think about it, in today’s world almost everything we do asks us to present our best, most creative self forward. From clever posts on social media to how we look, dress and live our lives; our entire existence is based on standing out and being the “cool” one. However, in addition to popularity, applying creativity to every day situations can help strengthen your relationships, make you a better employee, improve your likelihood of success, make you a better problem solver and greatly reduce the amount of noise and stress in your life. Ready to stop talking about being a creative and start living like one? Here are just a few ways in which you can boost creativity to enrich your life:
- Take some time for yourself. They say life doesn’t stop for anyone, but sometimes stopping life and taking a break is just what you need to recharge and de-clutter the mind. Disconnecting the phone and laptop for a while and taking some alone time to meditate or go for a walk will help work off excess energy and focus the mind. Your mind will be more receptive to breakthroughs and solutions you may not have thought of before through all of the chaos of every day life. Both Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg had their best ideas during walks solo, so surely it can’t hurt, right?
- Look to the past to help shape the future. Remember rolling your eyes when your teacher used to tell you that you could learn a lot from history? Well, that wasn’t a lie. Questioning why things are the way that they are and how they got to this point is an important part of using knowledge and experience to enhance creativity. Artists, musicians, designers and innovators are often inspired by those who came before them and the same is true for nearly every industry. Looking to your heroes and observing how they changed the world is one of the keys to understanding your own role in shaping the future.
- Make connections and understand patterns. One of the most common traits that some of the most creative people possesses is the ability to see things that other people do not. How many times have we seen something innovative and asked, “Why didn’t I think of that?” The reason why is because creatives have mastered the art of using critical thinking to draw new conclusions from old ideas. Spending a little time studying about how things work and are interconnected will give you a better sense of how to progress naturally.
Whether you’re looking to break into this industry or just have a desire see life through a fresh pair of eyes, making a conscious effort to live life in more creative ways will not only be an asset when navigating life’s ups and downs, but will also go a long way toward improving your quality of life.
