November 9, 2009

1. Creativity is the residue of ridiculousness. Don’t just HAVE crazy ideas. Give yourself permission to follow them around and see where they lead you. Think about it: Every creative business idea begins with a question. A question that grabs attention. A question that might sound ridiculous at the time. A question that propels a wrecking ball of through the walls of ordinary thinking. But still, a question that makes every person in the room stop what he’s doing, sit back in his chair, stare off into space and say, “Huh. Now that’s an interesting idea...” Remember: Revolutionary ideas come from ridiculous questions. And if everyone says you’re nuts, you just might be onto something. How many crazy ideas did you ignore yesterday?
   
2. Diligence is the agency of advancement. We’re all trying to advance something. Our self. Our idea. Our cause. Our status. Our career. Our position. Our initiative. And it’s hard – real progress is expensive and time intensive. The secret is becoming a more advanceable person. Here’s how: Be prepared to advance. Accelerate success – don’t create it. Make an impression of increase. Create a reason for people to remember you. Loosen the grip of the past. Become a student of error. Keep asking, “What’s next?” Display your own creative originality. What time did you wake up today?
3. Discipline is the hallmark of ingenuity. You can’t make ideas just “come” to you. But you CAN create an environment where the probability of lightning striking is higher. I learned this from my pal Don The Idea Guy, who wrote about this on his blog: “You know how you increase your chances of a creative lightning strike? You erect lightning rods. They help provide an easy path for creativity to find its way to your brain. But, you gotta be holding them – using them – in order for the creative lightning to strike YOU instead of dissipating harmlessly into the ground. Remember: Inspiration is for amateurs – discipline is the key. If you play the numbers, ideas will eventually appear. How are you making yourself more strikable?
4. Small is the birthplace of big. There are no small things – only big things whose bigness you haven’t yet realized. What’s more, small doesn’t just become big – small prepares big. It all depends on how big your thinking is. For example, consider the acorn. What do you see when you look at it? A nut? Or a schoolhouse where the future leaders of the world are educated by the textbooks that came from the paper made from the trees grown from the acorns? It all depends on how big your thinking is. What smallness symbolizes bigness for you?
5. Emotion is the arbiter of truth. As you weigh the value of your creative endeavors, never look for opinions – only reactions. Physiological, bodily reactions: Did the eyebrows move? Did the posture change? Did the breath tighten? If so, figure out what that means. Even if (especially if!) what was said seems inconsistent with the nonverbal manifestations. Remember: A person’s body will NEVER lie. What type of feedback do you trust?
6. One-pointedness is the grandfather of productivity. As an entrepreneur, people often compliment my productivity. And while I graciously accept their kind words, I wish I could more take credit for it. But there’s no system behind it – it’s all environmental factors. Think about it: No bosses, no employees, no coworkers, no agents, no meetings, no commute – and of course, no television. Does it surprise you that I write four books a year? It shouldn’t. Because all I’ve done is embrace “The Mr. Miyagi Principle,” which states: “The best way to block a punch: No be there.” Plus, I ask myself the following question all day, every day: Is what you’re doing RIGHT NOW consistent with your #1 goal?

 Scott Ginsberg, aka "The Nametag Guy," is the author of eight books, a professional speaker, an award-winning blogger and the creator of NametagTV.com. For more info or for his list of “24 Ways to Out BRAND Your Competitors, e-mail scott@hellomynameisscott.com.