The Power of Innovation
Learning to be innovative can be one of the most powerful skills you can understand. When asked about creativity, or the ability to be creative, unfortunately, many people have a false belief that they simply lack this skill. “no, sorry, hahaha, that’s simply not me. I missed that gene.”
The truth is that the ability to be creative or innovative is a talent that is inherent in all of us. It is something we can all learn. Like learning a new language, it takes new knowledge and practice.
I’m sure we all know people who we think are creative or innovative.
We have all watched friends or family come up with unique ideas that have blown us away, so to speak. Yet, at the same time, we judge ourselves that we would never be capable of something really creative. It may be a work of art, a book, building something, etc. We can marvel at other people while at the same time labeling ourselves as being unskilled or lacking any creative ability.
Being Innovative Can Be Learned
It’s a decisive change in mindset to learn that anyone can learn to be creative and innovative. Like anything, it’s a learned skill. It’s another mountain of connections in your brain that was never developed. You need to understand that you can learn this skill. My friend-It just takes knowledge, time, and practice.
Creativity is not a gene that skips generations or families. In actuality, everyone is born capable of being creative. Remember when you were a young child in your first days at school. The boxes of crayons in kindergarten were not limited only to children deemed to possess extraordinary potential.
You want to know why? The truth is, everybody has potential.
Remember when
Remember when you were young and wanted to learn to ride a bike. After all, your friends were doing it, so why not you. Or you tried to fit in.
Did you ever for a second label yourself as not being capable or able to ride a bike?. Did you see other kids riding and know that you also could learn the skill? Or did you say, oh no, I can’t do that!
To continue the analogy, did you make mistakes when you learned to ride a bike? Did you fall off or have trouble even just getting going? Did you realize that there are many mistakes you can make when learning to ride a bike, and yet did you keep going?
How about when you got older? Did you, like most people, learn to drive a car? If you reflected back on the first time, you drove, did you just hop in the car, and suddenly, you were Enzo Ferrari? Ha, Not likely!
Both of the processes of learning to ride a bike or drive a car required some really basic steps:
- The first requirement is passion and desire. To be passionate about what you want to create or do.
- Next, you will need to up your knowledge level. If you want to learn something, there are likely many places you can find the information you seek, especially these days.
- The next step requires taking action. But action by itself is not enough. You also have to be willing to make mistakes. You will learn that the so-called mistakes will become your most excellent teacher.
- Most of all, you will need to continue to practice your new skill. Eventually, it will become second nature for you.
It takes time for your brain to take in the skill set and make it available to you unconsciously.
Tips and Tricks to Master the Innovation Skillset
Setting Goals
First, it’s essential to understand what you want to create. I say this with a caveat that you also have to be flexible. I learned that it’s vital to have a goal and be flexible enough to realize that your dream can or will likely morph for the better as you get going. This will occur as a by-product of incorporating new ideas that you learn along the way.
Be Realistic
First being “realistic” is relative. It can vary greatly from person to person. What might be realistic for one person could be a walk in the park for someone else. It’s also easy to underestimate your own capabilities. Basically, don’t try flying a plane without training!
Understand that learning a new skill or mastering something new simply takes time and practice. Be easy on yourself. You
First, being “realistic” is relative. It can vary significantly from person to person. What might be realistic for one person could be a walk in the park for someone else. It’s also easy to underestimate your own capabilities. Basically, don’t try flying a plane without training!
Understand that learning a new skill or mastering something new simply takes time and practice. Be easy on yourself. You can make a game out of the learning process. Understand that it’s not going to be like flipping a switch. Being creative or innovative takes time and practice.
I will give you a personal example.
A couple of months ago, I had never written a blog post. To be really frank with you, my first post was awful (haha, okay, a few of them.) I didn’t understand anything about creating blog posts.
I made tons of mistakes for the first while, and I just babbled on. I also didn’t know anything about SEO, creating headings, breaking up paragraphs, etc. By simply starting the process, writing the first post, AND most importantly, by keeping going, the process of writing a blog post got better, better, more manageable, and easier over time.
Understand that even people who seem to be geniuses at creating things have to start somewhere and understand that they also went through a learning curve like you. They, too, made lots of mistakes or learned by the seat of their pants. You might see great results that they are now achieving, but remember that it is likely the result of 100 tries (or more).
Manage Your Time
Allocate time to learning this new skill. Don’t expect amazing results overnight. Just like riding a bike, it will take practice and repetition. You have to allocate the time to practice your new skill set. If you really want to master this skill set, allocate the needed time to develop your inner capabilities.
Check out our post on ways to manage time Here
Focus on Your Own Counsel:
This one is critical and is especially essential at the beginning stages of your learning curve.
I’m saying by this that it is vital that you listen to yourself the most! You must really own what you create! As a result, it’s essential to make yourself your number one source for feedback, especially when you start out. A million critics will always have a better or different way of doing things. If necessary, the natural learning curve will lead you to the information. Give yourself some slack and allow this to take its course.
Yes, some things others have to say are essential and are likely some things you will need to incorporate. Trust yourself and that you will get there. People say you can quickly get discouraged and overwhelmed if you take on everything.
Don’t listen to what other people say, especially people who are really critical! Most people will not appreciate what you are doing or the amount of effort you create. Some people will just be focused on critiquing your efforts. Again, this criticism can unintentionally stop you in your tracks. Know that the other person might mean well. Still, they likely don’t understand that there is so-called “constructive feedback” for someone creative that can undermine your determination.
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Other People Aren’t in Your Shoes
Other people have no idea what you’re going through or the efforts you’re putting in. If you have an original idea, don’t waste your time and effort trying to make people understand. They won’t. They are not you and do not have your dreams and visions. And the help they try to give you will probably come from negative feedback: “don’t do this,” “you need to do this, or that,” etc.
Understand that if all of the really amazing creators in our history listened to their peers, we would probably still be riding horses and using the telegraph.
When I started writing this blog, I got all kinds of feedback. Most of it wasn’t very positive or expressed constructively or helpfully. For the most part, if focused on what I “should” be doing or what I was doing wrong.
Over time I found the comments negatively affected my motivation. To keep going, I had to listen less, learn what I needed and rely on myself more and more. I also benefited greatly from learning from the so-called mistakes I was making, as they were leading me to skills that I needed to know.
Take Care of Your Health
If you really want to succeed, you must support yourself by prioritizing your health. Take care, both of your body and your mind. Adopt a healthy diet and get lots of exercises suited for your age and condition.
Plan your day and make sure there’s time for exercise. Personally, I walk between 7 & 10,000 steps every day. I also eat lots of healthy food like salads, fish, avocados, etc.
Exercise and diet help to send all those beautiful endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears and relaxes your mind and allows anything to pop up. It will also help you sleep better, which is so essential to creativity.
A Side Note: Silva Mind Control
I would like to share something that has really helped me. A little while ago, I stumbled onto the Silva Mind Control program. I think it was meant to happen as, ironically, the book had been sitting on my shelf for years, and one day it just fell off and landed on my foot. It was as if something was trying to get my attention.
I would like to share that the more I looked into this program, the more I found that what they share is really powerful.
The Silva information teaches people to fully and properly use their brains. Silva discovered that people are actually way more creative when in a relaxed state of mind. Silva found that really successful people got some of their best ideas when they were in Alpha or Theta mind frequency states, a by-product of relaxation.
This is in contrast to the mental state that most people operate in: the “Beta” frequency (12 – 30 cycles per second) state that most people work in when awake.
One of their exercises focuses on the creativity we are capable of when we sleep. The program teaches people to tell themselves before falling asleep that they want to remember their dreams. They instruct people to keep a pen and paper handy.
People write down their thoughts quickly when they wake, no matter what time. It’s incredible what the mind can do. So try this and jot down those notes. Those dreams may just create an innovative spark in you.
You can find more information on Silva programs here
If you want to know more about brain states and frequencies GO HERE
Always Be Yourself!
You must follow who you are, not who you think other people want you to be. Don’t try to be anyone else and follow someone else’s dream. This is one of the big problems these days with all these gurus trying to sell you overpriced courses with lots of promises. For the most part, you’ll do way better if you find your own path and simply take lots of action. Instead of trying to copy somebody else, you need to find your own style.
You can always tell a Rembrandt from a Matisse. If you read a particular author repeatedly, you can start to recognize their own style. Same as the people who excel in sports, they develop their own way of doing things and their own level of personal expertise, allowing them to rise above the crowd.
People will appreciate your innovation more and more over time as they appreciate your uniqueness. Who else has your exact style – Nobody! That will let people see how valuable you are and what you provide.
You Don’t Need Expensive Props to Be Innovative
Don’t hide behind expensive toys, tools, or crutches. You don’t need the most expensive computer or software to accomplish most tasks. You don’t need the best paper to write a book. You don’t need the most costly paints to create a masterpiece.
As a side note, J.K. Rowling wrote her first book of the Harry Potter Series on bits of tissue paper. Likewise, you don’t need the best camera to take amazing pictures. Understand that this will come in time when you hone your skills. The real artist actually reduces the number of tools he has as he gets better at his craft: they know through experience what actually works and what doesn’t.
Understand Your Passion And Follow It
Few people ever excelled without having a lot of passion for what they were doing. So, it’s time to think about what is it that drives you passionately:
- What wakes you up in the mornings?
- What keeps coming up in your mind?
- What do you think about before you go to sleep?
- What books, magazines, and TV shows are you pulled to?
- When you go online, what do you search for?
- What are the websites you go to repeatedly, and why?
- What is the one thing you’ll metaphorically die if you don’t do or achieve?
Sometimes, even with talent, you can be overtaken by people who simply “want it more.” It’s like a human version of the “the tortoise and the hare? Sometimes you just want something so badly that you become virtually unstoppable. And that is a result of having passion. Passion and desire will keep you going when others would stop.
Don’t Worry About Looking For Inspiration – It Will Find You.
You can’t force it, and you won’t have to if you have passion. As a result, inspiration will show when you least expect it, but often when you need it the most. If you have passion and are working on something that drives you, know that inspiration will show up and help you reach your dreams! It may take a while as you need to learn something to help you.
Yes, you may or will go through droughts where it seems like nothing is happening. During these times, the mind can play many tricks on you. I can even get you to stop what you are doing and tell you many stories to support this mindset.
Understand that this is all part of the process. A fantastic idea could pop into your mind anywhere, and you need to be prepared for this.
It’s even more prevalent in times of calmness when your brain is slowing, and your thoughts become more open to possibilities. For example, some of my most significant moments of motivation and creativity occur when I am relaxed, lying in the bathtub.
I can really calm myself, especially my brain, as it slides into Alpha in times like this. Suddenly, an excellent and transformational idea pops into my head.
Make sure you are prepared for when inspiration strikes, no matter where you are, always have a pen and paper within your arm’s reach.
Conclusions:
Learning to be innovative can be one of the most powerful skills you master. The truth is that the ability to be creative or innovative is a talent that is inherent in all of us. It is something we can all learn. Like learning a new language, it takes new knowledge and practice.
Know that you have an amazing ability to bring more innovation into your life. Always remember that while you will likely help lots of people over time, your innovative self has to come from your actions and be driven by you.
Soon, others will notice you and what you are accomplishing and everything should snowball from there!
Be safe and well
