How to Awaken Your Creativity

Anyone can create. Man is the only being in the world with the desire to leave a creative legacy—we were born as creative beings. Observe children under 10 years of age whose imaginations are running wild—imagination and creativity is natural. But often times as we get older, our creative imaginations are hindered. Below are some fun ways to awaken your creativity!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo Picasso

Creativity is best defined by two words: “What if.” Let this be the starting point. Tell yourself that anything is possible, then get up and see what it is. Creativity is the license to explore, to try things out, and to get things wrong.

5 Steps to Awaken Your Creativity

1. Be willing and able to transform your way of thinking. Developing new solutions and ideas requires a great deal of creative thought.
1. We must begin to see our mind in the same way and retool our ways of thinking to produce new results.
2. Think Big! Believe no idea is a bad idea—consider and be open to anything.

When you think small or are stuck in one frame of mind, look at what you miss:

1. In 1943 the then chairman of IBM famously predicted “that in his estimation there was a world market for ‘maybe’ five computers.”
2. In 1962, Decca Recording company said: “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” They said this about the Beatles.
3. In 1872, “Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse
4. In 1927, HM Warner said: “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”
5. “Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.” Julius Frontinus, Roman Engineer, first century AD
6. “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Charles H Duell, US Office of Patents, 1899
2. Be inspired! Discover what gets your creativity flowing. I.e. Being out in nature, listening to a certain type of music, going to an artsy coffee shop, or sitting quietly at home….whatever it is, take the time to be inspired!
3. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or try something completely different.
1. Seek perfection too soon in the creative process and you’re likely to end up with a perfect failure instead of a rough but workable model.
4. Just do it! Every great journey begins with one step. Just get started and adjust and tweak it along the way. It’s art…there’s no right or wrong. It just is.

Additional Hints to Inspire Creativity

1. You gotta start somewhere. In creativity, even in a puddle a person can seem at first to be out of one’s depth.
2. The first step toward creativity is to acknowledge and accept that by applying ourselves, we can improve and even expand our ability to be creative.
3. Trust your own instincts, and if working in a team, trust the instincts of others.
4. Caution in creativity is often fatal.
5. Creativity generates mistakes. True art is knowing which ones are worth correcting.
6. Look at everything as though it were being seen for the first or the last time.
7. The magic of creativity kicks into play when you begin to take action.
8. Creativity is the least successful when it sets out to try and please everyone.

Some Beliefs Behind Creative Genuises

1. “I dream for a living.” Steven Spielberg

2. “Change only favors minds that are diligently looking and preparing for discovery.” Louis Pasteur

3. “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” Rudyard Kipling

4. “Life is not an exact science. It is an art.” Samuel Butler

5. “I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.” Harry Emerson Fosdick

6. “That which builds is better than that which is built.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Creativity is universal and can be harnessed anywhere, in any situation.

• In your job/business—creative innovation, ways of management, resolving challenges, creating new, innovative ways of doing things
• In everyday life—spicing up life; creating magic moments; creative ways to add more fun/joy in your life
• As an Artist—harness your creativity through the expression of art: photography, painting, drawing, sculpting, sewing, cooking, dancing, singing, playing an instrument, designing (clothes, buildings, etc), decorating, gardening, inventor, writers, actors/actresses, animators, graphic designers, etc
• In intimate relationships—creative ways to meet each other’s needs, creative ways of creating romance, etc
• In all relationships: family, friends, coworkers—creative ways to express gratitude, feelings, emotions

The Journey of Creativity

In creativity, there is as much, if not more, to be gained from the journey as there is from reaching the destination. The secret of creativity is that those who have gone off in search of it have ended up discovering themselves.

How to Create a Master Calendar

How to Create an Event Master Calendar

How do you ensure that your event is organized, runs smoothly, and has the most impact for those participating? How do you determine where, when, and how to coordinate activities, schedule speakers, or teach content? No matter what type of event you are planning, whether it is a business conference, weekend retreat, charity event (or any other type of event!), creating a master calendar will help you coordinate an incredibly successful event.

There are so many benefits to having a master calendar—I can’t imagine running an event without one! First, it gives you and others a snapshot of your event or seminar. Providing your team members or vendors with a master calendar gives everyone an opportunity to get an overview of your event. Also, it is a great tool when brainstorming ideas and having a document to lay them out—it’s easy to play around with and strategize the structure of your event.

Note: If you reference any of my event ideas and themes, the first thing you will want to do to make them practical is to begin putting them into a master calendar, and then customize it with your time frames, speakers, and activities.

Five Keys to Creating a Master Calendar

1. Determine and outline the seminar/event theme(s), outcomes, and desired results you want to achieve. Make sure you consider who your audience is, or who you want it to be. What are the promises to the customer, and what are their expectations? What do you want the customer to achieve or experience when they leave? For example, if I want to create a seminar about relationships, the themes, outcomes, and expectations will be very different if the event is geared towards those already in a relationship versus those who are not. You may be planning an event where you have an empty canvas and can create your outcomes from scratch, or you may be planning an event where there are pre-determined themes and outcomes. If you are planning an event for someone else, ask questions about their outcomes!! By getting on the same page early on, you will ensure that you can deliver what is expected. If you are planning your own event, take the time to get clear of your own outcomes and results—this will only help you as you move forward in making decisions.

So, if I haven’t stressed this enough…..it is VITAL to take the time to brainstorm your outcomes and results in the beginning. In other words, how do you know where to aim if you don’t even know what your target is?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned over the years is that often times what a customer thinks they want, may not actually be what they really need. So many times I have experienced that at the end of an event, a customer will come up and say, “I came to this seminar expecting ‘abc’, and instead ‘xyz’ was the most valuable thing I could have experienced.” The lesson….consider what the customer wants or what will get them to initially come to the seminar, but also consider what will give them the most amazing experience—even if it’s not what they thing they need. You will want to consider the outcomes and results of ALL involved (the outcomes from a company standpoint, from a customer’s, etc).

2. Create the shell and basic foundation for your master calendar. After you are clear on your outcomes, determine how many days your event is going to be, approximate time frames for each day, and fill in any set activities, speakers, or content. For example, if I am planning a 3-day event, I will create a one-page document that has three columns (a column for each day) and then I begin to play around with where I want certain activities or speakers to go during the event. If any, I will fill in set times or events I need to work around (i.e. meal breaks, specific activities, etc). I usually will end up creating 2-4 rough versions of a master calendar before I finalize the content, speakers, activities, etc.

Often times, you may want to assign each day with a daily theme as well. I’ve found it works best when I have an overall event theme, and then sub-themes for each day or segment of the event. This allows me to strategize and optimize the best placement for speakers, content, and activities, as well as creates an overall good flow to the event.

Also, keep in mind your logistics as you work on the master calendar. Make sure you account for times to get to and from places, etc.

3. Make sure you consider the energy and experience of the participants when determining where to place speakers, content, or activities. What I mean by that is, for example, if you have a speaker talk for 2 hours on a very dense topic, you may want to break it up by creating some sort of exercise or activity to get participants moving and out of their chairs before bringing on the next speaker.

Give them an experience they will never forget. At events, people will not remember everything they have been taught, but they will remember how they felt throughout your event. Entertain while you educate! What will make your event stand out? What is something unexpected or unusual you could surprise them with? What is an experience they will have that they would not get somewhere else? What can make this more fun and interesting?

4. Brainstorm and create different textures and varieties throughout your event. Connect with all your participant’s senses! Give them a variety of experiences! Is there any music you can use to create a deeper texture to the event? Or are what variety of visuals can you use (videos, power points or keynotes, photographs, etc)? Some people are more visual, while others may be more auditory or kinesthetic, so speak to a variety of learning styles to have the most impact.

Generally, people learn best when they don’t realize they are learning. Can you demonstrate a certain point through a story? Or maybe there is a video clip you can use as an example?

5. Be resourceful, creative, strategic, and flexible! Each event or seminar is unique and different—and you can almost be guaranteed you will run into some challenges as you plan the event. However, if you approach any challenges with a resourceful mentality, you can over come it. Think outside the box! Balance strategy with creativity. And lastly, be flexible. You may need to move around segments of your event, but as long as can be adaptive to these changes, you will have a successful event.

One last note on the master calendar….for some conferences, events, or seminars, a master calendar may be all you need. Once it's created, you will want to share this to key members of your team. However, you may want to consider creating a daily syntax as well for some of your events. See my blog coming soon on how to create a daily syntax!

Event/Seminar Theme: Experience Life to the Fullest

Overall Event/Seminar Theme — Experience Life to the Fullest

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

If we don’t penetrate the profane and common—the ordinary—we risk living only on the surface of life and missing out on its richness, dimension, and beauty. The purpose of this event theme is to help people get out of ‘auto-pilot’ and begin to live life at a deeper and more fulfilling level.

Potential Content Themes

These themes can be used in a variety of ways….you can develop the content further, find a speaker that talks to these topics, create activities and exercises that exemplify this, etc. (any mix of these topics could work great!)

To maximize the use of these topics below, see my blog coming soon on how to create a phenomenal event syntax and how to develop content.

What does it mean to experience life fully?

· Experience the unbridled joy of feeling truly alive

· Live with meaning and purpose

· Appreciate the here and now; appreciating simply what ‘is’

· Find the magic in the ‘little’ things

· Create magic

· Enjoy the journey of life

· Explore all that life has to offer

· Be who you were created to be

· Let your light shine; impact others by simply being

· Live from a place of gratitude and awe

· Contribute to something bigger than yourself (others, environment, etc)

· Experience others, things, situations, and circumstances as they are

· Discover beauty (in yourself, in others, in the world)

Some themes expanded further....

Find Magic in the ‘Little’ Things.

• Enjoy the little things because one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
• A small moment is one that compresses a momentous opportunity or experience in it.
• When you live for the ‘little things’, it transforms the monotony of daily life.
• We miss promising moments because we do not recognize them until too late.
• Don’t stand around waiting for a moment to happen—create one! (start a water fight with your kids, do something sill and unexpected, etc)

Live with Meaning and Purpose

• Greatness and fulfillment penetrate our lives when we are living in our purpose.
• Finding your purpose may be a life long pursuit, or you may have discovered it when you were five years old. Once you get a glimpse of your purpose, pursue it.
• Following your own path will bring you to the places you were meant to be.

Be Who You Were Created to Be

• The beauty of life is that each and every one of us is unique and different—no two people are exactly the same, and neither are our gifts, strengths, and talents. We each have our own meaning and purpose to live out and explore.
• To magnify and expand who you are, increase your impact on others, and to fully experience the meaning and purpose of why you are here, it is vital to identify your strengths, step into your gifts, and then let them explode!
• We all have our own unique strengths—our goal is to not have strengths in all areas, but to excel by maximizing the strengths unique to us and to appreciate the different strengths of those around us.
• The greatest room for growth does not come from growing our weaknesses, but from growing our strengths.
• Great Books as additional resources: Appreciate Inquiry, Now Discover Your Strengths

Appreciate What Is

• True happiness is an acceptance of life as it is given to us; versus pursuing what it is not yet.
• Be fully present in the moment and find what’s great right now

Discover Beauty

• Stop and smell the roses….for real! Don’t rush by so fast that you miss the beauty and texture of all life and the world has to offer.
• Learn about another culture—look for the beauty of that culture…not differences!
• Appreciate the beauty of art….music, paintings, architecture, dance, etc. (note, you could do a lot of really cool stuff with this…..sessions where participants are exposed to art forms in a way they may have never experienced before, like listening to a variety of different styles of music and experiencing the artistry in them).

Gratitude and Awe

• Count your blessings. What are you grateful for in life? Brainstorm every thing you can think of.

Contribute to Something Bigger Than You

• Have a heart for contribution so that you can be open and ready to give and make a difference in the lives of others.
• Find something bigger than you to contribute to. (helping foster children, homeless, abused animals, going green, etc)

Here is a link to a 3 minute video I created about living every day life to the fullest:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=esjuhQD1eug

About This Blog: Event and Seminar Ideas

Creativity. Strategy. Planning. Results.
These are the fundamentals to a unique and extraordinary event.

For the last seven years, I have been the creative brain for events and seminars all around the world. From Dubai to Australia, from Maryland to Alaska, I have created the content and worked with facilitators and speakers to turn ideas into something real and extraordinary. And with price ranges for participating in these events ranging from a few hundred dollars to as much as over $17,000 (for a five-day event), anything is possible.

I love creating unique events that can change a person’s life—to give a person an experience they will never forget. And I have more ideas than outlets to turn these ideas into something tangible. So I decided to begin outlining these event and seminar ideas and begin this blog in the hopes that those wanting to create a phenomenal seminar or event can take these ideas and turn them into something real, something that will positively touch the lives of others in some format.

Whether your event is one-day, a weekend, or over week, these themes below will give you a foundation to begin with and expand upon, either with my professional help or on your own.
Regardless, knowing that these event and seminar themes and topics have helped create an amazing experience for others is extremely rewarding for me, so if you use any of these themes and topics, or a variation of them, I’d love to hear how it goes.