Why I Love My Boat
It was a great day when my wife said to me, "Honey, with a new baby on the way, we need a bigger boat." Well, that's all I needed to hear before heading to the Sea Ray dealership to buy the boat pictured above. Now, the catch is this, it's not how much you pay for a boat that kills you, it's the slip fees and upkeep. (BOAT stands for Bring On Another Thousand.) However, I have found some creative ways to make the boat a part of my business. When clients want to meet, why not meet on the boat? If I can't concentrate to write, why not head down to the marina? Could the hull be used to promote my books? The answer to these questions are: Yes, yes and yes. I love holding meetings out at sea. This way nobody can get up and go until the meeting is over. It's the perfect retreat when writing. Finally, the boat is named "Write On", but by adding some additional graphics it is also a floating billboard.
Whale Rider
When I went to Hollywood Video to rent a movie tonight I had no idea I would end up choosing a life-changing film. For the past few weeks I have looked at and even picked up the case that contained the movie "Whale Rider". For some reason I rented it tonight. Isn't it funny that things come to you when you most need them. This film was so powerful that it made me sit down and write this at 2:30 in the morning. I just found out this week that I am going to be a father for the first time. Watching "Whale Rider" (a film about a twelve-year-old girl who is shunned by her her village and disregarded by her grandfather because she is a girl—even though she is destined to lead her tribe) makes me want to have a girl as much as a boy. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can become great no matter what they believe is holding them back. We all have it in us to do amazing things regardless of what others may think. If we believe in ourselves and take our talents and nurture and grow them we will be in a position to prove all those naysayers wrong. It is not easy to announce to the world that we want to be an artist. Others will quickly point out that there is no money in the arts and offer a more practical path. Please resist the temptation to do what others think you should. You can be great if you will take a chance on yourself.
The
Happiest Place On Earth?
My
friend called me today and asked, "Guess where I am?"
Since I had no idea and was afraid to take a guess I just let
him tell me. "I'm at the happiest place on earth," he
announced. "Ah, you're at Disneyland," I said. "No,"
he corrected me, "I'm at work." Wow, that really caught
me off guard. Who says that? I'll tell you who, people who have
found a way to make money doing something they would (almost)
do for free. I should tell you, my friend is not rich (at least
in the classic sense) and many would frown upon his career choice,
but HE is happy with how he makes a living and that is success.
So many of us wait until (and you can fill in the blank) before
doing what we really want to do. (Thus the mid-life crisis was
born.) Why wait? I'll tell you why. Fear. Fear of what others
will think if we step down or start over. Fear that we won't be
able to support our current lifestyle. Fear that we will fail.
My advice is this, nobody (and I mean nobody) else has to live
your life. Don't let others dictate what you do (or don't do.)
The Goal Man
When I was a lot younger I told some of my friends that I was going to be a best-selling author and a professional speaker. They laughed—hysterically. Ha! I ended up having the last laugh. How did I do it? First, I found some new friends. Then I started to plan. I realized the reason my "friends" laughed at my dreams was the (minor) fact that I wasn't formally trained in either area. (I was an entrepreneur.) What I did—and this has served me well throughout my life—is to look at how others made it as writers and speakers. I read biographies and found a few examples of successful people with similar situations and studied how they did it. Then I mapped out a plan and did the same things they did in the same order. Guess what? It worked. Anyone can do this and find shortcuts to success. I took this approach very seriously and even was able to meet and interview two of my role models (Tony Robbins and Jimmy Buffett). Most of the ideas on how to have what they had came about through research. Research made much easier with Google. I highly recommend you apply this approach to your dreams.
Movie
Madness
Do ever find yourself quoting from your favorite movies? Oh, so
it's just me that does it? Anyway, it occurred to me that we can
learn a lot from films—and not just documentaries, either.
There are lessons and lines in scripts that are both memorable
and meaningful. For instance, I was up late (like most creative
people I do my best work in the wee hours of the morning) and
caught a film on HBO called "The Edge" starring Anthony
Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. In the film, Hopkin's character states
over and over again, "What one man can do, another man can
do." That's always been my philosophy. If someone has accomplished
what you want to do, then it's possible for you to do it, too.
It's just nice to hear a character in a major motion picture say
it with such conviction. Now I have begun repeating this line
(complete with a Hopkins-like British accent) to anyone who says
to me, "I can't" or "it's impossible." I probably
should stop using the line that followed the Hopkins "What
one man can do..." speech. "I'm going to kill the bear" just isn't applicable in most people's lives.
Money,
Money
Don't even try to deny it. You want it, need it, gotta have it?
What is "it"? Money (and what money can buy-freedom).
The only catch is, what are you willing to do to get it? Not many
creative people like to discuss it, but we dream of what more
money could mean to us. Just like many people don't remember their
dreams, we may not be conscious of these deep desires for money
and what it means to our lives and careers. Whether you know it
or not, how you have handled money has affected your life and
career. Pamela York Klainer, a financial planner in New York,
asks clients to write a "money biography" by looking
at their life and writing their life story using money as the
narrative theme. This will help you understand your relationship
with money in a less threatening and yet enlightening way. It
will help clarify where you went astray and give you clues about
what to do next.
Her advice
is to start at the beginning. Look at your childhood and your
exposure and experience with money. Then tell your story either
chronologically or as you remember things. It doesn't have to
be a literary masterpiece, just the process of thinking about
money is what matters most. Have you ever had money flow into
your life easily and effortlessly? Has your creativity produced
results people have paid for? Where it just felt right? Where
you felt like you deserved it? All we need to do is re-create
or recreate it.
For creative people money is a product of our imaginations.
We can create things that people will pay for. We must first
feel we deserve to be paid for something that comes so easily
to us and then come up with a figure of how much we deserve.
That's why we must value our ideas and our time and decide what
they're worth and then convince others to believe it, too.Step one
to having everything you desire is to know exactly what you
want and then pick your path and start down it. Once you begin
moving in the direction of your dreams, unseen forces will help
you along the way. Vision creates power and so do decisiveness
and determination. I know it sounds strange, but it has happened
to too many people too many times. Once you set your sights
on something and then commit to going after it, you are now
not alone anymore in your quest. You just have to define what
you want, have the desire to go for it, and the discipline to
stay the course. You need to get in touch with the feelings
these things will give you when you get them because prosperity
is a feeling, not a number. Then hang on to that feeling and
go for the goal. We all wish we could make more money from our
creativity or have more creative freedom. That's a given. What
distinguishes the dreamers from the doers is that the doers
are, well, doing something about their goals while the dreamers
are wishing things would improve—someday, somehow. I think
that people fail to reach their dreams because they are near-sighted.
What I mean is they live too much in the moment and can't see
more than a few days ahead. Sure, dreams are achieved through
daily steps, but without an eye toward the future we can sabotage
our long-term success by making poor choices in the present.
Some short-term suffering may be needed for long-term gain.
Maybe you skip that vacation this year or drive your clunker
until you can truly afford a new one, and just maybe you don't
buy a new computer just because it's a little faster than the
one you have. Also, being in the moment means you may be more
succeptible to the quick-fix or get-rich-quick trap. I think
we need to look at how we spend our money and ask ourselves
if our purchases are taking us further away from financial freedom
or bringing us closer to our dreams. It's so
easy to wander away from our dreams, and if we aren't careful
we can get lost. Remember what it was like when you were a kid
and you somehow became separated from your parents? You were
frightened and frantic. When you found them you felt safe, secure,
and everything was right in your little world. When you live
your life out of whack with your dreams, there is an underlying
unease. But when you are on track you feel charged! You are
excited, motivated, alive, calm, creative, and generally you
feel whole. If you take charge of your life by deciding what
you want, how much you'll need, a flexible plan of how you'll
get it, then you are in control of your fate. If you don't have
a clue about where you want to go, how you will get there, or
how much money you need, then your fate is left to others and
that is never a good thing.
Start by getting to know yourself and what turns you on. (Figuratively,
of course.) What makes you happy or what do you think would
make you happy? I also think
we should look at what we don't want as well. Many creative
people do NOT want a traditional career. They see others working
regular hours in regular jobs with regular lives and they want
to be different. They don't think it's risky to want to be freelancers
or hop from job to job until they find what they are looking
for. They are less likely to listen to those around them who
tell them to take the road most traveled. They may have to be "starving artists" until they make it, but it sure
beats giving up and giving in to the pressure to trade in a
dream for a disappointing, depressing, and dreary existence
of "settling down and getting a real job." Not gonna
happen.
That's not to say we can't support ourselves with "day
jobs" to pay the bills until the advance money arrives
or we get our big break, but to give up a chance to make money
from our creativity for a nice home, fancy car, and a steady
paycheck is not (usually) the way we want to go. (Despite what
your parents say, it will not make you happy. Did it make them
happy? Okay, then.) By the way, if you are reading this and
asking, "But what if I am already trapped in a life I don't
like and I can't possibly live on less or take a chance by going
after what I really want?" That's okay. I don't think you
should drop everything to pursue your passions—yet.
Just keep in mind that there are a LOT of creative people getting
paid good money to do what they want to do. If they can do,
so can you.
Copyright © 2004 by Lee Silber.
leesilber@earthlink.net
How
Creative People Can Get Ahead At Work
The good
news is that brains are in. Companies are looking for creative,
innovative thinkers. Design is back. That means more designers
are needed. You have an advantage over the average, everyday
bear. Idea people get raises, promotions and get to work on
all the fun projects. (And if they don't, they leave and go
to a better situation.) All of a sudden they need us. Funny,
huh? So now they will tolerate the toy-store-in-a-cubicle look
of our offices, our eccentric behavior and even our piles of
papers—what they don't do well with is some of the undesirable
right-brain traits like lateness, touchiness and messiness.
They may think we are not ready to be promotable. They will
say things like, "You aren't management material." I would NEVER say change the wonderful, creative person you
are but if you could dial it down just a little (make nice NEAT
piles), it might help the uptight left-brain types to see you
as more promotable. In their eyes they see flake, immature and
unreliable. Show them you can be trusted, handle responsibility
and that you do, despite outward appearance that would say otherwise,
want advancement.By all means
find a way to stand out. Don't be boring! A little offbeat is
okay. Maybe a little crazy, even. Develop a pirate's mentality.
Pilage and plunder to get things done. Color outside the lines.
Make waves. Come up with a specialty. Tim Cook, of Apple Computers,
calls himself the "Attila The Hun of inventory" and
saves Apple millions by reducing inventory levels. Have a plan
(you can still be flexible). Play their game, your way, and
have goals. Look for ways to get what you want. Always be thinking
ahead. Know what's happening in your industry and be prepared.
Always one step ahead of the pack. Get in the game by volunteering
to be on the best projects. You want to stand out—in a
good way. Here are some more ideas.
 Think of yourself as a product. Sell yourself like product.
Make a marketing plan and implement it. (Meaning, your hidden
agenda isn't so hidden, after all.) Be known for something good.
Maybe it's a specialty? Maybe you are known as a problem solver,
can-do person who is fun to work with. A person who comes up
with amazing ideas or has exceptional skills.
Create a strong identity so that others notice you. It could
be as simple as remembering people's names, your attention to
detail, your stylish attire, a signature color you use for memos,
or even the way you go about your work.
Come up with a cool title (official or otherwise). How about
Director of Fun, Director of Genius? Director of Crazy Ideas.
Designer of Everything Cool. Head Freak. Evangelist. At least
make your title more specific about what you do.
Create your own Web site (Puleeze, not one with you naked in
it, okay? Don't laugh, it happens all the time.) Create a place
to post an ongoing list of your accomplishments, projects, portfolio
or personal items that could help raise your stock.
Be the very best at something. The Michaelangelo of meetings?
The Mozart of memos. The Hemingway of HTML. Decide now to be
the best at what you do (or something nobody else is willing
to do). I often wondered what happened to Jack. You know, the
Jack-of-all-trades and master of none. My guess is that his
skills were so fragmented he ended up working somewhere where
that was appreciated‹fast food. It's okay to be a know-it-all,
but be the best at something.
Teach a class. A salesperson at the Gap decided to give classes
on how to dress casual correctly. He offered these fashion tips
(he called his class "How To Look Like a Million on Casual
Dress Day" to area businesses for free. People showed up
and came to the Gap in droves. (Many of these workers just became
millionaires from stock options.) The corporation took notice
and the guy got promoted.
Be the person who can get things. One guy who worked in a small
dot-com company negotiated deals with dry cleaners and other
vendors that benefitted all the other employees. He was their
hero and was quickly promoted for his initiative and for being
a team player. (I guess they never found out about the kick-backs.)
Don't wait for the job you want. Go after it!
Volunteer. When you volunteer to do a company newsletter you
have just taken on a project that will never go away and that
is impossible to get any help with. (Around deadline time co-workers
will start avoiding you.) But you get a chance to get dialed
in, get the good gossip, and increase your visibility. (Put
your picture in the newsletter next to your column.) When one
editor of a small in-house newsletter started trading ad space
in newsletter for free stuff (pizza and ice cream) which she
used to throw a party, she stood out.
Charity work. Debi Memmolo, a marketer for Icarian, Inc. in
Silicon Valley invited the CEO of her company to see how she
was making a difference in the community. Now she is encouraged
by the company's CEO to take off early every Wednesday to help
inner-city kids.
Become the chairman of fun. Organize a ping pong tournament.
Chess breaks. After-work events. Start a band with some of the
other employees and perform at the next Christmas party. Organize
an Employee Appreciation day. Make a big deal for co-worker
or client birthdays and anniversaries. Make work fun.
Be visible (in a good way). Organize a welcome breakfast for
new interns or hireees. Start a self-help lending library. Set
up a series of motivational and instructional speakers on Tuesday's.
Get in the company newsletter. Try to win awards. Dress to impress.
Compliment higher ups. Throw a thank you party for them. Profile
them in your newsletter. Do the unexpected. Come in early, leave
later (by a minute or two) than the CEO.
Give out an award. One employee came up with a "Hang a
Star Award" when someone does something amazing. (The idea
came to me from watching Padre games where they hang a giant
start out of the broadcast booth for big plays.) Maybe you could
use a giant star sticker (created on ink jet) which is hung
on office door or cubicle. The star has the person's name and
accomplishment printed on it.
Become a brand. Design your own logo, business card and website.
Pick a paper color or ink color that people associate with you.
(So they think of you when they see it.) Decorate your work
space differently. Make it a gallery for your success or art.
Come up with a unique introduction for yourself. Get creative
with your ID tag. Have a signature item you give away (Tootsie
Rolls, gold stars or maybe Bazooka gum.)
Nice guys and gals finish first. Be known for being on-time.
Get a rep for getting around. (You are known for knowing everyone.)
Put pictures on wall of you with celebrities or key people in
your field.
Can-do is your attitude. Be known for your thoughtfulness. Your
willingness to help out. (Creative people are usually not the
best team players. Work on it.) Be a know it all. Well rounded.
Like the office concierge. Let them come to you for answers.
Be the most positive person they know. Be good at things others
hate to do. Be the nicest person they know, a real Dale Carnegie
disciple, with the operative word being "real".
Krispy Kremes. Oh, are those donuts yummy. Anyway, Gigi Vagaporo,
who comes up with all kinds of creative promotional ideas at
my wife's work, promised to provide Krispy Kreme donuts for
the other employees the morning of an event. She figured she
would just jet over to the local Krispy Kreme outlet and purchase
the prized donuts. Unfortunately, there was no local Krispy
Kreme outlet‹yet. So she drove from San Diego to Los Angeles
and back (a long, long drive) to get Krispy Kremes. That, my
friends, is what employers find irresistible—initiative,
dedication and thoughtfulness.
Have the courage to stand out. Step outside your boundaries
and take on more responsibilities. In the movie Rudy, some of
the other scout team players at Notre Dame asked him if he could
dial it down. He looked at them incredulously. Dial it down?
The other players feared that they would look lazy compared
to Rudy's extra effort. Are you worried about some backlash
from co-workers who see you as a show-off, brown-nosing self-promoter,
remember this quote. "If people talk behind your back,
it only means you're two steps ahead!," says author Fannie
Flagg. In fact, you can use the rumor mill as a way to build
buzz. (Aren't I just obnoxiously upbeat and opportunistic?)
Like a good publicist does, you can plant stories. Let it slip
that you had lunch with so and so (an industry leader) and he
said . . . Impress them with your creativity by playing a CD
at work, YOUR CD. You aren't bragging, you are merely letting
them in on your life (and how better it is than theirs). Hang
your art on the walls. Put up a flyer advertising the opening
of your... (fill in the blank). Watch the (good rumors) spread
like wildfire.
Copyright © 2004 by Lee Silber.
leesilber@earthlink.net
How
To Bust Through What Blocks Our Creativity
Who said
breaking up is the hardest thing to do. Beginning is the hardest
part of any project. Jeez, is ever tough to get ideas and then
get going. Everything is a distraction‹even things you
dislike doing will seem like fun. "Oh, I can I please take
the trash out, mow the lawn, walk the dog, clean the toilets
and wash the car? Oh, and I think I'll pay bills, too." The worst part is, you feel sick, you are irritable and your
nerves are shot. So, how to get past this difficult stage and
keep the creativity alive and well? I'll try to offer some suggestions
to help you get past the incubation period and into the birth
of your ideas.
Just
riff and sort it out later. Mike Rutherford of Genesis stated
in an interview that he and his mates would bash around for
hours on end and record it, warts and all. Then they would go
back and pick out the best bits and develop them. Try this approach
with whatever you are stuck on.
Read
all about it. Try wandering around the bookstore, the magazine
rack, the library. You may find that this will help you break
out of your rut. If that doesn't work, there is always chocolate!
Crossword puzzles. Any kind of warm up and stretching for your
noggin before you begin is a good idea. We wouldn't want you
to pull a muscle in brain without proper preparation.
Do you believe in magic? If you can adopt an anything possible
attitude, your ideas will flow. Don't worry about the outcome,
focus on the project or problem without any restrictions or
reservations. Maybe you have heard the story of a big rig truck
that was stuck under an overpass. It seems it didn't quite have
the clearance to pass underneath. Several adults pondered the
possibilities of how to free the truck. One said, "We could
try to tip the truck on its side and pull it through."
Another suggested cutting the top of the truck off." Then
up walks a little girl who comes up with the most brilliant
suggestion. "Why don't you just let the air out of the
tires?" Duh!
Dig deeper. Do more research. Sometimes a LITTLE more information
or input creates connections and builds confidence. You just
may not be ready to begin. At this point more research, brainstorming
or fiddling can be the perfect solution.
Doodle, scribble, dabble. Try using your non-writing hand to
doodle, free-write or mindmap. Without worrying about what the
outcome is, just keep moving your hand. This connects with the
other half of your brain where inspiration or the missing idea
is hidden.
You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Look for the inspiration
or answers by "borrowing" from others who have done
what you want to do.
Sleep on it. Take a nap and allow your subconscious mind take
a hack at it.
Walking is moving motivation. Take a walk and watch what happens.
Ideas seem to come to us when we are moving (walking, in a car
or on a train.) Try it.
Cut the problem into bite-sized bits. Break it down or it will
eat you alive. S-I-M-P-L-I-F-Y.
Brainstorm with others. Sometimes just verbalizing your frustrations
to others helps. I like to talk to people outside my field,
they sometimes can innocently give me the idea I need because
I am simply too close to it. Try talking to a kid for a while
and see what happens.
Define it. The key to solving a problem is making sure you understand
it. Define it by using metaphors or coming up with a title.
Ask yourself, "What does this remind me of?" and go
from there.
Begin with the end in mind and backtrack. Picture your project
as if it were completed and work backwards.
Mediate or luxuriate. Relax and try to get in a creative mindset.
Shake it up, Baby. Add some more variety to your life. (Shake
things up.) Try a new shampoo, a different radio station, a
new magazine, a different route to work, rearange your office,
vary your routine or simply work at a different time than usual.
Feel the fear and do it anyway. Ask yourself, "What exactly
am I afraid of?" Then draw it. Then ask, "What's the
worst thing that can happen if I try and fail?" Then ask,
"What if I succeed?" Focus on THAT!
Chinese Torture. Use a kitchen timer and a blank page and force
yourself to sit and stare at the blank page for fifteen minutes.
No matter what, you can't begin until the bell rings. Chances
are you will be itching to get started and have tones of ideas.
Believe it and it will come true. Remember, the more you believe
you are a creative person with lots of good ideas, the more
ideas you'll get and the more you will trust that they are worthy.
Do your chores. If I am stuck, there is nothing better than
washing the car, doing a little gardening or making copies.
Anything repetitious seems to put your left brain (that annoying
logic brain) to sleep and lets your right brain (that wonderful
creative side) come to the surface and take over your thoughts,.
at the very least an idea or two will slip through.
Enthusiasm spreads like wildfire. Let others get caught up in
your idea and ask them for assistance.
Alllow som time to think. Allow time to just ponder projects--quiet
time. A half a day makes the blocks go away. It's like magic.
All of a sudden you have an aha! and then the ideas come flooding
in, as if the damn broke.
Pick up where you left off. Leave of at easy places to pick
up again. I like to edit. Its a great way to start the day.
I find that gets me going again.
One day at a time. If you have a bad day and don't do anything
creative. It's just one day. Don't fall off the wagon. Tomorrow
is a new day. Forget about yesterday and begin with a new perspective,
Don't beat yourself up.
Give me five minutes. It's not a sprint, it is a marathon. Say
to yourself, okay, I'm only going to fiddle with this for five
minutes. An hour later you are in the zone and ideas are flying
all over the place. Or, just work in short bursts. try a series
of five minute intervals, with fun breaks mixed in.
Deadlines do work. Create my own and set up some kind of award
for reaching it.
The force is in you, force yourself. Discipline is something
we all need to develop to break blocks. Just stay the course
and sooner or later the ideas will come.
Batting Practice. Even if money does not come from your art,
take the time to take "batting practice" every day
and use your creativity to keep it sharp, even if you aren't
in the game.
Enjoy the ride. Maybe you are trying too hard. Let it go. Enjoy
the process and don't worry about the outcome. Work hard, do
all the things needed but don't worry if it will sell, critics
will embrace it, public will support it. If you spend too much
time worrying about how other people perceive you, you'll never
break the rules.
Set your sights. When you know what you are trying to do, a
goal, things seem to fall into place and ideas and people come
into your life like magic.
Copyright © 2004 by Lee Silber.
leesilber@earthlink.net |
