Creative Potential

7/30/2019 Creative Potential

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This Book Is Brought To You By

Video CreatorPro-X

This Book Comes With Master Resale Rights

So You Can Also Give It Away For Free To

Help Build Your Business. You Cannot However

Change Any Of The Content Of this Guide. It Must

Remain In The Way It Is Now.


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INTRODUCTION

In case you feel that somehow you are not creative, let me begin with thisvery important statement:

Creativity is a natural process, so EVERYONE has the ability.

In order to make money online, you need to come up with an idea, and notjust any idea, but a profitable one.

After finding that idea, you must then channel it into action, using yourcreativity. The more creativity you put into making that idea happen, the moremoney you can make out of your idea.

Basically the only way youre going to make serious money online is bybeing creative.

Coming up with an idea is actually simple. Using the techniques in this ebookwill enable to unleash your creativity as never before!

By watching the world around you or by improving one that someone hasalready come up with, your idea can unleash a dynamic money spinner oronline business.

It is important to note however, that the challenging part is not the idea itself.The challenging part is being able to recognize if the idea is good enough andbeing able to implement that idea into the actual world.

Besides the idea, Internet or Affiliate Marketing needs a huge amount ofcreativity, even if you only do one of the following


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1) Searching and finding profitable niches

2) Making your own products

3) Producing the attention grabbing Advert with a stand-out headline,acreative body and call to action.

4) Searching for great affiliated products.

5) Setting up your sales page.

6) Sending your follow-up emails to build relationships/trust with your list.

I bet you can think of a few others, the bottom line is... Internet marketing is allabout creative thinking, period!

Do not underestimate the ideas presented here. They are the secret tounleashing your creative potential. Some concepts may seem a bit bizarre,but successful entrepreneurs will attest to the value of each and every one.

This course is intended to provide a creative framework with which to apply toyour marketing skills. Even if you are outsourcing your main design work,there will simply always be the need for creative thinking. I hope it has valuein other areas of your quest for success as well.


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Chapter 1:

CREATIVITY DEFINED

Creativityis the ability to create something new through imaginative skill. Thecreation can be a product, a process, or a work of art. Creativity is aprerequisite for success in any field, including business, marketing, science,and of course, the arts. It is not enough to come up with ideas: creativity alsoinvolves identifying and refining ideas worth pursuing.

Creativity is the ability to create something new (or a new angle on an oldidea) by using your imagination

According to research, Some people seem to have a knack for this. Creativepeople:

are driven to create order or beauty (yet tolerate ambiguity)

are driven by the process of creativity rather than the rewards

are excited by new or unusual problems

make unexpected connection in solving problems

take risks and operate at the boundaries of their competence

Education is not a prerequisite for creativity, but creative people do tend toexhibit a high degree of intelligence. This is because knowledge is one of thekey raw materials in the creative process. Sanity is not a prerequisite either!

In fact, creativity requires a little mental looseness, as we shall discuss furtheron.

If you do not have the creative personality, don't worry! Creativity is a naturallyoccurring process, so everyone has the ability to create to some degree. Thisis what helps children learn so quickly in their early years of development.Though many of us slowly lose the ability to think imaginatively as we growolder, creativity certainly can be rekindled.

Creativity is a natural process, so everyone has the ability.

Individuals who seem more creative than others are more in sync with the


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creative process, either on a conscious or subconscious level. Those whobattle to come up with ideas are not applying the creative process. By

rekindling creativity you will start to understand how the creative processworks. This awareness will allow you to harness and nurture it, therebyachieving your creative potential.

Chapter 2

THE MIND AND CREATIVITY

There are two psychological processes that contribute to creativity:

Right and Left Sides of the Brain

Researchers have discovered that the left and right hemispheres of the brainare each specialized. The findings indicate that the left hemisphere createsorder and is responsible for your logical thought, while In contrast, the righthemisphere is free flowing and responsible for creative thought.

More research takes this further, it shows that an individual tends to favor oneor the other hemisphere. For example, detail oriented people, like

accountants, tend to use the left side of the brain, while artists tend to use theright side of the brain. The side of the brain we favor is generally not aconscious decision on our part, it occurs naturally, but the beauty of it all, itcan be controlled, as we will see as we continue.

So, for optimal problem solving both sides of the brain must be used: the rightside for generating the ideas and the left side to then apply them successfully.Unfortunately, most people are not proactive in this process and sadly fallshort of their true potential.


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Conscious vs. Subconscious Mind

Understanding this next basic principal will give you a light-bulb moment, soread on....

The famous Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud proposed that the mind operates ontwo levels of consciousness, called the conscious and subconscious.

On the conscious level - we are fully aware of what is going on which

means we receive information through our senses.

On the subconscious level - we are unaware of the movement ofinformation, but we store this information for future use for when we need touse it.

Despite this, much of who we are is attributable directly to the subconsciousmind. In fact, the mind is often compared to an iceberg, with 10% on thesurface (conscious) and 90% below the surface (subconscious).

number of theories as to how it actually works, it is obvious that here there is acausal relationship between the subconscious and conscious. The subconsciousmind screens the material of the conscious mind, (mostly while we sleep) whichin turn affects our conscious thoughts and behavior. Most people will associatethe subconscious with emotions, however, it will processes intellectualinformation a well. Consequently, the subconscious affects us on all levels.

The subconscious mind is responsible for much of who we are, thoughit functions outside our awareness.


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It is important to note however that though the subconscious is difficult for us

to understand and even harder to control, its creative power can be easilyharnessed if we know how.

Optimizing The Power of your Mind

The goal of this course is to show you how to optimize the power of your mindto generate ideas. It is a two step process that involves tapping into theproblem solving ability of the subconscious and using the left and right sidesof the brain for the jobs that they are best suited for.

This process requires sensitivity to ones normal working patterns, so it willtake a little practice. For example, a person who has spent his career doingfinancial spreadsheets has been working with the left side of his brain for avery long time. It will take a bit of practice before he can trust and apply rightside thinking, which functions very differently


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Chapter 3

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

The creative process has very distinct stages. When you are in tune with thisprocess, you can actually feelwhat stage you are in. This ability becomes sofine-tuned that it can be a motivating factor in your work habits.

The Creative Process stages are:

Generate Ideas Critical Review Develop Ideas Third Party Feedback Revision

This is an organic process, not to be approached mechanically or step-by-step. A big part of the process is knowing when to go with the flow and whenthen to gently nudge it in the direction you choose.

Basically, all successful people have the ability to use their mind's creativepower for inventing things, solving problems and negotiating. Some people dothis instinctively, while others will do it consciously. Most people, however, arecompletely out of touch with this process and their creative self.

You can have a great deal of talent and be highly intelligent, but it will come tonothing without the creative spark. The biggest obstacle to unleashing yourcreativity is not in the application of the creative process, but in believing thatit in fact really works. The process is often deemed to be too passive or

unconventional to be of any realistic value.

On the contrary, the creative process is extremely proactive. The workings ofthe subconscious mind and sides of the brain are based on scientificobservation of highly creative individuals. Despite such validity, most peopleremain skeptics. Consequently, the first step in achieving your creativepotential is learning to trust the process. Why? Because it works! This iswhere most people fail and what requires the most practice.

The hardest part of unleashing your creativity is learning to trust the

process.


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IDEAS

Studies show that ideas are often triggered by:

Dreams

Accidental connections

Symbolic cues

This indicates that ideas and their roots are directly connected to the

subconscious mind. Insights, words and images map back and forth betweenthe conscious and subconscious mind, to create new insights, words andimages.

For creative people, the free flow of information between the conscious andsubconscious causes ideas to pop up at any time. Once started, the flow canturn into a real burst of ideas, one after the other, much like cooking popcorn!Watching a creative person spew off ideas like this can be truly awe-inspiring.

This high level of creativity is similar to that of a child and is in fact, carried

over from childhood. You can rekindle the ability to generate new ideas byusing the techniques we will discuss in the next two lessons. By jump-startingthe creative process you force the subconscious to reveal all it's hiddentreasure. In other words, you tap into the subconscious mind where all thosegreat insights, words and images lurk.

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS

Brainstorming is perhaps the most powerful way to stimulate creative thoughtfor generating new ideas and solving difficult problems. It stimulates thesubconscious mind and draws out information in the form of a written record.Another word for this technique free association.

You begin by brainstorming and writing down a starting idea. Then, asspontaneously as possible, write all ideas, words and images that pop into

your head that relates to the starting idea. Avoid being critical because it willcut the flow, just jot down what is filling your head. When you eventually runout of ideas, look at the material patterns and connections.


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Brainstorming taps into the subconscious mind and forms a writtenrecord of the ideas, words and images.

There several other popular brainstorming methods:

Mind Mapping

Find a nice quiet, comfortable place, away from your normal distractions.Begin by writing down a starting idea in the center of a clean page. Then, youjot down whatever pops into your mind around that idea. Use only shortphrases, or better one or two words, to keep the process moving along.

Subsequent ideas can be written around the original idea. This keeps relatedthoughts together. You can steer the process by using a response as a newstarting idea.

In addition to generating new ideas, mind mapping can be used to solveproblems. Instead of beginning the process with a starting idea, instead use aproblem that you have and are trying to solve.

The Lotus Blossom

The Lotus Blossom method is similar to mind mapping, except that it isstructured to force a certain level of productivity. Here's how it works:

divide a page into 9 blocks

write the starting idea in the middle block

write new ideas in the surrounding 8 blocks; these are the "pedals" ofthe lotus blossom

repeat the process in each pedal

repeat the process until you are satisfied with the results, or steer it bypursuing specific pedals


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The following illustration shows how the Lotus Blossom works:

The number of ideas will grow by a factor of 8 each time the entire processgets repeated. It is therefore much more efficient to pursue only those ideas

that bring you closer to solving the problem.

Ask Yourself Questions

A variation on mind mapping is the use of questions rather than phrases. Youbegin the process with a starting inquiry and then follow up with additionalquestions that come to mind. This approach is ideal for developing a researchplan. This can also be used prior to regular mind mapping to develop astarting idea.

Free Writing

Free writing uses prose rather than phrases. It is most popular with writersand authors, but can be applied to any field since it is an idea generator.

You start by writing a sentence about the issue at hand and go wherever yourmind wanders. Just keep writing and writing, jotting down what pops into yourmind. When you are finished, look for patterns and connections in the ideas.Some people let several days or weeks go by before they read the material

again. (All the while, the ideas that you wrote down are also embedded in yousubconscious mind, so don't be surprised if an idea pops up in your head afew hours/days later)


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Since there is little focus in the writing it may take several days to generateenough useful material. Obviously, this approach is more time consuming, butmany people like it because they love to write.

Mind Mapping vs. Free Writing

Both mind mapping and free writing allow you to tap into the subconsciousmind to generate new ideas. They work by allowing ideas, words and imagesto spew out (even with little or no direction), forming a snapshot of yoursubconscious.

Free writing can take anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour, while mind

mapping can be completed in a matter of a few minutes. Free writing resultsin a lot more material that must be sifted through. Ultimately, mind mapping isquicker and more efficient. It is not necessarily better, though. It all dependson what works for you.

Mind mapping works well for group brainstorming (GAT Group ActiveThinking) because group members feed off each other, the accumulativenumber of ideas from different minds that can be generated is amazing, andthe process can be great fun too. Free writing however, by its nature, is a

solitary process.

Pitfalls

The biggest problem people have when learning to brainstorm is that they are

critical of their own material. Judging ideas during brainstorming will cut-offthe flow! Sometimes really crazy or 'stupid ideas can eventually lead to atruly brilliant idea. Critical review is a separate stage of the creative processand should be held off until that time. During brainstorming, ideas should berecorded with no judgment whatsoever. Remember: trust the process!


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Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking is another powerful way to stimulate your creativity. Thisapproach involves taking an unorthodox or seemingly illogical approach togenerating ideas and solving problems. In other words, instead of attackinghead on, you attack process laterally. There are many ways to do this, withthe more popular approaches listed below.

Lateral thinking is taking an unorthodox approach to generating ideas

and solving problems.

What it's "Not"

An interesting way to form new ideas is to determine what your material "isnot" about. For example, when trying to determine the objectives of a product

that you are planning, it might be helpful to list what the product/sales page isnotabout. This may get the creative juices flowing and help you crystallizeyour true objectives.

Change the Perspective

Changing the perspective of an idea or problem is another way to stimulatethe flow of ideas. There are many ways to do this:

change the location, change the time frame, change the outcome, change themeaning of the outcome. You may need a separate brainstorming session justto determine how you can change the perspective.

"What If"

This is a technique used often by writers to determine different ways to write ascene. It is a fun approach that can be used for stimulating creative though.

First, state the problem that you are trying to solve. Next, determine whatwould happen if you changed certain variables. Here are a few examples:


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A marketer might ask himself, 'what if I offer an extra bonus to thepackage that represents an unrelated product?

A marketer might ask himself, what if I use a video on my sales pageinstead of the a banner?

Or, what if I out-source my new product to give me more time toconcentrate on my traffic generation?

These are just a few simple examples, but you can see how they can radicallychange the outcome of the material or sales.

Reverse the Problem

When something is not working, an interesting way to come up with thesolution is to list all the things that are working. For example, when trying tofigure out why a product is not selling as well it should, list all the reasons whyit does make a sale. This is actually the process of elimination to determinewhat the problem is.

Forced Analogy

In forced analogy, a problem is compared to a seemingly unrelated situation.For example, comparing a product creation problem to a construction projectmay reveal some interesting insights. Though the two may seem unrelated onthe surface, they both involve dealing with many crafts and logistical issues.Consequently, the techniques and solutions may be successfully carried overfrom one to the other.

Drop Assumptions

In every situation or problem there seems to be a certain assumptions

associated with it. These assumptions are often taken for granted. A greatapproach to getting ideas forming in your head is to drop assumptions, one byone, to see how the outcome changes. The solution that you are looking formay involve a weak or incorrect assumption.

New Twist on an Old Idea This can be a biggie in marketing!

Some experts recommend a technique where you try to figure out whateveryone else is not doing. The way to deal with this is to add a unique twistto a already used or old idea.


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Keep a Journal

A journal is basically like keeping a diary. The trick is to periodically review theentries to look for recurring themes, images and connections. If you use thistechnique, try to make an entry at least an entry every day. There is no lengthrequirement for entries: they can range from a few words to many pages.Since some ideas cannot be easily articulated, don't hesitate to draw pictures!

Nurture your Creativity

An important part of creativity is also maintaining a healthy body. It's hard tothink clearly when you are physically exhausted, with no energy, so it stands

to reason that creativity would be hampered as well.

Your mind should be healthy, too. Many creative people suffer from internaldemons, which often contributes to their creativity. This is not what I amtalking about by a healthy mind (although I am not suggesting that you run outand look for a traumatic experience either!). For our purposes, a healthy mindis one that is stimulated with daily input from current events, reading andconversation. This triggers the flow of thoughts and memories stored away inyour mind.

Relaxation is another way to keep your mind healthy. This allows the freshinput to gestate and recombine with other material. Relaxation is basicallyputting your mind on automatic. People do this in different ways: sports,hobbies, warm baths, long walks, bike rides, drawing, whatever works forthem.

Recently many adults have recognized that there is no shame in playing witha toy or game. It works wonders to relax your mind and experts agree that itworks wonders for creativity. So break out the old Lego blocks and Barbiedolls, even if it's just to reminisce. If your spouse and kids are into it, the betterfor you!

Catching Ideas When they Pop!

When the creative process is nurtured, ideas can start popping at any time.Be prepared to catch them when they start popping or they may be lostforever! It might be a good idea to keep a notebook and pen beside your bedas you can often wake up with an idea. There are other different "catching"

equipment types that you can carry with you, like:


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index cards

small tape recorders (cell phone with recording facility)

palm computers

CRITICAL REVIEW

Critical review involves separating the good ideas from the bad. Just aspruning a plant to strengthen it, critical review saves your best ideas and anddiscards the bad ones, this fortifies the work as a whole. Though it may notseem so, critical review is a large part of the creative process.

Critical Review saves your best ideas and fortifies the work as a whole.

Critical review is performed only after you have generated ideas (or havedeveloped them to some extent). It should not be done during brainstorming

or lateral thinking because it will tend to cut off the flow of ideas. Criticalreview can mean various tings as in "editing," "adjusting," "tweaking," etc.,depending upon the profession you are in. It all means the same thing.

Many people have a hard time with critical review because they have difficultydiscarding something that they've created. Others believe that eliminatingmaterial means that they had wasted their time to begin with. Bothassumptions are false and go against the grain of the creative process, sodon't let this worry you.

Stages of Critical Review

There are three stages of critical review:

1) The first stage involves basic fixes like correcting obvious errors, organizingand inserting missing detail.

2) The second stage involves discarding useless material or what others soeloquently call the crap. This may take some analysis.

3) The third and most complex stage is determining when two pieces ofseemingly useless material can be combined to create a single great idea.


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This is where real magic can happen. Right brain thinkers do this wellbecause they tend to recognize unorthodox connections. Left brain thinkers,on the other hand, look for pre-established rules so they have difficulty

creating order from the chaos of discarded ideas.

Tips

Critical review cultivates the best parts of your work so the task should beapproached aggressively. The old adage "when in doubt, throw it out" is truehere. It will result in a leaner, cleaner product. These techniques are helpful:

Be Brutally Honesty - A key ingredient for successful self criticism is to bebrutal honest. Unfortunately, our ego makes it difficult to discard that which we

have created. It takes a great deal of effort to overcome this natural defensemechanism.

Distance Yourself from Your Work - It is usually easier to evaluate someoneelse's work rather than your own. You can give your work this feel by puttingsome time between the creation and the review. This dampens the ego andhelps you become more objective. The time period can be a few days, a fewweeks or even months.

Listen to Your "Ticks" in your head - Pay attention to issues that keeppopping into your mind. These pesky thoughts, or ticks, are your instincts(subconscious) warning you that something is not right. They are surprisinglyaccurate and usually point to a real problem with your work.

Be Open Minded - Try to look at things more broadly and unconventionally.Avoid knee-jerk nixing of ideas that seem outrageous and farfetched.

DEVELOPING IDEAS

After generating ideas through brainstorming and lateral thinking, the ideasmust be developed to create the final work. Obviously, each profession willapproach this differently: a sculptor will chisel his raw material; a researcherwill experiment to test his theory; a photographer will find the rightcombination of film stock, lights and diffusion materials and the internetmarketer will jump onto his computer.


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Though each profession uses different tools, the process of developing ideasis basically the same. Again creativity plays a pivotal role because you willencounter problems that require novel solutions. There are two powerful

techniques for developing ideas:

per-visualizing and gestation:

Pre-Visualizing

Pre-visualizing is imagining that you perform a task prior to actually doing it. Forexample, if you are an internet marketer, you would mentally go over the productand procedure prior to executing it.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright says he sits down at his work board not to createbut to draw, since the creation was already done in his head. Alfred Hitchcockexpresses a similar sentiment when he says that shooting is tedious becausehe's already perfected the movie in his head. These masters are expressing theimportance of pre-visualization in the creative process.

Pre-visualization allows you to create the final work faster and more efficiently. Itis a form of practicing, since the job is done several times before the finalrendition. This may seem hard to believe, but practicing something mentally, is alot closer to practicing it physically than you might imagine. The results can be

surprising.

Pre-visualization is not done just before the actual task, but rather severalhours or even a day beforehand. Ideally, it is repeated a few times.Thisgives the mind time to absorb the steps, elaborate on ideas, anticipateproblems and work out solutions. Many creative people do it withoutrealizing that they are actually pre-visualizing. Pre-visualization works hand-in-hand with gestation.

Gestation

Gestation is solving problems using the subconscious mind. Duringgestation, isolated ideas are subconsciously connected and recombined tocreate new ideas. It is the same process the young mind uses for learning.Even as adults most people use gestation to solve problems, though theymay not be aware of it because the process is so natural.

The way to gestate is to articulate the problem to yourself and then leave italone for a day or more. When you go back to the problem, the solution willusually come with little or no trouble. Sometimes the solution appears with


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such inspiration that it propels you back to work.

The key to gestation is not to rush it. It's okay to remind yourself that you are

subconsciously working on the problem, but don't dwell on it and by no meansworry about it. Worrying will inhibit gestation. Just gently push the problemfrom your mind when you feel the need to think about it. As Steven King says,"let the little guys downstairs do the work."

After defining a problem, you can help gestation by doing a solitary, relaxingactivity that requires little or no concentration. This might be a long walk,bicycle ride, warm bath, or a nap...whatever works for you. Relaxation putsthe mind in the right mood for gestation to work. Gestation is a powerful tool,

but it requires trust to use proactively.

Remember: trust the process!

Brainstorming vs. Gestation

Brainstorming and gestation tap into the subconscious mind, but they do itdifferently. Brainstorming works quickly, like lightning, while gestation is slowand deliberate. The two approaches are used for different purposes.Brainstorming is used to generate new ideas, while gestation is used toexpand ideas and solve problems. Gestation can be used prior to abrainstorming session or when trying to work through a creative dry spell.

THIRD PARTY FEEDBACK

Third party feedback helps you improve your work by giving you otherperspectives on it. The feedback may give you additional ideas, revealsomething that you overlooked or point out mistakes that are not obvious toyou.

Feedback should come from people who can make a realistic assessment ofyour work, usually your peers in the industry. Family and friends don't countbecause they are partial! They will either love everything you do or bereluctant to hurt your feelings.


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Types of Reviewers

There are basically three types of reviewers:

those who sense a problem with your work, but cannot identify exactlywhat it is.

those who base criticism on theirvision of your work rather than yourvision.

those who accurately identify problems based on your vision of thework.

The last group are gems and very hard to come by. Getting feedback can beemotionally painful and can trample your confidence because most peopleare not good at giving it. The majority will deliver appraisals that areunfocused. Despite this, many remarks will have some degree of validity ifyou know how to glean the information.

Gleaning Criticism

The majority of reviewers, whether good or bad, are sincere. When they point

out a problem, it is because they feel that something is amiss. Your job is todetermine exactly what it is. This is true even for criticism that seemsunreasonable. Here are some pointers:

Look for Patterns - The trick to isolating weaknesses in your work is to lookfor patterns in issues raised by different reviewers. This takes perceptivenessbecause each reviewer may express the same problem in a different way.

Ask Questions - Most reviewers are good at sensing a problem but havedifficulty defining it. Ask many questions to determine exactly what the issues

are. Keep in mind that you are the expert on your own work, not the reviewer.

Don't Take Criticism Personally - The only way you can improve your workis by being honest about it. As discussed previously, it is helpful to distanceyourself from the material by putting some time between the creation and thecritical review.

Don't Defend Your Work - Defensiveness is the mark of an amateur anddefeats the purpose of feedback. It discourages the reviewer from being

100% honest. The only time that you should give an explanation is when thereviewer grossly misunderstands the material. Still, it is best to avoidexplaining anything, if possible.


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REVISION

After editing there may be a substantial reworking of the material. In writingcircles this is known as revision, but the concept applies to any creativeendeavor.

A revision occurs when editing whittles the work down so far that substantialrebuilding is necessary. This amount of editing may seem counter-productivebut it actually creates a more refined work.

A piece can also be considered revised after a series of small editing

changes. Many little splices, rearrangements, deletions and additions can addup, resulting in a work that is significantly different than the starting version.

Revision often requires additional brainstorming, lateral thinking, gestationand development of ideas. The process is not necessarily linear. In fact, it is inyour best interest to approach it organically and fix those areas that you arecompelled to do first.

Revision is over when there is just nothing more to add delete or modify,

without changing the essential nature of the work.

OBSTACLES

There are several forces that work against creativity. They begin in the laterstages of childhood and seriously dampen creativity by adulthood. Peoplewho remain creative were invariably encouraged to do so by their parents andteachers. Determine if you are hampered by any of the following obstacles:

Early Disapproval

Creativity, especially in the form of imagination, is important to childrenbecause it helps them to learn. As children grow older, however, their parentsdiscourage imaginative activities in favor of conventional behavior.

When the creative personality persists beyond childhood, it is usually a bitfreewheeling. Most parents don't value this and will continue to showdisapproval, either directly or indirectly.

When parents are not completely successful in quashing creativity, peer

groups usually finish the job. Visualize a group of 15-year-old jocks arguingwho will win the Super Bowl. If one of these teens has a penchant for fine art,he will certainly have second thoughts about sharing it with this peer group.


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Fear

Fear can work against an individual's desire to be creative. There are severalforms, including fear of criticism, fear of ridicule and fear of failure. Fear hasits roots in the subconscious and it manifests itself as procrastination andavoidance.

Fear of criticism is a byproduct of parental discouragement. In adolescence itis replaced by fear of ridicule by peers. Such fear can forces individuals intopurely left brain thinking. They are logical, organized and work by the rules,but unable to generate a single creative idea!

Fear can also affect right brain thinkers. It usually strikes when third partycriticism is needed. The fear of showing ones work to others can be trulycrippling. As discussed earlier, one way to deal with this is to put some timebetween the creation of the work and the third party review.

Ego

Ego is a less common obstacle, but it does affect some people. The problem isopposite of fear in that these individuals are overconfident. They think that all oftheir ideas are great and have difficulty separating the good from the bad. Thisusually results in second rate work, since most ideas are not worth developing.

Lack of Discipline

Discipline is the management of time, information and finances. It is a functionof the left side of the brain, and creates a controlled and safe environment forcreativity to flourish.

The right side of the brain drives creativity but it is undisciplined and

freewheeling by nature. It is stimulated by many things, so creative people areeasily distracted. In fact, many purely right brain thinkers have difficultybringing their work to fruition. What good is creativity if you cannot finish aproject? Or take the Action!

Success requires a balance between left and right brain thinking. Maintaininga productive work schedule and a way to organize your ideas is essential.Even with an agent or manager prodding you along, you must have the abilityto manage your own creative world.

One of the best solutions for distractions is isolation. Many writers andmusicians isolate themselves during an important phase of a project.


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Endless Revision

The revision process can hinder creativity when it lacks direction or

decisiveness. This results in a different work with each revision, rather than amore refined work.

The problem occurs when a person is unsure of his ability or his goals.Typically, the individual relies too heavily on feedback from others andconstantly changes the work to suit the feedback. This is very likely to happento Newbies who spend so much time fiddling (trying all the different Guru'sproducts, and the next best thing) that they are never able to put a processinto action. No action equals no sales.

Sometimes the work never even reaches third party review because thecreator is constantly fiddling with it. In both cases, the solution is to set cleargoals and develop a sense of trust in your abilities.

DRY SPELLS

All creative people (meaning, ALL people) encounter dry spells in one form oranother. These can range from minor lapses in momentum to major creativeblocks:

Stopping While the Flow is Hot

Some people get into the habit of ending their work sessions after hitting afew milestones. A telltale sign of this practice is that work sessions areconsistently short.

Although these individuals may be happy with their work progress, on asubconscious level, they are fearful of not being able to maintain the creativemomentum. In other words, they quit while they are ahead of the game. This

is a poor strategy because, more than likely, they still have plenty of creativejuice left. It's like quitting before the day's work is complete.

In the old fifteen round boxing system, the 13th round and beyond wereknown as "championship territory." At this point in the fight, boxers are at thewall of endurance and only the best of them-- the champions-- find it withinthemselves to keep going. When you are on a creative roll and get the urge tostop, its like the 13th round to a boxer. You've hit the wall of creativeendurance and are now in champion territory. You must find it within yourself

to keep going until the session is really complete. The best ideas of the daymay be yet to come!


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Difficulty Maintaining Momentum

Some people have difficulty picking up the thread from where they left off intheir previous work session. There are few tricks that can be used to keep themomentum going:

Leave Unfinished Business - End each work session with something clearlyincomplete. New sessions will begin with finishing the incomplete task. Somemarketers, for example, end in the middle of a product creation.

Make a "To Do" List - Leave a note to yourself with a list of questions or

things to do next. This maintains momentum for the next work session. Thelist should only be a few items. If it is too long it may have opposite effect andcause avoidance!

Use a Schedule - Work from a schedule or plan. This will keep you on track,but care must be taken to keep the process organic rather than mechanical.To avoid a step-by-step approach, wander from the plan if you feel the urge todo so. You can always go back to the plan when you feel the need fordirection.

Snags

A snag is the inability to solve a minor problem during your work session. Youknow that you've hit a snag when you find yourself getting frustrated andwasting time on a relatively simple issue. This happens to everyone onoccasion. It usually occurs when you are well into a work session and arebecoming tired. The best solution is to take a short break. Clear your head byhaving a refreshment (a cup of coffee always works for me) or taking a walk.

If the short break does not work, you need a longer one. It is best to stop andcome back at a later time. You will find when you resume working, the answerwill come to you with little effort. This is just the nature of the creative process.The worst thing to do is force yourself to work. The quality will not be there,and more often than not, you will redo the work when your mind is fresh.

Mental Blocks

While snags are minor in nature, blocks are more serious. A creative block

occurs when you lose confidence in your ability to generate new and excitingideas. This is commonly known as writer's block, but it can happen to creativeindividuals in any profession.


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There are two things to realize when experiencing a block. First, it is usuallythe result of overwork, stress or a personal problem; second, it is temporary. Itis important not to panic since worrying will only make matters worst. In fact,worrying about minor snags can lead to a real block because you lose faith inyour ability to problem solve.

There are several things that you can do to overcome a creative block. First,you must take the pressure off yourself. If this means an extended break fromthe work, so be it. Next, determine what the root of the problem is and thentake corrective measures. For example, if you are overworked, your schedulemust be made more reasonable. If you are burnt out from exhaustion, avacation is in order.

Some individuals find that shifting into another stage of the creative processworks wonders. For example if you are in the development stage and feel thatyou have hit a block, shift to critical review of work that you have alreadycompleted. The new stage often gives you a fresh outlook on the project.Finally, it's important that you trust the creative process-- it works.

ATTITUDE

Assuming that you have a) talent and b) an understanding of the creativeprocess, is this enough to achieve success? Life's experience has taught methat one more ingredient is essential, it's called the "killer instinct."

If you are young (or young at heart) and just getting started in your onlinebusiness, take heed to this little lesson. It could tip the scales in favor of yoursuccess.

Killer Instinct

The killer instinct has nothing to do with ethics. It is about attitude. Specifically,successful people are relentless in their focus and determination. They workhard, take opportunities when they see them, and pick themselves up whenthey stumble. Some people succeed because of dumb luck, but they are aminority.

Killer Instinct = Focus, Hard Work, Determination

Successful individuals put a huge amount of time and energy into their efforts,often at the expense of their personal life.


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Obviously, I do not recommend working to the point of destroying yourpersonal life. The point is that success does not come easy and it is not amatter of luck. This is true for all fields of business, sports, the arts, etc. Again,

it takes focus, hard work, and determination.

Having said that,... this is what makes Internet Marketer so viable andexciting. Why?, because you will work hard to begin with , but eventually thathard work turns into an automative money machine. Once you have set upyour engine, your business will take care of itself. Internet marketing is oneof the few ways in which you can create a passive income that will eventuallytake less and less effort to require a steady stream of income, while growingvirtually on it's own.Although that will also depend on how far you wish to take

it! or how you setup your business.

The Romantic

The opposite of the killer is what I call the romantic. Romantics dream aboutsuccess but take no real action to achieve it. Many people fall into thiscategory, especially in the internet marketing category.

The majority of romantics have a solid work ethic. They believe if you workhard to develop your talent, success will follow. Unfortunately, the world doesnot work that way. Success does not automatically follow, you must pursue it.Specifically, you must market your talent, otherwise it will just sit thereunrecognized.

Some romantics are really hobbyists or "tinkerers." They start a worthyproject, lose interest, go back to it again, lose interest. A killer, on the otherhand, barrels along until the project is finished and brought to market. This isthe main difference between a pro and an amateur.

Proactive Plan

Having a skill (or talent or product) is only half the battle. The other half ismarketing it, so logically, you need a plan.

Here is a small but telling observation: most successful people carry around ajournal. This is not a coincidence, nor is just to stay organized. Written inthose little books are goals, strategies, and ideas,...their plans for success.

Another important consideration is that you must be proactive. Not only mustyou react to opportunities, you must act to create them as well. It is by no


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means passive.

Not only must you react to opportunities,

you must act to create them.

The Mental Button

The killer instinct is an attitude. Unlike technical skills, attitude cannot betaught. Believe me, I have tried! I know people with tremendous talent but nodrive to succeed. Either you have the killer instinct or you don't.

It is like a mental button that is either "on" or "off," and only YOU can pressthat button. You can get help and encouragement from friends, family, andfaith, but the impetus must come from inside you. Sort of like trying to quitsmoking! Even well placed connections can only get you so far.

Remember: no one is going to hand you success. It is not automatic, nor is itguaranteed. Being a great talent or a good person means nothing without

desire and drive. You must pursue success with all your heart anddetermination. In short, you must have the killer instinct.

CONCLUSION

This online course has given you a way to rekindle your creativity. Theprocess may seem awkward at first. It will be especially difficult to let go oflong held habits of the mind, especially pure left or right side of the brainthinking. In time, however, the process will feel normal and the stages willunfold organically. Trust the process! Ideas will come easier, and you willknow what to do with them when they come. With regular application of theseprinciples, your creativity will expand over time. Remember that In addition to

talent and creativity, a proactive plan is essential to achieving success!

To your future success!

Gary van Heerden

VideoCreatorProX


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Creative Potential