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E-Bulletins Welcome to the Brainstorm e-Bulletin. Tips and techniques that will help you create your future. Please click on the links below to access subjects of interest in historical E-Bulletins: E-BULLETIN
1: "LATEST RESEARCH LINKS SLEEP AND LEARNING" Brainstorm
e-bulletin 27: "QUIET DREAMS" ACTION:
Keep a notebook by your bedside and jot down your dreams every morning
(practice makes it easier to remember your dreams). Once a week, sit
down with these jottings and see whether your subconscious mind is using
your dreams to offer help for any problems you're encountering.
BRAINSTORM E-BULLETIN 26 "WATCH WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF" 1: LANCE ARMSTRONG AND SELF-TALK Following Lance Armstrong's recent final victory in the Tour de France, I was interested to read that he received regular psychological exercises as well as daily physical training from his personal coach. A lot has been written about what we can learn from the top athletes; one of the most revealing classic studies was described in Scientific American's Mind Magazine. The study revealed that athletes who qualified for the Olympics had the same levels of anxiety and doubt as their less successful peers. The difference was that the Olympians were better at constantly encouraging themselves. ACTION: In today's world, the arts and business can feel just as competitive as athletics. The key to performing well may be what you say to yourself when you doubt your ability to perform. It can be useful to remember past victories, remind yourself of your strengths, and look at others who are succeeding and tell yourself that if they can do it, you can do it, too. 2:
THE HIDDEN LANGUAGE OF LANGUAGE In
his entertaining and revealing book, "Blink," Malcolm Gladwell
talks about an amazing phenomenon. He describes an experiment in which
he gives people a series of five words, and asks them to make four-word
sentences out of them. An example might be, "shoes give replace the
old" and you might make the sentence, "Replace the old
shoes." There are ten such lists. He says, "After you finished
that test--believe it or not-- you would have walked out of my office
and down the hall more slowly than you walked in. Why? Scattered
throughout the list are words like "old, worried, lonely, gray,
Bingo, and wrinkle." He says, "I was making the big computer
in your brain think about the state of being old." Although you
wouldn't notice it consciously, it would still affect your behavior. A
psychologist named John Bargh did a series of such experiments. Some
included lists of words that related to rudeness in one set, and
patience and kindness in another. Again, he found that it had a major
effect on how people behaved shortly afterward. ACTION:
If your morning reading is the front section of a typical newspaper, how
do you think that might be affecting your behavior the rest of the day?
As an experiment, find a positive book that you like (example:
"Living Big" by Pam Grout) and for one week start each day by
reading a few pages of that instead of the morning newspaper. Notice
whether it has any impact on your attitude or behavior (without telling
people what you've done, at the end of the week, ask the people around
you whether they noticed any difference, too). 3:
THE ONE FACTOR THAT OUTWEIGHS ALL THE OTHERS Another
interesting fact that Gladwell points out in "Blink" is that
people never sue doctors they like. There is a strong correlation
between the doctor's warmth, the interest he or she takes in the
patient, and the amount of time they spend talking to a patient, and
whether or not they will ever be sued for malpractice. In his book,
"The Science of Influence," Kevin Hogan points out a similar
phenomenon among real estate agents. One of the strongest factors in
whether buyers buy from a real estate agent, he says, is whether that
agent expresses interest in the client. Hogan's advice: sell the client
on YOU first. ACTION:
The following are some of the strategies and techniques that Hogan
suggests. As you read them, consider how they might apply in your line
of business (as a writer who often has to pitch ideas, I can easily see
their application to those situations): Give direct answers to questions
and elucidate on how that information will help the client solve their
problem. (Another way of saying: always focus on what they need, not on
what you need.) Given the choice of being brief and simple or long and
complex, be brief. Show the customer your flexibility and allow the
client to stay in his comfort zone. And always give something of
perceived value, with a personal touch if possible. (This doesn't mean
bribe the person with something irrelevant; in my case, it might mean
leaving behind a copy of my book, "Do Something Different,"
for example.) 4:
WHO CAN TELL YOUR STORY? Just
about everybody agrees that marketing yourself and your product or
service is important, yet most of us have problems being immodest enough
to do this effectively. The answer can be getting someone else to do it
for you. One great example: Patricia Gallagher, author of the book
"Raising Happy Kids on a Reasonable Budget" had tried without
success to get on the Oprah Winfrey Show and said to her kids, jokingly,
that anybody who gets Mommy on the show will earn fifty dollars. Her
nine-year-old, Katelyn, wrote a letter that started, "Dear Oprah
Winfrey, My Mommy wrote a book..." and decorated it with stickers.
A producer phoned, sent out a camera crew and invited Katelyn and her
mother to appear on the show. ACTION:
Who can help you tell your story? It may not be your children, but if
you're creating a brochure or other sales tool, why not use testimonials
from satisfied clients or customers? Or have it written by your best
friend, who can talk about the great successes you've had, or even your
mother, saying how proud she is that you have become such a good
whatever. In the crowded information marketplace, these kind of unusual
approaches will capture people's attention. 5:
PAY ATTENTION! We
all know how important it is to concentrate--and how difficult,
sometimes. New Scientist Magazine rides to the rescue with these
suggestions. First, raise your arousal level, either with coffee, or by
making sure you've had a good night's rest, don't eat sugary foods, and
get plenty of exercise so you'll feel fresh. Second, reduce
distractions. Turn off the phone, put a 'do not disturb' sign on your
desk, or go somewhere where you won't be disturbed. Studies suggest that
after being interrupted by a phone call, it will take you a quarter of
an hour to get back into a deep state of concentration. Third, listen to
soothing music that blocks out random background noise. Fourth, practice
catching yourself when your thoughts start to wander, and give yourself
the command, "Stop! Be here now!" and get back to work. One
I'd add: stop compulsively checking your email every fifteen minutes
(hmm, I wonder why I thought of that one...). ACTION:
Which ONE of the above would help you the most? Why not try that one
today? 6:
AND, TO FINISH, AN AFRICAN PROVERB: "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second-best time is today." Until
next time, Jurgen PS:
This month I wanted to add a little tribute to Paul Winchell, possibly
the most unusual person I've ever met, who passed away recently. You may
have known him as the voice of "Tigger" in the Disney films,
or as one of the foremost ventriloquists and children's entertainers
back in the late 50's and the 60's. When
I was a little kids I used to watch his show and my Dad gave me a copy
of Paul's book, "How to be a Ventriloquist" and a second-hand
dummy. I learned how to do it and performed at a few charity shows and
then moved on to other interests. Years later, when I moved to Hollywood
to break into TV, my agent said he had a client who wanted someone to
write public service announcements for him--Paul Winchell. So I got to
meet my childhood idol and we became friends. There
are not too many geniuses around, but I think Paul was one. In addition
to his show business success, he invented an artificial heart (part of
his design was incorporated in the Jarvik artificial heart), he'd taught
himself half a dozen languages, and he could copy any painting
brilliantly (again, having taught himself how to paint). He had an idea
for treating AIDS that he never got to test, and another for creating
ponds in Africa that supported plants that fed fish, which in turn would
feed people--a synergistic system that would provide protein to feed
starving people indefinitely. He proposed the latter to Congress, but
they thought it was impractical and refused to fund it. Paul
also fought a lot of psychological demons, due in large part to his
harsh upbringing by a mother who was probably mentally ill (he was
pleased when I wrote a play called "Killing Mother"). He was
bitter that people who knew him as a children's entertainer refused to
take him seriously as an inventor and innovator. And he was very wealthy
(partly from his earnings as an entertainer, but more from a lawsuit
against a company that destroyed the videotapes of his early shows
because he refused to sell them his share of the rights to them). He had
millions, but couldn't break the habit of pinching pennies. And he was
angry with the world. One time I suggested that he use some of his money
to set up a school of ventriloquism for poor kids (he was sorry to see
it vanishing as a form of entertainment). "Why should I--nobody
ever did that for me," was his answer. I thought that was a pretty
good reason for HIM to do it, but he didn't see it that way. At the same
time, he could be kind--he was also a hypnotherapist (it was though him
I got interested in learning hypnosis, too), and he used to go to local
hospitals and use hypnosis to help young burn victims deal with their
pain. A man of contradictions, then, and, I hope, finally at peace.
E-bulletin 25: Who cares what everybody says? 1:
OH YEAH?
MAY 2006 BRAINSTORM E-BULLETIN written by Jurgen Wolff: 1. WHO'S ON YOUR DREAM TEAM? Researchers at Northwestern University studied two very disparate groups--the people behind successful Broadway shows and those behind successful science projects--to determine what makes up an ideal team. They found that it boiled down to making sure that you include some newcomers with a team of established people who are best in your field. Just hiring friends is a danger. If the mix is right, the newcomers bring totally fresh thinking to the enterprise, and are nourished and supported by the longer-established members of the team. ACTION: If you put together teams, be sure to include at least one person who will bring a new perspective, and go for the best people, whether or not you have worked with them before. For the solo artist or entrepreneur, it may be worthwhile simulating a team effort like this. In other words, from time to time, pretend that you are coming to the project totally fresh and dare to challenge all the assumptions behind it. Jot down every thought and question that occurs to you, without censorship or regard for how thing have always been done. Then see whether any of these offer new and useful insights. 2: BUST YOUR GREMLINS! Coach and trainer Marilyn Atkinson helps people to move beyond their Gremlins; she quotes Dr. Sally Jenkins as defining the Gremlin as "the inner voice that abhors change and keeps you from moving forward and getting what you want in life." She mentions four gremlins, one of which is System Identification. This means assuming that things must be done a certain way and you have no hope of breaking out of that system. If you ever feel caught up in that, she suggests asking the following questions: (1) Is it true? (2) Am I absolutely certain it is true? (3) Is there an old agenda when I think that thought? (4) Who might I be without that thought? ACTION: The next time you feel that a system is limiting you, try asking these four questions. You may find that you have greater freedom than you thought. 3: TURN 180 DEGREES TO LEARN Marketing guru Sean D' Souza suggests that brave companies and individuals try the 180-degree exercise. That is, instead of asking "How could I build up my business (or relationship, or health, or anything else)", try asking "How could I destroy it?" For a business, this could mean, "How can I drive customers away?", for a relationship it could mean, "How can I drive this person away?" Make a list. For a company, the list might include, "make people spend endless time on hold," "have the first contact with our company be with an unfriendly or untrained person," and "make sure people have no easy way to contact you if they're unhappy." For a relationship, it might be, "remember to criticize, but forget to praise," "have time for everything but this person," and "never tell the person how much they mean to you." The shock comes when people realize that they are actually doing many of the things on their list! ACTION: If you're feeling brave, try doing the 180-degree exercise for any areas of your life in which you think you might like to make improvements. These could relate to career, finances ("how could I make sure not to have money when I retire?"), relationships, health, or anything else. See which of the steps you're actually taking. Then figure out their opposites and start doing those instead. 4: MAKE GOOD NEWS EXCITING, TOO The media often are criticized for reporting mainly negative news. In an article in The Futurist magazine, Lane Jennings suggests, "Besides reporting murders and muggings every night, why not devote a little time to covering nonviolent conflict resolutions among enemies or showcasing achievements by inspiring individuals who deserve to be more widely known and imitated?" Good advice, but what I realized upon reflection is that we, as individuals, tend to do the same thing. Coming back from a recent enjoyable holiday, I found myself talking more about some of the negative events (delayed flights, annoying people at the airport, etc.) because they're easier to make entertaining. ACTION: Monitor the stories you're telling. What's the balance between negative and positive? Might it be worthwhile to put a little more effort into noticing and talking about the positive stuff? (If you're not convinced, see the Yiddish folk tale below.) 5: JACK WELCH'S IMAGINATION In Fortune magazine, tech exec Vivek Paul shared an important lesson he learned from super-exec Jack Welch: "He was commenting that every time he lands in New York (from a trip abroad) he imagines that he's just been appointed chairman and this is his first day in the role, and the guy before him was a real dud. He said, 'Every time, I think, What would I do that was different than the guy before? What big changes would I make?' I took that seriously. You should always think, 'How can I regenerate myself?'" ACTION: When you wake up tomorrow, imagine that you have just been made CEO of your own life. Maybe the guy or woman before you was a dud in how they handled some aspects of your life. Now it's your turn: what do you want to do differently? How will you start? 6: AND THAT YIDDISH FOLK TALE... An old man sat outside the walls of a great city. When travelers approached, they would ask the old man, "What kind of people live in this city?" And the old man would answer, "What kind of people live in the place where you came from?" If the travelers answered, "Only bad people live in the place where we came from," the old man would reply, "Continue on; you will find only bad people here." But if the travelers answered, "Good people live in the place where we came from," then the old man would say, "Enter, for here, too, you will find only good people." Until next time, Jurgen PS: Below is another installment from the collection I call "Letters to an Unknown Friend":
Some time ago I was staying with my mother for a few days. One evening I told her I was going to the local bookstore for a little while, walking, rather than driving, which admittedly is a bit odd in California. She looked worried and went and got me one of her walking sticks. I asked her why I would want to take a walking stick; I'm not infirm. She said in case anyone tried to attack me, I could use it to defend myself. Now you have to understand that (a) this was in Menlo Park, a Silicon Valley town in which a mugger would starve before he'd see a pedestrian, and (b) I'm very tall and although I'm not trained in the martial arts, I think at least most short muggers and maybe some average ones would think it easier to choose a different victim. I managed to make it to Kepler's Book Store and back in one piece, but on the walk I reflected on the fact that no matter how old we get, to our parents we'll always be kids who need to be protected, and to be told to remember to bundle up when it's cold outside, and nagged to eat our vegetables. When I was younger, I resented this kind of treatment, maybe because deep inside, I feared I had not really grown up. Nowadays, that's no longer a fear, it's just a fact. I've come to recognize that most of us learn to put on the trappings of maturity (mostly this seems to involve paying a lot of bills), but inside we are still kids. The toys we buy are more expensive, but they're still toys--or do we believe we really bought that sports car because it gets superior mileage? We stop having tantrums in public, but we still want what we want when we want it. Maybe we learn to share a little better, but when the person across the street gets a shiny new something, our little child's heart still starts beating faster. Maybe some Buddhists have learned non-attachment; most of us still have the equivalent of the teddy bear or blankie that Mom took away at her peril, although today it may be a car, a favorite shirt, or a job title. You know what? I like it that way. It makes life a lot of fun. And anybody who disagrees can eat worms. your friend, Jurgen PS: Call your mother. She?s worried about you.
written
by Jurgen Wolff 1:
Getting into Flow You
may be familiar with the concept of "flow" as written about
extensively by Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced
"chick-sent-me-high"). It's that state in which you are
so involved with whatever you are doing that you lose all track of time.
Often it's an exhilarating experience in which we do whatever we are
doing more easily, more quickly, and at a higher level than normal. The
question is, can we induce such a state rather than waiting and hoping
for it to occur spontaneously? The Professor says yes, and here are a
few factors that can help evoke it: A.
Pick an activity that you enjoy, and work on a related task that is at
or just above your level of ability. If it's too hard or too easy, you
won't enter flow. Often the key to doing this is to break a bigger task
down into smaller chunks, each of which is at the right level of
difficulty. B.
Make sure that the task includes immediate feedback, so that you know as
you go along whether or not you are doing well. Generally, you need to
feel positive at the beginning stages, and eventually the task may so
absorb you that you stop thinking about how you're doing it, or how
well. C.
Create an atmosphere in which you have as few distractions as possible.
Again, later in the process, you may be so involved that you don't even
notice things like a phone ringing but it helps if you can start off in
an environment that makes it easy to concentrate. This also includes
setting aside a period of time when you won't feel you really should be
doing something else. ACTION:
Schedule some time during which you want to tackle a project and create
the conditions described above. Go into the process with the idea that
if flow occurs, that will be great, and if it doesn't, you'll still get
a lot done (that mentality makes it less likely that you'll distract
yourself by asking 'am I in flow yet?). 2:
Guess Who Has a Gift Shop Can
you guess who not only has a gift shop but grosses more than $200,000 a
year from it? It's the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
No, this is not a late April Fool's joke, they actually sell
things like beach towels and coffee mugs with white chalk body outlines,
as well as caps, pens, tote bags, wrist watches, and note pads (if
there's someone special on your gift list who this would be right for,
you can also order by mail order...). And they've now licensed their
goods to be sold in Japan. The profits go to support the office budget
and a Youthful Drunk Driver Visitation program. Why am I telling you all
this? Because from now on, when I have an idea and start to censor it
because it's too far out, or I assume 'nobody would buy that', I'm going
to try to remember the L.A. County Coroner's Office, and I invite you to
do the same. ACTION:
Is there a 'crazy' idea that you've been considering but have dismissed
as being too far out, too unlikely to succeed? Consider revisiting it! 3:
Do You Have a Panic List? (If not, don't panic...) As
mentioned in the current issue of The Writer magazine, author Janet
Groene says she has a panic list: a list of phone numbers and supplies
she keeps handy in case of emergencies. On the phone list are the
numbers of her computer consultant, the support lines for the software
she uses, her office supply store, an office machine repair shop, and a
temp agency that can send over an assistant at short notice. Her
emergency supplies include packaging and paperwork for overnight mail
and FedEx. If something goes wrong when a deadline is looming, she's
prepared to handle it. ACTION:
Every person will have his or her choice of items for a panic list, but
it's a great idea to have one with at least two options for each type of
person you may need to call upon, and several of each of the key items.
I'd include an extra set of inkjet or toner cartridges, an extra hard
drive you can boot up from if your main hard drive crashes, and extra
batteries of various kinds. 4:
Meetings Made Painless I
liked this characterization of most meetings, from Michael Begeman of
3M: "Here's my mental image of what happens in most business
meetings: You could take the people out and replace them with radios
blaring at each other, and you would not have changed very much."
Fortunately, he has some ideas for improving matters: A.
First be clear about the purpose of the meeting. Is it a brainstorming
session? Is it to discuss a topic in order to get more information? Or
it supposed to result in a decision? Make the purpose explicit and use
that as a guideline to keep everybody on target. B.
Rather than fighting people's instinct to have some chatting time, set a
time limit on it. Go around the room and let everybody say a few words
about how they're doing, and to express anything they need to before
they focus their full attention on the matters at hand. Ten minutes of
this at the start of a meeting can help everybody to really be present. C.
Finish the meeting with a quick (five minute) review on what worked well
in the process of the meeting, what took the group away from the task,
what was done or learned that would be useful to incorporate or avoid in
the next meeting. D.
When you write up the notes of the meeting, focus on only three things:
decisions reached, action items that people need to follow up (and who
will do so, by when), and open issues. ACTION:
If you're in charge of meetings, try implementing some of these
techniques. Even if you're not in charge, you may be able to subtly
introduce some of them. 5:
Want to Be More Creative? Get Moving! A
study at Baruch College in New York found that students who participated
in aerobic fitness and dance classes scored higher on a standard
creativity test than students who didn't. Some experts believe
the cause may be the increased oxygen flow to the brain, others
believe that exercise releases hormones that enhance creativity. Either
way, exercise has mental as well as physical benefits. ACTION:
If you don't already make walking, jogging, or other exercise part of
your schedule, maybe now is the time to start. I find that listening to
audio books on my iPod makes the process much more productive and
enjoyable. One source of downloadable audio books is www.audible.com. 6:
And a Quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, from his essay on Self-Reliance: "There
is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction
that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take
himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide
universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him
but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to
him to till." Until
next time, Jurgen *** PS:
Here is another essay from the collection, "Letters to an Unknown
Friend": Do you think of yourself as the hero of your journey? One of the tools we use in a workshop I teach, "Create Your Future," is the hero's journey, and I wanted to tell you about that today in case it might be useful to you. The hero's journey stems from the work of Joseph Campbell, who was one of the world's foremost students of mythology. He found that in many cultures there were myths that had basically the same structure: a hero going on a quest. Along the way he finds a mentor, but the mentor can only go along for part of the journey, and then the hero has to proceed alone. He faces various tests and challenges, and goes deeply into the world of his adventure. At some point he confronts the greatest challenge and may despair of succeeding or even surviving. At this point, he discovers a new strength or sense of purpose, and he goes on to triumph. Often the treasure he wins is symbolic--that is, something real like a gem or golden goblet that also represents some new knowledge or wisdom he has gained as a result of his journey. Sometimes this treasure benefits not only the hero but also the people around him or even his whole tribe or country. If
this pattern sounds familiar, that's not surprising, because it is a
story structure also used in many novels and films. George Lucas used it
for his first three Star Wars movies and struck up a friendship with
Campbell. Even more interesting, though, is that it is a
pattern that fits many of our real-life adventures. When I conduct the
workshop, I invite participants first to use this structure to describe
how they have handled a challenge in the past, for example, going to
college, starting a career, or learning a new skill. Often, people are
surprised to realize they've been heroes.
Then I ask them to use this structure to describe how they could
accomplish something they haven't done yet. The
result is always interesting and sometimes profound. Not only is the
hero's journey a useful planning tool, but the effect of thinking of
ourselves as heroes and heroines on a journey of adventure can have a
fantastic motivational effect. The attitude with which we approach a
problem or challenge has a huge impact. Switching from "I have a
problem" to "I am on a quest" is a big shift. A number of
participants have reported they've also used it to inspire their
children, with terrific results. Why
not try it yourself? Think of something you'd like to achieve. It
doesn't have to be something huge or exotic. It might be losing ten or
twenty pounds, or learning a new skill, or reinvigorating a
relationship. Take a little while to daydream about it, using the
pattern above. Who could be your mentor? What obstacles might you
encounter and how do you think you'll overcome them? Notice not only the
ideas that come up, but also how you feel. Have fun and don't be afraid
to think of yourself as a hero--I bet you already are one. Your
friend, Jurgen
written
by Jurgen Wolff Here
are some ideas and inspirations to get you going. Let's get started: 1.
WHAT ARE YOU AVOIDING? We
all have things that we know we should do, but that we avoid because we
don't enjoy them. This could be exercising, handling paperwork, getting
organized, or making phone calls, for example. In an internet article,
Kevin Beegle, president of Physiques in Motion, gave some advice for how
to guarantee that you will stick to an exercise program. The same advice
could help us with anything we're avoiding, so in the list below, where
I've put the asterisks, insert the phrase that describes what you may be
avoiding: A.
Begin looking at *** differently. Focus on the benefits instead of the
process itself. B.
Think small. Break down *** into sections or parts and set some
realistic goals. C.
Get a *** partner. Make an appointment for both of you to tackle
something you're avoiding (it doesn't have to be the same thing) and
then commit to doing it at that time. D.
Change your *** more often. Try some different ways of achieving the
outcome you want. E.
Hire a Personal Trainer. Who is an expert at *** ? Hire them once or for
regular sessions to help you do what you're avoiding more efficiently
and effectively. F.
*** at a different time of day. Experiment with when you find it
easiest--maybe first thing, to get it out of the way, or between two
more pleasurable activities, for example. G.
Plan to *** for a minimum of six months. After a while, you'll find it
has become a habit. ACTION:
Decide which of the above changes would have the most positive impact,
and try it today. 2.
ARE YOU USING THE POWER OF WAITING? Robert
Epstein, Ph.D., editor of Psychology Today, noted in one of his columns:
"In my laboratory research, I've learned about the enormous
benefits waiting has for creativity. When people are struggling to solve
a problem, the more time they have, the more creative they become. Even
long periods of inactivity are eventually followed by breakthroughs. The
main challenge is to teach people to relax while 'nothing' seems to be
happening." ACTION:
Is there something you feel you might be rushing? Consider how to build
in some time to allow your subconscious mind to work on it. One useful
approach: have two projects going, and alternate between them. The
active time on one becomes the 'doing nothing' time for the other. More
radical: give yourself some time off to really do nothing--it doesn't
have to be long, even as little as one day. Key point: in this period,
give yourself full permission to do nothing so you are not distracted by
the feeling you really should be doing something. 3:
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF IDEAS You've
heard before about the importance of carrying around a notebook so you
can capture ideas. Here, from an article by designer Mark Oldach in HOW
magazine are further useful tips: A:
Within 24 hours of a meeting or interview, review your notes, expand on
them, connect ideas, ask new questions. B:
Let the information or new ideas settle (as in item two above) C:
Give others on your team your new notes and ask them to expand on them
as well. D:
During your "stewing" period, jot down any new thoughts that
come up, clip any articles that seem relevant, etc. and keep them all in
one place. I find box files work really well for this. E:
Try expressing new ideas in pictures as well as words. You don't need to
be a great artist for this. I would add: try to involve all the senses.
What will your customer or client say, what will they feel, and what
will they see? ACTION:
Consider whether these steps would be useful in a current project, or
build them into your plans for an upcoming project. In your project
file, keep a log of what is most helpful so you can apply it in the
future as well. 4:
DO YOU HAVE A FALLBACK PLAN? Most
of what's written about entrepreneurship and achievement accentuates the
positive, but it's also useful to consider what could happen if you
fail. Business executive learned this from media mogul Ted Turner:
"Ted, although giving the public appearance that he shoots from the
hip, is actually very conservative fiscally and always has a
well-thought-out plan in case things go wrong," he wrote in Inc
magazine. A personal example: at the moment I have a new book proposal
being circulated to publishing companies, but I also have a fall-back
plan for self-publishing it and promoting it via the internet. ACTION:
For the major projects you have or would like to have, take some time to
brainstorm fallback plans. Sometimes this will prompt you to build in
certain features right from the start. 5:
ARE YOU SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE? Tim
Sanders, executive and author of the book, Love is the Killer App,
writes: "Over and over again, I've discovered that the
businesspeople who are the busiest, the happiest, and the most
prosperous are the ones who are the most generous with their knowledge
and their expertise. People who love what they're doing, who love to
learn new things, to meet new people, and to share what and whom they
know with others: these are the people who wind up creating the most
economic value and, as a result, moving their companies forward." ACTION:
Keep a batch of postcards and envelopes handy. When you run across an
interesting new idea or product, take a moment to think about which of
your friends or colleagues might benefit most and jot down the
information and their name. Once a week, complete the addressing and
stamping and post these notes. Of course you can also do it via e-mail,
but these days the impact of an actual card or letter is much greater. 6:
AND FINALLY, A THOUGHT TO CONSIDER... This
one is from George Bernard Shaw: "Life is a series of inspired
follies. The difficulty is to find them to do. Never lose a chance. It
doesn't come every day." Until
next time, Jurgen
written
by Jurgen Wolff Looking
hopefully for those signs of Spring. It's a good time to do some mental
and well as physical Spring cleaning. To that end, I hope you'll find
these ideas useful: 1:
Use the Power of Visualisation--Instantly On
my Power Trances CD there are a number of longer visualisations, but
here is a short one you can use anytime you're stressed. It takes only
about a minute, and here are the four steps: One:
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Make a mental image of whatever is
causing you stress. It can be a metaphorical image; for example, if you
feel stuck, imagine yourself in a tar pit, struggling to move out of it. Two:
Now make another image that represents how things will be once the
problem is solved or dealt with in the best way possible. In the example
above, the second image might be yourself lightly walking through a
meadow. Three:
Keeping the second image in mind, think of three specific tangible
things you can do in the short term to move things closer to this image. Four:
Open your eyes, take another deep breath, and do the first tangible
thing or at least one part of the first tangible thing (for example, if
you need to make a phone call but can't do it right then, schedule the
call in your calendar or to-do list). ACTION:
This is a great exercise for the start of what you fear may be a tough
day. Pick the number one thing worrying you, do the exercise, and move
into action. 2:
Tips for Creative Travellers If
you've travelled lately, you'll know that it can be more stressful than
ever. Here are my own top three tips (I'd love to hear some of yours,
sent to BstormUK@aol.com): One:
Carry a pair of earplugs. You never know when you'll end up sitting near
noisy kids, or sleeping in a hotel room where there's a party going on
in the next room. The wax ear plugs that you knead and then push into
position tend to be the most comfortable. Two:
Carry a little alarm clock set to the time of your destination. This is
a good back-up to hotel wake-up calls. Three:
Carry a travel sheet that has on it all the key travel information for
your trip. This includes flight numbers, reservation numbers, departure
and arrival times, your frequent flyer numbers, your hotel information,
and information of your contacts at your destination. Make 2 copies.
Keep the original on your person, one copy in your carry-on luggage, and
give one copy to the person most likely to need to reach you (and who
you can reach in case of an emergency). ACTION:
Keep a set of the above and other travel essentials handy (toiletries,
travel insurance documents, passport etc.) so if you ever need to travel
at short notice, you won't have to rush around gathering reusable
information and getting everything together. 3:
Learning from the Circus Maybe
you've been to one of the wonderful Cirque de Soleil shows, or maybe
you've just read about them or seen excerpts on television. It has
become a big business, which nets more than $100 million per year on a
gross income of over $500 million. It has successfully married the
creative side and the business side. So what can we learn from it? Well,
one thing is to spend enough on research and development. The Cirque
company spends forty percent of its profits on developing new ideas, new
effects, and finding new talent. If
you're working for yourself, you may not have thought too much about R
& D, but in this era when we are all essentially working for
ourselves (even if we are employed) it's essential to invest in
ourselves as well. This could take the form of workshops and classes to
learn new skills; subscriptions to magazines related to what you do;
trips to see how people in other places do what you do; and new
equipment or supplies that help you do your job more effectively. ACTION:
Estimate how much you're investing in yourself. Is it enough? What kind
of R & D investment in yourself has the potential of the biggest
payoff? What's the first step you could take to make sure that you're
not only keeping up, but staying ahead in your field? 4:
Get Lucky There's
an old saying, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." In a
recent essay, marketing expert Seth Godin came up with a new twist on
this idea. Writing in Business 2.0 magazine, he says, "We live in a
world of fashion, not rational computation. A world where everything
from brake linings and ball bearings to clothes and airlines is chosen
for unpredictable reasons. The way to grow in the future is to
acknowledge how important luck is and diversify your risk. Do that with
lots of products, not just one or two. Cut your overhead, so you have
plenty of chips, ready for another spin of the roulette wheel." ACTION:
Consider whether you are being diversified enough in what you're
offering the world, and how many different approaches you are using to
make the world aware of your product or service. It could be useful to
diversify further and do some quick and inexpensive trials to see what
might work better than what you're doing now. Godin says, "Every
time you launch a product or service, every time you apply for a job or
start a nonprofit, you're either going to hit or not. If you get lucky,
you're entitled to deny that luck had anything to do with it. But if you
fail--and you probably will--understanding the role of the L factor will
keep you sane. And if you've planned for it, it will keep you solvent as
well. Solvent enough to try again and again, until you make it (and take
all the credit)." 5:
Say Those Three Little Words... What
are three of the most powerful words you can say? No, not those. In this
case, I mean "I am sorry." A recent study by a law professor
at the University of Missouri, Columbia, showed that wronged parties are
more likely to settle out of court for lower amounts if the other person
apologized--but there's a twist. The
subjects were asked to imagine that they had been injured in a collision
with a bicyclist (whose fault it was) and had been offered a settlement
that covered only their medical expenses. There were three different
test groups. In one, the bicyclist apologized fully, in one the
bicyclist didn't, and in the third, the bicyclist offered a partial
apology. When
a full apology was offered, 73 percent said they'd take the settlement;
when no apology was offered, 52 percent said yes; and, interestingly,
when a partial apology was offered, even fewer--35 percent--said they'd
take the settlement rather than suing for damages as well. The
implications of this latter figure may be that if you are going to
apologize, do so fully. My own theory is that perhaps if the other
person doesn't apologize, we can still imagine he or she feels bad, but
if they offer only a partial apology, we realize they feel that we were
partly to blame and that upsets us. ACTION:
Time and again, our politicians and other public figures (hello, Bill,
hello, Martha...) fail to realize that a speedy admission of guilt works
better than denials or cover-ups. The next time you make a mistake, as
we all do from time to time, consider saying those three little words... 6:
And a few words of inspiration Richard
Saul Wurman calls himself an information architect. He has published
over fifty books, and he follows his curiosity wherever it leads him.
Here's what he said about that: "I attempt to indulge myself, and
the choice of each project is an indulgent choice. I'm proud of that. I
know we're told to indulge yourself is bad, it is a characteristic that
is not a Christian characteristic. But what else would you want to do
but indulge in the things you find creative and enjoyable? When
possible, you should do what you want to do every day." Until
next time, Jurgen Written
by Jurgen Wolff For
thousands of years the pattern of human behaviour was to plant in the
spring, cultivate in the summer, harvest in the fall, and rest in the
winter. So if you're tempted to be hard on yourself for not having
jumped into the new year with full energy, give yourself a break! Even
so, we can always use some new ideas and inspirations, so here are a few
I hope you'll find useful: 1.
RECONNECTING WITH YOUR UNIQUENESS This
item comes under the category of "physician, heal thyself!"
Last year I wrote a sitcom for Germany that was changed a lot for the
worse by the director, who was backed by the producer. In my heart I
knew I should quit the project and take my name off it--but I
rationalized my way out of that decision. The outcome: the series
flopped...with my name still on it. The moral: trust your vision and be
true to yourself! Here's
what director Tim Burton had to say about this in a recent interview:
"There was a very specific moment in my life when I had a
breakthrough. I was at the California Institute of Arts, and I had been
getting more and more exasperated because I was trying to fit into a
certain style of drawing--the Disney way--and I almost had a breakdown,
and I was just sitting there and I said, 'You know what? I can't draw
like this. I'm just gonna draw whatever way I draw and that's it.' And
at that moment, my drawings changed. In one second, I drew completely
different. In a different style and a different way. It was like a drug
experience--literally, my mind expanded." ACTION:
When you have some private time, take a few minutes to review each of
the aspects of your life: personal and professional. Are there any
respects in which you've stopped being true to yourself? How could you
get back on the path? What's the first step? When will you take it? 2.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? A
fascinating study was done recently at the University of Florida, in
which researchers asked subjects to hold their hand in ice-cold water
until the pain became unbearable (how do they get people to do these
things?). Women kept their hands in for an average of 69 seconds, men
for an average of 109 seconds. A second group was told that the average
person can withstand the cold for 30 seconds. In this group, the women
averaged 60 seconds, the men 90 seconds. A third group was told the
tolerance time was 90 seconds. In this group, the women held out for an
average of 102 seconds, the men for an average of 112 seconds. In
all cases, men held out longer than women, which may prove women are
more sensitive to pain, or maybe just more sensible. But more
interesting is that in each case where they were told an average time,
they tried to beat it. It suggests that our achievements are linked to
our expectations and to whom we are comparing ourselves. ACTION:
Take a moment to consider whether you're comparing yourself to anyone in
terms of what you'd like to achieve. Have you set your standards high
enough? Or too high? What would be a better standard of comparison that
you might find more motivating? 3.
THE FIFTEEN-MINUTE IDEA GENERATOR In
The Artist's Magazine, Grace Cohen writes about how she and her son
would overcome their artist's blocks when they weren't sure how to get
started: they would set an egg timer for 15 minutes, take a walk, and
they would draw whatever they were looking at when it went off. After 15
minutes of drawing, they would start walking again, and repeat the
process a few times. This
gave me the idea for adapting this to brainstorming, and it seems to
work. Here's how: set yourself a topic or problem about which you'd like
to have some new ideas (I tested this with my need to come up with a
better ending for the novel I'm writing at the moment). Set a timer for
15 minutes and start doing whatever routine tasks you need to do. When
the timer goes off, take out your notepad and jot down whatever new
ideas you have in that moment. When you run out, re-set it, and repeat
the process. The great thing is that you don't need to consciously think
about the topic while working, but often you'll find your subconscious
mind continues to work on it and give you ideas. ACTION:
Give this a try yourself the next time you're doing tasks like
housework, filing, etc. Have a little notepad and a pen with you. If no
new ideas come up when the timer rings, review the ideas you've had
previously about the topic, re-set the timer, and do it again. Let me
know how you get on! 4.
READER, BEWARE THE HYPE MACHINE! Because
of my interest in creativity, I got kind of excited when I read the lead
paragraph of this news story: "People who sleep eight hours a night
are more creative, artistic, and possibly even smarter than folks who
sleep less than that, according to a new experiment that actually proves
that sleep can turn yesterday's problem into today's solution, reports
Reuters." Sounds
great, right? Well, stay with me and let's look at the actual
experiment: 106 volunteers were divided into groups of men and women
ages 18 to 32. All were trained in a math procedure. Before testing,
Group 1 slept for 8 hours, Group 2 stayed awake all night, Group 3
stayed awake for 8 hours during the day. Guess
who did worst? Yes, the group that stayed up all night. Guess who did
second worst? Yes, the group that had been up 8 hours during the day.
And the best group was fresh from having slept eight hours. To
quote Homer Simpson: "Doh!" They conducted one trial, with
only extremes. Nothing about whether eight hours of sleep is in fact
better than seven or six hours, for example. Nothing about sleep
actually contributing to solving problems that were difficult to figure
out before the sleep session. And where does being more artistic come
into this experiment, exactly? Furthermore,
the article concludes by citing several examples of "great insights
that occurred after a deep sleep," including that "Samuel
Taylor Coleridge wrote his epic 'Kubla Khan.'" Well, actually he
woke up after sleeping only three hours with the poem supposedly
fully-formed in his mind and he'd taken drugs... ACTION:
As our leaders are finding, it's important to read the fine
print. Increasingly, even the mainstream media seem to be going for
'sexed up' headlines and opening paragraphs. Useful questions to keep in
mind are: 1. Who says so? 2. What's the evidence? 3. In whose interest
might it be to hype the headline? 4. Is the supporting evidence (like
the 'Kubla Khan' anecdote) really true? 5.
HOW OLD ARE YOU--IN DAYS? Writer
and thinker Peter Russell has a different approach to counting his age.
Here's what he says about it: "A few years back I began counting my
age not in years, but days. The day is the natural cycle of our lives.
The cycle of light and dark, wakefulness and sleep, has more
significance than the cycle of the seasons. Indeed, in equatorial
latitudes, you hardly notice the passing of the seasons. The day is what
counts. Each
day is a complete unit in itself. At the end of each day I can look back
and take stock. How have I been? What have I learnt? What can I be
grateful for? I
can hold a day's experience in mind quite easily. Trying to go back and
take stock of a whole year is much harder. Numerous incidents and
discoveries are inevitably forgotten. I
also find it far more meaningful to think that I have lived through
nearly twenty thousand days this life, rather than 50 years. And it
reframes the future. I have -- probably -- thousands of days still to
come. Thousands of new days to discover, enjoy and learn from." ACTION:
If you'd like to calculate your age in days without having to get out
the calculator, go to his website: www.PeterRussell.com, and click on
the part of his mind map that tells you how old he is. There's a
calculator there that will work it out for you instantly. And then start
enjoying your age...day by day. 6. AND A QUO |
