Category: Innovation & Creativity

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Cultivating Curiosity to Enrich Your Life

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Curiosity, simply put, is “ the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.” It’s a natural part of our humanity, from birth on. It can be discouraged or suppressed by parents and others in the quest to manage behavior. As adults, cultivating curiosity can be incredibly valuable to our lives. In fact:

 Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.  ~ Samuel Johnson

Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.  ~ Leo Burnett

Curiosity opens us up to new people, places, and experiences. It can keep us feeling young and better prepared to deal with a changing world. I value my natural curiosity and try to continually nurture it. It has taken me down paths of understanding and learning and built bridges with other people. Curiosity is essential to understanding other people – especially those whose backgrounds and experiences are quite different from yours. It is a prerequisite to engaging our imagination and empathy also. Read more here: Imagination and Empathy – Tools to Decrease Division and Conflict .

These nine tips make cultivating curiosity in your life easier:

  1. Embrace The Unknown

Many of us fear the unknown, or at least have no interest in “digging deeper.” One of the best ways to cultivate your curiosity is to embrace the things you don’t know. If you take the time to learn about the things you don’t know, you will be surprised by some of the things you learn.

  1. Ask More Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask people more questions. This is not only one of the best ways to learn, but it’s also a great way to stay curious. When you ask the right questions (why, who, how) it will lead you down paths you never thought of before.

  1. Read More Often

If you aren’t an avid reader, strive to become one. Start small if you have to. Try to read a new book every month. You don’t have to focus on learning either. Quite often, a good fiction novel will capture your attention in unique ways that help foster curiosity. If you are a voracious reader, consider trying a new genre or seek out authors you haven’t yet explored.

  1. Stop Saying “I’m Bored”

Do you ever say “I’m bored” out loud? If so – next time catch yourself. Instead of saying you are bored, take in your surroundings and see if you can focus your attention on something else. Simply grabbing a pamphlet in a waiting room might inspire you in unexpected ways. Especially in those times when you have to wait in a doctor’s office, the Department of Motor Vehicles, etc., bring something to read or explore something new on your phone.

  1. Be More Present

Try to be more mindful of the world around you and your place in it. Instead of worrying about the future, fretting about the past, multitasking, or checking your phone – just let yourself be. When you are more aware of your surroundings, you will find yourself more curious about them. Rather than going into auto pilot when you are taking the same route to a place you go regularly, try an alternate route and observe as you go.

  1. Listen More Than You Speak

Listening to others is one of the best ways to spark your curiosity. You never know which tidbit is going to catch your attention and lead you down paths unknown. When you speak too much, you miss out on these types of opportunities.

  1. Learn Something New

Is there anything you have wanted to learn but never bothered?  There has never been a better time to learn about something new. With almost all universities and colleges offering online learning and websites like Udemy, there is no lack of ways to learn something new. And in-person classes at community colleges or community centers are a great option.

  1. Start Taking Notes

You would be surprised how much you notice about the world around you when you keep notes. Things you might notice in the moment, then normally forget later, can be captured forever by taking notes. Capture questions that pop into your mind too. Those can so easily be lost. Nothing beats an actual notebook, but there are plenty of phone apps that ensure you can jot down your thoughts anytime. Then go back regularly and explore some of those topics.

  1. Forget Your Fears

We let fear take control far too often. You won’t ever experience something new if you are too scared to take a chance. You may have apprehension about the activity itself, or of people’s reactions to you going in that direction. Worrying about the thoughts of others can be a huge and unnecessary block. If something interests you, go for it – don’t fear the judgment of others.

Here are 3 specific ways to get started cultivating curiosity today:

  • Think about a topic that you have a casual interest in but never really explored. Start an internet search about it, and dive in. Don’t worry if you go down another tangent – that’s curiosity!
  • Make a “to-read” list. Search an online bookstore and find some titles that speak to you or capture your interest. Try to find at least 12. This will give you a manageable list to conquer in a year.
  • Commit to learning something new. It can be a new skill or just a topic that interests you. Find an online course (there is probably a free or cheap option!) and sign up.

As you are cultivating curiosity in your life, you may find these books which go much deeper of interest:

 Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life 

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be. Visit my Amazon Author Page to find my published books: https://amazon.com/author/carolbrusegar

 

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Ten Ways to Develop Your Creativity

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Do you consider yourself to be creative? Often we associate creativity with writers, artists, musicians, and dancers – things associated with the arts. And we may see some people as more naturally creative than others.

But in truth we are all creative beings.  We’ve had to use our creativity in very practical ways in the past few years during these uncertain, challenging times. You can further develop your creativity in all aspects of your life. Whether it’s looking for an out-of-the-box solution at work or coming up with something fun and interesting to do with your family or friends this weekend, you can be more creative. I wrote earlier about Cranking up Your Problem Solving Creativity .

There are some basic things you can do to develop your creativity and use it to enhance your life.

  1. DECIDE to be creative. Start with making a decision. As with anything, you’re never going to improve in an area until you decide that you’re going to. You must commit to being creative. Then set up a plan to carry out that commitment.
  2. Increase your understanding. It’s hard to see a creative solution to a problem you don’t understand. So when you are facing something you are not familiar with, take the time to educate yourself in that area. Learn it inside and out, and then examine it again, from the point of view that comes from understanding.
  3. Be curious. Curiosity enriches our lives in multiple ways and certainly can help us develop our creativity. My grandson’s curiosity about the ocean and ocean creatures has led him to dig into the topic and become a walking encyclopedia on related subjects. It may well lead him to a career in that field.

Sometimes we pursue something that has sparked our curiosity immediately. But if we don’t have the time to pursue it at the moment, it may be forgotten. So I encourage you to capture those topics you want to learn more about in a CURIOSITY JOURNAL. When something interests you, take note of it. Write down your questions. Use these as jumping off points when you’re looking to be creative and when you are feeling stuck or bored.

As I write memoir essays, my curiosity about the background and context of some of my memories has led me to learn more about it and to develop an approach to writing such essays. Here’s my Kindle book that has resulted from that: Memoir Essays: Memories + Context + History = Deeper Appreciation of Your Life Journey

4. Become a risk-taker. Don’t stick with the tried and true solutions. Ask yourself how you can do things differently? Then jump in and try things that way to see how they go.

5. Drop the negativity. It’s so easy to fall into an attitude that things are too hard or you aren’t smart enough to figure out something. By thinking you can’t find a solution, or that it’s impossible to be creative, you have already failed. Don’t create self-fulfilling prophecies. Instead, decide you will succeed, that the solution is already there. (Another decision!!)

6. Try something new. By experimenting with new art, involving yourself in a new sport, or going somewhere you’ve never been before, you engage your brain along different neural pathways and see the world in ways you haven’t before. Now is the time to try that thing you’ve always wanted to do!

7.  Brainstorm. Throw out ideas, one after another. Get wild and crazy and see what sticks. The best creative ideas come out of the silly ones. Doing this with someone else in a playful attitude can spark even more possibilities and develop your creativity.

8.  Know there’s more than one right way to get something done. If something isn’t working, that doesn’t mean there’s no solution – only a solution you haven’t found yet. Keep trying. Look for the other ways things might work. Sometimes it’s a work-around rather than a direct solution.

9. Look for inspiration. Spend time exploring other people’s creativity to stimulate your own. Visit art galleries. Listen to music. Read books. Explore the world around you and see what touches off a creative spark in you. Being intentional as we read, watch and listen to the works of others will help open our minds to other ideas.

10. Let things snowball. Jump from one idea into another and another and another. See where the creative path takes you. Maybe you won’t find the solution to the problem you’re working on, but you might find the solution to something else, so jot down the best ideas that crop up.

To learn more: Tony Laidig’s book is a treasure! 21 Ways to Skyrocket Your Creativity 21 Ways to Skyrocket Your Creativity

Here’s another tool you may find helpful. It’s a printable item to capture your ideas and gives a process for moving the best ones to reality.  Idea Journal and Planner   Idea Journal and Planner

Creativity doesn’t have to be out of reach, even if you tend to think of yourself as an un-creative person. By working to develop your creativity, you’ll enjoy more success in your work and home life and will learn new ways to think and do things. With so much benefit, isn’t it time to find that new and exciting more creative version of you?

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be. Visit my Amazon Author Page to find my published books: https://amazon.com/author/carolbrusegar

Follow me on Twitter!     Follow me on Instagram!   Follow me on Pinterest!

        Follow me on Facebook!         Visit my Etsy Shop!

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Cranking Up Your Problem-Solving Creativity

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Do you consider yourself to be creative? Perhaps you say no because you can’t paint or make music or sculpt. Creativity is MUCH broader than that. It’s about finding new ways to solve problems and finding ways to approach the situations we face. All of us are creative. It’s a survival skill. And we can become MORE creative in all areas of our lives. Cranking up your problem-solving creativity can make a huge difference.

Here we are in mid-2022, another year in the COVID-19 pandemic. The list of national issues that affect our lives directly and indirectly is long. The future is uncertain in many ways. And we are trying to live our lives in the midst of it all. People are responding to all of this in various ways – some with anger, depression, withdrawal and others with determination and positive energy. Probably most of us alternate among these reactions or are somewhere in between.

Given the unique nature of the convergence of these elements, cranking up our problem-solving creativity is important to our thriving. But it’s hard to be creative when we are under pressure or overwhelmed. It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and there certainly is truth in that. On the other hand, you may have experienced – as I have – that my mind can be paralyzed in that kind of situation. What’s the difference? It could very well be our mindset.

Make Sure You Start With a Positive Mindset

It’s easy to have a negative mindset in challenging situations. This definitely hampers our ability to do our best problem solving. So before tackling a situation, make sure that you are coming from a positive view. If all you see is doom and gloom, if it seems hopeless, if you are just tired of struggling, this is the first step to effectively addressing what’s going on. Shift how you look at things to alter your thought process and open your mind to more options.

How do you do this? Begin with saying positive affirmations like:  I am creative, I easily come up with new solutions, my mind is open to unique solutions, I have navigated hard times before, etc. Say them multiple times throughout your day and see the difference. You can also seek out positive quotes to inspire you. Google can help you find them. Just search for quotes about creativity, or quotes about surviving tough times, or any topic that fits your situation. Print them and post them where you will see them regularly and/or make them a picture on your phone.

You can also do this exercise: practice looking at things from a different perspective. How would someone else view it? It could be a friend, someone with different life experience, a parent or grandparent, etc. You may be surprised at what this shift can do to go beyond your current thoughts.

Another suggestion is to take a situation and practice detaching from the emotion of it. Instead of being immersed in the feelings you have surrounding that, step back and jot down the facts of the situation. What are the elements? Who is involved? How did this start? Is it temporary and will pass with time? Pretend you are an outside consultant who brings objectivity.

Practice allowing yourself to look at the situation without boundaries. Don’t immediately search for a ‘sensible’ solution. Look for something out of the ordinary. This allows your creative juices to flow. Let your mind wander. Look at the problem from all angles. Remind yourself that you have navigated many challenges before and you can do it again.

Collect Resources That Can Help You

One of the by-products of the extended impact of the pandemic is that our usual practices of communication and support with others were drastically changed. Even as things have opened up, it is still different. I wrote about nurturing creativity about six months into the pandemic here: http://carolbrusegar.com/nurturing-creative-thinking/

Several approaches to increasing our creativity were highlighted there, including initiating sharing conversations and brainstorming sessions with others on specific topics. Other people can be our greatest resources. You can do this virtually, as suggested in the above post, or now in person. One of the advantages of virtual is that you can include people who don’t live near you. Each of us have unique perspectives and resource ideas and connections. We don’t have to struggle alone!

Keeping a running list of ideas on various topics can aid in cranking up our problem-solving creativity. Perhaps you think you don’t have many ideas. Or perhaps you know you do but think that they are impractical or don’t apply now. In either case, I challenge you to try using an Idea Journal. Capture ideas you have about anything. This reinforces your recognition that you are creative – and seeds the expectation that you can solve things creatively. You will be amazed after doing this regularly how many ideas you have. Some you will use, many you won’t use. The largest benefit is illustrating to yourself that you are indeed creative.

Cranking up your problem-solving creativity is essential, enjoyable and can make a huge difference every day. If you want to learn more, check out these books:

Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you are feeling fear about the future and your ability to creatively live in the coming months and years, this can be inspiring and helpful.

The Creative Habit, Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp.  Included are simple exercises that can expand your creative thinking as you go about your daily life.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

 

Follow me on Twitter!     Follow me on Instagram!   Follow me on Pinterest!

Follow me on Facebook!         Visit my Etsy Shop!

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Liminal Spaces in Our Lives – the ‘In Between’ That Continues

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Unknown, liminal, doorI certainly didn’t imagine a few months ago that the pandemic and its myriad impacts would still be affecting us on a daily basis as we move into September! I hadn’t thought much about such occurrences, and I must admit in retrospect that I wasn’t really affected mentally or in any other way by the most recent H1-N1 or Ebola epidemics. It was on my radar, but it didn’t impact my day-to-day reality.

And here we are entering the fall months, still in this space between – this liminal space. This description from https://inaliminalspace.org/ is helpful: “The word liminal comes from the Latin word ‘limen’, meaning threshold – any point or place of entering or beginning. A liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a place of transition, a season of waiting, and not knowing. Liminal space is where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it form us.”   I wrote about this concept earlier here: https://carolbrusegar.com/using-liminal-space-next-phase/

As the months have passed, more and more things have been revealed, not only directly related to the pandemic, but to all the other crises we have faced. I hear people pondering what it will look like when we have come to the other side of this – whenever that may be.

Eileen Button wrote an interesting post, “Welcome to Liminal Space” https://flushingview.mihomepaper.com/articles/welcome-to-liminal-space/  in which she invites us to use this space to be open to examination of our lives and reality on a broad level and as it applies to us personally:

“This season asks us to notice and evaluate what we’re doing to the Earth and all its inhabitants. It begs us to examine how we collect and distribute our wealth. It demands that we not only notice the vulnerabilities of our neighbors, but to work to change the systems that keep them oppressed. And it pleads with us not only to thank those whom we have labeled “essential,” but to ensure that equitable adjustments will be made so that our resources are placed where our gratitude is.

“In short, this liminal space is illuminating. It’s shining a light on us, which is sometimes unflattering as it shows us harder truths about ourselves and the society in which we live.”

Everyone Has a Role to Play 

How can this reflection and examination happen? Surely businesses and organizations are looking at some of these questions. Hopefully citizen groups and networks are or will be as we move into another season. Our elected officials on all levels are faced with the issues in stronger ways and must respond.

And we individually can reflect, write/journal and discuss it with others. Perhaps a virtual gathering on Zoom, Google Meet, etc. with specific related topics can be stimulating and generate some creative ideas and directions. Invite friends and acquaintances and try it out. It’s a process in which we all have a role to play.

If you are interested in learning how to use Zoom, there are lots of resources at Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3aZg3sb  or available through a Google search.

Journaling is an incredible and flexible tool and has so much to offer during times like these. If you would like to explore ways to use journaling, check out my free online course that introduces several uses: https://carolbrusegar.com/journaling-explore-the-possibilities-with-my-free-ecourse/

 

 

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Using Liminal Space to Create the Next Reality in America

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unknown, liminal, tunnel“It would be difficult to exist in this time of global crisis and not feel caught between at least two worlds—the one we knew and the one to come. Our consciousness and that of future generations has been changed. We cannot put the genie back in the bottle.”

Those words by Richard Rohr, author and theologian, articulate something many of us are feeling. It has been several months (for lots of us) of being under “stay at home” orders  or other restrictions so that the infection rates can be reduced and our health care systems can be likely to handle what comes in the long haul. The more that we hear about what is to come, the more caught between we can feel.

There is a word that describes this position.  Not a common word, but one that grasps the essence of what lots of people are feeling.  We are in liminal space. The word liminal comes from the Latin word ‘limen’, meaning threshold – any point or place of entering or beginning. A liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a place of transition, a season of waiting, and not knowing.

Richard Rohr addresses this directly: “This global pandemic we now face is an example of an immense, collective liminal space. The very vulnerability and openness of liminal space allows room for something genuinely new to happen. We are empty and receptive—erased tablets waiting for new words. Liminal space is where we are most teachable, often because we are most humbled. Liminality keeps us in an ongoing state of …calling so-called normalcy into creative question.”

I see this perspective as helpful in providing a framework for the days ahead. The most significant things we can do are to use this time to examine what opportunities this massive disruption of our “normal” can offer.

What about our personal normal of the past do we consider important and life-giving to ourselves and others in our immediate circle? What things would we like to modify, change significantly or eliminate?

Then there are the larger questions within our communities and country. This crisis has revealed (to some) and amplified (to others) some of the ways in which our country is not life-giving and nurturing to everyone. The obvious examples are these:

1) the disproportionately high infection and death rates among our African American, Latino, and indigenous groups

2) the high infection and death rates in long term care facilities – nursing homes, assist living facilities, etc.

3) the dire effects of lack of health care services, facilities and insurance among people in rural America as well as among the communities of color mentioned above.

As we view these things – among others – in this liminal space, what do we want to do about them? There is so much pressure to “get us back to normal” which is not going to happen quickly. In fact, it will never be the normal we had several months ago. There are ways in which that is good. To simply return to what was is not in the interest of many, many Americans.

We are having an extended time to look at how we will live, work, educate our children and ourselves, take care of the vulnerable, and make our country a more just and lifegiving place for all of our fellow citizens.

Liminal space is where all transformation takes place. We are on a threshold and we will be here for a while. How will we use this time and space to ponder the next phase for ourselves, the organizations of which we are a part, our communities, and our country?

Journaling is an incredible and flexible tool and has so much to offer during times like these. If you would like to explore ways to use journaling, check out my free online course that introduces several uses: https://carolbrusegar.com/journaling-explore-the-possibilities-with-my-free-ecourse/

 

 

 

 

 

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Nurturing Creative Thinking in Challenging Times

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thinking

 

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” ~ Mary Lou Cook  

“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” ~ Edward de Bono

Our ability to be creative has been called upon so much during these times when everything is different, changing and unpredictable. It’s required for each of us to navigate daily life. And it’s absolutely necessary for anyone involved in leadership and management of a group or organization of any kind. “Necessity is the mother of invention” has new meaning and significance!

Sometimes we tire of the pressure to come up with new solutions in so many areas of life and feel as though we don’t have much left creatively. Perhaps that is you right now.  There are a few practices to consider which could re-ignite your creative thinking. They are simple and may not be new – but I have found it easy to forget or set aside some of these helpful tools in the midst of everything swirling around me.

Our creativity is needed for small, daily things that come up like managing the disappointments and desires of children (or adults in the household) who are frustrated and unhappy about restrictions. And it is needed for finding ways to navigate the larger and longer term things such as the future of your work situation and managing your home space longer term with changing use – work at home, distance learning for students, etc.

These approaches can condition your brain to tap into your creativity easily. Give these a try:

  • Expect yourself to be creative. Nurture the mindset that there are ways to address whatever you are facing that will be positive and fulfill the needs expressed. In other words, don’t give up.
  • Start an Idea Catcher or Idea Journal. Capture ideas you have about anything, whether they apply to immediate situations or not. By doing so you are reinforcing your recognition that you are creative – and you will also have things to consider acting upon in the future.
  • Have a virtual sharing session with a few people. We can be inspired by others and inspire them in return. This takes it a step beyond one-on-one conversations you may be having. Use whatever tool or platform works for you – Zoom, Google Meet, etc. You may want to choose a specific topic like how each of you are managing some shared concern or situation. Or it could be a sharing session about how each person/family has innovated to meet the changes of the past few months. There is value in naming, acknowledging and celebrating what you all have done to manage and thrive!
  • Have a virtual brainstorming session. Invite people who are dealing with or anticipating the same situation, for example ways to provide support for distant parents when travel is not advisable. Or creative ways to celebrate upcoming holidays safely. These interactions and exchange of ideas can help you re-focus on the creative ideas that work best for you and help you narrow down your options.
  • Focus on fractals for a few minutes one or more times a day. Take photos of some you see in nature and post them where you can see them regularly. It can both relieve stress and free your mind to be creative. (See my blog post here: https://carolbrusegar.com/use-nature-and-fractals-to-reduce-overwhelm-and-stress/ )
  • Practice asking yourself “What if….” questions that focus on positive possibilities like “What if making dinner every night is a positive, interactive activity for the family?” (The alternative is “What if making dinner is another disaster of complaining and whining?”)  Or if you are alone, “What if I learn a new craft that I enjoy?” (Rather than “What if I sit here in front of the television all day again every day this week?) The positive questions shift our thinking in amazing ways and ideas can flow easily.
  • Meditate for 5 minutes, using whatever technique works for you.
  • Deep breathe throughout the day. https://carolbrusegar.com/deep-breathing-for-stress-relief/

We are by nature creative. By nurturing our creativity we can enhance our lives now and in any situation in the future. As we look forward, creativity is going to be necessary on every level. This reality shaking time opens up possibilities for innovation that can be life affirming at all levels. I, for one, intend to expand my creative skills to take advantage of this.  Two resources I recommend are the following:

Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you are feeling fear about the future and your ability to creatively live in the coming months and years, this can be inspiring and helpful.

The Creative Habit, Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp.  Included are simple exercises that can expand your creative thinking as you go about your daily life.

 

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.

           Follow me on Twitter!     Follow me on Instagram!   Follow me on Pinterest!

                                    Follow me on Facebook!         Visit my Etsy Shop!

 

 

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Creatively Planning for a Season With Many Unknowns

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Question Mark - PuzzleAs we move into the official summer months of 2020, our normal anticipation is drastically changed. Things that we typically spend time doing, whether for adults or children, may be cancelled or modified – or still have unknown status.  Plans we had made or things we anticipated doing are questionable or changed. Some things that are available may not feel safe yet. And things could revert back to more restrictions if the infection rates rise too much with re-opening. It’s very hard to plan right now.

This has at times paralyzed me – I don’t know how to look forward, even to the next 3 months. So I often go from day to day feeling numb. Have you had that experience?  What can we do?

Creativity in this situation is important and needed.  Yet we may feel as though we have used up a lot of our creative potential just getting through the past 3 months. Managing just the maintenance of daily life – especially if there are children in the household – has required lots of innovation.

How can we re-activate our creative juices as we edge into the summer months with few of the normal anchors and expectations?

I suggest mind mapping as a tool that can release creativity and engage the entire household. Mind mapping is a two-dimensional technique that uses imagery, drawings and color to help us tap into both sides of our brains. It is an alternative to the outline and list making techniques we often use. This powerful tool helps us visualize tasks or ideas, come up with new possibilities as we brainstorm, and organize our thoughts.

Mind Map

 

Basics of Mind Maps

Here are the steps to do simple, hand-drawn mind maps.

  • Gather plain paper, colored pencils, markers, or crayons.
  • Choose a topic you want to explore.
  • Draw a circle in the center of the paper and write in your topic in a word or phrase.
  • Draw lines out from the center where you write a few words, a symbol or drawing for each idea you have, and add sub-topics or related ideas in lines off these main points.

Include all the ideas no matter how absurd they may seem. Here’s where a new perspective or angle may reveal itself.

Make additional maps as off-shoots or expansions of your first map. You can expand, modify or discard ideas from the first map on the topic.

An Example of a Summer Mind Map

Start with the main topic of “Summer 2020” and think of several categories of things you want to be part of the season, like:

Accomplish 1 Big Goal, Have Fun/Recreation, Help Others, Explore, Read, Start a New Hobby

These are the spokes that come out from your main topic. Then add specific things that you want to do under each. For example, under Help Others, you might list Deliver flowers or a treat to a neighbor, Call an isolated relative weekly, etc.

Then start a new mind map for each subtopic, add the ideas as subtopics and think of how, when and who would be involved in each one. Here’s where you may weed out things you don’t want to do, and you can always add additional things that come to mind.

Mind maps become a planning tool that are good reminders of the larger picture and help keep track of details. Keeping your mind maps in a folder or binder is helpful.

This summer is going to be unusual and unique in so many ways. Your household can thrive in the midst of it with creativity and innovation. As things change, regroup with new mind maps. Flexibility and creativity are the keys to having an enjoyable season in the midst of the continual changes.

 

If you’d like to read more about mind-mapping, I have some previous blog posts here:

https://carolbrusegar.com/mind-mapping-enhances-innovative-thinking/

https://carolbrusegar.com/transforming-years-after-50-introducing-mind-mapping-multi-purpose-tool/

If you really want to learn about mind mapping from the originator of the technique, Tony Buzan published this just a couple of years ago. It’s a distillation of global research that has happened in the 5 decades since he first created this technique.

Mind Map Mastery: The Complete Guide to Learning and Using the Most Powerful Thinking Tool in the Universe 

Mind Map Book - Buzan

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BACK TO NORMAL OR CREATE A NEW NORMAL WHEN THE CRISIS ABATES?

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normal or new normalWhat happens when quite suddenly the normal parts of our lives simply STOP or are drastically changed? When work stops or changes? When family patterns are disrupted? When income changes? When our usual recreational activities are halted? When we are separated from normal family and social interaction?

Many of us, after that, have found ourselves actually wanting a NEW, a different normal when we come out on the other side of this. Some of the new normal will be beyond our control. Other things may be chosen or created by us.

Questions

Questions, as is often the case, can open up new things to consider. I found a series of questions posed to his employees by a CEO of a major company in India.* Perhaps you have thought about similar things. For example:

  • “How can we continue to unburden our environment in the future? (Have you seen some of the photos and statistics about how air pollution has changed in some locations during this time of shutdown?)
  • Can we use transport more efficiently?
  • Can we travel less and leave less of a carbon footprint?
  • Can we increase the use of long-distance ways of meeting and communication to work more efficiently and enhance our work life balance?
  • Essentially, can we reboot our personal and professional way of life?”

We may be noticing some of the gaps and weaknesses in the way the country operates while we go through this experience.

  • The inequality of our health care system is certainly being highlighted.
  • As school systems are going to online learning in elementary, middle and high schools, we are hearing about the gap of technology availability within schools and among students of different financial situations.
  • There is a broader technology gap regionally and urban versus rural.
  • The vulnerability of people to this virus in group settings like nursing homes and long-term care facilities and correctional institutions has been highlighted. Are there options that are better for health and safety?

Perhaps we are seeing needs for new structures and services to better meet the needs of individuals and families – more flexibility in how we do our jobs, different kinds of childcare, schools that interact and function differently.  What are you seeing?

New Visions, Values and Priorities?

If we have come out of this experience with new visions, values and priorities for our personal/family lives, for our communities, country and world, it is up to us to be the advocates and activists for those things. We can use the tools of our technology to connect with individuals and groups who are also wanting things to be different. We can help to create the new normal that comes after this.

As things are disrupted by the pandemic, this may be a time when positive changes are more possible than when things are more solidified.  You may find some ideas and inspiration in this book: A Finer Future, Creating an Economy in Service to Life. The authors are world leaders in business, economics and sustainability who have gathered environmental economics evidence, and outlined principles of a regenerative economy, along with a policy road map to achieve it.

 

*Read more about Anand Mahindra and his letter to his employees here: https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/anand-mahindra-tells-employees-to-take-a-relook-at-life-prepare-for-post-corona-world-11585816739150.html

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Who Else Feels Life is Getting More and More Surreal?

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Who Else Feels Life is Getting More and More Surreal?
surrealSurreal: “resembling a dream; fantastic and incongruous”

Yes, that’s how I feel these days. Somehow just about everything is different. Is it real?? An 88 year-old friend says she’s never experienced anything like this. And that says a lot.

Whether it’s increased isolation of seniors living alone or in assisted living facilities or nursing homes, or students whose sports and musical competitions are being cancelled, or parents struggling to make arrangements for their children when schools close for periods of time, it hardly seems real.

As with so many things in life, balance is important. Neither listening constantly to media about the outbreak nor ignoring it entirely are advisable. Find and use a trusted source for information and advice. Many advise that our bottom line sources should be the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) or your state health department. If the media sources you are using don’t refer to those sources, check elsewhere.

Beyond the precautions being recommended, I suggest considering these additional things:

  • Establish some personal and/or household intentions about how you will come through this challenge. They may have to do with accomplishments, relationships among you and with others, future plans or other areas you may
  • Look at ways to make positive use of the restrictions. It is all too easy to slip into fear, anxiety, depression, or a combination of them all because of the changes. How can we use the additional time at home in ways that lift our spirits and other people’s spirits? This includes staying in contact and increasing contact through phone calls, cards, letters, online contact (Face Time, Skype, Facebook, etc.) with others who are feeling isolated and depressed. I think particularly of those older people at home alone or in nursing homes or care facilities.
  • Think of things you and others in your household enjoy doing or want to do at home but never seem to have time for. Reading, watching movies, listening to each others’ favorite music, playing board games and art/crafts are always good. How about setting up some challenges around these or other activities to provide something to work toward? This is a more positive way to think about this rather than just “filling time.”
  • Take on tasks and projects that have been put off over and over. These can become challenges to complete and see as accomplishments during this time. The obvious ones are cleaning out and arranging closets and garages. You may gather things to be given away to others or contributed to organizations helping those in need. It may be rearranging rooms or special cleaning projects. Writing and posting a list of the things you will do from the above suggestions where you can see it and check off accomplishments as well as add new ideas is useful.
  • Journaling during this time can be very helpful. Reflecting on our situation and how we handle it will both record these times for the future and help each of us work through our feelings, challenges and frustrations. Writing is so powerful; take time to do it yourself and encourage others to do the same.
  • Practice Hygge principles. Although Hygge is often connected with surviving winter in cold climates, the principles have to do with creating “a quality of coziness (= feeling warm, comfortable, and safe) that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family.” You can read more here: https://carolbrusegar.com/hygge-art-of-coziness/

By focusing on balance, positive use of time at home and reflecting on our experiences, all of us can make the best of a challenging situation. Everything we do to keep ourselves and others positive, hopeful and forward-looking will pay large dividends.

 

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Journaling Techniques to Boost Your Creativity

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Journal and CoffeeWhatever our situation, stage of life, or needs, creativity is a valuable skill. On a personal level as well as in our jobs and groups and institutions in which we are involved, there’s a continual need for creative approaches and solutions.

Journaling can be a tool to expand creativity. Simply writing has great power to bring ideas, possibilities and breakthroughs. Yet, it is easy to get into a pattern – even a rut – with our journaling by doing it the same way continually. And many people either don’t journal at all or sporadically.

Here are some ways to diversify journalers’ practices that can activate new creativity and perhaps inspire non-journalers to try some of these different approaches.

Drawing

You don’t have to be a graphic designer or an artist to use this technique. Simply pick up a pencil or colored pencils/pens and start drawing. You don’t need to have a specific subject in mind, or you may give yourself a topic or a problem that you want to creatively address.

It isn’t about drawing something perfectly – it doesn’t matter how the drawing looks. What matters is that you’re taking the time to just let your creativity flow. Don’t worry about any “rules” and draw whatever comes to mind. You may be surprised what appears.

Use Mixed Media

Mixed media journaling is basically using different types of content. For part of the journal you’ll jot down your ideas, then you can use pictures, ticket stubs and potentially even drawing to inspire your creativity.

Use the Power of Music  

Have you ever noticed just how much of an impact music can have on your creativity? It can really help to play some uplifting or inspiring music while writing or drawing in your journal.

You’ll find as the music plays, you’ll start to experience numerous emotions. Thoughts will also automatically pop into your head – write these down.

It can also help if you listen to the music through headphones as this will block out all other noises, allowing you to be fully immersed in the music.

Try Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a fairly new journaling technique which can work wonders for creative people. It’s a visual style journal – you record your ideas in a visual way.

For example, write down the main theme of your idea or topic, draw a big circle around it, then think of other ideas which relate to it. You then connect your sub ideas to the main idea. Allowing your mind to see and expand on connections can open up new vistas of thought.

Brainstorm

Brainstorming is simply rapidly generating a variety of ideas or possible solutions. It is most commonly used in a group setting, but individuals can use it effectively as well.  Simply focus on the topic you are addressing and write down every idea without worrying about how doable or realistic they are.  Just let the ideas flow. Keep writing, even keep your pen moving when you think you are empty. It’s likely more things will rise to the surface.  A second step after all the ideas are on paper is to either do some traditional journaling about some of the most intriguing thoughts.  This could be augmented by mindmapping.

May your creativity and creative problem solving be expanded by using these techniques.

If you want to explore additional creativity ideas, check out:   21 Ways to Skyrocket Your Creativity

21 Ways to Skyrocket Your Creativity ("21 Ways" Book 5) by [Laidig, Tony]