What Happened to Your Child-like Creativity?

Children are always curious.

Children explore things.

Children use their imagination.

As adults, we develop a fear of being wrong.  Failing. Embarrassing ourselves.

Creativity tends to fade, the older and more experienced we become.

At least once a week, a mortgage girlfriend will call or email and tell me that they have hit a brick wall when it comes to marketing themselves.  Branding themselves.  Coming up with ideas to connect with new real estate agents. 

So, how can you recapture your child-like creativity?

First, you need some tools –

• Box of crayons
• Colored markers
• Artist drawing pads
• Tape and scissors
• Colored Post-it notes
• Notebook (keep notes of random ideas
• Magazines (sample ads and cut out pictures)
• Music play list

Here are a few suggestions to get your brain juices flowing

• Don’t think about anything—and don’t obsess about the problem/idea at hand.
• Get away from the office – take a walk. Exercise. Watch a kid’s movie. Maybe even take a nap.
• Play a game – online – cards or chess/checkers – board games.
• Embrace failure – so what if it isn’t perfect?  Keep doodling.  Drawing pictures.  Coloring.
• Don’t give yourself a deadline – it will only limit your creativity.
• Turn up the music – Play your favorites when working on your project.
• Collaborate with others – Different ideas from different perspectives.
• Keep notes – Write down ideas or cool stuff that you’ve read/heard about. Cut out ads in magazines.  Save pictures.   You may not have a use for them now, but can review later.
• Have a drink – Yep, creativity experts found that alcohol releases those inhibitions.
• Get happy – Happiness heightens your creativity.

Allow yourself the luxury of letting your mind wander. To doodle.  To listen to music. To read magazines both printed and online. 

Look for ideas that you can swipe and adapt to your mortgage business. 

Channel your inner child! 

What else have you done to become more creative?