Forget Thinking Outside The Box....GET Outside The Box
I happened to overhear a conversation the other day between two men?
Young man has started learning about real estate investing. He has read books and attended seminars put on by some gurus who make more money selling information about real estate investing than they do investing in real estate BUT at least he is taking the initiative to learn more. This is more than most people will do.
Old man owns his home. Young man wants to buy real estate as an investment?.apartment buildings, office buildings?that type stuff. Old man has no experience in this area. During the conversation old man says to young man?"are you doing anymore of that real estate nonsense?"
By "nonsense" I know old man was referring to attending the "get rich quick" type seminars and not a condemnation of real estate investing. BUT it came across as a condemnation of the young man's process of educating himself about something new...something that could improve his life and the lives of his family.
Unfortunately, you probably have people like that in your life. You may BE a person like that in someone else's life. People in your "box" don't want you getting out!
You know the type. Negative about any attempt you might make to improve your life?to be different?to stand out?.to be more successful than they are.
I heard a great analogy for this by attending a free investment seminar. I knew this guy would be advocating some risky financial moves but I figured since I was in the seminar giving business myself, that I might be able to learn something useful. I did.
The people you associate with most are probably just like you. You have similar educational backgrounds, families and incomes.. You live in houses and drive cars of similar value. You attend the same church?your kids attend the same schools?you shop in the same stores. You get the idea.
One could say you are in the same "box" or rut.
The analogy continues...
Unfortunately, the "instructions" on how to get out of your "box" are posted on the "outside" of your "box" where you can't read them. You'll need the help of someone who has already made it out, to "read" you the instructions so you can get out too.
It's not enough to get that help though. You'll probably have to deal with your "boxmates" who would rather you stick around to keep them company in their sad little "box."
In listening to the conversation between old man and young man I immediately flashed on the image of young may starting to climb out of the box and old man reaching up and grabbing him by the belt to pull him back in.
Sad but all too common I'm sure. If any of this sounds familiar you might have some hard decisions to make.
If completely getting rid of a negative person from your life is not possible (spouse, relative, employer) then you might have to clam up about your goals, dreams and desires.Discuss them only with people who will support you or preferably with people who have already done what you want to do.
Author Dan Kennedy has coined the phrase "mediocre majority" to describe most people. This is a group you want to avoid.
So, no matter what you want to accomplish, be it changing your life to get out of debt?starting a business?going back to school (imagine at your age!)?investing in real estate?mystery shopping?losing weight?taking piano lessons or anything else, simply get started and keep the pie hole shut! (salad hole if losing weight)
Good luck!
Leo J. Quinn, Jr. owner of http://www.LeoQuinn.com is a financial educator from the Albany, NY area. For over eight years he has been helping thousands of people get control of their finances and get out of debt in a fraction of the normal time. He has a special offer for readers of this newsletter at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=132551
MORE RESOURCES:
Are Sleepless Parents More Creative? New York Times I ran the question by R. Keith Sawyer, an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and the author of Explaining Creativity: The Science of ... |
 Earthtimes (press release) | RESET: The Final Jury for the 2010 International ANDY Awards Announced CNNMoney.com (press release) After six weeks of voting across five continents, the passionate campaign that engaged the finest minds in creativity and digital media resulted in the ... Andy Awards' 'Crowdsourced' Jury Is Revealed |
Part of a Creative Powerhouse Behind Ephemeral Artworks Wall Street Journal Adding to the vision of two artists merging their creativity was the fact they shared the same birthday. Jeanne-Claude took the lead in raising funds for ... |
Williams says creativity will beat economy's woes Norwich Bulletin Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, encouraged Eastern Connecticut residents and government to show grit and creativity. “We ought to ratchet it up,” ... |
 Destructoid | Unleashing creativity with PS3-exclusive ModNation Racers Destructoid If you're familiar with Forza Motorsports' deep customization options, and the kind of stuff you can do with a little creativity, you're on the right track. ... |
OSU student group seeks creative solutions Stillwater NewsPress A team of graduate students working through Oklahoma State University's School of Entrepreneurship in conjunction with the Creativity Initiative have ... |
Aspiration Women try Veg Jewellery items to showcase their creativity PunjabNewsline.com Out of the eight groups on Thursday, three were selected as winners for their best creativity in molding vegetables into fine jewellery items. ... |
Trading companies' creativity needed towards recovery China Daily "In combating trade protectionism, companies' creative solutions and ideas are highly valued. Experience sharing will inspire creativity," Zhong Qing, ... |
Franco family's 'Metamorphosis: Junior Year' San Francisco Chronicle For the Francos, creativity is a family affair that plays out in the pages of books and the making of art. It recently spilled out into late-night ... |
Freedom, Creativity -- and Systems? Dynamic Chiropractic If you've ever gone to a seminars on practice growth, taken any courses on the topic, or even talked to people who have, then you know the ... |
Get your Creative Juices Flowing
Copyright 2005 Cherry Communications/Be Heard SolutionsThe creative arts enhance our lives in countless ways. They make us think.
Get Creativity?
Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Alan Watts writes in The Wisdom of Insecurity:"We have allowed brain thinking to develop and dominate our lives out of all proportion to 'instinctual wisdom'; which we are allowing to slump into atrophy.
Take Time To Think
I recently saw a program on television wherein the participants discussed the degree to which present day computer technology has contributed to our economy, well-being and our ability to communicate. They pointed out the many ways that this technology was already obsolete and that further refinements will impact our future in ways we dare not imagine.
Be Creative: 10 Easy Steps To Increase Your Confidence, Creativity and Cash In The Attention Economy
How can you be more creative? How can you turn creative ideas into cash. Want to be better at creative thinking?In Australia at the moment we are celebrating the Australian Innovation Festival.
3 Simple Steps To Solving Problems
You can move beyond your stuck states by contemplating all the possible consequences of your own particular situation.What is it that you want to work in your life?What inner obstacles prevent you from achieving the successful outcome you desire?Once you have confronted your own fears, pulled the emotional skeleton's out of your mental closet, then you will be ready to take stock of your current situation, look at it objectively, and try out new strategies.
Five Basic Steps to Benefit from Your Creativity
The ability to exercise your creativity is even more important for you than you probably think. Why? First, your creativity tremendously contributes to your self-actualization, which is essential for you to feel satisfied with your life and be happy.
Connect with Your Surroundings
Clutter is one of my favourite topics, and I've written before about the many different types of clutter and how each affects our creativity and our creative expression.Clutter is just one part of our surroundings - our physical environment - that has an impact on our creativity.
Sleep and Creativity
In my life, sleep is the number one way that I can either enhance my self-care and nourish myself or defeat my self-care and deplete my energy, peace of mind & productivity all in one shot.When I'm rested I'm more resilient to stress.
Overcoming Artists Block (Part 1)
How many times does an artist stare down at that blank piece of paper thinking "What on earth do I paint - Where do I put my first mark?" More often than you would imagine! It happens to all creative people actually, from visual artists, designers, poets, through to musicians and writers.When this situation arises, you are in the grip of creative block.
Why Do We Need Creativity?
Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Alan Watts writes in The Wisdom of Insecurity:"We have allowed brain thinking to develop and dominate our lives out of all proportion to 'instinctual wisdom'; which we are allowing to slump into atrophy.
Mind Mapping
Ever been on a project where you had trouble keeping all the 'if' questions straight? "If this happens," you say, "we'll do one thing. But, if that happens, we'll do something else instead, but only on a Wednesday.
Creativity And You
95 percent of what we know about the brain, we have learned in the last 20 years. So, your beliefs about creativity were probably shaped by faulty information.
Creative Dreams - What Winter Driving Taught Me
We had a winter storm the other day here in Toronto. And as I was driving, I started thinking about what my winter driving had in common with my creative dreams.
Creativity Myths
Sustained myths about Creativity and Innovation lead to confusion, bad practice and bad decision making. Some of them include:1.
Improve Your Bottom Line, Kens Idea Saved over $100,000
Engaged employees can show us the way to continuously improve. Customers want our products and services to be better, delivered faster, and produced less expensively.
How To Increase Creativity... Set Deadlines!
Deadlines are something all of us face from time to time. We face deadlines whenever we set even a small goal and commit to accomplish it.
Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon
It seems like this week a ton of people have been asking me how they can become more creative. I even had one client jokingly accuse me of being in cahoots with the Devil in trade for my creativity.
Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney
When you think about the legacies Walt Disney left us, do talking mice and a multigizillion dollar company come to mind? Actually, those are only the products of his prodigious and rich creativity - dig deeper and you start to realize one of the most intriguing heritages Disney left was his processes.Disney was a creative and problem-solving genius.
My Work Is My Play - The Journey From Survival to Creativity
"For the love a' creation!", my father was fond of expounding, when "Pete" and "God" had run their course. It was years later until I realized that sentence actually held meaning for me - other than an expression of exasperation.
Creativity Management - Collaboration NOT Competition
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
