“This close to Valentine’s Day and you did NOT write your article on LOVE? What’s wrong with you?” Okay, be sure to get your flowers and candy for your loved one or ones, and be certain to let them know that you love them! Spread the love around as much as you can so everyone in your sphere of influences will “feel the love”! NOW, DOES THAT DO IT FOR YOU? Then, please look at this article as possible ways to express your love better than ever! See if you can not find a new way of expressing love.
At least one of the people who read this article is 103 – Happy Birthday Mrs. Grace Stone! She has seen much more that the rest of us about how to love one another, but I know her well enough to know that she will be inspired to search for new, creative ways to express her love!
I have narrowed my suggestions for cultivating creativity into seven (7) groupings. I trust that we will attempt at least a few of them.
See everything as an experiment. When we see every opportunity as an experiment, we realize that it is okay to fail! In fact, we should celebrate mistakes as readily as we do accomplishments. No one should have to make the same mistake over and over again. But, new mistakes are the pathway to new creativity. It is reported that Edison had over 1,000 ways not to make a light bulb before he found the one that worked! When we stop making mistakes, we probably are not taking enough risks in life!
Share wins. When we create a culture of positivity, it will lead us to a culture of creativity. We have got to celebrate what we want to see more of. The positive energy from our wins helps us overcome the mistakes we are bound to make. If we want to see more creativity, celebrate each one! I was the dad who celebrated our oldest son’s first baseball game with ice cream, because he almost got a hit, which meant he almost made it to first base, which meant that he almost made a home run – in his first baseball game! That is something to celebrate!
Maturity does not equal conformity. All of us are different, but all of us share mostly sameness. There is not much difference in male and female, rich or poor, Republican or Democrat or any other of the divisions that we have artificially composed. But in another sense, we must celebrate our differences. We try to treat everyone as invaluable and irreplaceable, but we must give permission – even dare people to be different!
Know oneself. How long has it been since we had a personality test? Without it, we are only guessing how we are wired and what our strengths and weaknesses are. I have gone to Community College to get tested so I can get to know myself better. It is not expensive and could be very revealing – and in my opinion, much more helpful than a DNA test (which are so popular today).
Never take yourself too seriously. God is always to be taken seriously, but we must never take ourselves too seriously. A sense of humor is a trait that will bear rich dividends. The healthiest, happiest people on this planet are those who laugh at themselves the most. Learning to truly laugh is an important key to creativity.
Faithfulness is not a matter of keeping the status quo. Gates and walls are defensive measures. We have been called to play offense. When we are not taking a step forward, we are stepping back. In the culture of creativity, we must always be pushing the envelope and not just doing what has always been done, the way it has always been done.
Search for a God idea. Each of us was created in the image of God! One God idea is much better than a thousand good ideas. Good ideas are good, but God’s ideas have changed the course of history. What idea could you get and implement that would be historic? To get a God idea, one must listen to God’s Word. Then we must make sacrifices and take risks. We have got to stay humble and stay hungry. And when we do, there is nothing that we can not accomplish!
A half-formed imagination results in half-hearted people. If we are going to have a true impact on our culture, we can not just criticize what we see or copy it. We have to create it! If we are going to reach our family with encouragement to become better, we can not rely on logic! We must capture their imaginations.
Never allow anyone to tell you that you are not creative! Creativity is our birthright. We have to claim it. Then we have to fan it into flames. And when we do, there is nothing that can stop us!
So love creatively this Valentine’s Day! Instead of allowing Hallmark, create your own cards. They will be the ones found many years later after the store-bought ones are in the landfill!
