Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “A mind stretched by a new idea never returns to its original shape.”  If there is anything we need today as we begin this New Year it is to stretch our minds! It is so easy to believe in the old tried and proven methods that we never grow enough to see better things that can happen if we will allow them. I believe we, as God’s creation, should be the most creative  things in our universe, but often “things” outspace “people”. I want to discipline my creativity and to challenge others to do the same. Allow me to share what I will call “creativity maxims” to help us move forward in our thinking.
 Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. If we work out the same muscles with the same exercises in the same sequence every day, we will eventually hit a point of diminishing return. We have got to disrupt the routine, thereby confusing our muscles. The same is true in every area of our lives. Once a routine, no matter how productive, becomes routine, something must change for growth to continue. We need to fish in a different spot occasionally, eat at a different restaurant often, and even sleep in a different bed (travel a little) to get a new perspective and increase our productivity.
 Strategically manage time. Most of us are either morning people or evening people. I personally like to have most of it done before lunch, then take a break. Pastor Joane is a night person, who often stays up all night to accomplish things she could never get done during the day. Stop wasting time with your phone! What is there will be there later when you schedule it! Never allow crisis to manage your day or you will simply jump from one fire to another, unlcss you are a firefighter!
 Follow Jesus’ example – take a nap. Productive people throughout history found time for naps – like Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, and Ronald Reagan! We all know the old adage – “If we don’t come apart to rest, we will simply come apart!” For some, that will be a 10-minute power nap to get that second window of creativity. Others need some caffeine to awake them from a nap so they can get back to work.
It takes a team. I have found two types of people: internal processors and intra-personal processors. Allow me to explain. The internal processor gets their inspiration from a book or taking time in meditation. Others get charged with synergy of creativity, which happens only with a team. It takes a sounding board, not only to discern between good ideas and bad ideas, but also to turn good ideas to great ideas. The combination of gifted people who have strengths in other areas yields far more creativity than any one of us could produce alone.
Creativity can not be scheduled. My creative writing professor at University taught us that the great source of creativity would come with “a deadline”! How often had I found that to be so true! Creativity never happens on a schedule. It happens in wide-open spaces, which means we need some margin in our schedule. The more margins we have, the more creative we will be. Take time for that walk on the beach!
Criticize by creating. Instead of taking potshots at those doing something, “because I know a better way,” try to share a better idea. Write a better work, start a better business, draft better legislation, and produce better films. Criticism is a cop-out! It is the easy way out. Michelangelo said, “Criticize by creating!”
A lack of creativity is actually a lack of effort. It takes effort to design a better “mouse trap,” but excellence in the little things will be regarded with a new and better contract.
Get a life. Too many of us are boring because our lives are boring! We need to get a life outside the norm, whatever is normal for you. Start taking some risks. Heighten creativity by recreating.
Our world is filled with the potential of greatness beyond what we have ever seen. There are more new inventions yet to be found than those that have already been patented. There are many places that have never seen any human interaction. There are new buildings that have never been built. When we will allow the Lord to help us, we will find creativity that we never believed lived inside us. I have known of people who had projects they could not possibly every create until they dreamed the answer or had a vision of the completed item. Allow the Lord to expand our thinking so our minds will never be as small again!