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Do you need that great idea right now? Does your mind feel like it’s in a fog that’s not lifting? Try these 5 exercises for 5 days and watch the fog disappear and the ideas appear!

Step #1 – “Stream-of-consciousness” exercise

Put pen to paper. Yes. Real paper and a real pen or some kind of writing device. Prepare yourself. You’re going to write 3 pages about whatever you’re thinking about – right now – on paper.  Pen and paper work better than the keyboard, so find some paper and start writing!

Doing this the first thing in the morning is the very best thing! If you commute on mass transit, this is the perfect time!

This is a great time to write down what’s been on your mind, lingering there, just below the surface, annoying you. Yes. Write that down. Write down everything and anything that comes to mind.

If you get stuck, start writing a to-do list. I’ve found just by writing my list of “must-dos” other things surface.

This exercise should take 5-10 minutes, at best.  Do this exercise every day for 5 consecutive days.

Step #2 The “what if” exercise

You’ll need another piece of paper to write down whatever comes into your mind when you ask yourself the question, “What if?”  This is the big question and you need an answer!

This exercise allows your mind to take a short vacation by imagining the possibilities of anything without being censored. Yes. The sky is the limit! No editing!

You’ve got a problem. You’re looking for a solution. Try to fill the page with as many “what ifs” as you can! This should take 5-10 minutes at best.

What if I tried this? What if I did this, instead of that? What if I called “Joe” and asked his advice on this. What if I did nothing? What if I tried that again?

What if? What if??

Do this exercise once –  on day one.  If, on days 2-5 you think of something else to add to your “what if” list, add it!

Keep this list somewhere you can see it. (Nobody else has to see it, just you!).

Step # 3 The “read something” exercise

Do you have a book you’ve been meaning to read? You know the one. The one sitting on your desk (or Kindle) that you look at and say, “I need to read that!”

That’s the book I’m talking about! If you don’t have a book already, find a book you’d like to read.

I want you to read your favorite book every day, for 5 consecutive days, for 20 minutes every day, preferably in the morning. This will help you stay focused the entire day!

Reading heightens your brain connectivity. It actually rewires parts of your brain. Reading helps you solve problems, understand things and detect meaningful patterns.

Reading makes you emotionally intelligent, increases your attention span, focus and concentration.

Step #4  The “explore” exercise

You only have to do this exercise once in the 5 day period for this to work, but you must do it!

Have you driven by someplace and thought to yourself, “That place looks interesting. I need to check it out!”

This exercise requires you to “explore” something new.  What are you curious about?

If you can’t think of anything you’d like to explore, just try something different like taking another route home from work.

You won’t need more than an hour’s commitment to this exercise, but it’s essential for your creative emergence.

What kind of place qualifies, you ask? I drove by this crazy place all the time called “Skycraft.” It has some kind of rocket on the front of the building. I kept on asking myself, “What in the world is that place?” Finally, I took some time and went inside! I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was like finding buried treasure. Yeah, I had to hunt a bit, but it was so much fun! I can’t tell you how many “treasures” I’ve found there!

That’s the kind of exploring I want you to do. Just once. This week. Take an hour. Go explore somewhere new. It will be fun. You’ll thank me later!

Step #5 The “get outside” exercise

This will only take you 20 minutes and can be done on a lunch break. You need to do this 20 minute exercise for all 5 days.

I want you to go on a walk by yourself for 20 minutes.  Just allow yourself to “be” 100% in the moment with your thoughts. Just take in everything around you.

You need to be by yourself for this exercise to work so your mind can “process” everything you’ve thrown at it!

As my acting coach told me over-and-over again, “Just be!” (In the moment).

“Creative Emergence”

Hopefully, these 5 exercises in these past 5 days have opened up your mind and let those creative ideas come out of the fog into reality.

The ideas that have come to me, after doing these 5 exercises for 5 days, are seemingly, out-of-the-blue!

I’m never expecting the insights and ideas that come to me! I’m always completely blown-away, actually shocked at the ideas that hit me.

I’ve recognized – previously un-recognized patterns. I’ve come up with creative insights putting two disparate ideas together to make new ones. My list of “ah ha” moments go on-and-on.

I know! I can’t believe it works, but it does!

You might recognize part of this process from author Julia Cameron’s book(s) written for “blocked creatives.” She initially worked with blocked Hollywood script writers, then expanded her reach to include anyone who needed a creative boost.

I’ve taken Julia’s exercises and added a few of my own. I know this has worked for me over-and-over again. As an artist, I create 2 paintings a week, so I need to be constantly filling up my creative well.

If, for any reason, you didn’t get “the big idea” you needed, you can repeat the exercises for another 5 days. Usually this works fast, but occasionally, I’ve run into a few friends who had just completely shut down their creative side and it took longer than 5 days, but it ABSOLUTELY DOES work, so don’t give up!!!

I want to hear from you, so let me know how this worked for you and what happened!

When you’re stuck in a creative rut, where do you like to go? What floats your creative boat? Do you hang out at Starbucks? Do you go for a walk around the block? What about visiting the gym, or visiting a friend?

When I’m stuck in a creative rut, one of my favorite places to visit is an electronics surplus store! Yes, I know this is an unusual place for an artist to visit, but it works for me – every time!

Picture this! This hole-in-the-wall surplus store is tucked into a side street less than half-a-mile from the interstate. The only identifying feature of the store is an iconic red rocket mounted onto the side of the building facing the street.

What a red rocket has to do with surplus electronics, beats me! Anyway, they buy all these surplus electronics parts and “other” surplus items from a multitude of companies.

When I’m stuck in a creative rut I always enter the store with an air of anticipation as to what I might find, because I never know what I’m actually looking at!

Last week, in a creative “funk” because my disparate shapes and colors were’t “blending” the way I wanted them to blend, I went to “Skycraft” with an open mind, which is the only way you should visit!

One of the first things that jumped out at me, was this silver metal grid system laying on its side as I came in the front door. I looked at the grid and thought, “Wow! This would make the coolest table ever! I’d need to add a piece of glass on  top of the grid, but this is incredibly cool and industrial looking.” Upon further inspection, I realized I was looking at a grid system from an overhead lighting fixture! I’m not used to seeing the fixture torn apart sitting on the floor, so my brain identified it as the perfect table top – not the perfect light fixture!

This is what visiting an electronics surplus store does for my brain – it makes me see ordinary items in a completely new light!

I also found some pretty cool chrome “feet” for the shelving unit I’m putting together. As I’m looking at these “feet,” I can’t for the life of me think what the real purpose for these chrome items might be, but I know for a fact they will work for me!

That’s the completely amazing thing about this place! Since I don’t have any idea what I’m actually looking at, I can envision all kinds of uses! It really puts my grey cell to work! It’s a fun place that always challenges me and totally takes me out of my creative funk – every time!

When I got back to my painting and was able to look at it with “fresh eyes,” I made my blending transitions effortlessly!

So, the next time you’re stuck in a creative rut – think “surplus”!

If you’re stuck in a creative rut, here are three easy steps you can take for three days to greater creativity.

#1 Get a hobby or try something new – today!

If you’re wondering why you can’t come up with any great, new creative ideas, it might be that you’ve concentrated all your efforts in one place. Do you have some outside interest? Maybe you love golf, or being outside, of you’re a film buff or vinyl record collector – or maybe you’ve thought about doing something else, but never had the time! This is the time to look outside of what you’re currently doing to pursue what interests you! Your renewed creativity depends on this step!

The main reason you’re stuck is that you’ve narrowed down your focus/attention to just one thing, to the detriment of everything else! There’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored and that’s exactly what you need to do right now, today!

So, choose something you want to do today and do it! It doesn’t matter what it is that you do, just do something – right now! As one of my favorite authors Napoleon Hill says, “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right!”

#2 Meditate

Yes, I know, this is overused, but research has cited lower stress levels to better mental acuity as direct benefits of meditation.

Meditation works because the process of quieting your conscious mind allows you to connect directly with your subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind is always working in the background. It enables you to “have a feeling,” about something, when you know something, “isn’t quite right.” It’s the reason you “know” something is about to happen although you don’t know why you know!

Your subconscious mind is the combined knowledge of “everything” you know, although you don’t know you know it!

According to Deepak Chopra, the real purpose of meditation is “to answer, once and for all, the true nature of the mind. The pursuit of higher consciousness, the process of waking up, the journey to enlightenment – whatever term you use, meditation solves the problem of the divided mind opening the door to the whole mind.” He continues, “meditation puts you back in touch with reality,”

When you meditate, you’re in a relaxed state where every thought is recognized. As the “clutter” of your conscious mind subsides and your subconscious mind comes forward, amazing revelations emerge!

During meditation, patterns can emerge, visions can appear, problems can be solved. Sometimes, meditation is just meditation, a time to give your mind and body a wonderful respite! Sometimes revelations come later as if “out-of-the-blue!”

Meditation is easy and can be done anywhere, inside or outside! Just find a quiet place, get into a comfortable position, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. You can quietly repeat a word to yourself like “om,” or “peace” or just focus on your breathing.

As your mind focuses on the words or on your breathing, thoughts will rapidly come into your mind. Thank your mind for these thoughts, release these thoughts and continue meditating.

Studies have shown, according to Medicinenet.com that “as few as ten minutes of meditation per day can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health and achieve a greater capacity for relaxation.”

Chopra describes the overall benefit of long term meditation as the eagerness to apply what one learns from meditation. “Once the spark is lit, the mind cannot wait to find out what reality is all about, because there is no difference between the true nature of the mind and the true nature of everything in existence.”

# 3 Get Outside

Yep. Get out of your chair and go outside. I’m just asking you to commit to about twenty minutes of being outside, so you can do it!

So, now that you’re outside, now what? Start looking around. If you start thinking about work, or whatever, reel your mind back to the present moment.

No matter what you’re thinking right now, stop thinking whatever you’re thinking and focus on what’s right in front of you! Focus on the here and now!

Just look around you and stay focused 100% in the present moment. Here’s what will happen! “I never knew there was a bridge right here and I go by here every day!”  “Look at that building! That is amazing architecture!”

“John!  I can’t believe it’s you! I was just talking about you to Joe the other day and here you are!” You and John agree to meet next week to continue your conversation about some exciting things he’s doing in his company in which he thinks you might be interested!

Doing these three steps for three days will re-direct your focus from being one-dimensional to being multi-dimensional! Suddenly, things start happening. You’ll get an idea seemingly “out-of-the-blue!” You’ll get a call from someone you were just thinking about! When synchronicity, or meaningful coincidences start to happen, you know you’re on the right path!

So, with all the hype surrounding “mindfulness” is mindfulness the one thing that can bring you happiness?

What exactly is “mindfulness” anyway? The dictionary defines it as a  “mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”

Translated, that means being fully present in the moment. So, what’s the big deal about being 100% in the present moment?

Have you ever been excited about taking a vacation, or attending some special upcoming event? You can’t wait to leave! You dream of how much fun you’ll have when you get there and how many different things you’ll be doing! You can “see” yourself there – in detail!

So, the really good thing about your mind is that it actually can visualize every little detail so vividly that you can’t tell if you’ve actually dreamed it or actually experienced it!

Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real you knew it actually happened? Maybe you had an experience that you think happened, but as time passed you’re not really sure if it actually happened or you just remember it that way!

The interesting thing about all these experiences is the mind is basically capable of creating anything! Are you interested in creating an alternative environment? Your mind says, “I’ll get right on that for you!” and poof, you’ve got yourself an alien landscape!

Napoleon Hill, one of my favorite authors of all time states, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”

So, as humans, we are 100% capable of creating whatever type of environment we choose and we can choose to live in that environment 100%!

So, I’m leaving the house in my car. It’s the weekend. I’m thinking about something else, and my mind is actually driving me to work even though I’m not actually going to work! My body is on auto-pilot, my mind is at my friend’s house! This is a great example of not being 100% in the moment! Oops! My mind took a short vacation and instead of my mind focusing 100% on the present moment driving the car to a friend’s house, I was driving myself to work!

This is a great example of what happens when my mind travels into the future or the past instead of staying focused in the present! What did I miss? Where was I supposed to turn? Where am I??

If you take this mini example and expand on the theme, you could actually live every moment somewhere else in your mind – in the past or the future – and still be physically here in the present. Many of us do exactly that! Some of us have had bad things happen so we live our entire lives living in the past looking through the rear-view mirror. Some of us see a better life in another place and time and live their entire lives looking forward.

So, if you concentrate on being present 100% in the moment what will that get you? How do you do it?

First off,  I think of my mind as a fishing rod. Yes, it is an unlikely image, but it works! My mind is constantly out there looking, collecting, assimilating images and ideas every moment.  It’s like I’ve cast out my reel and I’m reeling in “stuff” all day!

I think of one thing, then another, then another and on it goes! At some point in time I have to go “Whoa!” That’s enough and reel the line back in before it gets away from me – which it can get away from me fast – at warp speed – then I reel it back in!

If I can keep my mind focused on the here-and-now I can get the most done, because I can only do one thing at a time and the present moment is the only place I can take action! Yep! I can’t do anything in the past or the future. All my choices have to be made right now! There is 100% power in the present moment and that’s all I’ve got! The ability to make choices in the now!

Never thought about it that way? You should! It’s called the power of the present moment! The common denominator is – if you’re looking forward or backward – you’re missing out on whatever you’re supposed to be experiencing right now, here in the present moment.  It’s just like the quote says, “Today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present!”

So, what about that happiness thing you talked about? If you understand and embrace the idea that right now is your most powerful moment, and you can take action in the present moment, you can make better choices and better choices equal a happier human! So, in my book, mindfulness, when you take action doing what you need to be doing in the present moment – equals happiness because you have the power to be happy in every moment! It’s 100% up to you what you choose – every moment – every day! The power of choice is 100% completely yours – right now – to have or be whatever you want.

So, if you’ve been thinking about doing something, put your mind to it, yes, right now in the present moment where you have the power! As Napoleon Hill states, “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right!”  Embrace the present and live mindfully 100% in the present moment. You’ll thank me later!