There is always a bright side

There is always a bright side.  You choose what you want to focus on and where you want to put your energy.  I'm reading a great book all about creativity right now and came across this quote by Duke Ellington.  It really hit me.

Just think what you can accomplish if you put your energy on positive things.   You could go and start that company, go and get that client that you've been wanting, or go and create that masterpiece.  You can do anything.  Like Duke Ellington said - I took the energy it took to pout and decided to write some blues.

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Encouragement: A Tattoo

Would you ever get a tattoo?  I've thought about it; something small, like a heart or a star, but I've always come to the same decision.  A tattoo is FOREVER (and it would hurt).  

Why am I talking about tattoos? A friend of mine sent me a link yesterday to Seth Godin's blog and it was about Improving Your Condiments.  I know - what does that have to do with tattoos?  Nothing really, except that it had been a while since I was on his blog so I refreshed the screen and got to his Wednesday's post...about Tattoos.

Well, it wasn't totally about Tattoos - it was about Tattoo Thinking.  You make a decision to get a tattoo and that decision is a forever decision.  It's not a pick out a couch and change your style 10 years later kind of decision.  It's not a go through a rebrand and 5 years later rebrand again kind of decision.  We evolve, we change.  Tattoos don't (unless...never mind, not going there).

We might get scared making a change with a project or our career, changing our pricing structure, or a rebrand.  Seth is right, these things don't last forever - they are temporary.  We make a choice to change.  "And the benefit of taking a risk is significantly higher than it is with a tattoo."

Decisions are temporary.  Heck, I made so many decisions yesterday and changed my mind about a zillion times (no that doesn't make me indecisive).  If that was a tattoo, I'd be in big trouble.  Now is the time to "be bold and make mistakes."  If you don't make mistakes, you don't learn.

Thanks Seth for the great insight and thanks Leslie for sharing the condiment post with me.  Made my day!

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Encouragement: The Norm or Uniqueness

Doing the norm or being unique - that is the question.  Another way to look at it - being safe or taking a risk.  We just finished an event where we made a point of NOT doing the norm.  We were challenged with the same location for the 3rd year in a row and we couldn't do what we "normally" do.  We had to be different, unique and reinvent.  I'm not going to lie, I was nervous - I wanted my plan to go off without a hitch.  But you know what?  It worked and it made such a difference.  

If you do what everyone else does, you aren't being unique and what makes you - you.  Just because it's been done and it worked before doesn't mean to do it exactly the same way.  Time to get out of your box rediscover your uniqueness.

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Encouragement: We Didn't Get the Gig

That headline sure doesn't sound encouraging does it?  The truth is, we didn't get the gig, but we learned a ton.  

Do you get down if you put your all into something and you still don't get the gig?  Honestly, I did for about 5 minutes and then I picked myself back up, brushed myself off and gave myself a pat on the back.  You know why?  Because we put forth our best effort.  

Sure it stinks we didn't get it, but now we know how to do a video proposal which we didn't know how to do.  That's positive.  I put together a kick a double s inspiration board together.  Our creative juices were flowing.  It felt awesome.

When the potential client sent me the email letting me know that we didn't get the gig, I sent her a note back thanking her for the opportunity and also asked another important question.  A question that I think many people might not ask.  "Was there an area where we could have improved or was there something missing from our proposal?"  It's important to always look for an opportunity to grow.  She emailed back letting us know that they were very impressed with us and our presentation.  It came down to a member of the team having an experience with another company that was bidding on the same piece of business.  (She also said that we made such an impression with our creativity and responsiveness, they would definitely consider us for another event.)

Below is the inspiration board that we put together.  It was actually for 2 separate events, going after 2 different demographics (but both women).  We were focusing on branding, social media and distinct decor.

So the takeway from this experience:

1) Learned a new skill

2) Used our creative juices

3) Worked as a team

4) We didn't get this gig, but that's not to say we won't get the next one

5) We felt really good about our proposal knowing that we gave it 110%

Encouragement: Collaboration

 

Collaboration.  How many of you collaborate on projects?  Do you think it helps you to be more creative?  Boy I do.  I'm actually collaborating on several projects with someone right now.  Two heads can be better than one - especially when we get on a creativity roll.

I'm still reading Danielle LaPorte's Fire Starter Sessions - and it's definitely getting juicy.  I have about a quarter more of the book to go and then I'm finished.  Something I pulled from the book on collaboration really struck home with me.

When you collaborate, you enrich creative thinking, you gain access to someone else's resources, you create an immediate referral system, and you get to give - which always makes you stronger.  If you do it out of expediency or usury, it never works.  The key to successful collaborations is respect, admiration, and the intention that you'll make something better together than you would apart.

Does this ring true for you?

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