To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong

Joseph Clinton Pearce

s a member of the financial services industry, you are no doubt working to differentiate yourself from the competition. You want to be the person who creates the "next big thing." You are searching for ways to attract the best sales force and the most sought after clients.

Coming up with new ideas is difficult. It requires hard work, determination, time and effort. But, what it requires the most is creativity, which is a problem for a lot of people. Creativity is not something that can be purchased or conjured up on demand.

Creative ideas and original strategies must grow on their own, and that can be very frustrating. For many people the minute they hear "Be creative" or "Think outside the box" their stress level rises and the chance of being truly creative diminishes.

Being creative on demand or on schedule simply doesn't happen for most individuals. If you're like most, some of the best ideas come to you when drifting off to sleep or while in the shower. Following are some tips to help you recognize and foster creative thoughts so they can be cultivated into innovative plans and strategies:

• Be ready.
  Keep a pad of paper and a pen available at all times. Keep them on the nightstand, next to the couch, in the car and in the medicine chest if necessary. You never know when the next great idea will hit you, and you don't want to risk forgetting it.

• Embrace all ideas.
  No idea is too small. You may come up with a kernel of an idea but hesitate to write it down because it seems too small to amount to anything. Write it down anyway. It is simply a nugget of information, and it might not amount to anything, but then again, it might amount to something big. You never know. Maybe in a week, maybe in a year, that idea will grow or partner with another and become an innovative program.

• Look in unconventional places.
  You may see something at a grocery store or at your child's school and think that it is a good idea for the school or the store and then go about your day. Instead, take a couple minutes to consider whether you could adapt the idea for your workplace or office. Even if you don't see a correlation immediately, write it down. It may result in something important in the future.

• Don't overanalyze.
  When you have an idea, don't worry about the big picture. Trying to work out the details of implementing the idea while still forming it will interfere with the creative process.

• Don't worry if it's "been done".
  Most programs, innovations and "new" ideas are simply re-workings of existing ones. Don't worry if you think yours isn't revolutionary enough. Work to make it different by applying it to a new industry or for a different purpose.

• Let yourself go.
  Don't worry about what others will say or think. Be free with your ideas. Sure, they won't all be winners, but the more ideas you have, the better the odds for having at least a few successes.

• Give yourself a pep talk.
  If you tell yourself, "I'm not creative," you certainly won't be. You can be creative, everyone can. In fact, you are probably already exercising your creativity in your home or work life and don't even recognize it.

• Get active.
  Reduce or eliminate passive experiences such as watching TV or listening to the radio. Instead engage in puzzles, word games and other activities that force your mind into action.

• Don't try to please everyone.
  The quickest way to squash creativity is to try to win everyone's approval. You can't please everyone, so don't try.

Being creative requires dedication, awareness and, most of all, patience. For creativity to flourish, be open to ideas and recognize them when they present themselves.

Soak in your surroundings; you never know when an idea will blossom. You will be "thinking outside the box" in no time.