CHALLENGE 1 | DAY 15 | 30 day challenges and learn to blog

17 january '14

The art of making a choice

A friend of mine told me something today. When I see you, I see a person who made choice making in to an art form. You don't just make a choice. There happens more inside that brain of yours. 

Ofcourse that made me think and the more I think about this, the more I get his point.

When I talk with people it's all about choice. Being positive is a choice. Choosing to go for subject which you can influence, is a choice. Choice and choosing is a way of life. I enjoy the process of choice making. Deciding what to do.

And the power of choice is what really keeps me going on this subject. If you make a choice, it is important that you stick with it until you reach the point or goal which is bound to the choice. Otherwise, what's the point of making the choice if you go in a different direction before reaching your goal or point.

When you buy stuff, you have to pay for it. Most of the time there is a que line. Now the interesting part for choice making. You make the choice to buy. You want the product. If you want to use the product you have to stand in the line until you are at the register and you can pay. 

The question: 

What is the value of waiting in line, move a spot, and quit waiting before you reach the register? Do you really like to start again all the way in the back. If you don't finish the line all the way to the register, all the effort would be a loss.

Please, think about that, let it walk the brain before you make another choice.

CHALLENGE 2 | DAY 13 | All about creativity

15 january '14

Lateral thinking vs. vertical thinking

Today I started reading the book of Edward de Bono. The book is called 'Lateral thinking, step by step creativity explained'.
Learning for me is also reading books about the subject. And to make it more powerful for me I make notes during the reading sessions.

A few notes of today:

- One can only admire a result but one can learn to use a process

- Liberation from old ideas and the stimulation of new ones are twin aspects of lateral thinking

- Lateral thinking is digging holes on different locations, while vertical thinking is digging the same hole deeper.

- You can't dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper

- Lateral thinking is a very basic part of thinking in general

Lateral thinking is 
--> restructuring old patterns and provoking new ones
--> the use of information for the effect
--> deliberately seeking irrelevant information
--> generative

Vertical thinking is
--> selecting only what's relevant
--> selective
--> making a conclusion after a pre determined series of steps
--> developing ideas which are generated by lateral thinking
--> proving and developing concept patterns
--> digging the same hole deeper

CHALLENGE 1 | DAY 11 | 30 day challenges and learn to blog

13 january '14

Things I never thought I would do or try 

1. Ballet
2. Singing 
3. Pole dancing course 
4. Sky diving 
5. Mixed Martial Arts 
6. Writing

Will I master them to perfection? No! Will I fail? A lot I think. I will try to fail as often as I can, to learn as much as possible.

I'm going to participate in a writing course 16th of march at +www.schrijfatelier.nl. Just a small extra challenge to learn more about writing. Costs €150,- for a day course in Amsterdam.

Ballet is at my hometown and costs me €195 for 30 lessons. So this can be a 30 day challenge of course. I'm going to check how this works, and what the possibilities are for a grown man with no experience at all! Fun!!

MMA is on friday nights. It starts at 6 pm and stops at 7.30 pm. I will try it this friday 17th of january. The nerves are already in my stomach, when I think about it.

Singing really gives me the nerves. I really, really can't sing. That's my opinion. This is really out of my comfort zone..... We'll see. Lesson cost around €20,- for half an hour. Reasonable prices.

CHALLENGE 2 | DAY 8 | All about creativity

9 january '14

Tēnā Koe - Welcome (aka 'there you are' in Maori)

Fun to start with a new challenge! On the list can be written the language culture of the Maori. I'm really looking forward reading en learning about this culture.
But for now we go back to the subject of the Challenge. Its all about creativity.

Today I went on the Youtube and watch some of my favorite channels: +www.ted.com. I ran in to a lot of speeches about creativity. They all are unique but they also got a lot in common. The notes I took during the videos, is what I'm sharing and I will also give you the link to the video.


The first video | You're more creative than you think you are by +John Paul Caponigro

We hear and we forget, we see and we remember, we do and we know.

Free association
1 Don't judge
2 Don't censor
3 Set a high quota
4 Move on when you reach saturation
5 Analyze after

Draw/Sketch the scenario or pattern which you see in your mind, so you can alert your brain and mind to keep an eye out in reality during the day.

- Break the rules
- Learn to fail

Fail often! The only real failure is not learning from failure!

Play!

A nice book to read: Brainrules


The second video | The art of creativity by +Taika Waititi

Look through the lense of a child

It's about perspective
It's about obsession
It's about failure

What you see in this video is a lot of what I already recognize now from other videos, books or text. It's about free associative, connect and combine, quantity, perspective, fail as much as you can.


The third video | Creativity as a life skill by +Gerard Puccio

"To live is to have problems and to solve problems is to grow creatively" +J.P. Guilford

Evolution teaches us conformity
Conformity --> Comfort --> Don't think, just follow --> No growth
Creativity --> Uncomfort --> Think, and lead --> Grow, learn and adapt

But evolution also teaches us creativity!

We are born to be creative

Divergent thinking --> The creation of variation
Convergent thinking --> The selective retention of those novel creations which enhance the ability to survive

Contextual focus is deliberate manage your thinking.

And again of course, why not.
- suspend your judgement
- go for quantity

To get the best idea, have and learn to create many ideas!

For how we know it, education is about finding the one right answer. Conformation. The interesting part is, life itself is everything BUT one right answer.


The fourth movie | Creativity requires time by +simplybest007
In the movie below there's a short explanation about the factor 'time' in the context of creativity. Watch it, enjoy it and learn ;)

CHALLENGE 1 | DAY 8 | 30 day challenges and learn to blog

9 january '14

Why?
This subject is on the list because I was a little bit afraid that I wouldn't start. Or that it would be difficult. But I really enjoy writing about my experience. It is still difficult, but that is because i'm a perfectionist. Especially creativity is not hard at all. But I find it really hard to write about learning to blog or shaping my 30 day challenges.

Shaping my challenges is not a difficult task I already have until september. Maybe some subjects will switch, but there are only a few that need serious planning.

Yesterday I decided that Singing is going to be a new challenge to put on the list. Another one which I want to do is create an E-book instead of just writing à book.
And this sounds a bit crazy but I always wanted to learn some basic Ballet.

Extra:
- Ballet
- Singing
- Write an E-book
- Adsense

I just made a Facebook page. I don't know if that's a good thing, but since I'm still a newby in business I listen to most people around. Everybody tells you, face book is a thing you need to do, especially when you're in business.

CHALLENGE 2 | DAY 7 | All about creativity

Creativity and why we all want it!

I want to be creative, because I think it's a skill that can enrich my lifestyle. Maybe creativity gives you more choices, perspective and even opportunities? I don't know.
What I do know is that we all want it. What I now know, because I've done one week, is that we can all learn to be more creative! And learning is a choice you make.

For example
Why am I always a bit jealous, on the person who get's amazing critics in talent shows. Especially the singers. I really love the singing. Singing for me is a form of vocal creativity. For me it's expression, music gives me a feeling. Music is something you can share with others. And for me, it feels like a connection tool for human beings. (Same for me, when I'm talking about or doing sports.)
With a song you can connect with people. They can identify, I can identify, you can identify.

But in my head it goes: "Awh, I wish I could sing like that. But unfortunately I can't sing."
Why do I/we say that?

Did I really (really) try? No. (shower sessions don't count)
Did I take lessons? No.

How can I or we be jealous on a skill we all possess. I have a voice. I can sing a song. My opinion is that I really suck in it! But let us put this skill into a challenge.

Let's go and take lessons. At least then I can say I've tried and really suck in it. It's easy to say: "I suck in this or that", without exploring all options and trying or training.

Creative above average
Ideas, movement expression, verbally all areas in which I can say: I'm creative. But when I thing about creative, I think about

- Writing poems or a novel
- Singing
- Painting
- Sculpting
- Drawing

Most of the time skills where people create something out of nothing. This is what I want to do to! Why?

the funny part now, while I'm writing I see the headline and I already know the answer.
I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WANT TO BE CREATIVE! But I know I want to learn it and try to become more creative. Do you want to learn it?

Note: I'm going to put a new challenge on the list: Singing lessons

For the people who like to see one of my Interest and Happy videos, check below.