Each January the world celebrates International Creativity Month – a month to remind individuals and organizations around the globe to capitalize on the power of creativity.
Unleashing creativity is vital for personal and business success in this age of accelerating change. Motivational speaker Randall Munson founded International Creativity Month to refocus attention to creatively improve business and personal activities.
January, the first month of the year, provides an opportunity to take a fresh approach to problem-solving and renew confidence in our creative capabilities.
Fifty-two percent of Americans consider themselves creative, but only 39 percent of Americans feel they’re living up to their creative potential. That’s one finding from a survey of 5,000 adults in the United States, the U.K., France, Germany, and Japan (1,000 participants each), conducted by the research firm Strategy One. Other findings include:
Overall, Japan is seen as the most creative country (according to 36 percent of the survey’s participants), with the U.S. in second place, named by 26 percent.
Time and money are the biggest obstacles, say Americans: 54 percent say lack of money prevents them from being creative, and 52 percent cite a lack of time.
We start out as pretty creative beings – children let their imaginations take them to places they’ve never seen and do things that seem impossible. We encourage it as fun and playtime, but we should celebrate it as the potential for great discovery and accomplishment.
As Pablo Picasso, arguably one of the most creative artists who ever lived, said, “Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”
Or maybe you can be inspired by another notable thinker, Dr. Seuss (aka Theodore Geisel): “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.”
Why do we begin to take fewer chances as “real life” sets in? You don’t have to give up on your creativity as you grow older. You just need to take better care of your brain. Here are some tips for staying mentally fit no matter what your age is:
Surrounding yourself with creative, imaginative people is a good strategy for success whether you’re an entrepreneur seeking innovation or an artist looking for inspiration. Watch for these vital traits:
Mackay’s Moral: Start every day/year with a healthy dose of vitamin C – Creativity.
Seven-time, New York Times best-selling author of "Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive," with two books among the top 15 inspirational business books of all time, according to the New York Times. He is one of America’s most popular and entertaining business speakers, and currently serves as Chairman at the MackayMitchell Envelope Company, one of the nation’s major envelope manufacturers, producing 25 million envelopes a day.
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.