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Published at 3rd of September 2019 09:08:38 PM


Chapter 10

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Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable, is created. This may be an idea, a joke, a literary work, painting, or musical composition, a solution, an invention, and so on. It is

characterised by expressiveness, and imagination. When we are in an optimal state of mind for generating new ideas, we are already involved in creative thinking. This involves our ability to maximise the ability of the brain to think of new ideas. You should trust your imagination because there is always something in the box. Being creative is a strong way to make progress in unfolding what is in you.

Discover Yourself

You need to know who you are before you can effectively harness your creative abilities. By knowing yourself concretely, and accepting your personality, you will be inspired to generate an idea, after imagining and improving on it. After this, you will be motivated, through self-confidence you have built, to go on with the execution of your idea.

Creativity can be developed through establishing purpose and intention, building basic skills, encouraging acquisitions of domain- specific knowledge, stimulating and rewarding curiosity and exploration. It can equally be developed through motivation, especially internal motivation, encouraging confidence, and a willingness to take risks, focusing on mastery, and promoting supportable beliefs about creativity. Development of creativity can also be done by providing opportunities for choice and discovery, developing self-management, teaching techniques and strategies for facilitating creative performance.

You need to initiate ideas on your own through imagination and innovation. Depending completely on other people's works makes you lose your originality. If you are able to conceive, compose, invent, originate, produce, and initiate new ideas, thoughts, and physical objects, then you are on the path of creativity. You have to groom yourself better, in order to achieve your goal. The use of ingenuity sets your ball rolling. This quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful will definitely oust you from treacherous circumstances and intimidating situations. The general idea is that you can use your ideas to improve on situations or what you are doing. Creativity does not say undoing a particular thing but bringing your own way of creating a solution.

No Pain, No Gain

Life is full of risks. Without pain, there is no gain. Denis Waitley, one of the most respected keynote lecturers and productivity consultants in the world, warns us by stating that life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk we should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. Equally, Aristotle, the Ancient Greek philosopher, affirms that there is only one way to avoid criticism, and that is by doing nothing, saying nothing and being nothing. Definitely, you will not wish to settle for nothing. We should not worry about failures, but worry about the chances we miss when we don't even try. If you avoid pain, you will never reach a professional level as a body builder. There is great reward value for the price of hard work.


Suffering is necessary sometimes to make progress. For you to improve, you must be diligent, be committed to making progress and hardworking, even to the point where it hurts. Take for instance, a student who is aiming to get high grades without commensurate work and study, is merely planning to fail. Workers who wish to get promoted and get recommendations, without full dedication to their duties, are just wasting their time. The practical example used by our trainers during physical exercises to see that we put in much effort to reduce the calories we have in our bodies in order to be fit, is an eye opener that nothing good comes easy. Just remember that if you can dream it, you can do it. Be a champion today because champions do not quit.

Don't Be A Daydreamer

We must all strive to have at least a chance — a positive one —in our lives, to show that we really exist. Stephen Covey, an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker, stated thus: "Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential. They experience synergy in small, peripheral ways in their lives. But creative experiences can be produced regularly, consistently, almost daily, in people's lives. It requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure." We should learn to be creative. You can make something out of nothing.

Having a fantastic, impractical idea will simply make you run away from the obvious. You should not remain a daydreamer. Thomas Merton, an Anglo-American author of French origin, was right to observe that a daydream is an evasion. Thinking of how to become a successful entrepreneur, for instance, boils down to nothing when you cannot even make a little start of a small business. Some people just sit tight on their situations, waiting for manna to fall from heaven. They remain the way they see themselves. There is no record of progression or regression. This is an unfortunate situation. This leads to criminal thoughts — going into armed robbery, kidnapping, thuggery, prostitution, and so on. However, when you choose to work with your ideas, your cherished dreams will turn to reality. Don't be a daydreamer.

Do Not Compare Yourself To Others

This is a destructive habit. Comparing yourself to others has negative effects on you, and you will definitely feel bad about yourself. By the time you compare jobs, houses, relationships, cars, popularity, bags, shoes, dresses, and so on, you will end up creating negative feelings within yourself. You are unique and simply you. "Comparison is the thief of joy", so asserts Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States (1901-1909). It robs you of your precious time that you would have used to do something more meaningful with yourself. Negative social comparison decreases your self-esteem, and it damages your self-confidence, and makes it more difficult for you to achieve the kind of life you want.

Avoid comparisons such as: "I wish I had a very beautiful house like my friend"; "My cousin's child is more intelligent than mine"; "How I wish I had a tall father like my friend"; "My husband's brother is lucky to have a better job", and so on. We make ourselves feel bad when we compare ourselves to others whom we perceive to be more successful than we are. Mark Twain7, who was lauded the greatest American humourist of his era, says: "Comparison is the death of joy." It is harmful to one's mental health due to the risk of depression. Comparing yourself based on other peoples success is one of the easiest ways to feel bad about oneself, so, do not get involved in that habit.

If you want people to respect you, then be content with yourself. Think of all the good qualities you have that will make you excel. You know very well that there are good qualities in you, which the others do not have. These are what should boost your ego. Rather than comparing yourself to others, simply compare yourself to yourself. That is the best practice that will give you mental peace and contentment. How do you do this? - By assessing yourself from time to time, to see how far you have come, the changes you have effected in your life, the obstacles you have overcome, and the achievements you have made. That will really make you feel good about yourself, and will motivate you to look for more grounds to cover.

Develop A Positive Attitude To Life

Developing a positive attitude to life brings us into limelight. One who feels dejected and rejected finds it difficult to think creatively. Your mental attitude to life is one of the key elements of your personality makeup. For your creative thinking to yield you positive results, you need to do what makes you happy and what is not harmful. This will, of course, stimulate you to bring out the best in you.

You should never be ashamed of how you feel. You are the proud owner of yourself so bring out the best attitude in you so that you will succeed. Ask yourself if you are really happy doing what you are doing. William E. Gladstone, Prime Minister of Great Britain on four separate occasions between 1868 and 1894, noted for his moralistic leadership, advised thus: "Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness."

Positive attitude towards life yields success. A neighbour of ours at Enugu in the 80's, was known for her ever-smiling face, despite her poverty. There was never a guarantee of what her family would eat, each new day, with her five children. However, her humorous nature got her attracted to neighbours, who were competing to feed her and the children. She found delight in making other people happy, and rendering some minor services to them. Consequently, all her children's school fees were taken up by such grateful neighbours. Later on, an entrepreneur owning a big firm employed her, on the basis of her positive attitude to life. He found in her, a persevering and happy woman, who never minded the negative forces of wretchedness around her. Today, she is a force to reckon with, as she has fully established a prospering business.

Set Your Goal And Work Towards It

This gives you direction of life. When this is done, you are motivated, through self-confidence, to drive towards what is on your mind. Any journey without a destination point is an endless journey. If you know what you want to achieve, you will know where to concentrate your efforts on.

Of course, setting goals is the first thing to be done if one wishes to record achievements.

The full determination to achieve your goal is a driving force towards its realisation. Someone came to me one day and said: "I want to become an actor." That was his goal. I told him: "work towards it. You can organise some plays with your siblings, mates, neighbours, friends, and so on." He set his goal, remained focused, and worked on it. Even as he entered the higher institution, he did not relent, as he joined the dramatic club and theatre group in all the institutions he attended. He is presently doing well in the film industry. He went in and got what he wanted, because his mind- set was already on acting. Focus on your goal, and you will get what you are aiming at.

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Try Hard Enough

Remind yourself that things are possible when you try hard enough. There is no way you can break a palm kernel with an egg, because the egg cannot perform that job. It will surely break. You need a stone for that. In the same way, hard situations need courage and determination. Do not consider serious situations with a mere wave of the hand. Face problems squarely. You also have to work on your goals squarely for you to realise them.

When you try hard enough, you see yourself performing unusual tasks, thereby being creative. I remember the Creativity Workshop I attended sometime ago in New York City, with a sense of fulfilment on creativity. We were asked by our professors, Shelley Berc and Alejandro Fogel, to embark on an imaginary journey, closing our eyes. We found ourselves on an imagination spree. We were told to visualise our grandmothers in a dream, handing over an inexplicable item to us, in that dream. In the assumed journey, we were meant to see some obstacles like monsters, trying to snatch the strange gifts from us. Suddenly, we were asked to open our eyes, and recount, in writing, all that transpired within that dream journey.

We were equally asked to suggest how we would make use of that strange gift given to us by our grandmothers. Not only were we asked to write them down, we were equally asked to make artistic impressions of all that we saw, including our grandmothers' pictures, the treasure pot, the monster, the trees on the way, possible streams we crossed to reach the other side of the world, the road paths we took, and so on. Oh!!! What an assignment! For me, I didn't know how to draw. But we were encouraged to try hard enough, at least to start scribbling something. We boldly took pencil and paper. Wow! I was surprised to see what I could eventually draw and write. That was real creativity at work, as I started drawing and focusing on getting a meaningful result. I finally came up with some meaningful impressions. An adage that one cannot pass hard faeces with an unserious face is applicable here. You just have to tighten your face, for you to be able to push out that 'hard nut' blocking your anus. The journey may be rough, but the end is always smooth.

Support Creativity

Teaching students to solve problems that do not have well-defined answers is one of the ways a teacher uses to boost creativity on the part of students. The students will be compelled to find the correct answers through their own resourcefulness. Students will equally make great use of their minds when they are made to create and design certain things by themselves. Such opportunities enable them manufacture things like clocks, radios, fans, chairs, tables, and so on. Their products will be showcased when schools organise periodic exhibitions. This act motivates students to be more creative. It is always exciting to discover how creative students can be when they are given the chance. It is during such functions that school authorities discover the capability of students in being creative. Such should be encouraged, so that the potentials in these young ones will be fully unlocked.

In the offices, too, the staff should be enabled to show their creative prowess. Some of them are, unfortunately, being underrated. Some of the staff have the ability of recycling some products, for better use. Some are wizards in computer work. They only need to be supported. Equally, at home, the children are talented in one way or the other. If you notice that a particular child is very good in drawing, for instance, you have to support and encourage him by buying the needed poster colours, drawing boards, pencils, erasers, and so on, to motivate him to showcase his creativity. Our support goes a long way.

Creative Thinking Does You Good

It is worthwhile to engage in creative thinking because you will have an edge over your mates. Success will be easily achieved. When you are creative, you will increase your earning power. There is no way you can be complaining of lack of funds, because, you can generate that through creative thinking. You will make a positive difference through creative thinking. It will not be 'business as usual', because you will be distinguished from others, and you will equally earn respect. You will struggle less, and achieve more, due to creative thinking. When your brain is at work, your achievements are bound to be great. Since you already know the ways to get on with what intention you have, you will struggle less.

Being creative makes you happy. You have the freedom to express yourself in ways you feel is best for you. Self-confidence is increased through creativity. When you do something new and succeed, definitely, you will be more confident in yourself. Your mental aspects of life will be enhanced, due to the fact that you will be mentally alert to respond to situations. Your spirit will equally be positively high for your creative endeavours.

Many organisations record very low productivity because of their slow and difficult ways of solving problems; but through creative thinking, you will recognise and solve problems quicker and easier. Surely, through creativity, you will become a voice for innovation. You can be called at any time to come up for one new idea or the other. You will enjoy greater job satisfaction. When your colleagues are struggling to understand their problems, you are fully satisfied with what you are doing, because you are resourceful enough to tackle your problems. Your creative thinking speeds up your career advancement. This is because your mind is always preoccupied with what actions you will take to enhance your career. You will always be ahead of others.

~ Unstoppable In My Creativity ~

1. As I'm going through my imagination And thinking of an innovation

I'm stepping up with great confidence To move into prominence.

2. The crave for originality Has brought about ingenuity To unlock that great potential With the needed credential.

3. I cannot but appreciate The golden chance to initiate

A worthwhile creativity In my own dear nativity.

4. Walking with real motivation To the realm of affirmation

Never to opt for sinking But go for creative thinking.

5. I have to be truly unstoppable In what seems to be attainable As I earnestly move on gradually To reach the peak




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