Continual Innovation

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old seek what they sought.” – Basho

More than seventy-six million men and women in the United States are presently feeling a major change. That would be the Baby Boomers, and they are the most powerful demographic in history. This represents the largest single sustained growth of the population in the nation’s history.

It also represents the largest group of creative people all alive and kicking – making music, writing books, purchasing and selling, and helping other people.

Your brain is gathering and processing details all the time. Well, this group of individuals, collectively, has amassed an incredible quantity of knowledge: facts, figures, images, ideas, words, and music, all in the course of fifty plus years.

As an example, we have Oprah Winfrey, who not only creatively designed her own production organization, but also founded the Angel Network, making it achievable for several young people to attend college and for philanthropic groups to continue their great works.

An additional example of creativity from the Boomer generation would be Paul McCartney. He’s been writing music and singing because the early sixties.

Stephen King has been writing short stories and novels since the late sixties, creatively showing us all how to be scared to death.

The list of stars over fifty, yet still showing us creativity on the massive screen consists of Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones and Candace Bergen. Inspiring directors like Steven Spielberg continue to amaze us with such awesome display of talent and creativity.

But there is still plenty of room for all the rest of the not-so-famous-Baby Boomers to show us their creativity and their talent. With lifetime experiences to back them up, they are certain to amaze us. This generation will not be sitting on the porch or in their rocking chairs bemoaning the loss of the “good old days.” They have a lot to draw on and a lot of creativity to share with us. They sing, they dance, they paint, and they write stories and music. They consult, and they teach. They pass along a lengthy life’s worth of experiences, images, sounds, ideas and inspiration.

The Japanese have a proverb that reads, “I will master some thing, and then the creativity will come.” The Boomers have mastered a lot of fantastic abilities and have developed a lot of excellent talents. They have learned to recognize inspiration when they see or hear it, and they’re responding to it. They’re also sending it along to the next generation, continuing to inspire everybody.

Ray Bradbury once said, “We are all cups, continually and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the gorgeous stuff out.” That is the trick. We have all been filled and continue to be filled with creative ideas and knowledge. We ought to let that creativity spill out, for our own sakes as well as for other people.

Allow inspiration into your life and see what a distinction it makes. Invite your Muse to stand close by and shower you with the necessary inspiration. If you put your mind to it (the left brain and the appropriate brain), you will come up with all manners of creative ideas to deal with any aspects of your life.

No matter what difficulties arise, no matter what challenges you face, no matter what kind of roadblocks you encounter, your creativity will aid you to overcome all of them. Go back to your childhood, when your teacher told all of you to put on your thinking caps. Try it on for size now, you might discover it still fits.

There’s nothing like inspiration to support you conquer your fears. It will change your life, guaranteed. Let go of the past and its disappointments they only trip you up and hold you back.

Make use of every single source to aid you in this quest for creativity. Inspiration is all around you. The basic desire is within you the will need for creativity is a part of your very DNA. You basically have to train your brain to believe far more creatively, enable that desire to fill you, and force that creativity to the surface. You might have to remind yourself every and each day to feel creatively, give yourself the chance to come with a bit of inspiration of your own, and find methods to solve your problems. You might even discover inside your self an artist, a writer, a musician, or an inventor struggling to get out. Let the creative spirit inside of you come out to play, and produce.

If you find the will need for a small more inspiration, talk with Baby Boomers about what thrills them. See if it’s some thing you might like to try. Then get them to teach you all about it. Read a book, take a class, and find out to play an instrument or dance. Contact your local Continuing Education Center and locate out what kinds of creative activities you can engage in.

John W. Gardner tells a story of Alexander the Fantastic visiting Diogenes. Alexander asked regardless of whether he could do anything for the famed teacher. Diogenes replied, “Only stand out of my light.” Gardner concluded that maybe some day, we need to know how to heighten creativity. Until then, one of the best things we can do for creative men and ladies is to stand out of their light.

Maybe we need to stand close sufficient to that light, to shed a little beam on us, for us to learn from those creative men and ladies. Then we can go out and share a small of that light to others. We can support pass the torch to the next generation.