bwagy, the blog of Ben Young

When I have a problem that I’m chewing on, I’ll go for a walk.  Typically by the end of a walk I’ve cracked the problem or figured out what the next step to getting to the solution is.  Its simple and it works.  Stanfords recent study mirrors this by  showing that walking increases creativity.

A person walking indoors – on a treadmill in a room facing a blank wall – or walking outdoors in the fresh air produced twice as many creative responses compared to a person sitting down, one of the experiments found.

Crazy – even walking indoors in a room with a blank wall, aka no external stimulus other than walking did it.

I’m also reading Daily Rituals of Artists, one thing that stood out for me is how much time they dedicated to just going on a walk.  Often up to 90 minutes giving their mind time to roam, to relax and enjoy life.

Steve Jobs was noted to instead of having a meeting go on a walk with whoever he was meeting with.

Why? That’s yet to be fully established – and as to whether other physical activities increase or decrease the effect has yet to be proven.

But that’s enough for me.  Get some more walking into your daily rhythm.  I’m definitely going to.

This week has been a bit of a video week for me, so I thought I’d share my favourite one, it’s called Smile & Move. Hard to describe, just watch.

It’s true.

Really You can do what YOU want.

But chances are it’s you holding yourself back?

Your saying no it’s not Ben, it’s this and this.  A lot will say time.  A lot will say money.

Stop making excuses.  You can make time.  Start with 5 minutes a day.  Work up to 60 minutes.

Look at how you can reduce the time for other tasks, do you really need to do so and so.

Believe me you can find enough time to start doing what you really love.

Secondly money, it can be a barrier, but its not infallible.

For under $100 you can:

• Write a book via self publishing
• Drive your favourite super car
• Learn how to fly a plane 
• Start your own online tv show

The barriers to virtually everything are getting destroyed, the chances for excuses are getting less and less.

If there is something you really want to do it, bite the bullet and jump in the deep end, do not let yourself or others talk you out of it.

Sometimes you need to destroy, abolish, smash, obliterate an idea, a project

Just so you can unlock the new possibilities.

Retaining old systems, structures, ways of thinking hinders the move forward.

Thinking inside the square that has already been created stimulates limited thinking, lower horizons.

If you have an idea, something you want to move forward with and there are barriers in the way.

Get rid of them completely.  Destroy them.  Remove them from your systems.

I am constantly destroying something, this didn’t work, flag it, be dynamic and keep moving.

For example I regularly delete old blog drafts, it frees up space for new posts and directions.

Why do I have Monday Ideas Post?

Firstly it fulfills my criteria of being, short, snappy digestible bites that make you think.

It has a dual edge though.

As an entrepreneur (or just someone that questions everything?) I come up with ideas all the time, as I’m sure a lot of my readers do or at least someone you know.

Quite often we will hold these ideas close to heart, not express them, only to regret it.

Or we lose focus with every new idea.

This is the dual edge, Monday Ideas Post also let’s me have an outlet for ideas I come up with so I can remain focused but also as an opportunity for discussion.

It’s about making you think just as much as its about making me think.

So

What outlet do you have? How do you get ideas out there? What do you do to find out if your idea is rubbish so you can remain focused or move onto the next great thing? 

(Hint: like any muscle, the more you exercise this part of your brain, the better you will get at it)

Here’s just a list of all the cool things you can do:

• Run your own tv show | Wine Library
• Have your own Podcast
• Be an author through lulu.com or Createspace
• Be a rockstar using iTunes + Myspace + Last.fm
• Build your own entertainment network by syndicating youtube videos
• Build your own Facebook with Ning
• Design your own products (virtually anything) through Ponoko
• Brand your own products, drinks, beds, jeans by sourcing products through AliBaba
• Design your own t-shirts with Threadless
• Become an expert in your area through blogging
• Talk to anyone, skip secretaries, connect with them via Twitter / Facebook / Linkedin

The Best Ideas are Free.

Think about it.

They are.

Why are the best idea’s free?

Free ideas have no obligation, they don’t need to fit your objectives, they don’t need to be held accountable, they are created with essentially no barriers.

No barriers = maximum potential creativity.

That’s my ideas post for the week.  Take it away (it’s free) and enjoy.

The Best Ideas are Free.

Patterns are heuristic shortcuts.

Patterns are what experts have.  It’s how doctors can sum up a patients state in a glance or how you can make snapshot judgments.

They come from experience and learning.

The are all around us, in our clothing, our behaviour, how we interact.

Identifying patterns helps in creating greater understanding.

Learning something new builds new patterns.

Doing something that makes you uncomfortable or afraid builds new patterns.

You should always be seeking new patterns!

Quite often the same patterns are everywhere.

Now use these patterns in your strategies, they will be more creative and remarkable than you ever thought possible.

(remember innovation is the application of patterns in new contexts)