Creativity

How Logic Puzzles Can Help You Become a Better Problem Solver

2005-09-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

By John Anderson

I have to admit that I am a confirmed puzzle-head. I love crosswords, acrostics, and cryptograms. But I am becoming ever more intrigued by logic problems. For one thing they teach you how to become a more attentive listener or reader to catch the nuances of language that can provide invaluable clues to their solution. For another, they teach the step-to-step process of processing information. These are skills that are valuable for nearly all reasoning situations.

To illustrate the process, the following is a problem I have composed that will take you step by step from recognizing the essential elements to the final solution. I have not provided a matrix but if you are familiar with the technique you can construct one yourself from the description.

I call the problem The Wilson Elementary Subject Olympics. Ed, Bob, Susan, Anne and Wayne (in no particular order) are five bright 6th-Grade students attending Wilson School. They recently competed in the school's annual competition. The subjects were: reading, writing, arithmetic, art & poetry, and gym. For scoring purposes, the winner in each subject was awarded four points; the second place three; third, two; fourth, one; and fifth, zero. At the end of the competition the principal said that it was the closest competition ever. Each competitor was within one point of the next highest finisher. Every competitor got at least one four. From the following clues, determine the score and order of finish for each of the students. [N.B. You may want to construct two different tables, one with the names of the students and the subject, the other simply the subject and total number of points scored in each subject.

(1) Only one student got 5 different scores. Bob scored four more points than the last-place finisher. The student in second place had no zeroes.

(2) Wayne, who did not finish fourth or fifth, got a four in gym and got a higher score than (Bob) in arithmetic.

(3) Susan finished in third place in two subjects but she finished first in arithmetic.

(4) Bob's best subject was writing and his worst was gym, where he got a zero.

(5) Anne got identical scores in writing and gym and a four in reading. She did not finish last.

(6) Ed, Bob, Susan and Anne finished 1 through 4 in that order in art and poetry.

(7) Ed finished fourth in arithmetic, but second in gym. He also got identical scores in reading and writing.

(8) The third place finisher got a one in writing; the fourth place finisher a zero in arithmetic.

From the above we have more than enough information to solve the problem. For one thing, we know our students finished within a point ahead or a point behind their competitors. If we add up the total number of possible points for each category we get 4 plus 3 plus 2 plus 1 or a total of ten. Since we have five categories with ten points in each we have a total of 50 points. Since each student finished within a point of each other, the scores will be consecutive integers such as 11,12,13,14,15 for example. If you want to, you can sit down and experiment to see which five integers add up to fifty, but there is a simple algebraic formula that will give the number. The smallest number will be x. The next number will be x+1, then x+2, X+3 and x+4. Written out x + (x+1) + (x+2) + (x+3) + (x+4) = 50. 5x+10 = 50. 5x = 40 so x equals 8. The five integers are 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Now let's turn to the clues.

Clue number one tells us that Bob had 4 more points than the last place finisher. The last place competitor scored 8 points. Bob must have scored a total of twelve, which means he finished in first place.

From Clue number two we know that Wayne did not finish 4th or 5th. Since Bob finished first we know Wayne must hsve finished 2nd or third and will have a total of 11 or 10 points.

Clue number six gives us four actual scores. Ed got a 4 in art and poetry, Susan 3, Bob 2, and Anne 1. By inference, Wayne got the zero. Since clue one tells us that the second place finisher had no zeroes, Wayne must have finished in third place with a total of ten points. We also know that he is the student who received five different scores because 4+3+2+1+0 equals 10 and clue one tells us that only student had five different scores.

Clue four tells us that Bob's best subject was writing. This means he got one four only and it was in writing. He scored 0 points in gym. Since he scored a total of 12 points, he must have gotten a total of 8 points in Reading, Arithmetic and Art& Poetry. The clue also tells us that he got the same score in two subjects. He only got one 4, so he must have gotten 2s or 3s in the remaining subjects. The only numbers that add up to eight are 3, 3 and 2. From clue 2 we know that Wayne got a 3 in arithmetic and this was a higher score than Bob. We now know Bob's standing and all of his scores, viz, Reading 3, Writing 4, Arithmetic 2, Art and Poetry 3, Gym 0.

Clue five tells us that Anne got the four in reading and that she didn't finish last. Bob finished first, Wayne 3rd and Anne 2nd, or 4th. By the process of elimination, either Susan or Ed must have finished in last place. Please remember that the last place finisher scored a total of 8 points. Susan has been identified as having seven points so far and has at least another for her second third place finish.

Clue eight says that the third place finisher, (Wayne), got a 1 in writing We now know 8 of Wayne's total of 10 points in four subjects. This means he must have gotten a score of 2 in Reading, the only remaining blank. The rest of the clue tells us that the fourth place finisher got a zero in arithmetic. Susan got a 4 which means that Ed or Ann finished in Fourth place.

Clue nine indicates that Ed got the same score in reading and writing. The only scores he could have got were ones or zeros. We know that Anne finished in fourth place, so Ed finished fifth with a total of 8 points. We already can account for 7 of them so he scored a total of 1 point in three subjects. Since he got the same score in reading and writing, these must be zeroes and his one point would be in arithmetic. By the process of elimination, we now know that Susan finished in second place with a total of 11 points. Furthermore Ed, Bob, Anne and Wayne account for 9 of the 10 points in reading, meaning Susan scored 1.

In the arithmetic column we have now accounted for all ten points without Anne's score. Thus, her score must be zero. We're almost finished.

Clue 5 reads that Anne got identical scores in writing and in gym. At this point she has a total of 5 points. The identical scores must be 2s. That leaves he last two numbers to fill in for Susan. She got a 3 in writing and a 1 in Gym.

At long last we have the standings and the scores. Bob, first, reading 3, writing 4, arithmetic 2, Art and Poetry 3 and Gym 0.

Susan, second, reading 1, writing 3, arithmetic 4, Art and Poetry 2 and Gym 1. Wayne is third with 2 in reading, 1 in writing, 3 in arithmetic, zero in art and poetry and 4 in gym. Anne, who came in fourth, has the following: 4 in reading, 2 in writing, zero in arithmetic one in Art and Poetry and 2 in gym. Last but not least Ed got a zero in Reading and writing, 1 in arithmetic. 4 in Art and Poetry and 3 in gym.

From a step by step approach, we began by finding the total number of points available from the clue about the numbers of points scored. After that we determined Bob finished first with 12 points. Each clue from that point on provided more information either by statement or inference. What seems at first to be an unintelligible mess gives way to logical analysis. If you enjoyed it, get yourself a logic book and have a ball!

The author, John Anderson, loves puzzles. He has used a number of different ones in his novel, The Cellini Masterpiece, written under the pen name of Raymond John. If you'd like to read a sample chapter or have a question or want to contact John, go to http://www.cmasterpiece.com

Creativity Isn't Just About Art It Is About Healing

2005-09-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

By Emelisa Mudle

Go on, pick up a pen, hold it in your hand and ask, “ What can you do for me?” What do you hear? If you listen with your heart you may hear “ I can show you a world within that only you and I can explore! Let’s start writing and see what we can find.”

As you travel deeper within you will start to find a world of emotion and thoughts that you never imagined you had, whether you are delving into those dark corners of pain or dancing into the lightness of your being. Once you have expressed through writing you may feel lighter from this experience, or you may become aware that there is more writing and healing to be done. Allowing your words to flow gives you the freedom to experience more of who you really are.

You can start by writing each morning, when you wake, without interruption. Just let the words flow without thinking about or judging them, allow them to come through. As you continue to do this each day it will become a lot easier and you will be surprised at how much lighter you feel from this experience. These are your words and if you keep them for your eyes only, you can write whatever you feel without the fear of others seeing it.

Writing is just one tool that you can use. As you open up to being more creative you can start to explore your inner world of colour. Painting is a powerful media to use and it is important at first to use the non-dominant hand. The reason for this is that you want to connect with the right side of the brain which helps you to be more intuitive, creative and non judgemental. The left side is responsible for logic, judgement and fears. It wants to control and keep everything neatly boxed in. Painting with your dominant hand only taps you into those fears. It is important to learn how to play first, that is where the joy and fun is.

I have watched others go through their creative exploring and they have experienced profound awareness and have been opened up to a world that they had no idea existed within them.

Among the many forms of creative healing, mandala making is a wonderful way to bring forward that which you would like to manifest in your life. Along with journaling, Imagery healing is a great way to get in touch with physical problems and to find out what emotions and thoughts are stored.

Mask making is a great way to see the masks that we wear in life. What masks do you wear? Are you a Mother? Sister? Brother? Are you the boss of a company? Yet, who are you really?

I remember running a mask making group with 30 people and we started to discuss the masks we wear in life. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, it was moving to watch everyone express their reality of not knowing who they really were.

Ask yourself, “who am I and what do I want? Am I living my life purpose? Am I in touch with my creative side? Am I willing to explore even more deeply into those parts of myself? Am I shining brightly with love and energy the way I know I can?”

If you have answered no to any of these, then you could possibly be feeling some uneasiness within, be it physical or emotional. Everything that manifests within us comes from our thoughts.
Are you ready to know your purpose? Are you ready to shine brightly? Are you ready to have a beautiful healthy relationship? Are you ready to be healthy?

If you have answered yes to this then, what is stopping you? Emelisa Mudle has been running workshops from her home in Currumbin Valley for the last 4 years she has also travelled running these workshops in many areas including America. She has found from these experiences people have gained much insight into themselves in a fun way. They have found tools to use which assist them to gain more clarity and purpose with what they want to achieve, as well as the freedom to express and be their own healers.Emelisa may be contacted on her website is http://home.iprimus.com.au/emelisa

Emelisa is a an artist and workshop fascillitator. For 12 years her passion is one of self love, breaking the unhealthy patterns of childhood and becomming what she really beleives to be in hear heart Love.Emelisa enjoys sharing with a passion and loves to do talks to assist others to embrace there beautiful selves. There is nothing more beautiful thatn the journey of self.

Stre-e-e-etch Your Imagination

2005-09-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

By Rosella Aranda

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge
is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

Albert Einstein, Physicist, 1879-1955

This one quote alone is a pretty compelling reason to learn how to turn our imaginative genius loose.

All of us have a fairly vivid imagination, but unfortunately, we do not control it. It controls us. It runs willy-nilly on its own, painting pictures in our minds of things that we do NOT want to materialize.

What's even more alarming is the fact that the same reel of pictures keeps playing over and over again. There are statistics that indicate that of the many thousands of thoughts that we have in the course of a single day, the vast majority of them are the same old, tired out, uninspired thoughts that we had earlier in the day, and the day before, and the day before that, ad nauseum.

Here are some simple visualization exercises that will help
you train your imagination to flex its muscles.You can perform these anytime, anywhere, and in just a matter of seconds.

Exercise 1 - Color Me Beautiful

Focus on any object in your immediate vicinity. Mentally
change its color.Some people try to be too literal-minded about this and claim that they cannot “see” the different color. Just get a flashing “sense” of it being this different color. That’s all that is needed.

Run through several colors in rapid succession.Change the finish from a high gloss to a matte finish.Make it fuzzy. Make it wet.You can graduate to seeing multi-colored patterns: plaids, stripes, polka dots, animal prints, etc.

Exercise 2 – Bend Me, Shape Me, Any Way You Want Me

Once again focus on any object.Increase its size, more, more, even more.Now shrink it back again. Make it so tiny that it all but disappears.Make it fat and puffy and then skinny and sunken.Pull it like taffy and make it stretch and twist and bend and fold.Now turn the object inside out.

Again, you do not need to “see” every single detail.The idea is simply to get your imagination to come out and play. You want it to break free of its well-worn, literal rut, and more importantly, you want to get comfortable seeing things
that are not yet in your physical world. Let’s do one more…

Exercise 3 – Mental Aroma Therapy

Our sense of smell is by far the strongest sense that we have. A single aroma is enough to unleash a flood of vivid memories. Also, olfactory sensations are the first ones to reach the brain. So not only does smell provide a powerful link to our recall. It can also serve to stimulate and excite our imagination.

This exercise consists of simply “recalling” certain odors
that are most pleasant to you. What aromas make you feel calm? Smell them now. What scents make you feel powerful? Train yourself to mentally whiff that scent when you’re feeling small.

Think of smells that make you feel confident, free,
intelligent, rich, kind, playful, or anything else that occurs to you.

As you go through different odors that cause you to experience these pleasurable sensations, take note of what pictures each aroma conjures up for you. What aspect of these mental scenes pleases you most? (This is a great way to engage your mind during lost, odd moments.)

These pictures and odors should be remembered and
incorporated into visualizing your goals. The point of these exercises is to get your logical mind to loosen up, to release its choke hold on your creative spirit.

Why is this so important? Because the fastest, most efficient way to achieve any goal is to SEE it in our mind's eye. We are to act, feel and give heartfelt thanks as if it were already a done deal. Some authors call this
"Thinking from the end."

Giving our imaginations a workout will help us accomplish this.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you
everywhere." Albert Einstein

Rosella Aranda, international marketer, editor and author, helps entrepreneurs escape their limitations. See her newest ebook at http://www.SabotageThyselfNoMore.com/

For more on how to harness your mental power, visit http://www.FromThoughtsToRiches.com/

Make Yourself Creative: Two Easy Idea-Generating Methods

2005-08-29T01:07:00.000-07:00

By Stuart Harrison

Here are a couple of exercises to force yourself to come up with some brand new ideas. These methods can be used to give your business an edge, to overcome creative blocks, or just for fun - to prove to yourself that you can have some great ideas.

Method 1: "It's X meets Y"

Many movie critics use the "It's X meets Y" formula to help them quickly and accurately describe what a movie is all about. For example, the film Open Water was described by one critic as "It's Jaws meets Blair Witch". Anyone can now guess that the film involves sharks (or other water-dwelling monsters), and is a horror film filmed in a realistic way.

You can also use this formula to create brand new products, which can be easily understood by the potential market.

Choose 2 products from your industry (or choose 2 at random), with different features and audiences. Combine the two and consider the result. This is your brand new product. Do this a few times to create 5 different new products and then evaluate them to see which to go with. For example "It's Pop Tarts meets AllBran" could give you the idea to make a toastable breakfast health snack, or mini-Poptarts that you pour into a bowl and eat as a cereal.

Funnily enough, this method works really well with new movie-script ideas.

Method 2: "Redesign This"

This method allows a product to be developed very quickly.
Consider an existing everyday item and improve it. Write down the item's main essential features - no more than the essentials. Then write down all the extra features you would personally like to see in the perfect version of this item. Then sketch out some ideas which have all the features you have though of.

If we consider a Kettle, what essentials features does it need? The ability to heat liquid, to be safe, easy to pour, easy to fill.
If we think of it like this we could design a kettle that can have variable settings for different liquids - one to boil water, one to heat baby's milk, one to make hot chocolate (though it would have to be easy to clean!). Or we could make a more traditional style kettle, but with an extra wide spout to allow it to be filled without having to remove the lid.

These new ideas appear only when we strip an item down to its absolute essentials and start again from scratch.

Is your business as targeted as it could be, or are you providing unwanted features? Could you bring out some new redesigned products to complement existing ones?

It is very satisfying to improve an old classic.

Profile: You can be a Saint - right now - at the author's web business. Become a Saint at http://www.yousaint.com
for a modest donation of £35.

Being Creative is Essential for Online Success

2005-08-29T01:04:00.000-07:00

By Mark Bellinger

Do you have a strategy that ensures your online business stands out from the crowd?

If your answer to the above is NO then you need to address this issue, because if you don’t, it is unlikely that your online presence will even be noticed.

With there being so much competition in every field on the internet it is essential that you offer your target market something different than your competitors.

By distinguishing your product or service you immediately position your business apart from the masses of your competition and therefore your chances of capturing your target market are greatly enhanced.

But how do you do this, you may ask when there is apparently no other way to package your business other than the tried and tested way?

Well, in my opinion, this is the time to be creative and think & do things differently.

If you employ a creative thought process when it comes to packaging and presenting your product or service the chances are you will get close to the top of the pile instead of languishing hidden down with the masses of similar type businesses.

However, the thought of having to come up with new ideas is pretty scary although all of us have at least one or two creative cells lurking in our brains somewhere.

If you have ever used an implement for a purpose other than that for which it was intended, demonstrates a certain degree of creativity. So if you have ever done this you may have an aptitude for thinking outside of the box which is certainly a valuable asset for any businessman.

As an online entrepreneur selling widgets your creative strategy should be to communicate the features and benefits of these widgets in a uniquely aggressive but charming manner to captivate your site visitor’s interest.

To do this you need to make a list of all the ways you can think of to deliver such a message and combine them with existing ideas to stimulate your creative thinking.

Try and perform this process in a relaxed environment as this is the most conducive way to coming up with brilliant ideas. Remember where Archimedes discovered the theory of relativity…in the bath, whereafter he ran outside in the nude shouting “eureka!”

Once you have decided on a creative concept you can use it for a long time and milk it for all the mileage you can get out of it. This means that, as most of us aren’t blessed with the same degree of creative variety as the top Ad Agency executives are, you won’t be pressured into coming up with a new strategy every so often.

Online businesses have one of the most popular and fastest growing mediums to show off their products and services and those that take full advantage of this medium by creative positioning will the success they deserve.

A well executed concept and strategy is vital for internet success and longevity.

For more resources and business ideas visit http://www.income.za.net

Author Biography

The author, Mark Bellinger is a successful businessman and creator of the following websites:

http://www.income.za.net

http://www.internetbusiness.co.za

http://www.onlinesynergy.za.net

Five Steps to Higher Creativity: Engaging the Human Spirit

2005-08-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

By Bernie Cardell

Unleash Your Creativity!

Creativity has often been the misunderstood child of the genius family. This misunderstanding has brought along with it a tainted picture of what creativity is, what function it serves, and where it comes from. The creative process remains one of the great mysteries of the human spirit. How do we create the things we do?

Many people have said that creativity is the process by which we connect spiritually, connect with people, and connect with the world. It is safe to say that through creativity, we connect with some energy, some force, some thing. And it is through this connecting process that we have the opportunity to use our creativity to effect change in our lives.

If we choose, we can become more aware of our creativity blocks. Through this process, we can become more creative, more connected, more trusting, more enthusiastic, and more focused on our success.

Here are the five steps to higher creativity as well as five related traps to watch out for. Being a creative individual with a passion for a new project can be exhilarating, and with these five steps and some awareness about who you are, you can climb to place you never thought possible.

Step 1: Completion

In other words, take out the trash! Our homes are filled with goodies, gadgets, and garbage that we don’t need. These items (typically bought for time saving) end up costing us precious space in our consciousness. By ridding ourselves of these items that we do not use, we can free up energy otherwise saved for these items. For example, imagine how much energy is tied up in the books we bought two years ago? If you’re not going to do it, get rid of it. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used it in a year, you don’t need it.

Creativity Trap #1: Tolerations A “Toleration” is something you have been “putting up with.” Most likely, it’s on your list of things to, and has been there for months or even years. Sometimes we don’t know something is a toleration because we have been putting up with it for so long and have gotten used to it. Like the pile of stuff on your desk that you don’t really see anymore even when you have to reach over it to get a paper clip. So make sure to take care of the squeaky hinge on the door, the junk drawer in the kitchen, and the dental appointment you meant to make nine months ago!

Step 2: Clarity

Create an clear intention of what it is you would like to create. Perhaps you are an artist with an established medium (painting, acting, writing), or perhaps you are a creative individual who would like to create a new project, a new relationships, or a new career. Whatever your heart’s desire, begin now by narrowing down the specific qualities or attributes of your creative endeavor. Remember, being specific is the key here. If we are to enroll the universe in supporting our new desire, we must make our “recipe” as specific as possible. Make a list of qualities, draw a picture, cut pictures out of magazines – do whatever you can to get as specific a picture as you can. Have I said that enough times yet? Well, here’s one more: Be specific!

Creativity Trap #2: Perfectionism Now this is a popular one! Creative individuals often find themselves narrowing down their vision and getting stuck in the fear of not being able to live up to their vision. “It has to be this way or it’s not going to work!” Keep in mind that all you are doing is coming up with what you want to create and not how you are going to create it. Keep the perfectionism gremlin at bay by understanding at a deep level that you are human and that you will do the best you can with what you have available to you. You don’t have to wait “until the exact right moment.” And besides, any mistake you make (whether large or small) will be a gift.

Step 3: Collaboration

The keyword here is ASK! Asking for support around your creative project can be an intimate and vulnerable experience. Sometimes we are afraid to ask for the time, space, and energy we need to put behind our new project. Other kinds of collaboration can include asking for help to clean out your garage in order to build your new studio, asking friends to come over for a dinner party because you in order to try some new recipes, or asking someone to read Chapter One of your new book. Putting together a support network can mean the difference between getting to the next phase or falling flat because you didn’t have enough support. You don’t have to do it alone!

Creativity Trap #3: Unhealthy Boundaries and Overcommitment. You know who they are. Those friends, family members, neighbors, or other people who drain your energy. In order to have the time, space, and energy you need for your project, learn how to say the word “NO.” Telling someone up front that you only have a specific amount of time to spend with them will be infinitely easier than sitting through another boring lunch with Uncle Herbie. That’s time that you could have spent on your new adventure.

Step 4: Confidence

The number one confidence and trust builder is keeping your agreements. When you keep your agreements (with others as well as yourself), increased confidence is a natural by-product. So take a look at the agreements you are making and whether or not you are keeping them. Take a look at your day planner or calendar. They’re full of agreements you have made. Being on time gives a wonderful feeling. But don’t take my word for it, try it out! Give yourself the test of being everywhere you have agreed to be five minutes early for a whole week and see if you don’t feel more confident. I guarantee it.

Creativity Trap #4: Resentment and Jealousy
Being in the acting trade, I have seen these two things at work quite often. Actor A gets the part and Actor B would like to flatten their tires. This is a natural and very human reaction, and it’s perfectly fine to have these feelings as long as they don’t stick around. If Actor B is still feeling that way three weeks from now, then there’s a problem. Jealousy and Resentment are huge “creativity constipators.” Have you ever tried to create something while feeling resentful? You can’t – it’s an instant roadblock.

Step 5: Connection

As I said in the introduction, creativity is a connection for everyone to some “thing,” and connection to others, to the world, and to ourselves can further this connection, provide inspiration, and expand the “joy of creation.” And if you have done these steps in order, by the time you get to this step, you will be able to feel that connection at a real heart level. There are five universal ways to connect to our heart: nature, children, music, animals, and art. These are places you can always find a heart connection. You may have your own personal way to connect to your heart (and thus, to your creativity). Find a time each day to connect at a heart level, receive joy and inspiration, and you’ll be creating in no time!

Creativity Trap #5: Distractions and Addictions
What’s your favorite distraction? For some it’s television, computer games, or talking on the phone. These are precious time and energy stealers that we use when we don’t want to face the blank page, canvas, or monologue. Addictions like alcohol, cigarettes, and eating also serve the same purpose to “cover” our feelings of inadequacy, imperfection, and general univentiveness. The good news is, I am not asking you to give up your television and solitaire computer game. All you have to do is keep a watchful and not give in to them every time. If you can keep the boundary of creating for yourself from the heart, your distractions and addictions will not hold the same power.

These five steps are designed to help you be more open to your own creativity and the inspiration that the world holds for you. If you work with these steps, you will be able to find a balance of creative synergy while avoiding some of the creativity traps and find yourself in a real heartfelt creative project that you love. Good luck!

Bernie Cardell makes things happen. He has experience in coaching all types of people including gifted and creative people, business owners, executives, teenagers, actors, board members, healthcare practitioners, and just about anyone you can think of. Through his experience in coaching, working for Insight Seminars Worldwide, The Love and Logic Institute, and The New Warrior Project, he has had the opportunity to coach hundreds of people through confusion to large and lasting change.

Bernie is also a successful stage actor and director.

For more information on Bernie and personal coaching, please visit his site My Creative Prosperity at http://www.mycreativeprosperity.com

Also check out Bernie's great teleclasses to help you achieve your creative dreams- Gettng More of What You Want and Getting Creatively Unstuck find out more at: http://www.mycreativeprosperity.com/jumpstart.html

True Power: Understanding the Source of All Creation and Creativity

2005-06-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

By S.C. Giles

"True Power" is a series that will focus on proven techniques to accomplish any goal. Each exercise is designed to enlarge your ability to believe what you want is possible and will actually happen.

How Beliefs Work

You use them everyday. They determine everything from how you feel about your body to who your friends are, from your political affiliations to your work. "They" are your beliefs. Whether you know it or not, you use visualization, affirmations, and self-hypnosis all the time, and here's the clincher: Those beliefs that you're visualizing, affirming, and saying to yourself repeatedly form your life-literally.

Here's how it works: Physics has reduced all matter, motion, and events down to live energy and information or consciousness. Consciousness (live and active energy and information) is the force that is both the substance and the organizer of the physical universe. Your mind, amazing as it sounds, through its various functions, has a directing power on the physical universe-in other words, your mind and thoughts determine your life and its events.

Think of your mind, and your thoughts in particular, as an invisible electromagnetic power plant, which it is. You have no trouble believing if you point a remote at the television, it will turn on, or if you dial your cell phone, someone will answer and you can talk to that person. In both cases, the processes involved are invisible but reliable. Your mind is much like these gadgets, working through invisible processes that follow organized laws. You can prove these laws exist by using them and examining the results. To use these laws properly, however, it helps to know how they work.

The gadget you call your mind is magnetized. It has drawing and repelling power. A particular thought has its own electromagnetic organization and will, by its nature, draw to it like thoughts, emotions, and subsequent events. The thought gathers momentum and pulls in similar electromagnetic and organized energy information clusters that then form similar thoughts, emotions, and events in the physical world. Thoughts unlike your original thought will be repelled like a magnet turned backward. The brilliance of the system and its potentials are astounding.

An easy way to demonstrate for yourself how this works is to take a person you dislike and begin to systematically think kind and loving thoughts about this person on a regular basis. Then see what happens.

Beliefs are supercharged thoughts that have tremendous drawing and repelling power, that actually organize your subsidiary thoughts, emotions and the events that happen in your life. These beliefs are alive. They're working for or against you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, whether your thinking about them or not, whether you think you even hold the particular belief or not, and whether you believe your beliefs have power or not. You have a choice to let the process go on willy nilly or to direct it consciously.

There are two ways to discover what beliefs you hold and whether they're productive. You can examine the beliefs in your mind, asking yourself, "What do I believe?" Or you can look at the results in you life. Do you live in a comfortable home, have lovely friends, fulfilling work, a sunny view of people and the world? If there's room for improvement, or if your deepest desires are as yet unmet, you can consciously work to establish beliefs that will bring about seemingly miraculous changes.

The first technique we'll deal with, visualization, is one you're constantly using, but from cultural training, you many times visualize the exact opposite of what you want by thinking about your problems or how what you want can't happen. You do this because you believe this is "realistic," or that this is how problems are solved when, in fact, the truth is quite the opposite. Bear in mind that you do not need to fight against unwanted beliefs or remove them nor is it possible to do this. If you try, your focus on these old beliefs will keep them in place because you get exactly what you focus on. This is a law. Old beliefs will gently move aside in a natural and normal process as you establish new beliefs.

The real question is how do you stop the momentum of negative beliefs and develop strong affirmative ones? Before we begin, I want to mention that many of you who are trying to change your life situation for the better will find your biggest hurdle is a belief you don't even see and wouldn't guess to look at. It's a belief in the value of the news. It may be difficult if not impossible to change your basic beliefs about people, institutions, and the world you live in if you're in the habit of reading, watching, or listening to the news each day.

That it's good to read, watch, or listen to the news, that you need to do this to be "on top of things" is a belief. You may protest that the value of news is a fact not a belief, but you can test this out for yourself quite easily by asking yourself what its effect has been in your life. Due to keeping informed of the news, regardless of the source, are you a better citizen? Do you vote more regularly? Do you trust your neighbor more? Do you love your country, its government, and institutions? Do you feel empowered to act? Do you feel you have control over your life?

To pay attention to the news each day is to give your power to someone else by allowing that person to hypnotize you. The results are normally a feeling of helplessness and a deep distrust of your fellow human beings and the world around you. Where is the value in that? Try, if you can, to quantify that value. This, in the face of the fact that the world continues to be wonderful, people are good, and institutions and governments are not static but change quite easily for the better if people believe they can change for the better.

If you stop paying attention to the news, you will still be informed, you will like people better, and that will be reflected in you work, your relationships, and ultimately in every facet of your life, including your prospects and income. However, the only way to know this is to try it. Lacking that, be aware of your emotions as you listen to the news, NO MATTER WHAT THE STORY. Know that those emotions form your life and that you are choosing to form your reality in this way by allowing someone else to control you.

The above summations on how beliefs form your life has been a oversimplification of a topic that could literally take books to explain. In the interest of space, I've left out much information. It's true that your thoughts, emotions, and especially your beliefs form your world, literally, not symbolically, but it's also just as true that you should ALWAYS express your emotions and never criticize those emotions or your thoughts NO MATTER HOW NEGATIVE. Have your tantrum if you need to. Be morose for a while if you need to without castigating yourself. A colorful variety of thoughts and emotions is part of life, and the point is to be conscious of the general trend of what you're saying, feeling, and imaging for yourself and NOT impose discipline on your thoughts and emotions. You can foster incredibly positive beliefs even WHILE you're have what you might consider negative thoughts, without ever trying to change or stop those negative thoughts. In other words, don't worry about negative thoughts or emotions. Just notice them. They will phase out, slowly, of their own accord as you begin to make changes.

Next: Part I. Visualization: Image Production and Verbal Thought

S.C. Giles is a contributing author of The Artrepreneur E-Zine and newsletter.

The Artrepreneur offers articles helping artists focus on proven techniques to accomplish any goal. Read More: http://artrepreneur.thepauper.com

Copyright © 2005 Arctic Mouse, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Source of Growth and Creativity

2005-06-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

By Santosh Kunte

Bare attention (to objects, people and circumstances) is what brings order in this world and in your personal world. If you know how to move your attention without the involvement of mind, positive creation happens as a result. Attention is literally a life response whereas mind is reaction out of memory and reaffirmation of the past. Attention is not same as thinking mind but it constitutes pure awareness moving itself through different objects without creating friction.

I am stating below some examples as to how life responds to the power of attention. Here's one:

One small business owner decided to give attention to his accounts, balanced eight months of back bank statements, and miraculously received $5000 from nowhere the next day.

The key is attention without interpretation of the situation. A mere attention and intention to improve is sufficient.

If you bring your personal or business accounts fully and accurately up to date, you'll be able to watch the money flow to you!

Money is not the only thing that responds to attention. So do ordinary objects and things. Consider this example:

A businessperson was unable to make any substantial sales. He was told that he should give attention to and evaluate his remaining current stocks, and then make a full effort to sell them off. After making an effort of selling but a few of the minimal stocks, an order arrived equal to six months of normal sales!

We have often seen this phenomenon where a business owner concerned by low sales or cash made the effort to sell off remaining unsold stocks, and life responded by bringing more sales. This is a powerful example of the power of attention to objects and things.

One way we give attention is by adopting the personal value of maximizing the way you use your current resources, such as money, materials, and time. Here's an example of how one manufacturer applied the value of maximum utilization of a limited resource, which resulted in a very favorable situation for the company:

"In the manufacture of welding electrodes, Low Carbon Ferro Manganese is one of the main raw materials. The manufacturer who was supplying us suddenly informed that their plant is shut down for maintenance and that there will not be any supply from them for the next two months. It is an expensive material so the stock holding was minimum. There are only very few manufacturers of this item and they are all located at far away places. We had little time to arrange supply from other sources. The stock on hand was sufficient for 5 days of production only. We decided that not a particle of LCF should be wasted and alerted all the workers to be extra careful. The shop floor was swept thoroughly and all the spilled material were collected, screened and used. We provided attention to what could immediately be attended. Coincidentally, within two days, a Managing Director of a company manufacturing LCF in Orissa (which is about 1300 kilometers away from Pondicherry) visited our unit; over the phone (from Pondicherry) he instructed his plant to dispatch material to us. From the previous supplier we were buying the material against payment. Where as this company offered us a credit of 30 days. We did not negotiate any terms with them. They themselves agreed to supply at the same price. We were frank in telling them the precarious situation we were in. In spite of knowing our weak situation, they did not take any undue advantage. We are continuing with them."

Moral is they didn’t wasted the material further and alerted all the workers to be extra careful. The shop floor was swept thoroughly and all the spilled material were collected, screened and used. They provided attention to what could be immediately attended. Moral is mere attentions to a situation without being caught up in its interpretation brings order into it. One need not worry, anxiety (using mind) but need to attend to immediate things including the people and objects and the universe arranges rest of the trappings to bring in the harmony into the area of attention.

Here's a closely related example of the power of attention to things through the application of the value of maximum utilization, and life response:

X, the proprietor of a company, engaged Y as his consultant to improve his business. Y, the consultant, noticed a machine, which X deemed not useful to his present business, kept in a sorry state. Y requested X to repair and repaint it and keep it ready for production. X laughed and said, "This machine is idle for last many years without any order. I can not spend money on it. As soon as I get orders, I will repair and repaint the machine." Y thought X was looking at things in the wrong way.

Y told X, "If you keep machine ready for production and if you genuinely wish that this machine should yield profits, you will get orders. Life will favorably respond."

X followed Y's suggestion. After a day or two, X's cousin, an engineer, came to his factory. The newly painted machine gained his attention. He took interest in the machine. He told X that he was interested in starting a new factory. If X could give the machine to him, he could earn profit from the first month onwards and a share of the income would go to X. An agreement was struck and the machine became a cash cow.

Moral is begin with trust that in the end everything will be organized and take your first step forward in the trust that the universe will arrange the trapping, your job is to attend the immediate objects, people and rest will follow on its own timing. In this case they attended a machine deemed not useful to his present business.

So all sorts of things respond to attention; animate and inanimate!

One final example will show how the power of attention is tied in to organizing things one level higher than it is currently organized.

A company had just launched a new product, yet did not yet have any sales on the product, despite considerable effort. One day the manager decided to go through the operations manual to update it to the latest information, including procedures related to the new product. He did this late in the work day. Early the very next morning he saw the first order for the product come in through the company's web site.

Finally, let's not forget to mention that people also, of course, respond to attention.

Mind creates friction, attention creates movement. If you experience movement without friction, its attention and not the mind and you can assume that you are in a creative state. We invite restlessness through preconceived ideas about the state of reality. Creativity begins when you can stabilize in a chaotic environment looking at it as an ever expanding life rather than mere problems; all the chaos is a life itself expanding to create new bridges where there are none. As a result, trust takes over fear and panic. New things or events or people are seen as opportunities to organize the life one step up. It is through chaos that the new order is borne, so chaos need not be seen as something to fear about but life itself stretching the limits to organize one step further. A relaxed attitude takes over the panic and fear.

Attention itself brings in the order when used wisely in a trusting manner. Things are disorganized on account of lack of attention and ignorance of it's values.

Attention brings in the order. Place your attention in the areas where you seek improvements, hang out loosely expecting to improve the area, rest will follow. Key is identify the area, focus loosely and intend the desired result.

Seek with the attitude (state of existence) that you are already fulfilled and perfect in areas where you seek improvements, the acting and attitude of the perfection at every step itself consolidates into the ultimate end perfection. Move yourself consciously attending whatever needs to be attended here and now.

You trust and move one step toward unknown and simultaneously unknown moves one step towards you bridging the gap between harmony and disharmony. Your attention itself is your one step towards the unknown and if you consistently moves your attention in the desired direction with the intention to improve the life, unknown is moving towards you simultaneous bringing in all the necessary elements to bring harmony into your life.

Universe responds not to just fulfill your individual whims and fancies but to bring in greater order for greater good.

There is always a response to attention since it has capacity for positive movement where has mind has fixed notions which restricts movement.

Attention enables movement, whereas beliefs blocks movement.

Author: Santosh Kunte –Mumbai India. An avid reader of the spiritual knowledge, engineering graduate and executive. Loves reading meditation and sharing. You can reach me for your valuable feedback or you can reach me for your problems of finance, relationship etc. by dropping an e-mail to me on sskunte2@rediffmail.com

Top Five Reasons to Cultivate Your Creativity

2005-06-20T00:35:00.000-07:00

By Lael Johnson

Cultivating your creativity is more than spending time with a hobby or performing and displaying your work. Cultivating your creativity takes time, awareness and deliberate action. Creativity like any other skill, needs to be nurtured and affirmed, as well as directed, in order to expand throughout your life. Creativity crosses all barriers,cultures,even when styles differ and philosophies change. Creativity never changes. It’s time to put away those past negative influences, including no more starving artist scenarios. Let’s explore what creativity really is.

REASON ONE: Creativity is born in movement, be it physical, intellectual, enmotional or spiritual or any combination thereof. When you perceive change going on in your life , some part of the creative process is on the move.

REASON TWO: Training yourself to create art regularly contributes significantly to making an idea work by exploring, expanding, building, performing or sharing it.

REASON THREE The creative process takes time. However, it can be structured and directed. You can finish your creative projects on or before your deadline.

REASON FOUR: Creativity stretches your comfort zone. Practicing a creative skill, takes time, concentrated effort and consistent work. I know that I feel angry as I progress through the first phrase of the creativity process. I struggle to admit that I need to practice, that I don’t know everything, that I don’t need help and that in spite of these thoughts, I can still make progress using my skills. I am not comfortable when I fail to meet my expectations. When I complete one creative project. I know that I’ve done a good job. My next challenge is to patiently repeat the first phase of mechanical learning for as long as it takes, to complete my next job. My reward is to become more comfortable using my creative skills ,over and over again.

REASON FIVE: Creativty is fun. I love looking at numerous possibilities. It’s wonderful to be able to freely interpret and produce a creative product.

Copyright 2005 Writer's Eye Advisory Service

Lael Johnson, owner of Writer's Eye Advisory Service, offers creativity coaching services and additional writing resources. For more information visit: http://www.writerseye.com

Creativity

2005-06-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

By Usman Paracha

Creativity is the gift to mankind. This is not the thing which can be created by human beings.

In the every day life we see a lot of things like computer, calculators, abacus etc. After the sight of which we think that these are better than the Human mind.

But fact is different. Computers have no ability to think and create on their own.

Am I right or not? What do you think about this?

Thinking, creativity, feelings and many things which computer is short of at this time. There are many man made things which works better than human body and mind. But they can not take the place of human being. You can not replace a human body with a computer after the body dies. But you can replace computer from a computer even better in some respects. Computers can not make the human minds better.

Now close your eyes for five minutes and think as written below:

You are on a most beautiful hill with grass everywhere and flowers of romantic pink colors spread here and there. You are walking on a concrete path. It starts raining.

You are feeling the drops of rain on your head, your face, your whole body. And you are talking with someone you love the most i.e., you are on a romantic getaway.

It is sure that after thinking this you are feeling good.

Can computers do this? They do not have emotions. They do not have imaginations.

They are just like our slaves. Computers are actually poor. Though they are best of the creation of human being. But human beings are better than computers because ALLAH has created human being and nobody is better creator than ALLAH.

Creativity is only bestowed to humans. And wise peoples do not stop thinking. Whether they are sitting or standing. They think every time about the earth and heavens and the things between them. And at last they say, " My Lord! you have not created anything purposeless. You are great!".

Usman Zafar Paracha
Student of B-Pharmacy, Final Proff.
http://www.zafarparacha.netfirms.com