The predominant educational philosophy in the U.S. is to teach “Critical” thinking. Also known as “convergent” thinking, this process uses all available information to arrive, or converge, on one right, correct answer or solution. Divergent or “Creative” thinking is the exact opposite. It surmises that there is no single correct answer, but that many possible solutions exist, all diverging from the initial question.

So, what’s the problem? Well, it turns out that beginning pretty much in first grade, we are no longer taught HOW to think creatively. Critical thinking is so pervasive that by the age of twelve, some 80% of the population can only solve problems this way.

And, why does this matter? Is your business finding all the potential customers and raking in all the potential revenue that you want? What if using creative thinking could help you find more customers?

Funnel

It’s somewhat of an old fashioned concept, but the size of your funnel, your lead list, the breadth of potential customers for your business directly correlates to your sales. You know this, right? This is nothing new. But are you REALLY filling your funnel with ALL the possible future clients?

A more likely scenario is that you aren’t reaching all your true potential clients because you’re not thinking of them. Or, you aren’t thinking of all the ways to find them. Or, they are hiding in places that aren’t occurring to you.

Are your potential customers lurking where you’re not looking?

Funds

The funnel creates the funds, or the sales, to drive your bank account. Plain and simple. More customers equal more sales. If this isn’t the case, then there’s a flaw somewhere in your business plan. What can you do to modify it that and make more money? Do you have enough leads, but not enough closes?

Rather than trying to drill into one answer why this is happening, what if you could approach it from the opposite angle? Convergent thinking asks, “What can I do to increase my close ratio?” Creative thinking asks, “Who are my current sales?” Then, “Why did they buy?” “What other reasons do they buy?” “What other products do they want?”

Bottom line, you want to sell more and make more, right?

Fun

Are you having enough FUN in your business? Are you having fun looking for leads? Are you having fun working with clients? Are you enjoying the process?

Bottom line, if you enjoyed it more, would you DO IT more?

What if Creative Thinking is so easy a kindergartner could do it? Here’s the rub…kindergartners ARE taught that way. So, what did you know in kindergarten that you’ve forgotten now? Join the Inner Kindergarten community and find out!

Let your imagination, AND your bank account, grow.

…we DID learn everything we really need to know in kindergarten.

Hold hands before you go out in the world. Take naps. Flush.  And, sing, laugh, dance, and draw every day.

The problem is, the educational establishment, our efficiency-driven corporate world, and a number of other interesting factors conspired to make us forget what we knew then.  It turns out that stuff was really important afterall, in ways you may not have imagined.

There’s a fabulous educator and expert named Ken Robinson who wrote a really wonderful book named The Element.  This book was about finding your true passion and then making a living doing it…guy is after my own heart.   He spoke in that book about how the education system has moved away from hands-on art as part of the curriculum starting with first grade.  By the time most children are in middle school, or roughly age 12, they are no longer doing any type of hands-on art of any kind UNLESS they have been deemed a “creative” by teachers and are taking art, music, or dance as an elective.

Now, a subject change.  Or, is it?  It also turns out that by the time school children are 12, they have lost their ability to think divergently.  Divergent thinking is also known as creative thinking and is based on the assumption that there may not be one right answer or solution.   Convergent thinking, which is taught from the first grade, and is almost exclusive by middle school, is that there IS one right answer…in other words, all ideas, solutions, and processes CONVERGE to one correct result

Skeptical?  Go find a kindergartner and ask him or her how to grow a flower. 

Now ask an adult.

Told ya.

So, what to do?  Well, it turns out that we can turn that part of our brains back on with practice.   All we have to do is something kindergartner’s do all the the time.

To be continued…

(Have more fun. Think better.  It’s coming!)

As 2012 gets off to a busy start, I made a decision to eliminate some words from my life to whatever degree possible.

These words just aren’t ever helpful, and are too often hurtful.   Rather than just make a list and vow never to use them again.  I wanted to have a bit of a ceremony, even a burial, to attach the proper significance to removing them from my life.  I considered a bonfire at the beach, but figured I’d get in trouble for that.  So, to honor my Norweigian heritage, I decided on a proper Viking funeral – send them off in a burning ship.

Now, finding the burning ship and place to launch it proved more daunting than anticipated.  Not to be deterred, I engaged my eldest to put his origami skills to use creating a suitable vessel.   Now in posession of a paper canoe, I can write these words on slips and paper, and tonight we shall celebrate their demise in the bathtub.

First up, “Should.”  I pretty much covered that in the last post.

Next, “If Only…”   Although I don’t often use these words, I have been guilty of letting them cloud my thoughts.   There’s no good to come of “If Only.”   What ever is, is.

Third, “Too late” and “too old.”    It is not, and neither am I.

Au revoir o’ limiting words.  Allez-y!  (Sort of “go away” in french.)

I also gave myself a present for Christmas.  Art. Colored pencils and pens at hand, I’m finally beginning to put to paper those silly grinning flowers that have been flitting around in my head for years.   They don’t look like my mind’s eye yet, but I’ll keep working on them. 

It’s an interesting side note that drawing has lead to more writing and more ideas for articles.   More on that in my next post.

So, what words, phrases, or thoughts need a proper Viking send off in your life?

THAT is the question….

I recently had an interesting revelation.  I realized I was doing many things, particularly around building a business, because I thought I “should.”   I started this blog because I was told I should.  I’ve attended seminars, hired a coach, worked trade-shows, made sales calls…all because I should.

I’m up to my eyeballs in should.

How about you?  Lots of should in your life?   I’m willing to bet you are your own worst enemy.  I definitely pile more should on myself than anyone – although family and friends often help.   The problem is that sometimes we get so buried in it, we can’t make any progress.   And this was definitely happening to me for two reasons:

One – my should list was too long.

Two – I didn’t like doing too many things on my should list.  So, I just didn’t do them.  The result?  Well, I wasn’t making any progress! 

Sound familiar?

Does this mean that we should, uh-oh there I go again…But, what about obligations?  Don’t we all have obligations and commitments that need to be kept?  In other words, aren’t there shoulds in our life that need to be there?

Absolutely.  I’m not advocating poor behavior or shirking of responsibilities.

What I am asking is this, “Is there any chance that you aren’t making progress in some area of your life where you’d like to because either you’ve loaded yourself up with so much should you can’t move, OR you’re not doing what you love because you think you shouldn’t?”

Here’s my example.  I like to write, write well most of the time, and would prefer to make money writing than necessarily speaking in front of a group or working a booth at a trade show.  And I’d rather write than make any kind of sales call ever.  I’ve been in sales.  I’m done with sales.

But, I wasn’t writing.  I was out doing what my coach told me to do.  And she was absolutely correct that I needed to do those things to get to a certain level of success in that business.  But I was miserable.  Because I wasn’t doing what I loved/wanted to do, and I hated what I had to do to succeed.   Double-edged sword, isn’t it?

So I reset my compass.  I started writing again.  All kinds of writing.  Look, I’m updating my blog for the first time in ages!  I’ve been working on articles and sending out queries to magazines.  I’m going to re-focus on selling articles to magazines, websites, and newspapers.   I can make money doing this.   And I’m SO much more relaxed and happier!  

Am I making a fortune overnight?  NOPE.  

Am I on a better track?  YES.

So do I still believe you can make money doing what you love?  I do.  Was I doing it, or even trying to do it?  No, I wasn’t.  

I’m re-christening this site the No Should Zone.    You bring the martini (or beverage of choice!) and I’ll bring the shovel.  Let’s dig you out of the should that’s keeping you from getting where you truly want to be.

What do you LOVE to do?   How can you make money doing it?  Let the brainstorming begin.

Do you consider yourself someone who lacks passions?

Is it that you love everything?  Want to read every book, take every class, go on every trip?  Are you full of ideas, but don’t like to execute them?  Or, do you get ideas, try to execute them, and then lose interest?

Welcome to The Club.

My list of careers, jobs, and projects is pretty extensive.   There are some good things about this.  One, I know a lot about a lot.  I’m the person my friends call when they need to know something.  They figure I’ll either know it, or know where to find it.  They’re usually right.   Two, I’m hell at Trivial Pursuit…don’t play against me.  

The downside?  First, it can be difficult to find long-term financial success when you don’t do much long-term!  Second, I had begun to think of myself as a person who lacked passions.  When asked to name what I was passionate about, I would flail.   Mainly because things I THOUGHT I was passionate about in the past, I would subsequently lose interest in.  Sometimes over time; sometimes later that day.

Does this feel familiar to you?

If so, welcome to The Club.   You aren’t nearly as crazy or messed up as your loving family, devoted friends, and dependable co-workers may have convinced you.   And chances are, you DO have passions – most likely buried somewhere because they weren’t blessed with these words of societal acceptance:

A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING

If this feels in any way familiar to you, please come join me on the trek to uncovering what really makes you tick.  Then, we’ll work on how to make a living with it.   Me, yes I DO have passions.  They are: Commercial Aviation (flying and traveling), Writing, Reading, and Scrapbooking.  These are four constants I’ve loved my entire life.  I’ve flitted with many different things, but these…these I LOVE.

And, I’m making it work.  I have a job in commercial aviation and I travel both for work and personally.  I’ve been published as a travelwriter, which is such a natural side business I’ve overlooked getting serious about it.  I’m working on tying in the scrapbooking.  

Anyone for a scrapbooking retreat where you learn photography techniques in the morning, sightsee the day, and scrap all evening?  Ooooh…sounds like heaven to me!

Kimberly

Unfortunately, it may be the latter, but too quickly diagnosed as a mental health issue such as depression.    With the wide use of anti-depressant medications today, it’s a good idea for anyone considering their use to feel confident that they really do need mood altering drugs.   Understanding some similarities between sleep deprivation and depression may help you as you converse with your medical advisor.

Five symptoms common to depression and sleep deprivation are:

• Insomnia – an inability to either get to sleep or stay asleep
• Malaise – Feeling sad, empty, irritable
• Appetite Issues – Eating all the time or not at all
• Difficulty Concentrating – Slowing of thought processes and performance
• Fatigue – Desire to sleep all the time, low energy

As you read the list, some of these symptoms are contradictory – if you are fatigued, take a nap, right?  But, that may be the problem.  You feel exhausted, yet you can’t sleep when you try.  Or, you fall asleep, only to awaken in the middle of the night and not be able to return to sleep.   Then, all day, you have no energy or zip.   Or, you feel hungry, but you stand there staring at the contents of the refridgerator because nothing appeals to you.

Each of these can happen to anyone occassionally, or for a period of time, but when it becomes chronic it’s a good idea to see a medical professional.     Before you go, make a list of when this is happening – are there certain “triggers” such as having an infant in the house or shift-work? How long have you noticed any of the symptoms?  When did you realize it was affecting you during the day?  These are all answers that will help your doctor or health practitioner determine what’s happening.

In order to make sure that you don’t begin taking anti-depressant medications unnecessarily, be sure to follow the general recommendation of getting a second opinion from a physician.

Knowledge is power.  Understanding these common symptoms of both depression and sleep deprivation can help you ask better questions and take charge of your health and well-being.

This is a personal subject for me.  I was once incorrectly diagnosed as suffering from depression.  It was later determined to have been acute sleep deprivation.  It took two years to undo the adverse physical affects of the medications.  I am not a doctor and am not offering medical advice.  Rather, Id like to raise awareness of the possibility of over-prescription of anti-depressants, particularly in professional women with young children.  Resources used in writing this article include http://www.webmd.com and http://www.nurseweb.villanova.edu

 Kimberly

In full disclosure, I’ve been out of the true MBA type job for many many years. Nonetheless, I have many friends still slogging away in this environment, and it’s something I’ve studied a great deal. So, here’s why I think women with MBAs are much more likely than other advanced-degreed females to opt-out for a time, or drop-out completely.

“Flextime” Isn’t.

While there are many corporations out there touting their flexible work-schedule policies, the reality is that this just means the employee has some freedom to get their work done at a time that works best for them. It rarely means a lessening of the work load itself.

And that’s the problem. If companies want to keep their female talent, they HAVE to find a way to lessen the workload during certain phases of life, in particular while the worker has kids under driving age, without dealing a death blow to the individual’s career. Why? Because in a choice between family and the company, women MBAs in particular are throwing in the proverbial towel and the company is losing the talent.   It’s corporate nose-cutting and face-spiting.

Yes, this is a huge cultural change, and newer industries such as high-tech are doing an admirable job getting there. But the old guard is still willing to lose the talent rather than adjust. Their loss.

Lesser Sunk Costs

An MBA can be obtained in two years of full-time study.  So, the graduate has fewer years, and thus dollars, invested in obtaining the degree itself.  In addition, recent MBA graduates typically go directly into corporate positions, albeit at the bottom of the ladder, rather than into low paid internships and residencies or associate positions.    

If they decide to simply get out, the loss isn’t as great as a doctor who may have five to eight years of study invested or a lawyer who has been slaving away to make partner.   

Reality Bites

To coin a decade old movie, the realities of managing a household, a demanding position, a marriage, networking, and the other responsibilities of an executive female just don’t cut it on the happiness scale.    While men have been doing this for eons, and I’m in no way the first person to say it, the truth is that the sacrifices this entails are harder on women.  Period. 

We suffer more the loss of the time with our kids and friends and missing important events in their lives. Even with help – maids, aupairs, gardeners, secretaries – we still have to manage their work and that takes time.   The bottom line becomes not the balance sheet, but the lifestyle choice.

There just comes a point when the joy is gone from everything, and that’s when the smart, creative, talented, and valuable MBA Woman walks.

I know.  I’ve been there.

If you are there, give me call.  I get it.  Maybe I can help.

Ever hear about someone’s job and think, “wow, now that’s a dream job?”   Chances are, it didn’t start out that way.

There are really two options for you if you want to have one of those elusive “dream” jobs.  The first is to create one yourself by designing your own dream business around the things you love to do.  

The second is to find a dream job as an employee for someone else.   And, the reality is, most of those type jobs weren’t conceived by the employer.   Most of the time, those jobs were created by someone who was already working for the company in a different capacity.

And that’s the big secret…most dream jobs are inside jobs.  That is, they wind up getting created by someone already employed, who builds a case for either creating or modifying a position into their perfect job.  

I’ve actually been able to do this on two occasions.  The first, I worked for a large telecommunications firm.  I was newly pregnant, and wanted to stop traveling.  There was a job posted that would be perfect for me, except it was located at our division offices 400 miles away.  I approached the director about taking the position and doing it from home.  Although they hadn’t considered that option, we agreed to let me do it that way until I had the baby.  Then, we would reassess.  It was so successful, I wound up working “virtual” for six years. Yet, the job would never have been posted on a board as a “telecommuting” position.   

The second time, I’ve been able to use work rules and scheduling options to make a job part-time.  I get full benefits, but only work about half the month.

The drawback in both cases is that this “perfect” setup rarely lasts forever.   In the first case, the company ultimately outsourced the work I was doing and the job went away. In the second, the company is being acquired and the new company may not offer the same options.

So, how do you create a “dream job?”

Get a job, almost any job, in the industry or with the specific company where you want to work.

Do really well.  Establish a name for yourself.  Become indispensable.

Study the company to see if there are any existing positions that would fit your dream with doable changes (such as working from home). 

Approach management with your idea.

If they say “no,” consider going out on your own to do the work as a consultant.

If working for an employer, and the restrictions that demands on your life and time just aren’t working for you, please allow me to give you a complimentary consultation on your other options!

Do you have a dream of getting paid to do something you love, but are financially tied to a demanding full-time job? Since you can’t manufacture minutes or hours, you’re going to have to use the ones you already have more efficiently.

One – Time Zones

This may seem obvious, but one of the first things you can do is take advantage of time-zone differences.   Regardless of whether you are providing a service, such as consulting or coaching, or a physical product, you can use your least productive times such as early morning or late night, to market or conduct business in time zones where these are peak business hours.   Someone located in the central or mountain time zone could gain an hour in the morning and two or three in the evening doing business on the coasts.   The middle of the night in the U.S. is the middle of the day in much of Australia.   Are you going to give up some sleep? Yes. Be judicious and select one or two days a week to work longer hours so you don’t burn out. 

Two – Saturdays

Saturdays are excellent days to conduct classes, seminars, or money-making events.   Whether you are staffing your own booth or table at an event or festival, or actually conducting a seminar where people pay you for what you are sharing, Saturdays are your best chance to get ahead.  

Three – Vacation

You can take your vacation time and turn it into a week long intensive on finding customers and conducting business.  The idea here is simple.  We are trying to get you to a place where you are in complete control of your schedule.  When we get there, you can take all the time you want to surf, visit Tahiti, or climb Machu Picchu.  Right now, your “free” time has a purpose; getting you more of it in the long term.

Four – Lunch

Yes, I know.  You have to eat.  But, do you need an hour to do it every day?  Take two days a week and bring a sandwich and use your lunch hour to make calls and or conduct laser coaching sessions.   I’m not suggesting you stop taking an hour for lunch every single day.  Clearly, some days you just need the breather from the morning tasks or to re-energize for the afternoon.  Or, maybe this is when you get your exercise.   But, if you are typically taking an hour or so for lunch, and spending it just socializing or meandering, this is a spot for you to pick up one to two productive hours per week.

Bottom line, if you are going to build a business on the side, you need to be prepared to work harder for a period of time.  What combination of the above could you utilize to buy yourself some extra hours to make your dream come true?

These days, many people are starting small businesses.   Your friends may say they want to help, but you’ll need to tell them exactly what you need them to do.  

One – Give Your Product or Service a Try

Whether you are doing direct sales, opening a brick-and-mortar store, or providing a service that you deliver on the customer premises, it will really help you to have your friends try it out.  In fact, I recommend offering it free, or close to free (or a sample) to get feedback, testimonials, and referrals.  This is particularly important if they aren’t really sure what you do or sell. 

Two – Tell Five Friends about You

Once they’ve tried your product or service, ask them if they know five people they’d be willing to share it with.  Ask if you may contact the friends and use the referral.  This is the hardest one, but also the one that will get you the best leads.  Tell your friend what to say when they call, and keep it as low pressure as possible.

Three – Send an Email to Their Address Book or Post on Their Social Media

This is much less scary for them than giving you their friend’s contact information because it’s less personal.  The result will be a lower rate of response, but it still helps get the word out.   Take publicity in whatever form you can get it; positive is better than negative!

Four – Allow You to Have a Table or Display at Their Business

Do you have friends who are doctors, or own a retail location?   Ask if you can set up a table to display your wares or offer on-the-spot consulting.   This will help you refine your terminology and presentation, and may garner leads you can follow up with later.

Five – Keep You in Mind and Carry Your Business Cards or Flyers

This is the shotgun approach that may never pan out.  But how many times have you met someone who could use a product or business you know about, but you don’t have the contact information handy to pass to them?  Ask five friends to keep 10 of your business cards in their briefcase or glove compartment.  You could even offer a gift of some type to the friend who gives them out first.

The bottom line is that most of your friends genuinely want you to succeed, but honestly have no idea how to help unless it involves buying something from you they may or may not need.  If you can demonstrate up front that you won’t ask them to spend money, and can give them specific guidelines for how to help you grow, it’s a win for everyone.