Creativity Applied: Defining Your Goals

The precondition for personal planning is creativity - one of the main skills that distinguishes mankind from animals. Everything around us only exists, because once somebody had a dream, which later on was realized. We know about the creativity of our great masters, like, for example, Leonardo Da Vinci, who could perceive technical innovations, which at this time were not based on any common knowledge. 500 years later, the helicopter, which had been dreamed by Leonardo, was invented. Or look at Albert Einstein, who was sitting in his (boring) math classes, imagining himself sitting on a light beam traveling through space. This once was the birth of the general theory of relativity. If you want to know more about these creative geniuses, I recommend you the series of R. Dilts (Strategies of Genius I-III).

The famous contemporary German artist Joseph Beuys often was cited with his quote:

"Everybody is an artist!"

(Please check my favorite website on Beuys, who says, "To make people free is the aim of art, therefore art for me is the science of freedom."!)

In its core, it means that each of us can be creative. In fact each of us is creative in some parts of our lives. One might be an artist in furnishing her house, the other in playing an instrument, the third in formatting computer documents. But we rarely consider applying this creativity to other sectors. I really believe that creativity is a congenital characteristic. Not being creative in a particular sense (e.g., in painting, or speaking to public) is not a matter of skills, but a matter of belief. Of course, we won't become a Rubinstein on the piano within 5 days. But each of us is physically and mentally able to learn an instrument. Mind you - I myself for 38 years had the profound belief that I can not draw or paint. Then I changed my belief - and you should see my dynamic sketches now. I confess, it resembles more to Beuys than to Rembrandt, but my workshop participants regularly are delighted. Below you see one of my favorites - a volleyball team as a metaphor for team spirit.


Figure 1: Team Spirit

Creativity can also be a team process. Have you ever experienced the power of a team connected through the desire of developing a new project? This power can be stimulated through creativity techniques, which are described under this section. But this part of the toolbook goes further. It gives you some tools, which you can apply for your personal projects:



Defining personal targets: Test-Operate-Test-Exit (T.O.T.E.):
This tool helps you to define your goal and the evidence you need to know that you have achieved your goal.

Refining personal targets: The Walt-Disney-Circle:
A tool which you will also find in the section on creative planning. By separating a dreamer, a realist and a critique state, the exercise leads you step by step to refining personal goals.

Mind Mapping:
Doing brainstorming in a different way - you will discover your creative part.