A Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On!
August 2020

My drawers and closets are decluttered and ready for action, though I have no clue when I'll be getting dressed and wearing mascara again. My office files and folders are standing at attention, though my work these days is exploring new and different heights. Yes, I've also enjoyed more quiet moments in the last few months than I've had in my entire life, more time than I ever thought possible. This was uncomfortable at first, but now I've managed to fill up every little crack and crevice in my head with diverse thoughts, a piece of an idea, a morsel of a memory. My moods have no boundaries or consistency. 'I think too much,' as (Paul) Simon says. I've definitely had too much time on my hands.

Then, through the din of my too active brain, the out loud conversations and the ones from the inside place, an Idea, a new and fresh Idea shows up, an Idea that has force. I watch the Idea begin to take shape. It has a voice, an opinion, demands. If I find myself thinking about this Idea as if it already exists, that means I'm closer to moving in. Slowly, I invest more time, some money. Each little step is a choice. Am I being chosen? I doubt, then I know. This idea and its many details and systems is harder than I thought. There are obstacles, challenges, one especially that feels insurmountable. It's now a choice point for me. I must keep going.

Have you had this experience? Have you been wrestling with an Idea, an Idea that has had its way with you during these endless COVID days? Ideas demand your courage with every step that takes you deeper, closer to the next step of your creative process.

We already know the COVID 19 pandemic will forcefully impact economies and business, it already has.

As a business coach who has heard this from countless clients, I know your next question will be: Where do ideas come from, and how can I get one of my own?

Here is a suggested 6 step process to move you and your Idea forward:

1. Take a shower or a nice long luxurious bath, candles and bubbles and all. When your mind is relaxing and taking a vacation from all the interruptions of daily life it has time to innovate. Ideas bubble up as the mind wanders and relaxes from constantly dealing with mundane life.
    
2. Reach out to someone (friend/coach/family) who can dialogue with you. Brainstorming and talking out an Idea, starting by identifying what is the problem your product or service solves. Be sure to enlist the help of someone who is open-minded and not weighed down by the current realities of life, someone who can dare-I-say "think outside the box" and ask you the right questions without judgment or help you see the blind spots of your thinking.
    
3. Take time to read, look at art, follow other innovators. Rarely does a new innovation stand alone, but often on the shoulders of other thinkers and creators who attempted to solve their version of the same problem years before. Modern science historian Steven Johnson puts it, "We take the ideas we've inherited or that we've stumbled across, and we jigger them together into some new shape." source here
    
4. Delve into your memory. Re-read old journals or emails, re-visit keepsakes from trips and events. Creativity relies on memory to create new from the old.
    
5. Pay attention. Pay attention to the world around you as the world goes about creating necessity and innovation. Every day there are thousands of encounters we have with daily life, watching everyday life unfold can trigger new and thoughtful lightbulb moments for yourself. Train your brain to look for the new, in the old.
    
6. Cultivate curiosity in order to grab and hold onto these elusive and slippery things called Ideas! Turn yourCuriosity ON to what you see, hear, read. Think and trust in yourself. Your gut will know before your mind accepts the idea.
    

How would you feel if you let this Idea slither on by into 'someday' instead of now???

This is the time to innovate, create, and invest in the Idea you've wanted to make happen for awhile...

New ideas are my specialty. Email me to set up a time to talk.

ULTIMATE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE – IDEA OF THE MONTH!

Some of my best friends (and clients) are realtors. Like so many other industries, realtors have fierce competition. What does a trend-setting realtor who's committed to achieving (even surpassing) her 2020 goals do, in spite of COVID-19, monsoons, or 3-digit temps?

You call Erica and Zack Greenberg, owners of Spin Top Signs: 480-651-7360 or https://www.spintopsigns.com/

Real estate signs have been the same for years. Spin Top Signs are the disruptor in real estate...while also being a realtor's market-place differentiator!

A realtor's first job is to get you noticed, starting with curb appeal to attract prospects, neighbors, and... buyers. You want to stand apart from every other standard FOR SALE home in the neighborhood. "Spin Top Signs serves the realtor who wants to look creative, innovative and uber-professional. We serve select realtors who want to sell more homes, faster!" Erica says.

Spin Top Signs are hand-built with quality wood and colorful features that show interior photos of the home, right there for you to see on your front lawn. These signs are an experience: they actually rotate and light up at night! Spin Top Signs provide realtors and customers with the ultimate in customer experience!

Thank you to Nick Yale, broker of HUB Realty for sharing Spin Top Signs with us. Nick is an extraordinary realtor that uses only innovative ideas in his marketing. Spin Top Signs compliments the power and presence of his brand's great success!