Let’s go back to that beautiful sailing boat again. So we now know how to leave the harbour, go out into the sea and sail. That’s the process. There are also a load of things to do under that process such as start the engine, untie her, motor out to open water, pull in the fenders, place her nose upwind and raise the mainsail. These are the exercises or ‘Doing the Do’.
But a good sailor doesn’t just know what to do, but how to do it. It becomes an instinctive and natural part of them. The way you approach any activity has a huge impact on how well you do it. We have all gone to parties because we felt obliged to go, but would have preferred to be somewhere else. The party could have Sinatra singing live, champagne shooting out of fountains and a never-ending stream of attractive guests to dance with, but if you are not in that mood, you will still be a miserable party goer and not good company at all. At other times when you are just in the right mood, a bag of crisps and a bottle of Vimto is enough to make the evening one to remember.
It’s the same with this book. There are a number of principles that you need to apply to make it work best for you.
THESE ARE ALL ABOUT ADDING YOUR MOJO!
That is, putting a bit more of the magic that is you into this adventure. I believe that these principles are more important than any process or fancy exercise. They are the key to unlocking your creative future, and one of them is to lark about, so start smiling! This is going to be fun.
‘To the proverb which says, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,”I would add the words, “and a road map.”’
Cecile M. Springer
HOW TO PLAY WITH THIS BOOK
This book is for you. But you can use it in many ways. You can use it on yourself, right now. I think you will learn more if you do. You can carry out all the exercises and scribble down the results in the book. Or if you want to keep this book all neat and shiny, get yourself a notebook just for the purpose. Every time you are asked a question in one of the exercises, write down what you think and feel. Let the journal build and be a foundation to the rest of your life. No scribbles means no fun, so let rip and fill it with stuff – any old stuff – because stuff makes you have different ideas. Stuff is stimulus and it helps break you free from difficult or stuck situations.
Creativity is about experimentation, trying things out. Some exercises may work fabulously for you and the issues or challenges you are working on, others may not. Play with the exercises, adapt them and make this book yours. There are no rules and no right and wrong. So please don’t just read this book. Engage with it by playing. Sail the boat.
If you follow the book’s flow and try out the exercises you will create fresh options and opportunities regardless of whether you have a particular area in your life where you want more choices, or you just fancy a good explore.
Once you have had a good play, practise the exercises some more. Practise on your life, practise with friends, help colleagues create freedom to choose new ways of living their lives.
Apply it to everyday issues, such as:
• How to run your time better
• How to spend less time travelling
• How always to keep up with what’s cutting edge
• How to improve your relationship with your boss
Or bigger stuff like:
• How to retire by 45
• How to become more famous than Persil
• How to be the person you want to be
The more you do this, the easier it becomes, the more it becomes part of you. An automatic fun process that will enrich your life and guarantee that you will always have options, you will always have inspiring possibilities. Bored, stuck, average are never words to worry about again. Your life is getting shiny already!
I guarantee that if you are stuck, if you don’t see dazzling results, it won’t be the process, it won’t be the excercise, it will be how you are engaging with it.
There are all sorts of creative processes in the world, but they all look pretty similar. There are some basic principles to having productive ideas that assure success rather than just hoping for the best.
At ?What If! we have carried out thousands of innovative projects so we’ve tested it, played with it, broken it and started again. In its most simple form – and simple I like – there are just three stages to the process.
Insight
Firstly, becoming clear about what your opportunities may be.
Ideas
Secondly, having ideas about how to make these opportunities work for you.
Impact
Thirdly, doing something with them.
Because the process is so simple, it works on anything from inventing a new training shoe, working out how best to design school dining rooms, to helping you invent a new and sparkly future. The process can be applied to any opportunity.
All of these opportunities are begging for some creativity:
• How to get more out of your life
• How to get fitter
• How to increase your chances of finding Mr/Miss Right
• How to make more money
• How to make work more fun
• How to get more from your holidays
• How to get a project unstuck
• How to make your relationship even stronger
• How to get your team feeling like a team
• How to make sure every day is a great one!
• How to get promoted
• How to raise your profile in the business
• How to create more impact by working less
Here’s some my clients have done:
• How to mobilize London behind their brand
• How to save £250 million in costs
• How to re-invent vehicle breakdown recovery
• How to improve their image within the business
• How to have more fun at work
• How to make friends green with envy when talking about their jobs
• How to do two things at the same time
THE GENIUS THAT WHISPERS
Have you ever had to make a decision that when you rationally weigh up the options there can only be