How do you get creative?

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
— Anais Nin

I have to admit that I am a very creative person. I love to make things for people, put parties together, cross stitch, and do so many different creative things. Even in my business I have been very creative, whether it has to do with solving a client's not so usual errand request, dealing with an unhappy customer, or even putting together my products I sell.

I have days where I sit at my desk thinking of things to write and my mind stalls. Then I start to think about something I saw, tasted, felt, touched and my living in that moment draws inspiration. Just the everyday things I experience could create some really great stories, although with my life, the real ones can sometimes seem unbelievable.

I have always told family and friends that if they were to put a camera in my home and follow my family around, people would watch and I could make lots of money. My youngest son has such a sharp wit and quizzical mind that sometimes my mouth hurts from laughing so hard. I think I could make lots of money writing about my daughter and her friends because their lives are just one big soap opera. My oldest son, well let's just say that I could right a behavioral book on what makes teenage boys just downright crazy. (That puberty is just killing me.)

Whether you are looking at ideas on what services to offer in your business, party ideas, or whatever other ideas you need, draw on what should inspire you the most...Life.

What are your priorities?

Sometimes we get caught up in this game we call life and then when it is time to finish the game we realize all of the spots on the game board that we missed. I have been extremely busy the last few months and have not had a lot of down time with the kids, even though we fit pieces in here and there each week.

My husband felt that we needed some more family time together, without their friends, so we headed down to Disneyland. We got there early and jumped on all kinds of rides. My youngest son and I jumped on the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and I spun us around until I couldn't get us to go any faster. We were laughing and having so much fun. My daughter and I hit up the tortilla factory and sourdough bread factory at Disney's California Adventure. I have been to both places many times, but each time is a different experience with the person you are with. I really enjoyed having my kids be the only priority for the day.

The song "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks brings home your priorities. The chorus of the song says:

If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes

Our world as we know it is changing. Just look at the tragedy that hit Virginia Tech. We need to sit down and decide what we want to do and what we need to do. Find all of those things that can be delegated or outsourced and give them up so that we can take care of the things that are truly our priority. I have been saying "No" a lot more lately because I don't want to be tied down to things I don't want to do and have them take away from the things I want to do.

Like Tim McGraw says in his song "Live like you were dying." Whether your priority is making sure everyone eats together at the dinner table each night or being there when your little one attends their first day of kindergarten or saving enough money to purchase your first home, it is up to you to take care of those priorities.

What gifts have you received?

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
— Ruth Ann Schabacker

Every day that you are able to wake up is a gift in of itself. The rest of the day's gifts are just an added bonus. These gifts can be big or small, physical or intangible. These gifts can be something you have been waiting for or a complete surprise.

There was a movie premiere being promoted by a local radio station that I attended with my husband and daughter. My husband went up and was moving his rump to get prizes, and while my daughter and I were trying to hide from embarrassment, I have to admit we did get a good laugh and were able to enjoy a good movie together. The gift was time spent with family.

I was out yesterday and in a hurry to get a few things done. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to drive around in circles looking for a spot. As I pulled into the parking lot, there were several spots to choose from, which was a great gift to begin with, but then I was able to get one that was close to the door.

My kids have been home on and off with spring colds. My oldest was the only one home with me one day and I played hooky from work. We went and ate lunch at a local restaurant and I we talked about different things going on in his life. Considering that most teenagers run when they see their parents coming, it was a nice and refreshing gift I received that day.

My mom is a huge Doo Wop fan. She had mentioned to me a while back about some CD's that she had really wanted, but that they were close to $200 for the pack. I happened to see an infomercial about them. I ordered them this past weekend and she will have a wonderful gift in her mailbox shortly. There was no special reason for them. They were a 'just because' gift.

Look around you today and everyday. There are gifts everywhere for you. You just have to untie the ribbons.

What are your hopes and dreams?

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
— Anne Lamott

Many people like to say, "Don't get your hopes up." I have always wondered why. Hope is what had guided me through many days when I was told that I couldn't do something. Every morning you get a new chance to do the right thing. Your hopes are what help guide you in the right direction.

People hope for many things: to win the lottery, to stick around long enough to see their grandchildren, to get through life without too many sick days, to find the perfect person to marry, to build their dream home, and the list can continue for years and years. Hope is that thing deep down in your heart that if nurtured enough with dreams and playing a fair game will grow and come to fruition.

My hope is for my children to become loving, responsible adults. By trying to do my best in raising them, my hope may just come true. I'll admit then when they were toddlers and now that they are teenagers I have my moments of doubt, but my overall feelings are that they are great kids trying to get through life and each compliment I receive only strengthens my hopes.

My mom's hope is to see all of her grandchildren graduate from high school. She has had several health issues, but we always push her to do the right thing when it comes to eating, taking her medication, and exercising so that her hopes see the dawn.

Don't let any of your hopes sit in the dark.

How do you spend your time?

It's how we spend our time here and now, that really matters. If you are fed up with the way you have come to interact with time, change it.--Marcia Wieder

Since we are given only one chance to spend the time we have in our time account, we need to spend it wisely. As babies, we spent most of our time sleeping or eating, but that was good enough for us. When we were toddlers and young children, our best use of time was playing with our friends or running around the neighborhood. I spent a lot of my time reading, which is a habit that has followed me through my life.

When we were pre-teens and teenagers, we wanted to spend our time getting out of homework, hanging out with our friends, and pretending that our parents didn't exist. (Parents are so embarrassing to be seen with as I am learning now from my own kids.)

Then we hit adulthood. Time doesn't seem to stop as it used to. Instead it seems to keep flying by. Pretty soon a year has passed before you know it, then five, then a decade, and then all of a sudden your kids are grown up and you wonder where time went. There were so many things you didn't get to do or that you were planning on doing, but now there is no time left.

With the hectic lifestyles created by technology and all that it affords, people have become fed up with time because there just isn't enough of it anymore. Everyone wants to squeeze in a few hours more into the day only to end up exhausted and have to start the cycle over the next day.

Outsourcing is a great word. I take advantage of it whenever and wherever I can. I have the grocery store deliver my groceries, I bank online, I have the Post Office send me my mailing supplies, I take advantage of the office supply stores shipping to my home what it is that I need, I have take out food delivered when I can, and the list could go on and on.

Why do I do this? So I can spend the time I would have used completing these tasks myself doing what I want to do and not what I need to do. That includes reading a new book, taking a nap, watching TV, taking the kids out, working on my business, and even just sitting there doing absolutely nothing.

People work long hours to be able to purchase things that they can't enjoy because their interaction with time does not mesh well. They need to change their ways, but many people are stuck in the mindset that they need to do everything themselves and don't want to look at outsourcing to help them out, whether it is in the form of an errand service, family helping out, or using the web to take care of things. They wait until something drastic happens in their lives for them to take a look at their priorities with time and for others it is too late.

Look at the 24 hours you have everyday and make changes so that your interactions with time really matter.

Do you need hand holding for everything?

As business owners, we do need some handholding, but we also need to learn how to survive on our own at some point. I recently was told about a situation where a person had expected extensive hand holding in order to get a certain portion of their business going and was upset at not receiving all of the attention they somehow felt they deserved. They took actions against the other person in very childish ways.

As grown ups, we sometimes don't get what we want or what we feel we deserve. This doesn't allow you to go out of your way to harm others or cause damage to their reputation or character. As business owners, we need to learn to take charge and take advantage of any information we come across.

For example, if you have been offered opportunities for training, take notes and listen. Don't just sit through the training and then expect your trainer or mentor to hold your hand afterwards because you won't take the initiative to use the information you learned and implement it. How do you expect to your business to be a success if you act this way?

I remember when I was first learning how to ride a bike. I was scared at first and wanted my dad to hold the back of my bike so I wouldn't fall. He let go and I fell down. I cried, but then I got back on my bike and kept trying until I was able to take off on my own. I listened to what my dad had told me to do and implemented the information. I learned how to ride that bike within 30 minutes.

In business, you will not always be able to implement everything you learn that fast, but you have to be able to get out there and try what you learned until you get it right. Just as a small child grows up holding their parent's hand until they reach the age of 18, they then need to let go and try to do things on their own.

If you have been holding someone's hand for too long, let go.