There's this saying: Small minds talk about people; average minds talk about events; great minds talk about ideas.
Does that make you squirm inside because you feel as "great" as day-old Kraft Dinner? I used to feel somewhere between small and average and jealous of all those women who passed "average" years ago especially those mom inventors on Oprah. (They are always stealing my ideas... that I could have come up with... um eventually.)
Let's talk about you. You've toyed with the idea of starting your own business or admired other people who've done so but you're waiting for your "big idea".
Sometimes ideas do seem to drop from the sky. Sometimes you have to plant a seed; and sometimes before planting you have to fertilize your grey matter.
The left side of our brain is responsible for all of our linear analytical logical thinking. We love our left brain; it's how we can so analytically logically conclude that we are smarter than men! But that left brain isn't much help when trying to think up a business idea.
You can actually fertilize your right brain's creative talents. Here are three suggestions:
Dee Coulter specialist in neurological development and musical patterning finds that the jazz of John Coltrane Miles Davis and John Cage can bring the listener into theta consciousness. Theta waves considered the most highly creative brain waves according to Coulter bring about our creative consciousness. Isn't that worth a try even if you're not a big improvisational jazz fan?
Or how about something less passive? Since your left brain is most likely dominant exhaust your left brain. Do some crossword puzzles; listen to a stock report--whatever is mentally taxing. Perhaps later on in the evening as you relax and your left brain conks out for the night your creative juices will start flowing and ideas will burgeon.
Ideas start with a goal like solving a problem or enhancing a pre-existing solution. The left brain perceives a problem; the right brain conceives a solution. So to engage your right brain find problems. Look for things that don't make sense. Stare at some abstract art; create a pasta dish without a recipe; do some finger painting with your toddler. Exercise your right brain. Then take your goal to bed with you. Allow some time to mull it over. This may be the moment when something hits you. You may dream about it! Many of my best ideas have come to me at night.
Once I started to exercise my creative muscle it did what muscles do and got bigger and stronger. I no longer feel bereft of creative thought. I now have so many ideas of businesses to start or of ways to improve upon existing businesses that I have to pass them onto other moms.
Be patient. Try these strategies and most of all believe you are no less bright unique and special than all of the other women living the life you want to live.
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