HIPP magazine may just have the finest, most erudite, most sensible financial advice columnist in the country. And I say that not because she is my friend, or, yes, writes for my magazine, but because she walks the talk. She practices what she preaches. She lives and breathes financial wisdom. Not only that--she makes sure her life is balanced: she paints, writes, runs an environment-friendly household. As early as college days, she was already playing the market. She was the first in our set of friends to buy a car, a condo unit, and travel at a whim. Still, she remains money-wise, living below her means, and really juicing life for all it's worth. When she chose not to marry the father of her son, I looked up to her more. When she decided to take her financial savvy and expertise to another level--by coaching other women and mothers to live financially-sound lives (after all, if we're saddled by debt and bad money habits, how can we relax and enjoy life, right?), to make it her personal advocacy, I admired her even more. A "serial investor," finance instructor, indefatigable businesswoman and philanthropist, she now goes full-on in raising her son, Migo, 11, alone, while enjoying the fruits of her labors. I remember sitting beside her one day during soccer practice (her son and my daughter used to attend the same camp together). She had a finance book in her lap and a pencil in the other. It was like she was doing homework. "What's that for?" I asked, appalled at the sight of numbers. "Oh, just a little something I do for fun," she said.
You would love her. You really would.
Tough times can be motivational. No money? Get creative. More often than not, it is better to start or do things with less money. If money is no object, why think twice about what to do and have? We can pick up stuff at random or do whatever to fill up the time. In business, we might spend more to impress others or indulge our ego, rather than using available resources to create the best value for the customer. By letting money take the place of planning and involvement, we rob ourselves of the joy of experience.
Going on a budget, on the other hand, can actually be a thrill ride. This seemingly “unfortunate” situation can actually help us focus more to evaluate varied options and give us clarity on how best to extract value from the money we have. We take a little more time in deciding what kind of experience we want and how to spread the happiness among more people; in short, we can take time to decide on the “biggest bang per buck” and qualitatively enjoy the outcome, knowing we’ve done our best in each area. Taken in the right spirit, the process of getting the most of what we have makes us more grounded, more involved and more creative. When we get the desired outcome on a planned activity, we reap the additional satisfaction of knowing we got ourselves a great deal to make that happen.
Despite the exalted status and recognized importance of creativity, however, not enough people tap into it. What stumbling blocks keep most from using this incredible source of power and satisfaction? Here are some common myths about creativity:
Creativity is for creative types. A lot of people think that creative ideas are really best left to people working on those fields. These would be people in advertising, media, the arts, research and development, among others. In part, this conditioning can be explained by schooling. Our art works were graded and there were a few students recognized by all, particularly by teachers, to be distinctively prolific and gifted in their aesthetic output. Teachers would favor these “gifted” few for special creative projects, a subtle signal that the rest are not good enough to lead such a creative activity. In time, other kids focus more on output they have more control over, such as data to be memorized or getting the right answer in a math test. The fact is, almost all research shows that any person with normal intelligence is capable of being creative.
My work does not really require creativity. Although businesses emphasize innovation and creativity, most workers think that these do not really fall within their area of responsibility. Why? To stay safe. When we make the jump to a full-time job and have a paycheck hanging over our heads, we try to avoid fiddling with the knobs too much, if at all. We force ourselves to put on the “mature” cap and ape the behaviors of the “successful” survivors that came before us. Paycheck is livelihood and in these times, messing with it is to do so at one’s peril. The danger, however, is that if no innovative creativity is being funnelled into the company, the company can also lose in business. There goes the “safe” job.
Money motivates creativity. Some people think that if they were paid handsomely enough, they can be as fully creative as the work requires. Pairing creative efforts to money, however, can actually backfire. Creativity requires a “flow”; too much pressure can constrict it. Research shows that beyond a level where people deem that the compensation covers their efforts, money loses its power. People value work that deeply engages them, taps into their interests and stretches their skills. It is common enough for some people to take lower compensation for the opportunity for self-development. In contrast, people who take a job purely for its monetary benefits at the expense of their personal interests tend to be clock-watchers, who lose interest in their job eventually.
So, how best can we tap into an ability that not only can save us but give our lives the quality and color to make for a fulfilling life?
Accept that creativity is for the “everyday stuff.” Creativity is not restricted to visual art works, music and other artistic experiences. It is actually the secret ingredient that spices up things on everything we can do at every moment. As restaurant prices soar, we have become more creative in how to prepare daily meals. How many ways can you cook a dory fillet? Cook-outs with the entire family have become a great source of anticipation (i.e. “What are we going to cook today?”) and an exciting group activity for reunions.
Pay attention to what you see. A can of sweet corn, when mixed with milk, can be made into a healthy snack or a cheap replacement to sugary cereals. Small potted herbs for sale can be grown at home to add variety to your ornamentals and more importantly, replace bottled spices. Small beautiful candles can replace crystals as points of interest. Documents can be shortened so they can best be understood. Gather issues on the same theme so you can cut down on meeting times and expenses. Work and life do not have to be marked by a few creative moments. You can make every moment creative and fun. With everything you’re faced with, ask yourself, “How can I make this moment beautiful/fun/productive for everyone?”
Creativity is best enjoyed as a process. Don’t be hung up on the results. There is no single standard to define anything. Ideals are moving targets, while ideas about our ideals change. This is not to discourage us. In fact, ideals motivate us to continuously do better interpretations of the same things, while ideas evolve as we grow in knowledge, experience and expertise. You can never achieve an ideal but you’ll never run out of ideas on how to go about it either; in short, life will go on being interesting, even if you’re on the same spot! Accept that there is a range of probable results; it gets better with practice.
For creative ideas, stop watching the clock. Creativity requires a percolation period and the best ideas are those that bubble up. If you sit down and force a creative output based on a Roman numbered-outline, you probably won’t get the best eureka moment....
For the full article, get yourself a copy of HIPP's October issue, available in National Bookstore, Fully Booked, Powerbooks, and leading newsstands. Enjoy! :)
6 months ago
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