I remember one of our events just north of the Arctic Circle in the city of Murmansk. A hockey rink had been secured for our conference. The main speaker had only one request—that we never put him on a platform that didn’t allow seating directly in front. When I arrived at the venue just hours before our opening, I was horrified to find that not one chair had been placed in front of the platform!

I had less than 2 hours to find seating, and the owner of the stadium was not in the mood to help. Glancing at the platform, I saw dozens of risers stacked to the side. Seeing my solution, I directed the workers to distribute the risers across the open floor. The audience quickly filled them up just before the speaker arrived.

The owner of the stadium was so impressed with our innovative thinking that by the next morning he had filled the floor with hundreds of chairs free of charge! His comment was, “if these people wanted seating this badly, I was determined to give them the best!”

Remember: Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution!

If you look on the outside of my passport you will see that I am an American citizen; however, when you look inside, it becomes obvious that I am a citizen of the world. And frankly, I have earned each nation stamp, as each culture has indelibly etched its image upon my soul! Whether I experienced success or failure, often in many of these nations a sudden crisis brought out my highest level of creativity!  I am a richly woven tapestry of possibility thinking! And you can be too!

First, SPEND TIME WITH CREATIVE PEOPLE.  Whether you are at home, school or busy at the office, spend time with “creatives.” These unique souls have practiced the art of turning chaos into beauty, and problems into possibilities. Maya Angelou says, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

Second, LOOK FOR THE OBVIOUS.  As the old saying goes…sometimes the answer is right under your nose. In other words, you don’t always need a creative idea—sometimes you just need to choose the most practical or obvious solution.

Third, BE UNREASONABLE.  Always give yourself a minute to think! Think beyond what you consider logical!

Fourth, PRACTICE MENTAL AGILITY. Being open to spontaneous thought is key to cultivating creativity. I dare you to break free from the rigidity of common thinking and everyday expectation! INNOVATION IS INSPIRING!

Fifth, SEE PROBLEMS AS OPPORTUNITIES!  Creativity is fueled when you replace the word problem with opportunity! ‘Opportunity’ is that moment when you decide that no opposition, poverty, or weakness can hold you back!

As a young businesswoman, I remember sitting at my desk after having just received accolades for a very successful business deal that people of my age seldom experienced.

The president of the bank and my peers thought it was amazing, yet I sat there thinking, “I’ve obtained what people seek after for years…but is this what I want to do with the rest of my life?

As I was pondering this decision the phone rang. It was a local Pastor calling, and I remember telling him, “Funny you should call right now…I am pondering what to do with the rest of my life.” I recall his words so clearly.  He simply said, “Let peace be the umpire of your heart.”

Hanging up the phone, I leaned back and thought, “Stay here? For the rest of my life?” NO joy, NO Peace! And in that moment I decided to pursue a second career. Perhaps today, you need courage to follow your heart.

Consider this: My mother-in-law always said, work at your career for 5 years, if you find yourself bored, then do something else. Her observation: boredom was the great thief of happiness. Life is too short to be bored!

According to the Holy Scriptures, King Solomon was considered to be the wisest and richest King who ever lived. He had all the power, riches, wine and women he could ever desire. He pursued the essence of happiness and his sad conclusion is found in a book called Ecclesiastes. He found only emptiness. His verdict on pursuing happiness? Who needs it!!

We conclude that he was searching for happiness in all the wrong places. If that’s so, where do we find happiness? Many have reached the same conclusion as Augustine, a powerful 3rd-century noble, who pursued women and wine. He said, “Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible!”

Walking down one of the streets he had frequented before, a local harlot called out, “Augustine, it is I! It is I!” Augustine responded, “It is not I! It is not I!” Why? He had discovered a new identity for himself!

I recently read an article in the Huffington post entitled: Redefining Happiness in India. In the article a young doctor stated:

“As Indian Americans, we have grown up hearing stories from our parents about how they left India in search of a better life. They came to the West to create new opportunities for themselves and for generations to come.

The younger generations have found more opportunities, more amenities and more comfort. But somewhere in always striving for more, we have also become more discontent.  We have started asking the questions, “what brings real happiness?” and “what is the definition of a good life?”

She concluded that this is happiness:

– To stop constantly thinking of ourselves, and instead find joy in serving others.

– To look within for problem solving instead of finding short term joy in outside things.

– To share our joy by sharing with others.

One of my most important life-experiences came as I was helping Jean, a woman who attended our weekly feeding program. Our local city had issued a notice that she was to clean up her property or they would haul off all her possessions. What was so tragic is that although she owned a beautiful home, she lived on the front porch!  You could not even find a pathway through her home. Though she was a gentle soul with a love for nature and a concern for suffering people, she had a serious mental struggle.

Our local outreach group organized a team to clear her property—not an easy job since to her, everything seemed valuable. I remember sitting on the street curb, dirty from head to foot, picking up seeds that had just spilled from her pouch. And at that moment, a carload of young people careened by and they shouted, “Look at the street people!” Then I realized—they were talking about me! But as my eyes caught Jean’s, I saw joy—because someone cared enough to help her pick up her little seeds.

I have carried that experience with me to over 60 nations! Why? A well-lived life is a life engaged with serving others! If you are sad or depressed, remember there is always someone else who is sadder and more depressed than you. So go out and get busy interacting with others!

Then, as Jesus said, you will discover there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another! (John 15:13) The Dalai Lama said “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

True human value is not found in serving yourself, but in serving others!

Discovery is a powerful word that opens up vast opportunity. Children have no limits on their curiosity or willingness to try out new things. In fact, their openness is so great that it could cause personal injury or peril. As we grow older, we seem to lose the ‘YES’ in life – words like routine, institution, insurance, protection, and safety become commonplace in our vocabulary.

I remember moving to Russia and finding a society that was based on the word “NO.” How could it be that this dynamic, creative society was cloaked in such negative expectation? Yet, for many of us today, regardless of our society, we allow the phrases “No, you can’t,” “No, you shouldn’t,” “No, that’s not right,” “No, it’s not possible,” to control our destinies!

Let’s realize today that Christ takes the parentheses off of life. He puts a plus on our future because He says, All things are possible, only believe!

Scriptures: Luke 8:50, Mark 10:27 (paraphrased)

I remember receiving a wonderful testimony from a young man whose wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Three hospitals had confirmed this diagnosis.

When he told me the report I remember thinking—this is our partner! Jesus died for this family! This report does not have a right to stand in the face of God’s report—which is, by His stripes we are healed!

I remember saying to this young man, “We are not going to allow this! Ultimately, you have the final authority over this sickness and disease. God loves you too much for your wife to suffer this way and not be able to take care of your wonderful children!”

Our prayer was simple. I led him in confession of Jesus as Savior and Healer. In great humility he submitted his family and this situation to the promises of God.

I understand that today, these same three hospitals cannot find the existence of the MS! It is a MIRACLE! Only God can do these marvelous things—and only when we submit to His Word—His truth!  Dare to believe! GOD IS GOOD!

Scripture: Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24

Time has a way of dimming our expectation and lowering our forecast of good things in the future. God designed prayer to include the expectation of an answer. Jesus often mentions that our Father’s desire is to do good to His children.

In times of delay Jesus mentions to ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. It’s never too late!

When Jairus’ daughter died while Jesus was delayed, Jairus was told by Jesus to “only believe,” his daughter will live. Death may be final, but nothing is too late when Jesus is with you!

Jesus needed the faith of Jairus to work with. He knew the bad report would paralyze Jairus as it would us. Grief and sorrow would soon replace faith unless Jesus addressed it. Getting hold of our feelings is important! I believe Jesus was saying to Jairus: “Just stay open to your miracle. Do not shut down. I am bigger than any bad report!”

Friends, never quit and you will never lose!
Scripture: Luke 8:48-50

Recently, I was moved by a letter I received from a family whose daughter is seeking higher education. An everyday person just like you, she had lost sight of her dream. In the mundane routine of life, she had lost hope. What do you do when it seems like hope is lost or when it seems that your dream is a thousand miles away?

You can develop Creativity habits essential to cultivating the dream that is in your heart! How?

1. Create your own Inspiration Book using bright and beautiful pictures! Gather pictures from magazines, advertisements or the newspaper. Paste the images on a dream-board or in a book—let them speak new possibilities to your heart. Their symbolism can expand your horizons.
2. Momentarily change your surroundings! If you are facing discouragement on the pathway to your dream you may need inspiration! Use a simple change in environment to stimulate your curiosity and increase productivity in thought. Do this throughout your day!
3. Rely upon the creativity of others! Contrary to popular opinion, most thoughts are not original but they are a conglomeration of all that we have heard, read and seen!
4. Speak out or write out your thoughts! Get into the habit of capturing your thoughts throughout the day! This is one of the best ways to stimulate the creative process!
5. Allow a sense of urgency to motivate your creativity! Don’t wait for tomorrow! Procrastination never brings out the best in life, it simply eats away at your life. Today, set some immediate deadlines!