Is pleasure the key to your happiness? As a child, one of my favorite experiences each fall was to go shopping for clothes! It was a special event. I grew up in a town of 1,100 people, so we had to drive to the city, spend the day shopping, and then we would eat at a restaurant! Wow!  We did this every school year, and it is one of the special yearly memories from my childhood.

Why? I was different as a child and choosing clothes made me feel special.  These clothes provided a confidence when everyone made fun of me for being so tall and lanky! I clearly recall each year as we headed out, Mother would say to me, “Leslie, as a child I only had one dress for school and church. Your father and I want you to have more than we did as children.”

Yet, more than shopping adventures and new clothes, my family gave me the meaning of life through a solid spiritual foundation—with a clear belief in God. They instilled in me a good education, a strong work ethic, and the importance of integrity. They guided my life with values by which I still live today!

I believe that without that spiritual foundation in my life, I would have been adrift in search of pleasure and happiness. Why? My generation, was (and still is) all about fast cars, big houses, high salaries, media toys and the right family! They are thrill seekers and money masters!

Face your problems head-on and employ these simple principles of problem-solving in order to cultivate the dream that is in your heart:

First, Get the Facts! Ask yourself the who, what, where, when and why questions. What is the problem? Where and when did it begin? Why? How can I find out more? And who cares about this situation?

Second, Be Open to New Ideas! Remove the phrase, “we don’t do it that way in our family, community or culture” from your vocabulary. Reprogram yourself—get someone else’s perspective. Get God’s perspective!  Do some simple research. It is likely that someone has solved your problem before!

Third, Employ Problem Solving Techniques!  Utilize the P.D.C.A Method – Plan: Identify and analyze the problem. “D,”Do: Develop and test a potential solution. “C,”Check: Measure how effective and how to improve your test solution. “A”, Act: Implement the improved solution.

Fourth, THINK! The importance of using your God-given brain cannot be over-emphasized. Regardless of your situation, God has empowered you to think! Divinely Inspired Ideas for Life is not just a catchy slogan. It is a principle I live by—and you can too!

Fifth, Be Proactive! Don’t spend your time reacting to problems. Reaction is the easiest emotional response! Power to prevail in life comes when we channel our emotions into true problem-solving. Harness your emotions! A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.  Seek God’s wisdom! “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you, for He is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him.

Scripture: James 1:5 (TLB)

Have you ever felt surrounded by chaos? Most people don’t realize that opposition, problems and chaos are often the seed bed for creativity! Why? Creativity flourishes when need arises and solutions are required.

Living in Russia in the early 90’s, I recall walking down the street and picking up a short piece of wire thinking, this is useful. I suddenly realized that someone else’s trash had become my potential solution. Lack had forced me to be constantly on the lookout for solutions, and that little piece of wire actually solved a minor plumbing problem we had!

What is a problem? It’s simply the difference between present and future. It is the gap between what you have and what you want.  Renowned psychiatrist Theodore Rubin said, “The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”

How do we find true pleasure? In abundant possessions? From external factors? Or could there be something deeper that guides us to a true sense of pleasure in life? The ancient Proverb says, Happy is the person who finds wisdom and understanding. For its gain and profit is better than from silver or fine gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies: and nothing you can desire can compare. Long life is in her right hand; and in her left hand, riches and honor.

What is wisdom? It is the ability to see the end of a thing from the beginning. Wisdom provides answers, it does not simply provoke questions!  Wisdom is the ability to be a problem solver and not simply be one who is overcome by problems.

Scripture: Proverbs 3:13-16 (paraphrased)

How do you perceive adversity? The great sayings of leaders such as Martin Luther King, “I have a dream,” Ronald Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” or Nelson Mandela, “Quitting is leading too,” were not born in a time of comfort and tranquility but were shaped in adversity!

Perhaps you are like the famed baseball player Jim Abbott. Though born with only one hand, he became a Michigan Hall-of-Famer, an Olympic athlete, and one of the rare major league baseball pitchers to record a no-hitter.

From his earliest years, he wanted to be an athlete. For hours he labored, perfecting a process of clasping his mitt under one arm, throwing a baseball against a wall, instantly grasping his mitt again with his one good hand to catch the return, quickly switching the mitt, retrieving the ball and repeating the process. He practiced for hours moving closer and closer to the wall, becoming so proficient that within a few feet of the wall, he could switch the glove and the ball almost simultaneously. With an indomitable spirit, Jim handled the naysayers with eloquence and overcame his disability with simple well-practiced solutions, inspiring thousands of young people with disabilities to pursue their dreams.

In Jim Stovall’s famous book The Ultimate Gift, we read the story of a man striving to make his billions, who at the end of his life, leaves a broken, miserable family that has become accustomed to living on his wealth. His only son who possessed a work-hard-help-others attitude, died in a tragic accident. The Ultimate Gift was left to that son’s son, who was wasting away on his grandfather’s monthly stipend.

What could this ultimate gift be?  All of the family expected it to be money, and lots of it!  But the grandson was given an opportunity for a journey where he would discover hard work, purpose, friendship, giving, and even stewardship!

Receipt of his inheritance would be based upon his ability to rise above the challenge his grandfather had set for him in a series of tests. This young man discovered the ultimate gift was not in having but in giving life, working diligently, using his talents and rising to the challenge at hand! Research shows that individuals who know and exercise their character strengths live happier, more successful lives—they have stronger relationships, more engagement at work, and greater life balance.

Today we continue with the last 4 steps to begin initiating your creative process:

The fourth step, wait for it! What do we wait for? Clarity!  The moment when the light suddenly comes on, the darkness disappears, and your mind clearly pictures the idea you’ve been searching for. It often occurs when you least expect it…like while you’re sitting in a beautiful garden listening to the birds.

Fifth, test it! Give your idea a try! Confirm it. Your brilliant solution must now be verified. Are you open to evaluation and criticism? Can you sincerely assess possible shortcomings and faults?  Honest assessment is a vital part of the creative process!

Remember, creativity requires courage! Sir Ken Robinson, author and international advisor on education in the Arts says, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.”

Sixth, get up again! As an inventor, Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the incandescent light bulb! Edison’s teachers had said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” When asked about his repeated lightbulb failures, he simply said that he had discovered 1,000 ways not to build a lightbulb!  Edison’s 1,000 attempts were not failure but discovery!  Learn to celebrate your failures and embrace discovery!

Seventh, remember, you are in it to win it!  Now that you’ve refined your idea, it’s time to plan it, grow it, and build it. This is where the real work begins. Like a long distance runner, you are now launching a journey that will require training, resources, and energy. Keep looking forward! Some of the greatest creativity ever displayed by humanity is a result of thousands of hours of laborious experimentation.

How do we initiate the creative process? Does it require hours of educational training?  For years, my husband has been committed to some type of daily writing.  In the early years of our marriage he wrote 6 pages a day on the topic that he was studying. As technology progressed he moved into writing a daily blog. Now he writes books by writing at least one well thought out page each day. His structure for writing is much clearer and his goals are simplified, but he continues to place a constant demand upon his creativity.

How do you begin? For the next two days we will look at 7 steps essential to unlocking your Creativity.

First, see it!  Define the problem you need to solve or the project you want to create. Look at it from different perspectives. In other words, keep reframing the idea, researching for insights from different viewpoints.

Second, go for a plunge! Dive deep into the materials you’ve gathered. Don’t just stick your toe in the edge of the water, immerse yourself. Allow the reality of what you expect to solve or create to consume your thoughts.

Third, think on these things! The point is to let the information steep like a tea bag in hot water. All the seedlings of information you have gathered can now sprout in the soil of your mind. How? Take a break! Go for a walk—ponder the information!

On December 7, 1988, an earthquake devastated the northwestern section of Armenia, killing an estimated 25,000 – 50,000 people. After the earthquake, a father rushed to his son’s school only to discover that the school had been flattened. The father remembered dropping off his son earlier that day, and as he did every day he told his son, “No matter what, I’ll always be here for you!”

When the father saw the school he feverishly began removing rubble from where he believed his son’s classroom had been. The other parents were wailing, “My son!” “My daughter!” Some even told the father to go home, that there was no chance any of the students were alive. But the father replied, “I made my son a promise that I’d be there for him anytime he needed me. I must continue to dig.”

Courageously, he proceeded alone. He simply had to know—is my boy alive or is he dead? With seemingly supernatural strength, this father continued to dig…for 8 hours…12 hours…24 hours…36 hours.

Then, in the 38th hour, he heaved away a heavy piece of rubble and heard voices. “Armand!” he screamed. “Dad! It’s me—Armand! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you’d save us! Dad, take them out first, I know you’ll be here for me!”

Moments later the father was helping his son Armand and 13 other frightened, hungry, thirsty boys and girls climb out of the debris. How could this happen? When the building collapsed, these children had been spared in a tent-like pocket. When the townspeople praised Armand’s dad, his explanation was, “I promised my son, ‘No matter what, I’ll be there for you!'”

The ancient scriptures say, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

My brother-in-law Pat is one of those amazing individuals who exemplifies the “courage to care.” Several years ago he was fighting a fire in downtown Detroit, a city that is infamous for the fires set in its scores of abandoned buildings.

What did Pat do? He jumped through a tiny basement window just in time to stop a man from setting a policewoman on fire! Somehow Pat wrestled her free of the assailant who had just doused her with gasoline and had a lighter in his hand!  His act of courage saved the woman, the house, and possibly his entire company.

I asked Pat, “How did you do this?” His response was simple: “You do the things you must to protect people. I am not sure I even thought about it…I just acted!”

I want to challenge you today to act on your instinct to help! Don’t be a bystander in life when you can be a participator! You can find the courage to care and you can change your nation, your family and your life!

Don’t ask what life can do for you, but ask, “What can I do to better the lives of others?” Remember Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends!

Scripture: John 15:13 (NIV)