Creativity is the ability to do common things or solve common problems in an amazingly new way. Everyone has creative potentials because we all are unique in our ways. A combination of our great well of experiences and natural endowments culminates into perspectives and paradigms that contribute greatly to our creative abilities. When we begin to pay attention to ourselves and commune with the core of our being as individuals, we get connected to who we are on the inside, and we will be able to draw from our natural reserve of amazing talents and gifts to substantiate creativity. In my personal opinion, everyone has something special to offer the world that no one else has. Every human is a masterpiece, endowed with uncommon resources that could wow the world around us.
Now, bringing this into the context of work and value creation, one of the qualities that improve your work and lifestyle and make you a person of value is the ability to create and innovate. That is bringing your uniqueness into an existing system or structure to make a difference. Employers appreciate employees who come on board and bring something new to the table. They seek to onboard individuals who will challenge the status quo, proffer solutions to problems and approach their jobs with a strong ownership mentality. Taking ownership of your job automatically puts you in a position to be innovative and unlock your creativity.
Having established the fact that creativity lies in every one of us and it is required to add value to our work environment, we will be looking at how to stay creative in the workplace. We will be sharing some key factors that will help you move out of your comfort zone and open you up to a world of creativity and innovation.
Develop a healthy mentality about work - It’s good that work provides us with rewards and remuneration to cater to our needs and improve our standard of living, but we shouldn’t subject ourselves to just that. There is more to life than just meeting our needs. Work drives us towards self-discovery and fulfillment, so we should explore that too. It’s better to approach work from a value perspective. Seek to be a person of value and determine to add value anywhere you find yourself. If your priority is to add value to your work, you are already on the path of creativity, and every other thing including rewards will fall in place. People pay for values. So when you make yourself so valuable, you will be in high demand and people will pay for your values while you are still being creative.
Get out of your comfort zone - Comfort zones are good. Everyone loves to be in a safe place. I mean, who doesn’t? But that is not going to bring out the best in you. Sometimes you need to come out of the box regardless! Your creativity lies at the other side of the feelings of insecurity, criticism, and fear of the unknown. Staying in your comfort zone will kill your productivity and impede personal growth. You need to come out so your mind will be exposed to new perspectives and possibilities that could spur creativity in you.
To be continued…