“You reflect yourself in your creations, and they reflect themselves in their consumption and self-expression. The combination leaves both sides fulfilled. In a world where human creativity is the last remaining sustainable, competitive advantage and the principle driver of value creation, your most potent weapon is you.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“The more I research the emotional elements, the more I realize the divided approach—life on one side, business on the other—is not only ridiculous but harmful to the bottom line. Most individuals run their lives focused solely on meeting their financial needs, and most organizations make decisions based solely on their P&Ls. Traditionally, little or no value is placed on understanding the emotional elements. But in the modern market, it’s creativity—a purely emotional element—that has the ability to change the value of a business simply by altering its perception or usage.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“Once we’ve met our basic needs—safety, security, sustenance, and shelter—those same emotional elements, not material wealth, determine our level of fulfillment, or, as some may refer to it, our personal success. These parallel truths—that amazing achievement and lasting fulfillment for both individuals and organizations come from understanding and harnessing those emotional elements—are critical to flourishing in our new age, the Age of Ideas.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“For example, the creation or ongoing success of a product is entirely dependent on its ability to influence people’s actions, pri- marily by getting them to make a purchase or use a product. Just think of the Internet, which is designed to get you to take a specific action, such as consuming content, making a purchase, or filling out a lead form. Not a single webpage exists without this inten- tion. And the influencing of people’s actions is based on impacting them emotionally. We’re all emotional beings. To manage, sell to, parent, support, or lead people, we must understand and value the emotional as much as if not more than the practical. Only when you accept and embrace this fact will you be able to fully unlock your potential.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“God doesn't expect us to be a walking encyclopedia of biblical knowledge. He wants us to know Him, to be in a relationship with Him. This means not only hearing but allowing our understanding of God to change the way we live. Like the wise builder who laid the foundation of his house on the rock, we learn to let our knowledge of God change us.”
Source: Zombie Church: Breathing Life Back into the Body of Christ
“A few years ago my therapist asked me, “What do you want out of
life?”
I said the first thing that came to my mind: “I want to be
successful.”
He looked at me, puzzled, and replied, “What do you mean?” “You know what I mean,” I said. “I want to be successful. I
want to be wealthy, powerful, and recognized.” In other words, I framed a conventional vision of success, the one drummed into us by popular culture and other social dimensions.
My therapist chuckled at my naïveté for a moment and then asked, “Alan, why do you believe that wealth, power, and recogni- tion are the definition of success?” He then went on to explain to me that success is defined as “accomplishing an aim or purpose,” but the definition of that aim or purpose is up to the individual.
My mind was officially blown.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT AND LASTING FULFILLMENT COMES FROM UNDERSTANDING AND HARNESSING THE EMOTIONAL ELEMENTS.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“It’s only when you free yourself from external definitions of success that you’re able to comprehend the folly of this type of pursuit. Ask yourself: What’s the point of attaining a goal if it isn’t going to satisfy your internal needs? All you’re going to end up with is some form of a trophy (money, a big house, a nice watch, some press clippings) alongside a big bowl of unhappiness and dissatis- faction. You can only define yourself as a success if the result of your actions is the satisfaction of your internal desires, not that of some superficial, outside force.
It isn’t relevant if society deems you a success—it’s whether you believe you’re achieving success that matters. For some this may mean fame and fortune, but for others it may just mean putting food on the table every night for their family and having a loving relationship with their spouse. The determining factor is how you feel and what you desire on the inside. The first and most powerful step is realizing you have the power to determine what success looks like for you. Only then can you free yourself from the myth and begin the journey of living your truth.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“The Creator’s Formula is made up of four key elements: defined purpose, experienced creativity, flawless execution, and emotional
generosity.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential
“Once you discover your purpose, the goal becomes to live it in all aspects of what you do. This is the integrated life, a life in which there’s no difference between work and play; there’s only your purpose and what you’re doing at that very moment to live that truth, wholly and completely. The closer you get to that point, the closer your entire life comes to being an actualized existence, and the more likely you will enjoy many more of Maslow’s peak experiences.”
Source: The Age of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential