For many years nineteenth century English physician Edward Jenner worked to find a cure for smallpox. After studying many cases, he reached an impasse in his thinking. Then he reversed his perception of the problem. Instead of focusing on people who had smallpox, he switched his attention to people who never had smallpox. He found that dairymaids rarely got the disease. It turned out that most dairymaids had had cowpox, a similar but usually nonfatal affliction. Cowpox had served to "vaccinate" its victims against the more dangerous small pox. This led to Jenner’s concept of "vaccinating" people. You might also try reversing the order in which you do a particular operation or project. Designer Christopher Williams tells the following story about an architect who built a cluster of large office buildings that was set in a central green. When construction was completed, the landscape crew asked him where he wanted the sidewalks between the buildings. "Not yet," was the architect’s reply. "Just plant the grass solidly between the buildings." This was done, and by late summer the new lawn was laced with pathways of trodden grass, connecting building-to-building and building to outside. As Williams put it, "The paths followed the most efficient line between the points of connection, turned easy curves rather than right angles, and were sized according to traffic flow. In the fall, the architect simply paved in the pathways. Not only did the pathways have a design beauty, but they responded directly to user needs." Doing the opposite of what’s expected can also be an effective strategy in such competitive situations as sports, business, warfare, romance, etc. In most endeavours, we build up certain expectations about what the other side will or won’t do. In football, for example, a third and one situation will typically cause the defense to prepare for a plunge into the line. In retailing, stores bet heavily that advertising between Thanksgiving and Christmas will pay big dividends. In politics, most candidates will have a last-minute media blitz. In these situations, trends get established. When you do the opposite of what people are expecting, chances are good that you’ll catch them off-guard and be more successful in reaching your objective. As a creative exercise, make a list of what you could do to be less successful and go in the opposite direction of your goals. This can be both hilarious and revealing. Think of ideas that are impractical. Come up with as many unusual and unorthodox ideas as you can. When freed from normalcy and "reality" expectations, you might come up with a few gem ideas that you wouldn’t normally have thought of. So don’t be afraid to be different and try something radical now and then. Whether in love, business, sports, any endeavour for that matter, fortune often favours the bold.

My wife Sylvia loves not only the concept of quantum leaps, but the practice of it. She sees no reason to waste time when you know what it is you want. She dives in fearlessly to accomplish goals. She's the type of person who will work all night to finish a project, once she's started it, rather than space it out over two or three days. It's her style and it works for her. I marvel at her ability to get things done. I always rest assured when she is championing or leading a project. I know it will get done and done well. Not only that, but it will be done faster than anyone expected. While I was on a three-year sabbatical she morphed herself into a filmmaker. Why? Because she could and she was fascinated with the medium. Like me, she follows her passion. Unlike me, she does things fast and effectively. Once she starts something, she doesn't rest until it is completed. I, on the other hand, will pace myself, stop; reflect, and pursue my projects at a more orderly pace. Which method is more effective? Both work well. There are many methods and approaches to achieving goals. Never make the mistake of thinking there is only one way to achieve an objective. Quantum thinking encourages you to always challenge yourself, your beliefs, your models, to discover your true possibilities. There is an old saying that goes, “Great minds think alike.” But it can be equally said, “Fools seldom differ.” Following someone else's style, beliefs and methodology can often be a worthwhile strategy, especially if that person is successful, but not always. A better approach would be to discover what works best for you by challenging and changing the way you habitually do things. When I wrote my first book, Mind Power, I took three months to write it. I was inspired and threw myself into the project, writing daily. I was well aware that a task would always take the amount of time given to it. Had I given myself a year to write it, it would have taken a year. Would it have made it a better book? Perhaps, but I doubt it. Now almost twenty years later and with over two million copies sold, I think it has resonated with readers and expresses all I wished to convey. I've written five books now and each of them has taken less than six months. Why? Because that is all the time I gave them. I've heard many stories of writers taking years, sometimes five or ten years, to finish a book. While I respect their dedication and freedom to choose whatever style they want, I don't want to spend a lot of time on one book. I have dozens of books I want to write, plus numerous other activities I want to pursue. I always thought writing all my books in under six months was an amazing accomplishment, until I read an article on the [...]

There was a study conducted many years ago that had a profound impact on me; I was in fact staggered by what it had found. The study was a very simple one. The researchers asked a number of seven-year-olds if they considered themselves creative, and ninety-five percent answered that they did. They then asked a number of adults in their early to mid twenties the same question, and only seven percent replied that they thought they were creative. What had happened? How did the percentage drop from ninety-five percent to seven? What had happened to us as adults to change our perspective of ourselves? And what impact does it have on us when we think of ourselves as ‘not creative’? It can’t be positive. It must limit us, and that is unacceptable, especially since it is an illusion. We are all creative. We don’t lose creativity, just as we don’t forget how to ride a bike; it’s just that we’re out of practice at using it. Another study shines further light on the creativity issue. A major manufacturing corporation wanted to increase the effectiveness of its engineers, designers and programmers, finding out why some of these people were creative and others were not. What made someone creative, management wondered? They hired a consulting firm which did a three-month study at the company and came up with a surprising finding: It had nothing to do with talent or work ethic or having good ideas, all areas you might suspect would be relevant. It turned out to be something much more fundamental. What the firm found was that those who were creative thought of themselves as creative. Those who were not, thought of themselves as not creative. It was that simple. How we view ourselves affects how we work and play and make choices in our life. So it seems quite obvious that if we want to bring creativity into our lives we better start thinking of ourselves as creative people. Which brings me to a point I want to emphasize: Creativity is not the exclusive domain of artists and poets and sculptors and those who practice the traditional arts. It takes equal amounts of creativity to raise children, manage a household on a budget, write a business proposal, be an entrepreneur, or conduct hundreds of other activities that make up a life. We are all creative; it’s just that many of us have never thought of ourselves in that way, and as result we’ve been limiting ourselves. Let’s change that. Oscar Wilde once said, “I use my talent for my work and my genius for my life.” He had his priorities right. Our life is the most important aspect of who we are, and this is where we want to be creative, in our daily lives. The greatest art of all is a life well lived, and we can be incredibly creative in our lives if we choose to break out of our routines and have a little fun and yes, [...]

All of us will have times in our life when we are required to lead or champion a cause. Knowing and applying the ten practices below will assist you greatly in that challenge when it comes. Interestingly enough, not only do these practices work in leading others, but they also apply in pursuing our own goals as well. Next month I will take these same principles and show you how we can apply them in our individual lives, but for this month read and absorb these time-tested and proven practices of success in a leadership role. 1. Have a large vision People want to be part of an organization or group that has an exciting positive vision for change. Small visions attract a small response. Large visions attract large numbers. Whatever your vision for change or growth may be, you must articulate it well and be clear on the process of attaining that vision, but most importantly it must be a vision that can inspire. 2. Break the large vision into easily understood goals with deadlines As the old saying goes, “The journey of one hundred miles begins with the first step.” A large vision will inspire people, but unless there is a plan to achieve the vision, the inspiration and excitement will soon dissipate. Completion of a large vision happens by accomplishing numerous smaller goals. Each goal and step builds on the one preceding it. Have a clear and workable plan that everyone can understand. 3. Focus on the big picture but work daily on the little picture Become goal oriented. It is through the accomplishment of thousands of smaller goals that the final accomplishment is achieved. Ask yourself, “What can I do today?” and then do it. The next day ask yourself again, “What can I do today?” and then do it. The same the day after. Focusing on what can be done today and accomplishing that is one of the secrets of success. 4. Love the process, not just the final result As the mystic Gurdjieff said, “Don’t think of results, just do.” Live life one day at a time. Life is a journey, not a destination. Each day enjoy the process of the people you meet, the challenges, the surprises, the victories and yes, the failures too, for they also teach us. When you dedicate yourself not just to the end result but to the process, good fortune and synchronicity come to your aid. When you can embrace the process as a means and end unto itself, and appreciate the process as a journey within the journey to be mastered and enjoyed and appreciated, you will be in harmony with the deeper currents of life. 5. Ask for and expect others to help you If you are dedicated to your vision and you believe that the accomplishment of this vision will help many, you can expect others to become enthused as well, and want to help you. This is not to say that every single person [...]