The year is fast coming to a close and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m trapped in a Jimmy Stewart movie and the hands of the clock are just spinning.  Mystic 5, DWF and IUSA really are just around the corner and even WPPI seems like it’s only a few weeks out.   Odds are you’re wrapping up your last Christmas orders and starting to think about the year ahead.  

The big questions right now should be, “How can I grow my business?”  “What do I need to do differently next year?”  “What worked this year?”…and the list goes on and on.   So, while wandering in and out of cyberspace I found a site called Quoteland and after a little mining uncovered the following gem from Charles Chic Thompson.   While he obviously added some great humor to the concept, think about each of his ten points.   More than likely you’ll agree that he’s dead on.

Top 10 Creative Rules of Thumb:

1. The best way to get great ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.

2. Create ideas that are 15 minutes ahead of their time…not light years ahead.

3. Always look for a second right answer.

4. If at first you don’t succeed, take a break.

5. Write down your ideas before you forget them.

6. If everyone says you are wrong, you’re one step ahead. If everyone laughs at you, you’re two steps ahead.

7. The answer to your problem “pre-exists.” You need to ask the right question to reveal the answer.

8. When you ask a dumb question, you get a smart answer.

9. Never solve a problem from its original perspective.

10. Visualize your problem as solved before solving it.