Friday, April 15, 2005

Ah, to come up with a new, fresh and creative approach to anything is a daunting task. But to come up with a brand new, fresh and creative approach [which Einstein alludes to] that does not rest on the shoulders of previous thoughts, ideas or theories, is seemingly impossible. The appearance of a DaVinci moment or an Einsteinian concept are rare indeed. And even if they are to occur, it was Einstein who said it best, "It's not that I'm so smart , it's just that I stay with problems longer."

One of the very first aspects of research I learned at the university was the ultimate importance of "citing your sources;" identifying the sources you utilized in drafting and directing your research and/or written work. And in a world today where plagiarism runs rampant, citing one's sources is a refreshing change...

In that spirit, my friend, look around you... at EVERYTHING...

We live in one great big gigantic existence of forever "citing our Source." From where does our ability to play sports emerge? From where does our ability to think, rationalize, interpret and analyze originate? And from where does our ability to act and think creatively flow? From the same place the largest star and the smallest microbe in the galaxy gather their substance.

The great minds throughout history - the DaVincis, the Einsteins, the Mozarts, etc. - have tended to share three key attributes: (1) their inability to conform to the day's standards and methods of thought, (2) their unceasing curiosity and (3) their fortitude to look at Life and act through Life as a unique individual. They capitalized on the raw material of their human life and nurtured it into a creative force. Nurturing the raw material is what others would term as being "creative," but it is in the creation of the raw material where the true Source of creativity exists.

So the next time someone applauds you on your unique manner of looking at Life and your fresh approach of creativity, thank them kindly. But also be sure - if not publicly - to at least privately cite and thank the Source of that unique manner and fresh approach.