Yo, Gang:

Just sent this to my regular mailing list...thought you might like it.............

This will not be for everyone, but if you get into it I think that you will find you will have both a fun and profitable time. What is this wonderful thing you ask? Creativity!

Try this: Look around you. Look at all the weird, goofy, normal, odd little things around your home and garage, etc. Look at your kids toys. Go to the toy store and look at all the CHEAP junk they have in bins. Look at stuff and ask: What I could I possibly DO 'magically' with that item??? Just noodle with it. No stress. Brainstorm.

"Hey, I could....." What? What could THAT particular items DO magically? Look here's some very obvious ideas, but it might help you get a better idea: Hmmmm...that small 1" bouncy ball...could be vanished, changed, floated...etc. You have an idea of 'what' to do...now, think of ways to DO it.

Basically, even if you never invent something this exercise will PUSH you in ways that I guarantee will cause your magic to improve. I won't tell you the science behind it, but trust me there is some. That's that advantage of having a wife who is a Dr. of Psychology, fully licensed and who teaches at the grad and post grad level in the subject. You get to find out really cool stuff on how the mind works.

Do this: After you get some ideas.... WALK and think about them. Again, trust me....a whole area of bi-lateral stimulation of the brain opens up. Ever notice that you can tend to think more clearly when in motion?

Finally: If you find you ARE getting ideas mostly they won't be much good, but that OK! You see for every 10...hmmm...30 ideas you just might get a GREAT idea! In fact you PROBABLY will get a great idea.

Remember Roger Van Oech's maxim: The ONLY difference between those who ARE creative and those who are not is that the creative MERELY think that they are!

Change the way you think about how creative YOU are! I am totally serious about this. Here's a paraphrase of something said by John Wesley: Learn as much as you can, do with that learning as much as you can, teach others as much as you can!

My very best to you and yours,

Brad Burt