Posted by permission of
David Singer.

To me, discovering how to be creative is as much about learning how to tap into the right side of your brain as it is overcoming stumbling blocks to becoming more creative.

Yesterday, we learned the importance of viewing life through the eyes of a child. Today, we’re going to work on overcoming a stumbling block to creativity. We’re going to learn the importance of appreciating people . . . all people . . . and appreciating their differences.

Think about it. How do you respond to the waitresses who serve you? The taxi cab drivers? Bartenders? Do you hold the door open for people who are behind you when walking into a store? Do you smile at people you pass on the street? If not, why?

Don’t tell me you live in NYC and it just “isn’t done.” I’ve seen the way New York City residents ban together to help each other (like on 9/11). Was it just at this one point in time that NYC residents could be friendly? I don’t believe that. I believe that any city with the fortitude to stand behind each other like they did on 9/11 can manage a smile or two on other days as well.

When a waitress brings you another cup of coffee, do you say “thank you,” or do you just ignore her? What about the clerk at a cash register when you check out? Do you smile at him or her? How much does it cost to smile?

Do you realize, or have you stopped to think, that everyone you come in contact with is trying to earn a living for his or her family, just like you? He or she deserves your respect.

In our travels, we’ve had some of the most fascinating conversations with taxi cab drivers (like the one who thought I had a dead body in my suitcase), the bartenders (like the one who kept changing name tags on us), the waitresses, etc. We’re all people going down the same path: life.

Here’s another side to this coin. I’m going to sound a little crazy here, but bear with me.

If you don’t appreciate people and their differences, and if your target audience is “people,” how can you write compelling content for your target audience? It’s a little difficult, and your content will seem to be missing . . . something. In order to write truly compelling content, you need to crawl inside the heads of your target audience to find out what THEY want to see on your Web site. Think about it.

I know people who think that women can’t hold leadership positions, or people “with a past” can never change. I live in the South, which is inaccurately stereotyped all the time. But all of us could be your target audience. How are you going to write content for us if you’re prejudice against us in some manner? You’ll never be able to truly get inside our heads. Maybe your competitors can . . .

Any of us could be the man on the bench in today’s picture. Maybe he’s homeless, but maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s an alcoholic, but who are we to judge him? He may have a Ph.D. from Princeton, but he lost his whole family to an automobile accident and he just hasn’t been able to move past it. Any of us could be that man. We need to quit judging.

Regretfully, the SEO industry can be very critical. Rather than help, they often choose to judge and criticize other members. I’m not talking about healthy debates, which are wonderful learning experiences. I’m talking about slicing other SEOs apart in public forums rather than spending time helping members. Negativism does not breed creativity or anything positive, for that matter.

Now let me ask you this, in order to bring this topic full circle. If you’re a critical or judgmental type of person, can you create? If you don’t care about the very people you’re supposed to be trying to help, isn’t that a typical catch 22?

In my opinion, you need to get past prejudices, critical attitudes, and beliefs that certain groups of people stand on higher plains than others in order to tap in to your creative pool. Each of us could be the man on the bench. Remember that.

Today’s Assignment

Smile at total strangers. Hold the door open for them. Tell the waiters or waitresses thank you. Tell the bus driver to “have a nice day.” See how they respond.

Try not to be critical or judgmental of others. Give others a chance to voice their opinions. Their opinions just might be pretty darn good.

Use traffic delays to brainstorm for ideas for your company. Going into road rage won’t get you to the office any faster. Just sit back, turn on some relaxing music, and try to chill out. Understand that there are some things in life that you have absolutely no control over, so let go of those things.

If you live in a city and walk by a homeless person, really look at that person. Try to imagine what got him into that place in life. Where is his family? Doesn’t he have anyone who cares? Does anyone worry about him or think about what became of him? Does he have anyone who calls him “Daddy”? Where does he sleep at night? Does he have an education? How could he pick back up the pieces of what used to be his life and begin to live again? What if this person were YOU?

Let your imagination go as you begin to make a “person” out of an invisible “street bum,” which is probably what he’s been to you up until now. We all walk by these people and look the other way, hoping not to notice them. Today, I want you to notice. We need to appreciate people . . . all people.

Let me know your experiences here.

Robin