Inspiration Comes In Many Forms

Sometimes you might need inspiration to get your creative juices flowing, or perhaps you’re looking to the greats on your journey to personal empowerment. Improving your own personal skills in an area seemingly unrelated to a work project might end up being the key to a new spin on an old idea. Who would have thought BitCoin, a completely digital currency, would be so valuable when all previous forms of monetary wealth have been very physical?

One of my favorite quotes came from Albert Einstein, when he said, ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun.’   Once you allow your intelligence to run wild, that is precisely when the fun and creativity begins – be it in an ad campaign, PR piece, an office practical joke or the next big form of international currency.

Embrace Other’s Viewpoints

Looking across disciplines to see how successful people viewed the world, or their approach to a productive relationship, or simply a different way of understanding a problem, can help open your eyes to more efficient ways of working. It can spark a new way of thinking that could transform an everyday project into the endeavor of a lifetime.

Here are some other favorite marketing quotes to ponder:

• To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. – George Kneller
• An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. – Edwin Land
• The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. – Tom Fishburne
• I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou
• Successful companies in social media function more like entertainment companies, publishers or party planners than as traditional advertisers. – Erik Qualman
• Good content isn’t about good storytelling. It’s about telling a true story well. – Ann Handley
• If you can’t explain it to a 6-year old, you don’t know it yourself. – Albert Einstein
• Content is king, but distribution is queen and she wears the pants. – Jonathan Perelman
• Companies that speak in the language of the pitch are no longer speaking to anyone. – The Cluetrain Manifesto

Some of these words of wisdom have gotten a lot of miles, and may be cliché or kitschy, but they do hold a lot of truth and have become popular for a reason.  They can equally bring us back to the basics while helping inspire us to new ideas.