Creative confidence by Tom and David Kelley. Introduction

Blink 7
The “do something” mind-set helps you see that you can and should change things for the better.
How many times have you wanted to do something, like apply for a new job or approach an attractive person at a bar, but didn’t because you were too scared?

Even when we know what we should do – like buy that person a drink – we simply don’t. Instead, we just sit down and discreetly appreciate them from afar.

This knowing–doing gap isn’t limited to dating. We see it in business, too. Just look at the Kodak camera innovation team in the 1990s: they knew that the future of photography would be digital, but were too scared to change their strategy.

As a result, Kodak, once one of the largest and most powerful brands in the United States, continues to lose their market share to competitors – and the revenue that went with it.

Luckily, we aren’t doomed to continue letting opportunities pass us by; it all starts with your mind-set.

Changing your mind-set from, “I know I should probably do this,” to “I will do this,” is the most powerful means you have of taking charge of your own life.

Even when the outcome is not successful, you will have no regrets, because you know that at least you tried. The worst mistake you can make is to not try and never learn.

Consider, for example, John Keefe, an editor at a Manhattan radio station. One day he overheard a co-worker lamenting that her elderly mother never knew when the bus would arrive, and thus often ended up standing outside in the cold.

Keefe saw a possible solution, and acted immediately. He created a small hack into the Transit Authority website to monitor the buses, and set up a corresponding phone number that told listeners how many stops away the bus was.

The whole project took less than a day to complete, but this simple solution was only possible because he decided to act.

By now, we’ve seen how important creativity is in the business world. These final blinks will show you how creativity can change your personal life for the better.