We think in generalities, but we live in detail.
- Alfred Whitehead

Want to break out of your rut? Here's a quick exercise to boost the creativity that exists in all of us.

Look at an object in your office. Look at this object in detail. Notice the lines and shapes that make it what it is. Is it soft or hard, straight or curved? What colors exist in it? Notice changes in the color from top to bottom, side to side. What is its use? What other uses could it have?

Notice every small insignificant detail about the object. Ask yourself who created it. Ask how it got from its creator to your office.

Now try this during your day. If you are stopped in traffic, pick one item outside your car to look at in detail. Maybe focus on the leaves on a nearby tree. Notice the particular shade of green - is it more blue or more yellow? Are there lots of tiny leaves or fewer bigger ones compared to other trees.

Noticing the detail in objects can help fine tune your senses. Paying attention to the small things may help you see things you never noticed before - not just in the object you chose for the exercise, but in other aspects of your life.

We spend so much time trying to multi-task that we end up missing some of the more important things in life - a friendly smile, a glorious sunny day, a soft breeze, the scent of good food, the song of a bird.

Try - just for today - to be in the moment - wherever you are. Carry on only one conversation at a time. Give attention to every person you meet. Pay attention to the person on the phone and don't read your email at the same time. Finish one task before you start the next. See if you end up getting less done or if, perhaps, you don't have to correct as many mistakes and you end up more productive. Just for today.

Let me know what results you get from this exercise. I'll draw one winner from the responses for a gift certificate at one of my favorite restaurants.

Last month's contest winner was Beto Escobar. Beto came up with a new idea for his fax machine - a food delivery machine. He'll have a gift certificate from Nicavid's Bakery delivered to him, although not through his fax machine. Not yet, anyway. Congratulations, Beto!

My friend Cheryl Cook has a wonderful newsletter (and if you like this one, you'll like hers, too.) Learn how to get more cash in your pocket, more sales in the door, and reduce the amount of cash leaving your business. To visit her website and sign up for this biweekly ezine, click here.

MAKING YOUR WEBSITE WORK FOR YOU
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
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Wednesday, April 6, 2005
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Each class: $21.00, John Marshall High School, 8000 Lobo.

I've been living my dream for the last year, doing what I enjoy and aligning my activities with the values that are most important to me. Now I want to share this journey with you. Let me help you discover the joy of living a purpose-filled life.

If you want to do what you love and still pay the bills...or you're making the money, but there's something missing, come to my workshop and learn to Live Your Dream!

Choose from the following dates:

• Friday, February 25
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All events are held from 8:30 A. M. - 12 noon at the Greater San Antonio Chamber's Small Business Resource Center, 1100 NW Loop 410 at Blanco.