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Crystallizations
a monthly newsletter from Crystal Communications December 2005

in this issue

Events to Help Your Business Grow

Creativity

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Events to Help Your Business Grow

Only a few events this month, but they are big ones. Join me at:

Friday, December 2
7:00 -9:00 a.m.

SMALL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE
Presented by The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce
Petroleum Club
7th Floor of the Energy Bldg, 8620 N. New Braunfels
RSVP here.

Tuesday, December 6
6:00 p.m.

THE GREATER SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER'S ANNUAL BANQUET
RSVP here. Check out the auction online and bid on items even if you can't make it to the event. Bid here.

Tuesday, December 13
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

MEET THE BUYERS RECEPTION
Marriott Riverwalk
Wednesday, December 14
7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

5TH ANNUAL SMALL, MINORITY AND WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS CONFERENCE
Contact me or visit www.bexar.org
for more information.

Everything you want in your life is contained inside The Secret.




Greetings!

I hope you have enjoyed these monthly columns on creativity. I'll unwrap a new subject in the next issue - even I don't know what it is yet! And speaking of unwrapping - what do you think of my new logo?


  • Creativity
  • "There is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself."
    —Herman Melville

    The holidays seem to be proof of this quotation. We continually compare this holiday season to previous ones, contrasting what is better or worse. All of our lives are about contrast. Those beautiful sunny days are so often unappreciated when we have a stretch of them at a time. Then we long for the contrast of the rain. My favorite time of year is when we’ve had warm weather for awhile and a cold front comes in, providing relief from those hotter temperatures.

    Creativity springs from contrasts – colors, sizes, textures, ideas. Put two existing things together in a new and refreshing way; think in a contrasting way from others. You have to exercise the skill. And sometimes you have to shake up your routine.

    I spent the first week of November at a workshop on a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. The contrast between that five days and my usual work week was startling. I didn’t realize how much I needed to disconnect – from my cell phone and my computer and everything else going on in my life. The cruise and the workshop (provided by Virginia Moody of Moody and Associates) was exactly what I needed. (I even lost about 7 pounds during the cruise – apparently eating constantly and doing a lot of walking was what my body needed. Just 10 more cruises and I’ll be perfect!) The cruise allowed me the relaxation time I needed. The workshop helped me focus on what I truly want to accomplish in my life. And those sunrises at sea provided a spiritual backdrop for the whole experience.

    Remember when you were in school and you wrote themes that compared and contrasted two characters or two short stories or two historical events? I imagine that the reason our teachers gave us those assignments was to help build our analytical skills. The exercise can also help build our creative skills. Take two objects and compare and contrast them. For instance, what makes a pencil like a chair? How are the two objects different? Take any two objects in your office and do a quick list. Try to find five or more similar qualities and five or more dissimilar qualities.

    Exercises like these can help build both your convergent and divergent thinking abilities. I know, with the hustle of the holidays, you don’t have time to do these silly exercises, do you? But hey, it’s cheaper than going on a cruise.

    The bigger problem is that we don’t allow ourselves the time to think, to meditate, to pray, to sit quietly. Contrast fifteen minutes of quiet with what’s happening in your life in the next few weeks. Try to find small blocks of time just for yourself and allow your brain to exercise and to relax.

    I hope that this month is filled with the love of family and friends and small blocks of quiet.

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Okay, it was just too hard. I asked you to find the logic in this series of numbers: 0, 1, 8, 10, 19, 90, and then explain why the series couldn't continue. Here's the answer: The last letter of each of these numbers provides the first letter of the next whole number - zerO, OnE, EighT, TeN, NineteeN, NinetY. Since there is no number that starts with the letter "Y", the series had to end.

    So an easier one this time, I promise. For you children's literature fans: According to one story, why is it that L. Frank Baum’s book, The Wizard of Oz could have just as easily been called The Wizard of An?

    I have a gift certificate from Entree's just waiting for the winner. Entree's did my Thanksgiving turkey and fixings and did a marvelous job. What a treat!

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    My friend Cheryl Cook has a wonderful newsletter (and if you like this one, you'll like hers, too.) Cheryl's suggestions will help you 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.

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