Article of the Day
Daily Routines of Famous Creative People – Podio
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Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.
~ C.S. Lewis
Five Habits of Originality
Originality is a goal not only in literature and art, but also in business and certainly in the startup community. We often use different terms such as ‘differentiation’ or ‘innovation’ for originality but the concept is the same, offering something to the world that is distinguished in small or large ways.
Just as innovative new products are usually the result of a combining old things in new ways, people with originality skills combine various habits in ways that result in more frequent creativity and impact. We are a sum of our habits, so establishing and refining habits in ways that result in new ideas is important for those who wish to express creativity in their work.
I’ll draw on some examples from business to depict five habits of originality. I take significant inspiration from Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant.
- Seek and speak truth – Bridgewater and its founder, Ray Dalio, are famous for being a successful investment fund and for having a focus on company culture based on an articulated set of principles. Principle 1 is Trust in Truth. Truth isn’t just about avoiding lies, its about being transparent and developing a capacity for constructive criticism. Mistakes happen in business every day, even more often when working on something new. Anything less than truth when dealing with mistakes leads to an inability to learn from mistakes, fatal for businesses but also for your capacity to get better and grow.
- Engage your mind by using your body – Something as simple as taking a walk can stimulate the mind better than sitting for hours on end staring at a computer screen. Thomas Edison famously dismissed golf as exercise in saying that he got more exercise in walking through his lab from table to table and was able to keep his brain working well at the same time. The brain is about 2 percent of body weight but consumes about 20 percent of a person’s total energy. Shifting some energy requirement back to the rest of the body can help bring new mental energy. I used to go on noon runs with an entrepreneur who loved to work through business issues while on the run. It was an extremely challenging workout for me because he ran at a faster pace than I typically did, but also because he forced me to carry on a conversation the whole while!
- Engage people – Talking through ideas with others is a great habit for those working on challenges. An entrepreneur I know tells the story of explaining his new business idea to a well-known and successful businessman. After 4 meetings, the entrepreneur started to question the reputation and intellect of the businessman, as he asked very basic questions again and again and again about the entrepreneurs new business idea. On the fifth meeting, the businessman again asked very basic questions about the entrepreneur’s new business idea. Exasperated, the entrepreneur gave one more try to explain the business idea. By the end of that day’s conversation the businessman smiled and told the entrepreneur that he had finally evolved the business idea to the point where it might be interesting. His repeated questions weren’t from a lack of comprehension. Rather they were pushing the entrepreneur to more fully think through important parts of the new business idea. Socratic business development perhaps, but a powerful example of the mental iteration and evolution that can occur just buy talking to people. Especially talking to people who ask good questions and challenge your assumptions.
- Learn about new domains – Originality often flows from specializing in a trade, task, or skill. In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell writes that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Though this is disputed by many, I certainly buy the idea that getting really good at something takes time and effort. A counter idea to the concept of complete specialization, however, is that many creative originals take time away from their primary occupation and art to learn about new and unrelated things. Meredith Perry of uBeam started out to create a wireless means of electricity transmission by being told by professors, physicists, and engineers that it was impossible. While commercial success for uBeam may or may not come, Ms. Perry exhibited tremendous creative capacity in domains in which she had little or no expertise. While learning new things is challenging, often un-learning things you think you know is the bigger hurdle.
- Respect the status quo but question it brutally – The core of creativity involves introducing new things to the world. The default for originals is to question the status quo. Just because it’s always been done that way doesn’t mean it always will. The savvy original, however, will at least respect the status quo. The world works that way it does today for a complex set of reasons. You may not agree with those reasons, but you have to at least understand them. For the new and creative to win, you must be able to navigate past barriers and resistance effectively. My friend Kevin Maher started Global Vet Link with a goal of transitioning animal health certificates from being paper forms to electronic. Easy right? The challenge was that state veterinarians govern animal health certificates and had to approve this change in regulatory model. The Iowa state veterinarian didn’t buy-in initially (Global Vet Link’s home state) so had to start with Florida as state number one. Kevin’s great persistence got all 50 states onto the Global Vet Link platform, but it also took a great patience and understanding of the status quo in order to finally change it.
What habits of creative, effective people do you admire? What is most important for you to work on and develop as a habit?
February 15, 2016 at 6:51 pm
Grant Vanderlinden
I really respect the “respect the status quo but question it brutally” habits of Steve Jobs. I admire the work ethic and wit he used to build Apple up into the company it is today. Although it may seem a bit unrealistic, I think of him as a role model in my own entrepreneurial life. Being an MIS major in the College of Business, I’d like to do something entrepreneurial involving computers after graduation this spring. I think mimicking Steve Jobs’s status-quo-disrupting habits will start me on the right path whenever my first entrepreneurial venture begins. (I’ll definitely bypass his more negative habits, though, like some of his perfectionism ideals.) Currently, my ability to look past the status quo in ways that “question it brutally” are rather lacking, so I would say that this is the habit that is most important for me to work on and develop. With appropriate mimicry (and some trial and error) I’ll work on developing my status-quo-disrupting habits until I believe they’re ready for a real-world entrepreneurial venture.
February 15, 2016 at 8:23 pm
“Learning about new domains” is something I have always found that successful people continue to do, no matter how old they get. Successful people never stop educating themselves. This is perhaps why they are successful, because they are intelligent and diligent enough to continually better themselves. As a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur it is critical to be learning new things day in and day out, even if they have nothing to do with what your business is or what you are interested in — knowledge is power. By learning new domains your window of opportunity is opened wide open. Being able to converse intelligently with people in other industries helps you network, brainstorm ideas, and build those relationships that are oh so helpful in the world of business. If there is one thing I would like to better myself in it would be “Respect the status quo but question it brutally”. I have formed a bad habit of just assuming that the way most things are done is the best and most efficient way and that is not the way successful and creative people think. If I want to open my mind up to experience new things, then I need to start asking myself if the way it is done is truly the best way to do it.
February 15, 2016 at 9:02 pm
-Trent Pease
“Engage people” is something I would work on to make a habit. I believe working together as a team to achieve a common goal is very important. It is really important to make connections. As you engage with new people, use their opinions and expertise to help yourself. You want to engage yourself with people because they just might make your business better. Just like today in class, the person who evaluated my concept gave me some great new ideas and asked me questions that I decided I needed to address to make my business better. Some problems you never knew you had could be solved by a person you have never met, you just have to make the connection with them. I believe you can be more successful once you build new relationships.
February 15, 2016 at 10:55 pm
Tefna Mitchell-Hoegh
The “using your mind by using your body” concept is something that really stood out to me. It made me think about past assignments through other classes or even studying. Over time I would get bored or couldn’t get the words to flow through the keyboard so I would always take a break. Doing this helped me let things go for a little while and come back to my project refreshed. Doing this in the entrepreneur is just like working on a project or paper, you have to take breaks to let your brain get more ideas to flow.
February 16, 2016 at 12:13 am
I admire the “learning about new domains” habit of creative, efficient people because it would be very challenging to learn about something completely new and create a business about it. I admire them for looking into things very unrelated and unfamiliar to them, which is something I don’t usually do. This is something I could do more of to become more well-rounded. A habit I could also work on is “using your mind by using your body” because I often study for hours and my breaks involve watching television for a while but getting outside and going on a run would be a much more productive for my studies. I will have to begin trying this method and see if it improves my information retention for exams.
February 16, 2016 at 11:13 am
Engage your mind by using your body is the concept that really stood out to me. Taking the time to sit down and study is a very difficult task for me. In all reality who really likes to sit down and study for an exam. No one, but this is usually a task that everyone needs to do. If I engage my mind by using my body I think that I may actually enjoy studying. In the future, I am going to try this task.
February 16, 2016 at 12:20 pm
The habits of originality that has surprised me the most is “Engage your mind by using your body”. For me is very hard to think about that, because, I do not think I am able to produce good ideas while I am doing something-else, but I really admire who is able to develop this task because it is more enjoyable and productive with respect to sitting on a chair in front of a computer for hours. Therefore, in the future I will try to work more on this task, maybe it is just matter of practice.
February 16, 2016 at 12:36 pm
“Engage you mind by using your body,” is the habit that I think I would like to try more. Often times I end up focusing so hard on one problem that I can’t see the big picture. If I were to utilize this habit and just step away and do something else for a little while I think I could look at it from a new angle or perspective and be able to learn more about what I am looking at. This is the habit I want to work on the most because I get caught up on the little things and by using this habit, it opens up the possibility of seeing more of the big picture, rather than the small details.
February 16, 2016 at 1:02 pm
I think that engaging people is a habit that I see many successful people do. Whenever I have a new idea I find it extremely helpful to bounce ideas off other people to expand a original idea or point out issues that were not obvious on the surface. I personally need to work on respecting, but questioning the status quo. I find this important because it is easy to jump on the band wagon and agree with the majority, but that isn’t always the more effective way to accomplish different tasks.
February 16, 2016 at 1:22 pm
“Respect the status quo but question it brutally” was an extremely interesting topic to me. In my mind I had always considered successful businesses to think outside of the box and go against the status quo but in reality they have to deal with it a great deal. I never thought that people would have a hard time deviating from the norm when a solution is presented in a new and interesting way, but looking at it now I could see the dilemma. The only question I have on this topic is if no one went against the status quo or tried to deviate from the traditional solution would there be any innovation?
February 16, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Engaging people is a habit that i have seen many people do. For example in a recent talk with successful entrepreneur Roger Underwood, he asked me the same question probably 5 or 6 times in a row. Now i know that man is extremely intelligent, but i couldnt figure out why he kept asking me the same thing, and i kept giving him the same answer until i figured out what he was trying to get at, he wanted me to think more critically, to really think about what i had to say and then to say it very simple and clear. That is something i would like to improve on for everything i do, and even though it was a simple action on his part it made a big effect on me, and i learned from it.
February 16, 2016 at 3:10 pm
I think that successful people broaden their horizons and I think that people that can “learn about new domains” are some of the most successful. These kind of people always want to keep learning and be engaged in different types of activities, and I respect people who are like this. If a business owner can bring people that are willing to learn each and everyday and continue to educate themselves in new areas, then that would be a huge stepping stone for that business to become successful. One thing I will work on is “engage people.” I believe that a business/team/group are successful when they are able to effectively communicate and connect with each other on a regular basis. I believe this is important because you are able to network with each other and get to know each other and overall will become a better team.
February 16, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Davide Cavallini
Succesfull people have contstantly other people who are working with. I firmly believe that if you have an idea, you might take into consideration to talk about it with another person.
First, because this can help the developing process to broaden its range, to consider other possibilities.
Secondo, becuase that person could help you to figure out what is wrong, what could be improved, while if you are working alone, the risk is to be too much in that process, that probably you cannot see what are the issues.
Moreover, the physical activity can help you a lot! Personally, I feel mind-relaxed as I finish working out, and this helps me to better face problems and find different ways to deal with issues.
Lastly, I think that working on the status quo can be the most difficult problem to encounter. This because it is difficult -yet not impossible- to change the “traditional way” in which things have always been done. But when you finally find a way to change, you will lead the new way!
February 16, 2016 at 4:20 pm
One thing I really enjoy and find helpful is to be awake when no one else is. This usually comes in the form of getting up early, which on the contrary is not something i’m good at.
Bloggers, Brett & Kate McKay from the Art of Manliness tackles this topic in their blog, “Never Let the Sun Catch You Sleeping: Why and How to Become an Early Riser” http://aom.is/i-Brm
Getting after the day right away allows you to plan and think through your day as well as gives you more day to do it! You can use the morning to plan the day so you can be more productive and successful during the day or use it to have time to meditate on your new ideas for your business. However you use your morning, putting this into practice could be a great step in becoming more productive and both your work and with your ideas.
February 16, 2016 at 5:20 pm
One of the topics that I really agree with is to “engage your mind by using your body.” I know that I struggle when I’m forced to do hours of school work on the computer. I often take walks around Agronomy Hall after looking at a computer screen for hours. Not only do I think that physical activity can give you a break and recharge your brain, I also think that learning a trade or task can be easier by physically doing it. Not everybody learns the same way as others, but many people find it easier to comprehend a task if they have actually done it before. I think that you could tie this topic in with engaging people. There are a lot of times that other people can sit down and show you how something works more effectively than reading about how it should work. By using people around you to your advantage, you can help yourself learn difficult things that you might not understand otherwise. All of these topics can be great help, but these are just two topics that I can personally relate to. A person could easily help themselves when starting a business by using these topics.
February 16, 2016 at 5:45 pm
I agree with a lot of the comments on this blog about the topic regarding “engage your mind by using your body.” I never really thought about how much I do this in my daily life, until it was brought up in class, and now reading this, it really does. I think that all these topics are great for people when it comes to thinking of new ideas. I plan to take these topics and address them to my current developing in class and my other classes as well. I really enjoyed reading these!
February 16, 2016 at 5:49 pm
One of the habits of originality that stuck out to me was “engage people.” I have used this habit throughout this course. Engaging others is a great way to bounce your idea off of someone else to build an even better business model. Being able to explain the business concept itself encourages you to develop the idea a bit further than you may have before and make the idea appealing. The idea may sound exciting and interesting to you but to others it may be underdeveloped and their feedback and critiques can lead to an even better concept. I have talked my ideas out with my parents and roommates. They have found places within the business to target a more realistic consumer as well as grow an idea into a business.
February 16, 2016 at 5:55 pm
Tim Mackey
Engage people and Respect the status quo are the two examples above that I really resonate with. So often I have felt I had an idea figured out until I begin to talk about it out loud. I am unsure what it is about our minds that tell us we have formed complete thoughts before we actually have, but talking it through with someone can combat this quite well. Talking with someone when I am stuck while trying to come up with an idea or writing a paper always helps, whether its my mind taking the next step itself, or a question asked by who I am talking to.
As for the status quo example, I think this is something I need to do more of. I want to challenge myself to ask why more often. I believe asking why to basic questions will make myself challenge the status quo instead of accepting it blindly. Too often I find myself justifying something with “thats just the way it is.”
February 16, 2016 at 8:54 pm
I agree with the ‘learning new domains’ some of the people I look up to that are creative such as grandparents and other family are always tinkering with something. They are never complacent with their knowledge, they are always trying out knew ideas and seeing what will work and what won’t. I also agree with ‘engaging your mind by using your body.’ I as well have found that if I am hung up on something if I take my mind off of it for an hour or so the answer comes to me out of nowhere.
Something that I think is an important habit to be successful is to not spend all your spare time on doing nothing. I think you should spend at least half of your spare time improving some skill that isn’t where you want it to be. This will help you become a more rounded person. When you think you are proficient in one skill you can move to another one that you are interested in or have been wandering about.
February 16, 2016 at 10:18 pm
The “Engage People” one is what I would use the most. To be able to work as a team and get others involve, as well as trustworthy is a fine habit to use. It would allow others to get to feel comfortable around you instead of allowing them to not be comfortable. Engaging with people can help you refine your ideas as well as help you build a stronger base around them. What they say could be the step you were looking for to start you business. Building bonds with people is a big part in the business world.
February 17, 2016 at 9:04 am
Learning about new domains is something that often gets overlooked. In today’s society, it is extremely common to force yourself into thinking that you have to specialize–you have to do one thing and that is your thing. I really do not believe that to be true especially for entrepreneurs. When you push yourself out of your comfort zone and learn how to do new things, you are seeing the world in a different way. I did this when I moved to Colorado last summer, and after having lived there, it has certainly gave me a new perspective on things. Having different perspectives on things helps you be more creative when your solving problems.
I also find engaging people as very important, especially for entrepreneurs. You have to be able to talk to people, but more importantly, you have to be able to ask people the right questions. If you can ask people the right questions, they will open up to you in many ways. I have spoken to some pretty tight- lipped introverts and it took me some time but I got them to open up to me after asking them the questions that they loved to talk about. Learning how to ask people questions gives you insight into what it is they actually care about. I hope to work more on this skill by asking people that are not just college students more questions and learning more about their lives.
February 17, 2016 at 11:23 am
Respecting the status quo was an interesting idea to me. There are certain things I accept as truths, but do not follow the status quo. Some of my business ideas stem from these truths I hold. I can see where it would benefit me to respect current methods or procedures while still being innovative. I believe there are things to be learned from current processes that can be applied to new and innovative ideas.
The new domain topic was also interesting to me. I sometimes have a hard time leaving my comfort zone when coming up with ideas. I believe I should start something I am passionate about, but fail to think I may find a new passion by looking at unfamiliar areas.
February 17, 2016 at 11:29 am
“Engage people” I think is important for entrepreneurs. Talking to people and making connections when it comes to a new business can be important to get input on what people think. Asking questions goes along with it, you have to know what your customers want. I think the All-In Startup book displays the importance of engaging with lots of people or potential customers for the search of the migraine problem.
February 17, 2016 at 11:51 am
The thing that I respect most about creative people is their ability to question the status quo. I believe that going against the grain when it comes to business ideas is a hard thing to do and a lot of people fail at it, but for the few that eventually succeed, most will come around to their ideas. This, to me, would be most rewarding as an entrepreneur because it means your “big change” is something others want to use and you’re the one who thought of it first. Something that I could work on to develop as a habit would have to be engaging with other people. I would have no idea if something will succeed if I don’t ask others for their opinion or advice. A lot of times I just go over the idea in my head and then forget about it without knowing if it’s a good idea or not. If I worked on this, I feel I might actually develop something that becomes successful. All I have to do is ask!
February 17, 2016 at 11:56 am
Kalen Martsching
The habit that I admired the most would be that of “Engage your mind by using your body”. I find it very helpful when working on a big project that at some point you need to give your brain a rest and do something completely unrelated to the project. Often times when I am working on a big project I find myself losing my train of thought. This is when I need to take a break and do anything unrelated to the task. When I get back to work I find my mind refreshed and coming up with ideas for the project and finish it.
February 17, 2016 at 12:12 pm
The first example of truth is what I admire in effective people. This summer at my internship, we were encouraged to “challenge” each other on ideas that we didn’t necessarily agree with or thought could be better. Having an atmosphere where it is the normal to be able to openly challenge and also praise others makes it way less confrontational and conducive to producing the most value added work for the company. Being able to be truthful without stepping on toes is a great way to grow as a team and individual.
I think the most important thing for me to work on is engaging people. When I want to do something, I most times like to get it done by myself so it is done how I want it or not messed up. Bouncing ideas off of people and including them in business conversations would be beneficial as they could see something I don’t and it could improve my ideas dramatically.
February 17, 2016 at 1:12 pm
One thing that I noticed that really stands out to me is “engage people.” Engaging people by talking out my business ideas to my roommates really helped move my ideas along. I think it made me think outside of the box that my mind was in. Their different ideas made me think about my business in a completely different sense and it also helped me realize that some of my ideas that I had were not doable businesses. Talking things over with other people always helps the mind to stay grounded because no mind thinks alike. This is why partnerships like the Campos brothers work out so well. It was obvious that their minds complement each other perfectly.
February 17, 2016 at 2:19 pm
The habit of originality that sticks out to me as the most difficult is “Respect the status quo but question it brutally”. For most people following the status quo is just what is expected so they don’t really ever think beyond that. For others it is the exact opposite the status quo is what they are expected to do so they go out of their way to not follow it. The realization that to be truly effective you have to combine a respect for status quo while still challenging it is the missing link for many people. It has been done this way for years for a reason, to toss that away as nothing isn’t a good way to promote a new idea. Gradually introducing it, or combining it with old methods allows a slower adjustment while still making an improvement. This idea supports the old adage ‘you can’t know where you are going until you know where you’ve been.’ As discussed in class today, although Glencoren had a good idea, it struggled with convincing surgeons to change, understanding current methods and the people that practice them will lead to better ideas in the future.
February 17, 2016 at 2:51 pm
I can see why any of these originality characteristics are effective. I can relate to all 5 that were listed, but I really believe in “seek and speak the truth.” I am a big believer in being truthful and not lying. This would be especially important to entrepreneurs because if you are lying to either yourself or your customers, your business or idea is not going to be successful. It also makes a good point about learning from your mistakes. If you accept anything less than the truth about your mistakes, you won’t be able to learn effectively from those mistakes.
I am also a believer in “engage your body to engage your mind.” I feel like my mind was a lot sharper when I was in a routine of working out everyday early in the mornings. Sometimes when you are trying to figure something out or solve a problem, it helps to just walk away from it for awhile. Going to work, working out, sleeping, or anything else to get you thinking about other things might help to clear your mind and that’s when some things really “click.”
February 17, 2016 at 2:57 pm
The one that hit me the most was definitely the “Respect the status quo but question it brutally.” To myself, this means that in order to make something different from what is already being done, you have to in detail understand that area of the industry you are trying to develop through your own ideas and concepts. Thinking outside the box is the main point I think to emphasize when understanding what exactly is the status quo. Believe first in what others have done before you and build on what they have already accomplished.
February 17, 2016 at 3:24 pm
One of the five habits of originality that really stuck out for me is “Engage you mind by using your body”. One thing that I have noticed throughout my college career, is days that I don’t exercise or am totally inactive throughout the day, are the days that I am the least productive. I know it sounds crazy as a college student, but actually getting up at 6 in the morning and working out before you do anything else in the day, has a drastic effect on your productivity. Not only have you waken up the rest of your body and simply feel healthier, but you will also be more apt to accomplish tasks throughout the day. If you are struggling with an important issue, it helps to ignore it for a bit, exercise or work out, and then come back to it with a fresh mindset.
February 17, 2016 at 3:37 pm
Engaging people is something that I would work on to make a habit. Teamwork in a business is key especially if the business wants to be successful. The more individuals engaged on a issue, the more amount of constructive input will be heard. Businesses engage individuals all the time, especially when making decisions. Also, when you engage everybody in the group and focus on the topic of discussion, you will develop the best non-biased solution. Businesses can fail due to one person making all of the decisions because they simply didn’t ask for other opinions. Engaging people can be a challenge for some, but it could be costly for others. Therefore, I am going to try to make this a habit in my career.
February 17, 2016 at 3:47 pm
Engaging people is something that I do on an everyday basis. I love to talk through problems with people in my life. The activity we did the other day in class with the partners and what questions you had with their business helped me write my last business concept paper a lot. I usually run my ideas by my friend Trent who is also in the class but he always says my ideas sound good and never really gives huge feedback. I got the opportunity to talk to a student in our class named Lincoln during the exercise and he asked me questions about my business I have never even thought of before. I think talking with other people is a great way to get your business idea out there and lets you get feedback from different people.
February 17, 2016 at 4:51 pm
Lucas Keller
The habits/characteristics of effective people that I admire, is when they have a desire to learn, and possess knowledge on a vast amount of subjects. After reading this article, I definitely agree that effective people possess a majority of the five habits listed. They are often times people who understand how many different things work in the world, and are either very social people, or are willing to be social when they need/want to. One habit of mine that I want to improve, in order to become more effective, is my ability to do something active when I am stressed or stuck on a problem. Too often, I end up watching TV, or begin working on a different project when I hit road blocks. Activities like going for a run/walk, or participating in sports like basketball or golf could really help me clear my mind during stressful times. If I work on my habits and become a more “well-balanced” person, it could greatly benefit my creativity and effectiveness.
February 17, 2016 at 6:23 pm
“Engage your mind using your body” is a characteristic I’ve noticed in many of my peers that are successful. Even personally, I can think outside-of-the-box more when I’m driving, walking to class, or spending time at the gym than if I make myself sit down and try to focus on a resolution for one specific problem or generate creative ideas. Growing up, my very admirable, successful 4-H adviser expressed this trait nearly every day. She would call at the most random times, “I’m just doing some grocery shopping and came up with this terrific idea you could incorporate into your project!” I also like “Engage other people.” Obtaining insight from a different perspective can help me see not only what I have envisioned for a business, but also what a potential consumer would expect from the business. Something I should work on is learning about new domains. I find myself getting stuck in a rut trying to form a business opportunity around my interests and areas of expertise. By finding a domain I am unfamiliar with and combining it with something of my knowledge, an opportunity and solution can be presented two multiple markets, and my horizons and knowledge can be expanded in the process.
February 18, 2016 at 12:02 am
I think some of the most important things an entrepreneur need are the ability to come up with ideas on the spot as he notices problems happen. Being a problem solver and a hard worker puts everything together in my opinion. Maybe one of my weaknesses is not thinking in depth on the idea. I may notice a problem and think of a way to fix it but I never go in depth thinking. I just leave it where it was and forget the idea and go on with life. Entrepreneurs have to be a certain breed in my opinion. They have to be a gambler yet one that knows when to fold and when to call. You need to be smart and surround yourself with intelligent people. Passion is key also if you are starting a business you do not have a passion for you might as well quit the first day.
February 18, 2016 at 11:50 am
As I am sure you know, David Bowie passed away in the beginning of 2016. He wasn’t necessarily an entrepreneur, however, he created extremely unique music and was never afraid to be himself. In his own way, I believe that he changed the world around him by refusing to let others get in the way of him being true to himself. He wasn’t conformed by either the rules of society or music and he consistently came up with new ideas and principals he would live by. He was a strong influence to the music culture of his time and inspired many people. While I have never wanted to be involved with music or acting, I can admire the things that he accomplished with his life. I think that David Bowie really had a way of engaging people’s minds, questioning the status quo and learning about new domains. He is one of the most original people that I can think of and he left behind a musical legacy that wont soon be forgotten.
February 18, 2016 at 12:01 pm
I respect all of the habits here and think that all of them could be better implemented into my life. The habit or lifestyle that I find most important or valuable in people is living and going about daily life activities and making the most of each. Each successful person that I know as entrepreneurs conduct themselves as themselves. They are original and they have developed habits that are healthy and conducive to their lives and they are self aware of how these habits contribute to their success. Many of these things are health related with either a daily yoga practice from the most unlikely people I know or taking time to themselves everyday that they set aside. They also throw themselves at new situations and new types of people, knowing that some sort of success or personal growth will follow. I think that incorporates each of the five listed while incorporating them into each of their lives in a unique way. Developing the mindset to make the most of every action and step in a day and maximizing each hour truly pays off so I think keeping that in the front of your mind and being self aware with an open mind is a habit that we can all implement.
February 18, 2016 at 12:14 pm
The habits of creative, effective people that I admire are people who use “engage your mind by using your body.” I admire this habit because for me, I want to sit down and get the assignment or studying done so I can go do something else that I want to do. When I am stuck on an assignment, or even studying, I make myself do the assignment or study in one sitting without getting up to “exercise my brain.” In the future, I think it is important for me to work on and develop engage your mind by using your body habit. I will have to try and work on getting up and going for a walk when I get stuck on an assignment or when I need a break from studying, instead of sitting there waiting for it to come to me. I will engage my mind by using my body.
February 18, 2016 at 12:29 pm
“Engage your mind by using your body”, I can relate to this upon several occasions. I do not think I have ever completed y Econ 230 homework in one sitting. I always get stuck and cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. It seems the more I stare at it the harder it gets. I always have to get my mind off of it and think about something else before I go back to it, ans it seems that I can in most cases figure out what went wrong he second time I look at it. I think this has a lot to do with frustration and impatience with the assignment shading me from rationalization. I always look at my work twice, because it seems I look at things differently after I give it a break.
February 18, 2016 at 1:39 pm
“Engage your mind by using your body”, is a practice I take to heart. I exercise almost everyday to help clear my mind and remained focused. Ignoring all of the other benefits from exercising, I am still amazed and the mental recharge I get after completing my workouts. I prefer to start my work, exercise and then revisit my current project. “Learn about new domains” is a practice I need to improve upon. I’ve always found school for the most part to be pretty boring. I’ve had this opinion for as long as I can remember and I think it unconsciously steers me away sometimes from wanting to learn new things. As the years tick by I’ve begun to realize the faultiness of that thinking. I discovered podcasts (Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan, Dan Carlin, etc.) and have been introduced to a wide range of new and interesting topics. I just needed the proper motivation to get out there and learn something new.
February 18, 2016 at 3:31 pm
I admire a number of habits that creative and successful entrepreneurs have. The biggest change in habits I wish I had, is being a morning person. One of my professors takes this to extreme. Getting to work around 4 in the morning every day. He definitely gets his work done way before most people start their day. A habit that I can relate with, listed about, is to engage in a unrelated task. I do this fairly often, in which I routinely workout and I also enjoy reading the news and getting caught up on current events when I tend to get suck on a problem. Speaking the truth is a habit that I could use a little work on. I tend not to be a transparent person. I believe in business transparency has to be carefully given. Transparency to your customers is important but transparency to your competitors is sometimes not the best idea.
February 18, 2016 at 5:14 pm
Reading the daily routines of famous and creative people is interesting to see how they spent the day. What they were thinking about and what they were doing. Very very active lifestyle and also one that is completely different from each other! I like the last part of respect the status quo but also question it. By doing this or disrupting the status quo you are challenging yourself to a new level and new domain. Thinking differently and how things can be done different. You have to look at it from every possible way. This is how you can change things and become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs may invent a new wheel, most of the time they are finding terrible problems and creating solutions to this terrible problem. So by challenging the status quo you are looking at the problem in every way, trying to create the solution that is best. That leads the way to becoming an entrepreneur.
February 18, 2016 at 5:54 pm
I agree with thinking outside the box at new ideas. That is really tough for me to do. I usually see something new and then think that it was a good idea, how come I didn’t think of that. So when I try thinking of new ideas I think about the dumb or little things that could solve a simple problem. Talking to different people about the idea also helps. When I do that, it usually gives me a different mind set about the idea, that I had not thought of before. I kind of agree with running to get your mind thinking differently, but I think that it should be whatever someone likes to do to relieve their brain. For me I like to be on the farm or in the tractor. Usually you are in there for long periods of time so there is plenty of time to think as well. Also a little less physical activity than running. I think some of the better ideas happen when you are actually active and see the problems first hand. This is when you think of ways to invent or create something new.
February 18, 2016 at 7:11 pm
My favorite point was effectively communicating with others. A business idea may sound great to you, but once another person hears it, they may have great constructive criticism. I think this is very apparent when we all reviewed Dave’s business plan. The ideas of 50+ students is very advantageous for him. Those ideas can then be implemented into his own business. Another added bonus of effective communication is the networking involved. A person you talk to may know someone else who can help your business in some way.
February 18, 2016 at 8:40 pm
I would agree with “Seek and Speak Truth” because truth happens everyday whether you like it or not. All the things in this world happen for a reason and if you can’t take the truth that the world gives to you, it will be a tough road for you. I like that I have been a part of constructive criticism with a group of people and I really enjoy hearing what other people have to say about my actions and how I can do better in the world everyday. I would say that I want to continue to work on respecting the status quo. It’s tough to do so in the life, but I always want to work toward something more.
February 18, 2016 at 9:41 pm
“Engage People” is something that I believe is a must for entrepreneurs to be successful. You can learn a ton about yourself through answering and asking questions. Sometimes the simplest questions that people ask you stir new ideas and make you think at things differently. Also, if you engage your target market or potential customers you will be able to find out what they are looking for or a problem that you might be able to solve. I believe that we all can learn a lot from each other and engaging people in a conversation is the first step to that.
February 18, 2016 at 9:45 pm
I really found a lot of valuable information in the first point, Seek and Speak Truth. When it comes to criticism, entrepreneurs must be open-minded and realize that any negative feedback or questioning is only helpful in further developing a concept or idea. You can’t find solutions if people don’t help you address the problems. Its natural to get defensive when you receive criticism, but reaching a level where you seek out criticism is a key step to being a successful entrepreneur.
February 19, 2016 at 12:20 am
I admire “Engaging your mind by using your body”. I find this concept very interesting because whenever I have an assignment to do I like to take breaks. When I take these breaks I generally go outside to exercise and clear my head. I think it is beneficial for entrepreneurs to follow this habit because it is a good idea to take breaks. This is important if you get stuck because you can walk away and then come back to it and hopefully have a new idea for how to fix the problem.
February 19, 2016 at 11:47 am
From this post I can definitely relate to the part of “engaging your mind by using your body.” I can relate to this because I enjoy to run and try to go for one everyday. This really helps my mental health especially during those stressful times. I often find that during my runs I do the best and most creative thinking. I also strongly agree with the fifth habit that was respect the status quo but question it brutally. I think this is important for everyone. Even though somethings are the way they are doesn’t meant that you can’t question it. But even if you question it you need to continue to be respectful to the fact that things are the way that they are.
February 19, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Engaging people is something I would do. It is so important to be personal in order to be a successful entrepreneur. I believe its also important to engage individuals because they can help build a company up to be successful. The more people engage with their input the better the overall business can be. Its better to get the point of view from your’e employees than to use just your’e own. The more social you become the more you’ll be respected witch will help ones reputation.
February 19, 2016 at 12:22 pm
I like the idea of engaging your brain by using your body. There is nothing for me quite like going for a run on gravel roads. My mind just shuts off all of the negatives in my world at the time and I just focus on the positives and my brain opens up to different thoughts. Another main one for me is respect the status quo but challenge it. Challenging the way things ae looked at takes a very open brain. One that doesn’t think the way others do. A person I really admire with the status quo option is Elon Musk and how he starts his entrepnuarial businesses.
February 19, 2016 at 12:30 pm
All the habits listed above are great and I think everyone must try and develop. However I think engaging with people can lead to opportunities that may not arise if you were not to engage. I believe making connections with others is key to be a sucessful entrepreneur. When creating a new business there will be times when you yourself may not have the skills to complete complex tasks. Having connections with others can help you find those with skills and abilities to complete those tasks. Also maybe those connections might be your right hand man or maybe invest into your company. Also learning about new domains is a great habit to get into. How will you be able to solve a problem if you do not know anything about an object or a skill set. Learning about new domains gives you new ideas and potential business concepts that might solve a migraine problem.
February 19, 2016 at 12:43 pm
For me learning new domains has been very useful for advancing my education and expanding my lines of thinking. When you know more about the world around you, you can connect the dots better. By knowing more about different domains you can have a better idea of what migraine problems there are in the world.
February 19, 2016 at 3:10 pm
I think all the listed habits are great. I enjoyed reading about the “Respect the status quo but question it brutally” I think many great entrepreneurs had to wait patiently until people could see the potential of doing something new and different in place of the status quo. I think i need to work on this habit because its hard to change the way you do something when you are set in your own ways. I like creativity and I think it is an important thing in making innovative ways of doing things. I believe in the status quo but its nice to know that in today’s world we are all innovators and we are all here to test the status quo and improve it as our society improves.
February 19, 2016 at 3:34 pm
“…Un-learning things you think you know is harder.” Reading this line was one of those moments where 1 thing clicks and everything makes sense; a lightbulb moment. This means a lot to me because I feel many of us have all these assumptions or ways we are set in. As this semester has progressed, I can honestly say the hardest part of our assignments is to outline our business model without knowing which assumptions need to be listed? I think many of us get so involved in our ideas that we rarely take a step back and question what the audience/reader/investor knows of the subject matter.
To add what I admire in others, patience comes to mind first. 4 years ago my answer would have been extremely different, and I kick myself for that. I think I admire patience in others so well because it is an area that I still consciously have to work at. Whether it’s business related or just listening to others, I believe patience is a skill that can only improve your outcome.
February 19, 2016 at 3:46 pm
I find one of the most helpful “habits” in this blog is getting physical exercise. I can sit and get a lot done until about 2 hours and I lose motivation or just get sick of what I am doing. I find if I go get a good workout in and sweat for an hour I can come back and be even more productive then I was originally. I also think questioning the status quo is an important habit to have. There is always a way to do things better in this quickly evolving world. faster may not always be better but there is always a contrarian way to do something.
February 19, 2016 at 4:42 pm
Mick Sitzmann
Respect the status quo, but question it brutally is an idea that I absolutely believe in. To me, this idea means that you should definitely respect the way things are done and have been done for years, but never let your mind rest and always be on the lookout for a different way that processes could be done. I think that this can be done both in the workplace when working under a supervisor or boss, or when you are you’re own boss. When working for someone else, you must respect their idea and way of doing things so that you are able to keep your job and keep good standing within the company, but you also need to be searching for different ways to do things that could potentially help the company become more efficient and more profitable. When you are you’re own boss, it is very obvious that you need to look for different ways to do things, like you said earlier in the post, originality is a big goal for art and literature as well as a startup business. Originality and finding your own ways to do things is the only way you can make your business any different from the successful ones that are already in the market.
February 19, 2016 at 5:16 pm
I think persistence and patience are the traits I admire the most and are incredibly valuable in a new venture. For me wanting to act on something right away is a given but being patient and making small changes day by day or month by month that is much harder for me, but it is something I am working on. I also believe that we do have to understand and respect the status quo, however I also think that breaking it is sometimes a good thing. I have a professor in Supply Chain Management who also does consulting and he always says that the most important question when talking with clients is “why are you doing that or that way”? If the answer is because they’ve always done it that way then my professor gets a grin and says “he knows he’s going to make a lot of money off of them”. In this regard I think it is paramount to question the status quo but don’t just ignore it. Something doesn’t stick around for a very long time without a reason understanding that reason and accepting or changing that can mean the success or failure of an idea. It is not always the idea of a startup that can change the world but how the world reacts to that idea. In trying to change the status quo or upset those who enjoy the benefits of the status quo people should always be mindful. Once a disruption is added the markets are going to start behaving very differently from what they were doing before. In some cases you might even find the startup idea adapted or outflanked by the markets reaction to the disruption.
February 19, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Patrick White
I think that one habit of an effective people is engaging people. In our world today there is much less face to face conversation, and more non verbal/ electronic communication. We have a problem in our younger generation of people who cannot hold an effective conversation. Additionally we have started to see many colleges have classes about having conversations. Engaging people is becoming a rare trait for many people to hold. As my boss from my internship always told me, “If 90% of the people you are giving a presentation to are awake by the end, it was a success.” Not only do we have the problem of people staying awake, we also have a problem of people paying attention, due to the speaker being boring/not engaging the audience. One thing that I need to work on myself is challenging the status quo. I am usually pretty black and white and accepting of the way things are. I hope to work on this and find new/alternative strategies to solve the problems I face in everyday life.
February 19, 2016 at 6:01 pm
I certainly respect the idea of learning new domains just like a inspirational entrepreneur of mine Steve Harvey. He constantly reminds people that they were put on this earth for a reason, that they were given a gift, and to find that gift they must find new domains. It states above that it takes 10,000 hrs to master a new trait. I say if you don’t have it by 10,000 hrs, that certain skill wasn’t for you and you must move on. It’s never easy to learn something new, but as Mr. Harvey always says, “If you want to be truly successful and become all that you can be, someday- you must jump.” With that statement I believe he is talking about learning new skills and taking a risk in life. At some point I hope everyone jumps.
February 19, 2016 at 8:38 pm
I respect the “engage people” because I like to explain things to my peers and friends through communication and view their ideas and see what they have to say. I love getting input from people good or bad. Just tell me what I need to fix and I’ll do whatever I can to fix it. My high school football coach is definitely a great example of this because he was always watching to see what I needed to fix or if I did something good he’d let me know. I really want to work on my people skills. I have gotten better through the years of introducing myself and getting connections because connections are the number one job resource available.
February 19, 2016 at 10:06 pm
I respect the idea of engaging your brain by engaging your body. This is an idea I first heard of from a book on General George Patton. Its an old but tried philosophy, and one that needs to be understood. If you sit at a desk all day and never get your heart pumping you will not be productive, your brain will be lagging and your posture will get worse and worse every day. You can’t engage any of these other ideas with a bogged down, lazy mind. Its important that you know that you need to stimulate your mind physically in order to use it mentally.
February 20, 2016 at 12:28 pm
Two admirable habits that come to mind are consistent exercise and unending friendliness. It’s really easy to drop the active part of your day when you get busy, but it takes a lot of dedication and diligence to to commit to a daily workout of some sort. I’ve also noticed that the successful and creative people that I admire do not put people down or talk negatively about anyone. They are pleasant to people’s faces and behind their backs. This can be difficult in the most stressful and angering situations, but it definitely gives a person a solid reputation, as well as positive energy.
For myself, I probably need to work on finding my own type of structure and putting a concentrated effort into my positive or creative habits. Related to point #5 in the article, I’m good at the “question it brutally” part, but sometimes lack in the “respect the status quo” part. Finding that balance will be important for me.
February 20, 2016 at 4:31 pm
The engage your mind by using your body interested me the most because it seems almost impossible for me to sit down and study for hours so this really got my attention. I feel like this could really help and i really like this concept of using your body to help focus more. I think something running like it mentions in the article would be a good way to engage your body and think while you run and just repeat the things you studied in your mind as you run it would really help. I think I am definitely going to have to try this theory and see if it works for me.
February 21, 2016 at 12:43 pm
I have found that I am really good at coming up with ideas and I have some great solutions just engaging my mind is the hardest part. I always have so many things going on in my head it is tough for my mind to focus on just one thing. So whenever I am struggling with an idea or a concept I like to go for a long run. When I am running I am not thinking about anything else. My mind is clear so I can just focus on one thing and really elaborate on that concept. Another thing that really stimulates your brainstorming is thinking about things in a different perspective. In our society we have grown up with rules that tell us to do everything in a certain way. Sometimes breaking out of the societal rules is a very hard thing to overcome but once you do your imagination is endless.
February 21, 2016 at 2:41 pm
Engaging people is a skill that I could improve in the future. In certain situations I have trouble taking advice or criticisms from other. I fall into the trap of believing that I have more experience or knowledge in the area so I am not sure if I should trust their opinion. This class has proven this theory of mine incorrect. I have called quite a few people to get their opinion of my last business concept. When reaching out to these individuals they have all helped me to improve my idea even if they aren’t an expert. In the future when faced with a tough situation or obstacle I will try reaching out to others for solutions.
February 21, 2016 at 7:48 pm
One of my biggest troubles is asking other people for help. Engaging people has never been a strong suit but since I entered college I have been getting better. I have made it a mission of mine to improve my work by asking for advice from others. I do believe that another person’s view on a topic can greatly improve my own ideas on work. In the last three years I have met with teachers and communicated with them about homework in hopes of improvement. Engaging people is necessary and something that I will continue to work on in the future.
February 21, 2016 at 8:23 pm
I admire creative, effective people’s habit of learning about new domains. It is important for entrepreneurs developing a successful business to continually stay up to date on new information, studies, and findings that may be changing in their field of expertise. For example, if I was buying a piece of farm equipment, it would be more likely for me to buy from someone that knew information on the product and could knowledgeable explain what the equipment could provide me, opposed to someone that didn’t know what they were talking about or couldn’t tell me much about the piece of equipment. The most important habit for me to work on and develop is the aspect of engaging you mind by using your body. I like the idea of going on a run or long walks instead of staring at a computer screen, TV, etc. for hours at a time. I like many other in the class think this could help me with my life as a college student. Instead of studying for hours at a time, I could be more successful by engaging my mind while using my mind by going to exercise so my energy level can be increased and could help me retain information more effectively.
February 21, 2016 at 9:26 pm
To be a successful entrepreneur they need to represent every aspect of themselves that makes them stand out. These five virtues are not only needed by entrepreneurs but also as solid sales representatives to engage fully into a sale of a product as well as what the future you can provide in the long term. Continual progression and understanding is a solid base that will satisfy investors and make a business truly stand out from competitors. Originality is not only a spin-off from what others provide but the personable approach is essential to capture the emotions that investors seek that tie them into the investment to gain leverage and good faith for the business. Optimizing the brain its fullest potential is quite frankly never achieved, but channeling it into a certain understanding (or perspective) is what makes or breaks business sales pitches. Fulfilling a migraine problem is in depth understanding that the company, technology, or idea that will continually progress even after the original “barrier” is met. Simply, “setting yourself apart” creates the difference of success and failure. Furthermore, the understanding of business and emotion and being able to understand the two is a hard but pivotal aspect for creating success.
February 21, 2016 at 9:48 pm
We live in a place where specialize on doing something and it has work for many years for our parent and their parent that we don’t want to explore other ways because we don’t want to fail. We should always try and want to find new way new techniques to do stuff. In my opinion specializing in something is good, it save money, time and long hard days. But if everyone just focus on doing one thing and getting perfect we wouldn’t be this advance with technology and in other fields. It’s because of entrepreneurs that we are where we are. They went out of their comfort zone and explore and seen the world as a place to expand and enhance their skills. Even moving to a different town or city makes you look at thing in a different way. We can’t let people try to stop us if they tell us that it can’t be done we should strive to prove them wrong. I like the example it’s given about creating a wireless means of electricity transmission and how she was told by professors, physicists, and engineers that it was impossible. Even though there was no commercial success she explore a new domain and growing in her knowledge. We need to get out and explore and discover new domains.
February 21, 2016 at 9:56 pm
“Respect status quo but question it brutally”. In the modern age I assume that most things that can be improved are incredibly tough to do so. Seeing through that lens means that I rarely question status quo, and don’t see myself improving anything in the world without thousands of hours of effort. In reality I just need to look at things from a different perspective, and use some creativity to see if anything could be changed.
I admire creative people for their ability to think outside the box, but with some success. I can usually come up with something unusual, but it’s never successful. Watching people come at things from a new angle that actually works is always impressive to me. I strive to be able to do that everyday.
February 21, 2016 at 10:41 pm
Of the 5 Habits of Originality, engaging people is the one that I believe is most important. Speaking with other people about your business idea, bouncing ideas off of them and getting feedback is important. Either most people do not know what questions to ask or just simply lack the initiative to get out of your comfort zone. Engaging with people opens up so many opportunities such as refining your business idea, challenging your assumptions and explaining some of your problems so that they might be able to help you solve them. It can be from a fellow entrepreneur, your dad or even consumer feedback, they’re all important. Engaging people has always been a weakness of mine, I find it hard to ask for help or just knowing what I need help on as well but since entering college and moving away from home has kind of forced me to start engaging more people and realizing how important it is for every aspect of life.
February 21, 2016 at 11:34 pm
I like how they talked about doing different kinds of activities to keep their head right. I often times find myself losing it a little bit if I sit in front of a computer screen for to long. I agree sometimes the best thing is to take a few minutes to clear ur head and do something else for awhile to break it up.
February 22, 2016 at 12:25 am
What habits of creative, effective people do you admire? What is most important for you to work on and develop as a habit?
For the 5 habits of originality, I believe that seek and speak the truth, engage your mind by using your body, and engage people are really important. I admire all of these three habits. The one that is most important for me to work on and develop as a habit is seek and speak the truth. It is really important to speak the truth always, so that you aren’t thinking about fake things that aren’t really happening. It is important to speak the truth so that you know what is really going and that you can learn from the mistake you make. In this article it talked about taking constructive criticism, and I believe that speaking the truth and taking this criticism is really important to develop a successful business.
February 27, 2016 at 2:09 pm
Carter Gagnon
I thought the five habits laid out in the article were all good and needed to be a good entrepreneur. The ones that i really connected with were seak and speak truth and engage people. I have had this problems where i get through a calculus or physics problem i do all the math and when i get my final answer it does not match what the answer key says. so ill do it over and over again and get the same thing and just assume the answer key might be wrong because i believe i am doing the problem exactly right. It can be hard to admit you are wrong or just hard to see where things are going wrong. I agree that not being able to handle constructive criticism can be fatal to business and growing your business. The concept of engaging people i also believe is very important for being original. you may think that you have developed the best business model but when you ask a friend they may have seen something that might be an issue or something you are not thinking about. When i was doing papers in high school my mom would always want to read over my papers to make sure that everything read well and i was explaining concepts in a clear matter. getting a second, third, fourth opinion is never anything but beneficial so clean eyes can look and may be able to help you think about things you over looked.