Last month I gave you the next three secrets to how I boosted my own creativity. So far, we have discussed habit, attitudes and unlearning old lessons. Now I will reveal another three secrets that will bring your creativity up another notch. Are you ready?

1. Make it a group activity

You’ve heard the saying “two heads are better than one”, and I say, “the more the merrier!” Get together with others to brainstorm and kick around ideas. If there is someone you know whom you think is very creative, make sure you invite that person into your group. Pay attention to how he thinks and see what you can learn from each other. Group brainstorming sessions are not only highly productive, they are educational, and fun!

Don’t think that you can only include people who are familiar with the subject matter into the group. Sometimes having someone with a completely different perspective is exactly what you need to steer you from the linear thinking you may be stuck in.

2. Remember that it’s okay to think small

Many small ideas resulted in incredible results. Here’s an example to illustrate my point. I know I am dating myself, but how many people remember key-punch cards for computers? Back in the stone age of computers, in order to do programming, people had to write down the instructions in whatever programming language. Then they had to insert these cards into a key punch machine and punch in the instructions. If you had a large program, you would end up with a stack of cards. These are then fed into the computer for it to run the program. (I apologize if this explanation is not exactly accurate. But this technology is now pretty much obsolete.) If you have ever seen one of the key-punch cards, you might have noticed that there is a little notch cut off at the upper left hand corner of the card. Do you know why that is?

The story is that in the key-punch hay-days, a lot of cards were getting jammed in the machines because the corners would get bent while being fed into the machine. I have no idea how long this went on until one day, a creative engineer at IBM suggested that they just cut a little triangle off the corner. Lo and behold, they tried the suggestion and it worked like a charm! Rumor has it that individual was very generously rewarded for his stroke of creativity.

Let this story be the inspiration for your approach to creative solutions to anything. Your idea does not have to be huge and earth shattering to have a profound effect. Take the pressure off yourself and think small. Just think outside the box. Everyone expected key-punch cards to be perfectly rectangular, but who’s to say they HAVE to be that way!

3. Believe in your own creativity

Ever heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy? It works in this situation too. If you think and believe that you don’t have a creative bone in your body, guess what? You WON’T have a creative bone in your body. However, many of the experts in this field firmly believe that we ALL have creative abilities. We just have to learn how to access them. So, this is the most important secret I am sharing with you. Start believing that you can learn how to access your creative talents and you will improve in this area as long as you work on it.

I am all the proof you need. I thought I only had half a brain – the left side. But I wanted to develop my creative skills. And I believed that it could be learned. With some hard work and tenacity, now I’ve moved my creativity scale. I am still a long ways off from challenging Tolkein (who in my opinion is one of the most imaginative people who ever lived). But I am more confident of my ability to stir up my creative juices when needed. And I find that I enjoy my creative activities more and more. You too can make improvements in this area. Just follow my example.

In summary, creativity is a skill that can be developed and honed just like cooking, typing, and public speaking. You just need to know how to adjust so you can improve. I have shared the most effective lessons I’ve learned about becoming more creative. Now go out there and practice.