Successful Blog

  • Home
  • Community
  • About
  • Author Guidelines
  • Liz’s Book
  • Stay Tuned

Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 5

June 26, 2007 by Liz Leave a Comment

Get Closer to You

This is a series of questions, I don’t know how many. They are the ones I ask when I help folks get closer to their personal identity.

What are you doing when you have your best ideas?

I’ll answer first to get things started.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Related
Branding: 5 Ways to Help You Find Out Who You Are
Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 4
Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 3
Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 2
Questions to Get Closer to Your Brand: Question 1
How to Be Alive and 10 Ways to Celebrate It!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Bloggy Questions, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, branding;-self-actualization, Questions-to-Get-Closer-to-You;-personal-identity

Comments

  1. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:12 AM

    A good friend where I used to work, often told other folks, if you want Liz’s best ideas take her for a walk around the building. It’s the movement.

    I can be dancing or pacing, or sitting in my chair swaying. I might have my headphones blaring and be broadly directing the music. My energy, my feelings, the kinesthetic are all tied into my unconscious channel. So when I do dance, walk, direct music, stretch, bend, make the bed, unpack a suitcase, I tune in and open the valve that releases my creativity. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Karin H. says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:26 AM

    Hi Liz

    You always ask us to keep it nice, but bit of tongue-in-cheek is allowed I hope to describe what I’m doing when I have my best ideas? More where I am for that matter that gets in the way now πŸ˜‰
    That little room? Number 100? Where can I powder my nose room?

    You get the idea. Away from disturbances, away from demands on time, eyes and ears. There’s when my thoughts get the chance to focus – I don’t focus them, they focus themselves and they find combinations I hadn’t thoughts of, hadn’t seen, hadn’t realised.

    Hope I kept it nice enough πŸ˜‰

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

    Reply
  3. Steve Roesler says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:41 AM

    This is an easy one, Liz.

    1. I’m alone, online, synthesizing what I read in my favorite blogs

    2. Or I’m in a meeting with people, listening to their struggles about something and the idea takes form as a result of the conversations.

    I don’t think I’ve had a completely original idea in my entire life. But the thoughts of others have always prompted a new way to present something so that it might finally be seen or heard for the first time.

    Hmm. I’m a funnel.

    Film at 11.

    Keep writing…

    Reply
  4. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:44 AM

    Hi Karin!
    So you are in the queen’s private chambers doing the queen’s royal business. That’s an important time for thinking. I’m guessing only a library gets more thinking, yet a fewer reach of people. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  5. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:46 AM

    Hi Steve,
    Careful . . . it’s easier than it looks, but harder than it appears. πŸ™‚

    What I hear you saying is that you are a problem solver. That you get ideas when you need one . . . at that moment. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  6. Karin H. says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:47 AM

    πŸ˜‰

    in the queenÒ҂¬Ò„’s private chambers doing the queenÒ҂¬Ò„’s royal business

    And I’m supposed to live in the UK but couldn’t come up with that description!

    Karin H.

    Reply
  7. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:47 AM

    Karin,
    You never met my mother. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  8. pelf says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:48 AM

    Taking care of the terrapins. I’d either be feeding them, or changing water in their large concrete tanks, or scrubbing the insides of the tanks.

    I think a lot when I’m alone. I form sentences in my head even when I’m in the shower.

    But I do not necessarily put these ideas into words πŸ™‚

    Reply
  9. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 7:55 AM

    Hi Pelf,
    Ah getting away into nature refreshes our thinking. I really believe that. It gets us out of out heads and into the moment. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  10. Scott says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:11 AM

    Love the question.

    I usually have good ideas when I’ve spent hours fruitlessly trying to think of something, then give up and switch on the tv. As soon as I stop trying, the ideas just rush in.

    Reply
  11. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:13 AM

    Hi Scott!
    Ah the famous gestalt . . .

    Don’t push the river, the river pushes itself.

    Yep, I know that one. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  12. karen says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:44 AM

    I usually have great ideas when I am reading a book.

    Most of the things I share in my blog were all from things mentioned in books and my personal experiences

    Cheers!

    Reply
  13. Lewis Green says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:56 AM

    Liz,

    My best ideas come when I am relaxed or having fun. That may mean when I am sleeping, sailing, watching a ball games, enjoying friends and family. Therefore, I keep a notepad next to my bed and always carry one with me.

    Reply
  14. Lewis Green says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:56 AM

    Liz,

    My best ideas come when I am relaxed or having fun. That may mean when I am sleeping, sailing, watching a ball game, or enjoying friends and family. Therefore, I keep a notepad next to my bed and always carry one with me.

    Reply
  15. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:56 AM

    Hi Karen!
    Books get tme thinking too, but then I start reading and forget what I was thinking or I stop reading and forget what I was thinking. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  16. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 8:58 AM

    Hi Lewis,
    Many writers and thinkers find their experience to be the same as yours. Maybe that’s why there are so many pad of paper. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  17. Alina Popescu says

    June 26, 2007 at 9:17 AM

    Hi Liz!

    Great ideas sometimes hit me due to an external factor: a sound, a smell, someone’s words or reactions making me think of a good story. Other times, I get my ideas while listening to music, walking around, or just reading related materials.

    Reply
  18. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 9:49 AM

    Hi Alina!
    If I stop to listen to the silence, then I get really involved in pictures and music in the same way.

    Reply
  19. Nic Darling says

    June 26, 2007 at 10:11 AM

    My best ideas tend to come when I am looking for the solution to an entirely different problem. I will give up attempting to think of a great article idea only to have one surface as I am struggling to find the perfect color for a graphic.

    It is as if, having given up searching my apartment for my lost keys, I go outside to plant a tree and dig the missing set of keys out of the earth.

    Ideas always seem like a pleasant, if somewhat distracting, surprise.

    Reply
  20. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 10:13 AM

    Hi Nic!
    Ideas are a surprise, because they are a like spoiled children who only show up when we don’t demand that they come. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  21. Catherine Carey says

    June 26, 2007 at 10:30 AM

    I agree with Nic Darling. While digging a compost hole I found a ring lost for a year or more. Found my trowel behind the garlic chives at my City Farms plot. Ideas come while I’m digging and weeding mostly.

    Like Liz, walking unleashes good ideas. However, I put knotty problems in the back of my head and forget about them for a while. Often while walking, digging or weeding a few days later, something comes to me.

    Reply
  22. Nic Darling says

    June 26, 2007 at 10:45 AM

    That ring story is a good one. It illustrates the point exactly, and it seems it actually happened.

    One person’s metaphor is another’s reality.

    Reply
  23. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 10:59 AM

    Hi Catherine!
    I often “park” a thought at the back of my head when there’s a problem to solve and go on with a meeting or a conversation . . . a while later when I fetch it back, an answer comes with it. πŸ™‚

    I love the way the brain works for us!

    Reply
  24. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 11:00 AM

    Hi Nic,
    The ring thing happened to me walking across the college quad — lost in fall found to spring. Looked down there it was. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  25. Robert Hruzek says

    June 26, 2007 at 11:27 AM

    It could be lots of places for me, but one thing I’ll guarantee – I WON’T have a way to record it! πŸ™

    Reply
  26. Colette Ellis says

    June 26, 2007 at 12:33 PM

    Hi Liz,
    Great question — I get inspired by music (either mellow when I need to relax or “hard core” when I need to get pumped). Stepping away from the computer also works — keep CNBC on in background for random biz inspirations. I’m looking forward to meeting you at BlogHer ’07 in Chicago!

    Regards, Colette
    InStep Consulting LLC – Discover Your Competent Advantage (TM)

    Reply
  27. Mike says

    June 26, 2007 at 12:47 PM

    Liz,

    Semi-related to Bob’s response, it seems to happen in one of two ways for me. In the first, I’m working in a group on some problem and blurt out the answer – literally. Often it consists of several ideas strung together logically in ways I hadn’t thought of before. If no one writes it down as I say it, I often can’t reproduce it completely. Gaah!

    The second way usually happens just AFTER a session of concentrated work on a problem. A typical example is having to pick up a child from dance. I’ll get in the car, start driving and up pops the solution! That’s why I keep a little notebook in the car now…;-)

    Mike

    Reply
  28. April Groves says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:07 PM

    Liz – I think like Karin – sort of…my best ideas always happen in the shower…but my brain stays so busy (read cluttered) that if I don’t write them down, they are gone.

    Reply
  29. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:13 PM

    Hi Robert!
    I know the frustration of getting a great idea and having to think about it all the way home. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  30. Ellen Weber says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:13 PM

    Great question – as always Liz – and it triggers the ol’ dendrites!

    Best ideas come to me when primed with the kind of questions you ask! I’ll blog more on this one but it was fun to read others’ sparks here.

    Reply
  31. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:14 PM

    Hi Mike!
    Isn’t it amazing how ideas are almost everywhere around us? They just pop up when we quit trying to force them. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  32. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:16 PM

    Hi April!
    In publishing I used to say the new information came in the front and pushed the old out the back. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  33. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:45 PM

    Hi Collete!
    Nice to meet you! Sorry you got stuck in moderation. We’ll be on the same speaking gig at BlogHer won’t we?

    Welcome to the conversation!

    Yeah, music is certain one way that I get ideas, especially when I need something to inspire my writing. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for coming. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  34. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 1:46 PM

    Hey Ellen!
    I always feel like I’ve sparked a master when I manage to send you off with an idea. :). πŸ™‚

    Reply
  35. Brad Shorr says

    June 26, 2007 at 2:04 PM

    Excellent question. My best ideas come when I’m falling asleep, waking up, or taking a long walk. It’s hard for me to be creative while I’m working–too much pressure.

    Reply
  36. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 2:52 PM

    Hi Brad!
    Falling asleep and waking up — that’s when we’re closest to our unconscious. Makes total sense that ideas would sneak out then. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  37. Mike says

    June 26, 2007 at 3:41 PM

    Bicycling. And reading blogs!

    Reply
  38. Char says

    June 26, 2007 at 3:54 PM

    Good afternoon Liz! My best ideas usually arrive around 3 am, or in the shower, or while waiting in a doctor/dentist office. I just never know!

    Reply
  39. Joanna Young says

    June 26, 2007 at 3:57 PM

    Hi Liz, another great question, thanks!

    My best ideas come when I’m travelling on the bus. I think it’s because I can’t do anything else, am relaxed waiting to get to my destination and my mind starts to drift… just like floating downstream.

    Then kerpow! An idea or new project or something that needs to be written just pops into my head.

    I always carry pen and paper so try and jot it down but get travel sick so have to try and write without looking at the words!

    Joanna

    Reply
  40. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 4:33 PM

    Hi Mike!
    It’s dangerous to be bicyclimg while reading blogs! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  41. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 4:35 PM

    Hi Char!
    It may just be a change of scenery has something to do with it . . . or a change of noise level. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  42. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 4:38 PM

    Hi Joanna,
    It sounds like what you do while sitting on that bus has a LOT to do with shy you get great ideas. Relaing yourself into an almost meditative space is a great use of time for making ideas fly. I can just picture you writing it in your mind while your hand is pushing a pen across some paper. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  43. Glenda Watson Hyatt says

    June 26, 2007 at 4:46 PM

    Liz,

    I’m with Karin; I’m thinking I should take more showers! In fact, a brilliant idea for my Living Room Chats washed upon this me this morning. Stay tuned!

    Reply
  44. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 4:49 PM

    Hi Glenda!
    Yea! Great ideas are famous for appearing in the shower.

    Reply
  45. Solo Business Marketing says

    June 26, 2007 at 5:38 PM

    Showering is also the time when my best ideas are formed. Otherwise, my best ideas are formed when I’m:

    1. Traveling to New York by bus.
    2. Eating out (preferably lunch) at a restaurant.

    I’m a morning person, so no great ideas are formed in the afternoon or evening. My brain begins its shutdown at 1:49 pm.

    Great question, Liz.

    Shirley

    Reply
  46. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 6:38 PM

    Hi Shirley!
    Riding in a car or bus without someone to talk to does seem to get the brain going, doesn’t it?

    Just having space around us where we can spread out our thoughts without the usual view is a great thing too. Food helps. πŸ™‚

    2pm sounds like a great time for a nap or phone call πŸ™‚

    Reply
  47. gp says

    June 26, 2007 at 9:22 PM

    i’ll keep it short and pithy
    1) when i’ve purposely gotten up to walk away from the conondrum in question and just free thinking and of course
    2) on equine back!

    gp in montana

    Reply
  48. ME Strauss says

    June 26, 2007 at 9:27 PM

    HI GP!
    That walking away thing has its values, especially the walking part. πŸ™‚

    I’m not sure I could pull off the equine session. I’m more of the think in the garden one. Can’t fall if I’m already on the ground. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  49. Roy Jacobsen says

    June 27, 2007 at 6:26 AM

    I’ve been following Julia Cameron’s advice and making myself write three pages in my journal every morning. Plenty of ideas bubble to the surface then.

    I’ve also said more than once that I need a waterproof notebook to keep in the shower, because that seems to be a fruitful thinking place for me.

    Walking and talking, or sitting at a meal, with my wife and kids. That’s where the really crazy ideas come out.

    Reply
  50. ME Strauss says

    June 27, 2007 at 6:32 AM

    Roy!
    I’m thinking I might start something like that too. It’s a great way to make space for ourselves as well as to make a place for our ideas. Getting away from the computer offers our brains an entirely different interface with with to open up.

    It’s so great to see you! Just last night I told someone you were the person she should call. Blogger synchronicity finds you here today. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  51. Chris Cree says

    June 27, 2007 at 11:05 AM

    For me it’s simple. My best ideas come to me in the shower. I have no idea why.

    Reply
  52. Nic Darling says

    June 27, 2007 at 11:08 AM

    Hi Liz,

    I just posted a short article on marketingneophyte.com inspired, in part, by your question and the answers it generated. It poses a couple of questions toward the end to which I would love to hear the responses of you or any of those that commented here. It isn’t a spectacular post but I hope you have a moment to stop in.

    Reply
  53. ME Strauss says

    June 27, 2007 at 11:25 AM

    Hi Chris!
    Maybe ideas live in the pipes . . . πŸ™‚ j/k

    Reply
  54. ME Strauss says

    June 27, 2007 at 11:26 AM

    Hi Nic!
    That’s so cool that this could be an idea generator. I’ll be over to take a look as soon as I can. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  55. Roy Jacobsen says

    June 27, 2007 at 1:29 PM

    One more thing:
    I’ve been trying that whole “expectant attitude” thing. I expect that great ideas will show up. I think that a big part of the trick here is that it puts you into a frame of mind, it helps set your mental filters to be open to that thing you’re expecting.

    It’s like how when you just get a new car, and suddenly, you see that model of car everywhere you go. It didn’t change the number of them driving around, but your mental filters are now open to seeing them.

    It’s great to be here. Life has been crazy-busy, but altogether good. I am the luckiest guy I know. Thanks for spreading my name around!

    Reply
  56. ME Strauss says

    June 27, 2007 at 1:47 PM

    Hi Roy!
    That expectant thing. I never realized how that must affect me. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who gets ideas easily . . . and I do. πŸ™‚

    Lovely to have you here, lucky guy. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  57. Whoa says

    July 6, 2007 at 3:09 AM

    Usually when i’m either driving (at a traffic jam) or about to get some sleep… But mostly when i’m at the shower (like Chris).

    Somehow, the lack of sound (to some point) with some solitude in my thoughts, gets the solutions out of my brain!

    Reply
  58. ME Strauss says

    July 6, 2007 at 5:49 AM

    Hi Whoa!
    Silence is a great catalyst for reflection. Reflection opens our unconscious to allows access to our ideas. Witin the silence our left brain can quiet allowing us to use our right brain to see pattrns and to reconize context.

    Many people get ideas in the shower. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  59. Todd Jordan says

    December 28, 2007 at 11:02 AM

    I have my best ideas at night, when trying to get to sleep, or in the car on the way to work, or when I’m engaged in communication.

    Reply
  60. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 28, 2007 at 4:41 PM

    Hi Todd!
    I like the night sky, especially. The stars inspire me.

    Reply
  61. isabella mori says

    December 29, 2007 at 10:12 PM

    oh, having ideas is not a problem for me. they are everywhere! in the shower, while going for a walk, when reading something, when writing, in bed, while doing the dishes, in an interesting conversation Ò҂¬Â¦ i think iÒ҂¬Ò„’d need to ask, when do i NOT have ideas? (i think all ideas are good, thatÒ҂¬Ò„’s what my painter father taught me). i donÒ҂¬Ò„’t have ideas when iÒ҂¬Ò„’m stressed and bored and in the company of people who i donÒ҂¬Ò„’t connect well with.

    (interesting how this is a question that has more answers than the others i’ve done so far)

    Reply
  62. Sarah says

    December 30, 2007 at 5:01 AM

    After I’ve trained in the gym or done Yoga at home. It’s like my mind is able to clear of eveything that is not important and then just fills with ideas that I am actually now able to make sense of.

    The other one is reading whether it is blogs, books, newspapers, etc. But I need to have trained on a regular basis to keep my mind free and open.

    Reply
  63. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 30, 2007 at 10:07 AM

    Hi Sarah,
    I know what you mean. If we don’t use our bodies in some way, we end up thinking too much inside our heads. πŸ™‚

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recently Updated Posts

How to Build up Your Career by Showing Off Your Uniqueness

How to Build up Your Career by Showing Off Your Uniqueness

How to Know if Your Marketing Strategy is Working

How to Know if Your Marketing Strategy is Working

3 strategies for achieving business growth

Three Strategies for Achieving Business Growth

Build a foundation that will grow with you

Build a Foundation that Will Grow with You

Should Computers Have Warning Labels – The Disgraceful State Of Computer Safety

Why Your Company Is Chasing Too Many Bad Sales Leads

Why Your Company Is Chasing Too Many Bad Sales Leads



From Liz Strauss & GeniusShared Press

  • What IS an SOB?!
  • SOB A-Z Directory
  • Letting Liz Be

© 2022 ME Strauss & GeniusShared