“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.� This is one of those simple truths that everyone recognizes but more often than not forgets. The trick is to make constant awareness of this obvious — but critical — fact an unconscious part of your daily life. Most people, when going into a new situation, try a little harder. But even so, there are a number of things which you can do to improve the image that people grab during the first thirty seconds. It may be in your body language, the business card, the way you are dressed, or the smell of stale cigarette smoke. And that’s just the start: other things like your introduction, the outdoor façade of your company office, the signs or even lack of signs, the “hello� they get at the reception desk, or the appealing, interactive Web site. The list is almost endless. Unconsciously, your contacts mark a one when you do it right, depending their expectations and a zero when something is missing. Even so, a seriously negative point can erase several positive ones. Be aware of that, because much of the future of your new client relationship will depend on the sum of all these small details.

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In our world, the word creativity sounds pretty normal. Yet it is a serious differentiating point, certainly in the way one chooses to use it. It is also a necessity. After all, what would happen if no new ideas ever came forth? The question arises: is creativity a task or something automatic?

Ask a random group of people to draw what they are thinking or dreaming of. Most of them will say that they can’t draw. Some will say they are not creative and a few will even refuse to draw anything. But there are some people who just seem to do it naturally and even some who continue to struggle with the many different ideas and possibilities that fly through their mind, trying to give them order. It is a curious fact that as children, we all were all busy discovering creativity. But by the time we become adults perhaps only 1 to 3 percent of our creative impulses are left. That is a truly scary fact. And why does this happen? Is it education, rules, limits, laws, negativism, experiences, habits or maybe an incorrect self image? Everybody is creative to some extent … even the gray accountant or the quiet housewife.

Why do we even need it, this creativity stuff? Is it to survive or to have fun? Both, I think. So, let’s just let it happen. Let it be automatic and make it a habit to think in alternatives. Constantly ask yourself the question: is there another way, maybe better, bigger, more red or round, or simply with something extra. Discover unplanned paths and create small every day dreams. Everything is constantly evolving, so why not be smart and be different? Even if it is just a little bit. –>