A Thinking Quiz:
1. Name the three richest people in the world.
2. Name the last Heisman Trophy winner.
3. Name the last winner of the Miss America contest.
4. Name three people who have won a Nobel Prize.
5. Name the last three Oscar® winners for best picture.
6. Name the last World Series competitors.

How did you do?
The point is, not many of us can remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one.
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through life.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care about what they do. Take the time to identify those individuals and businesses that have made a difference in your life, your career and the long-term success of your organization.

If those people are no longer with you, why not? Can you get them back? How? If not, can you identify the qualities they possessed that you admired? When you have determined what about them influenced you and your organization, go out and find people who possess those gifts.

Charles Schultz said, “Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.” Create a world around you peopled with those who share your vision and are able to contribute to your efforts.

The core idea for this month’s reason has been in our files for some time, so long we don’t remember who sent it to us. If it was you, call us, so we can thank you publicly.

Design is not art, nor is creativity a gift:  With the protestations of a few colleges aside, design is a process, not an art, and creativity is a way of thinking rather than a natural gift. These two misunderstandings separate clients from practitioners, students from employers and educators from professionals.

The confusion is understandable because design uses elements of art that connect people with one another at an instinctive and emotional level. Where art expresses the ideas of the artist, design presents the messages of its clients to their audiences. Messages are configured to accomplish a specific task and reach a defined objective.

Thinking creatively is like training your body to perform in a prescribed way. Over time you build the “muscle memory” necessary to achieve a particular goal without having to consciously think about it. Ideas and solutions come from nowhere and everywhere, in the shower, waiting for the light to change or as you fall asleep. When the mind is properly prepared and conditioned, every moment can generate new ideas. With diligence and practice, we can all increase our capacity for creativity by refining and perfecting our own natural gifts.

Visit our website for examples of how Essex Two has created art that communicates and developed a process designed to produce solutions.

Worth your time:  If you are looking for new ideas, new products or new procedures it’s time to revisit Popular Science Magazine. They have a window on what will be next before the application process begins. It has always been a publication that could see around corners and now it’s making an effort to look and sound as smart as it is.