Brainstorm Your Way Out of Job Misery

The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas. – Linus Pauling

A few days ago, I was talking with an acquaintance about creativity -- how some people just seem to bubble over with a constant flow of ideas while others can't seem to dream up anything new.

Fiercely creative souls are always open to innovation. They approach every situation with the idea that there's always a solution; you just have to find it. They're not afraid to brainstorm. They're not afraid to have the "wrong answer." And that's what makes the difference between those who plod along and those who soar.

So what if you come up with 47 possible solutions to a problem and only 2 or 3 will actually work? The more ideas you have, the more opportunity to find workable solutions.

It's the same thing when you're trying to find a way to earn a good income doing what you love instead of remaining in job misery. To find a solution, you have to get a lot of ideas. Some of those ideas will be winners.

1) Start by brainstorming what you'd love to do without putting any filters in place. No "shoulds," "at my age," or "this will never work" statements allowed. Don't eliminate any ideas because at this point, there aren't any good ideas or bad ideas. There are just ideas.

2) Look for trends or common threads in what you wrote down. Do you see any patterns there?

3) Begin looking at the world from a different perspective. Instead of shutting down the creative flow by saying, "This idea can't make any money," start collecting articles, clippings, news items and ideas about how other people have created businesses doing what they love. You'll be absolutely amazed at how some of the "craziest" ideas have been turned into successful and very profitable businesses. Why not you?

You don't have to be a "workplace hostage" for the rest of your life. You can make money doing what you love, but it all begins with allowing yourself to dream and brainstorm.