The Quality of Your Content…

Have you ever thought about the “content” you consume every day? What is your “mind diet”? Most of us go through the day without thinking about what we watch, download, tape, or read. We consume content mindlessly and in ever-increasing quantities. But, just as “you are what you eat,” you’re also what you read and watch. If you take in the same old stuff, don’t be surprised if you feel overloaded and underwhelmed, with no enthusiasm or creativity.

Creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised every day. One of the easiest ways to spark creativity and discover your passion is to reevaluate what your brain takes in. A healthy “brain diet,” just like a healthy food diet, can jump-start your mind’s health and provide you with opportunities for fun, creativity, passion, and enthusiasm.

Try these tips to improve your “mind diet.”

• Surround yourself with creative people. Hang out with writers, musicians, and artists. Often, just being in a creative environment will refresh your mind and inspire you. Meet new people from different walks of life and gain insights into their perspectives on life.

• Scrutinize your subscriptions. Are you reading the same things year after year? Do your current e-mail newsletters and magazines gather dust or remain in your inbox, never to be read? If you’re no longer excited about your subscriptions, let them go.

• Watch and learn. While we have all watched those funny video clips of dogs or cats on the Web, try spending your valuable time watching thought-provoking videos, such as those found on TEDTalks, the cutting-edge lecture series. Or you might try browsing through craft, cooking, or travel blogs for a few minutes each day.

• Carry a notebook or camera everywhere you go. Record interesting things in your everyday scenery that you might not have noticed before.

• Refresh your reading list. Expose yourself to new books and magazines with different words, images, and ideas. Pick up a book on birds, or a novel by a writer you’ve never been exposed to, or a journal on a topic in which you’re interested. This “lights up” the brain and encourages creative thinking. You never know where your next idea will come from.

• Reprogram your DVR. If you watch the same types of programming, get out of your rut by recording programs on completely different topics. Watch a special on nature, choose a program that makes you laugh wildly, or record a movie that you normally would never select. Use the television as a way to shift your awareness rather than tune out.

• Exercise your body before you engage in a creative project. When you move and all that oxygen flows through your body, your brain gets a wonderful burst of energy as well.

• Experiment! Try writing in a journal. Take music lessons. Enroll in a cooking or art class. Avoid judging yourself or comparing yourself to others; just enjoy the creative process and let yourself go. This will stimulate your mind and support the creative process in other areas of your life.

• Never stop learning. Make a conscious choice to learn something new every day.