x My objective in writing this book was to present the principles of the creative process in a simple,
step-by-step formula that could be easily understood and effectively used by virtually anyone.
p.2 It is a fundamental premise of this book that we are all innately creative creatures. Simply
put: To be human is to be creative. Yet in order for you to take full advantage of your innate creative abilities,
it is vital that you see yourself as a creative person.
p.3 We can define creativity as "the process of bringing into form, ideas or ways of living that either
previously did not exist at all or did not exist for an individual or group of individuals."
p.6-7 The critical components of the manifestation formula are:
1. The Vision
2. The Focus
3. The Desire
4. The Commitment
5. The Plan
6. The Execution
7. The Feedback
8. The evaluation
p.8 The creative process described by the Manifestation Formula is a universal one that applies to the creation
of all things and events... if you want to consistently create the results you desire, it is important that you follow
all of the steps in the Manifestation Formula - and in their proper sequence.
p.9 By using the Manifestation Formula as a guide and asking yourself, "Is my vision broad and inspiring
enough, my focus specific enough, my desire intense enough, my commitment strong enough, my plan clear enough, my execution
effective and efficient enough, my feedback reliable enough, and my evaluation thorough enough to see me through?" ...
You will recognize where you are in the creative process and what kind of approach will best advance your goals at any particular
time.
p.12 Your destiny is in your hands, and if you unleash the full force of your own creative power, you will
realize how strong and capable those hands really are.
p.29 Imagination is the beginning of creation. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
p.31 A vision lies behind every creative manifestation... You'll know when a vision hits
you by the energy and excitement you feel. A creative vision gets you going and keeps you going.
p.32 Creative visions rekindle the sense of wonder and exuberance for life that we all knew as children.
They awaken latent powers and abilities that lie dormant within us.
p.33 It's difficult to act without a clear picture of where you are going.
p.34 Henry Ford was once asked where his ideas came from. He replied,
"The air is full of them. They are knocking you on the head. You don't have to think about it too much. You only have
to know what you want, then forget it and go about your business. Suddenly, the idea you want will come through.
It was there all the time."
p.51 Almost all really new ideas have a certain aspect of foolishness when they are first produced. ALFRED
NORTH WHITEHEAD
p.69 Visions arise as creative solutions to particular problems.
p.74 Creative solutions often result from combining things or ideas from seemingly unrelated fields.
The creative synthesis that results from combining two familiar ideas or things can yield something altogether new.
p.76-77 In conclusion, we can say that creative problem solving is a natural result of keen and
critical observation. It's the ability to perceive the essence of a problem, formulate a range of possible solutions, and
select the critical criteria for determining which of these options will most improve the situation. Make the determination
to confront the problems... and to keep looking until you can see a better way.
p.89 Focus can be defined as "the power to consciously decide where to direct your attention and
the ability to hold it upon the objectives you have chosen." ... Focus, then requires a target and concentrated aim.
p.91 Deliberate intention means simply what it says - consciously selecting the object of your attention
and holding it in your awareness.
p.93 the ability to concentrate is a transferable skill. Anything you do that requires you to concentrate
will improve your ability to focus on your goals - or anything else, for that matter.
p.108 The creative tension between the vision of the possible and the limits of the physical world,
challenges the artist to grow
p.109 In order to make a decision, you must determine that something is more valuable than something
else... it is imperative that you establish definite criteria against which you can weigh the potential costs
and benefits of any decision you make. Ultimately, you must go with decisions that support your highest priority
values, even if they are imperfect
p.109 Okay, you must decide, but how do you decide? You start with a criteria. Every decision is
made on the basis of some criteria... Whether you are conscious of it or not, you also have criteria for every decision
you make... criteria determines your choices. Making your decision-making criteria conscious, explicit, and precise helps
to ensure that the decisions you make are the right ones for you... Consciously selecting your decision-making criteria
helps ensure that you bring maximum awareness to the choices you make... anything you can do to improve the quality
of your awareness will improve the quality of your decisions... Generally speaking, effective decisions are made to further
the accomplishment of specific goals or to eliminate problems in achieving them.
p.110 Without goals to serve as guidelines, decisions become random, haphazard, and sometimes - downright
bizarre.
p.113 Five Steps for Making Effective Level-One Decisions
1. Define your purpose.
2. Generate a wide range of alternatives.
3. Identify and rank critical criteria.
4. Match and rank alternatives to criteria.
5. Anticipate consequences.
p.150 By gradable, I mean that progress towards your goal can be easily measured... Your
goal should be stated in such a way as to suggest a feedback system, a way of monitoring progress toward the goal.
p.151 When writing your goals, spell out exactly what you want. Be specific and precise.
p.311 The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along
with people. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
p.323 When you're tying to get your point across, link what your audience already knows, likes, and values,
to your message, and you dramatically increase your odds of getting a friendly hearing.
p.335 Most ignorance is vincible ignorance: We don't know because we don't want to know.
ALDOUS HUXLEY
p.336-337 Often our minds show signs of age long before our bodies do... We lose the questioning
spirit of youth, and with it, the zest for life. We grow mentally lazy, avoiding new fields of inquiry or ideas that
challenge our fundamental beliefs. We settle for answers that we don't understand.
p.338 You also learn whenever you come to distinguish subtler degrees of difference between things,
events, and ideas.
p.341 Let's face it. It's difficult to learn anything when you're trying to prove you already know
it all. None of us likes to admit our ignorance. Yet most of us will admit we don't know everything, which means
we are ignorant of something.
