We don?t know everything.

We know, what a shocker. *Cue the group eye-roll* But seriously, we learn something new every single day, and we love it. We truly appreciate the fact that we don?t know everything because it still allows us to be amazed by the world. We don?t know everything, and that?s how we like it.

Now don?t get us wrong. The simple fact that we don?t know everything doesn?t prevent us from trying to learn as much as we can. It amazes us how many resources there are to learn new things. Take, for instance, the public library: rows and shelves and rooms full of books and magazines and newspapers (and we’re sure many other things we have yet to discover). We could spend hours perusing the isles of the art section, pulling various books and just sitting on the floor and flipping through the beautiful artwork. It?s even better when the book is immensely oversized and the paintings and drawings show such detail, we feel as though we’re looking at the actual piece.

This brings us to another source of amazement: MUSEUMS! We get goosebumps just thinking about all of the spectacular paintings and sculptures and history in museums. There is nothing like seeing an actual piece of artwork in person, seeing the actual brushstrokes the artist applied to the canvas or the chisel marks on the stone. We know you aren?t allowed to touch the pieces, but one can only imagine what the stone feels like. Is it cold or does it have some warmth? Is it rough or smooth to the touch? It?s amazing the places your mind can and will go just experiencing all that museums have to offer.

These are only a few examples of ways to search out amazement, and we haven?t even touched on the Internet. If you have an Internet connection, there is no limit to the amount of new experiences and tidbits of information you can acquire in just a few minutes!

So the next time you become overwhelmed by the state of the world (and these days it doesn?t seem to be that hard), take a little time to see the amazement. It may take a little searching, but it?s out there, even in your backyard. Take the time to actually smell the flowers, watch the bees fly from each one, even seeing how some flowers follow the sun throughout the day. There is amazement out there, sometimes all it takes is opening your eyes and really looking.

Photo by Pamdora?s Box

?I?m just not feeling very creative today.?

As a creative person, having an ?off? day creatively is going to happen, whether because stress or pressure or even the occasional migraine. It is especially difficult to mumble these words when a deadline is looming and your canvas is as blank as the day you created it. This sets in a panic that will only further hinder those creative juices. (Eww!)

But there ARE things we can do to help prevent (or, at least, lower) these creative blocks.

Answer: Creative HABITS!

Now, you?re probably thinking one of two things. Either ?I already read all the creative mags/blogs/tweets. I?ve got my creative bases covered!? ?OR- ?What?s a creative habit?? If you?re subscribing to PRINT and HOW, reading smashingmagazine.com or click on any interesting links in your Twitter feed, you?ve probably found an article that gets your creative wheels turning. Ideas pop into your head for a random logo or website design. A new font spurs a whole list of ideas for how it can be used. Suddenly you feel a little more ALIVE!

But this is only where it starts. You need to DO SOMETHING with this sudden creative energy.

It doesn?t have to take long. Draw up some quick sketches for those logos. Download that font and play around with some creative ideas. Heck, even create a quick layout for a new website. Get your ideas out of your brain and onto a piece of paper or your computer. This pushes your creative process from short and sporadic to actual creation of a design. The act of actually DOING takes your thought process to the next level.

The more times you take these random bursts of ideas and create something concrete, the easier it will be to ?be creative? when deadlines are looming and clients are calling. The habit has been formed. Just remember, the ?creative brain? is like any other muscle?the more you work it, the more easily it performs. So go out there and WORK IT!

? Post written by Cristy Wiza.

Photo by gsilva.

I don?t have time.

I can?t find the time.

Who has the time?

Where do you find the time?

There are days that I?m trying to cram so many things into my day and not ?having enough time? to get them all done. And there are other days where ?time? can?t seem to move fast enough (usually while doing something unpleasant). Well, the truth is I?ve chosen to not have too many things in my life I find unpleasant. (Yes, it?s a choice. And yes, everyone has it!)

Time is the same for everyone, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year, and everyone chooses to spend it differently. There are things that should be done every day, like brushing your teeth and eating a few meals, and work is usually a standard weekday activity for most people. But what about folding underwear or ironing socks? These are things that, to me, are unnecessary and I don?t enjoy. So I don?t do them. Simple. More ?time? for things I actually WANT to do.

This same application can be applied to the workday. Do I need to check email every 10 minutes? Or can I do that once an hour, or less? If I?m busy, this is one area I can cut back. Also choosing the quickest and most efficient forms of communication, like email or phone. If I look, I can usually find the time to accomplish what needs to get done, or at least a good chunk of it.

It is also important to note that sometimes I use the excuse of ?I don?t have time? for things I don?t actually want to do. This could be conscious or unconscious, but if I really want to do something, I will usually find the time to do it. So the next time you say ?oh, I don?t have the time to do ______?, is it really because you don?t have the time, or is there another reason?

It?s easy to get wrapped up in everyday life, duties, activities and responsibilities, but it?s just as important to take a moment to reevaluate what?s REALLY important. Time only seems to move faster the older you get (not that anyone here is getting OLD), so why not fill that time with as much enjoyable stuff as possible? And really, why not choose to enjoy all activities? (Ok, how about most?)

At Moxie, we always make time for our clients. www.thinkmoxie.com

? Post written by Cristy Wiza.