The Cure for the Know-It-All Syndrome

Don't be a know-it-all
Have you ever felt like you’ve reached the peak of your career and there is nothing more to learn? Do you feel bored, stuck, or burned out by doing the same things over and over again? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be suffering from a common problem. It’s familiar to experienced and mature management executives, business owners, and professionals. It’s the know-it-all syndrome.

The know-it-all syndrome is when you think you have all the answers. You’ve seen it all before. You stop being curious, open-minded, and willing to learn new things. This limits your personal growth, professional development, and creativity. It can also make you miss out on valuable opportunities, insights, and innovations.

Worst of all, you risk alienating your friends, colleagues, and family. No-one likes a crusty know-it-all. When you see your dog cringe that’s a sure sign things are bad. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

So how can you overcome the know-it-all syndrome and bring and positive change in your life and work? Continue reading “The Cure for the Know-It-All Syndrome”

Throw your heart over the wall

Nothing like a great dystopia to get your creative juices flowing
Building a strange new world is a great way to get your creativity juices flowing. It’s so liberating to exist in a space where your imagination knows no bounds. You don’t like it? Fine! Change it. And change yourself in the process.

Dystopias are where you can venture into the unknown and stare at the future or the past. Imagine exploring all the possibilities – because you can.

This is where speculative fiction and art intersect. Dystopian landscapes challenge our perceptions of reality and ignite our creative spirits. In many respects, every work of fiction depends on creating a dystopia. Even the most mild romance novel relies on a created world. And opera – people burst into song at random moments. Continue reading “Throw your heart over the wall”

How to Escape the Grip of Social Media


Rediscovering Creativity: 
When I was a kid my mother made me birthday cakes. I had a seal with a ball on its nose, a train, a pineapple, and a gingerbread cottage. To defend what seems like a complete cake greed on my part, I must point out that my birthday fell around the same time as an annual cake decorating competition; and, I shared my birth day (and cake) with my father and grandmother. In hindsight, the cakes weren’t for me at all. No matter what, I don’t know how my mother found the time to make the cakes and then decorate them.

I probably only remember these cakes because Dad made photos of them using his prized Kodak rangefinder. They were colour slides – Kodachrome, of course. The slides lived in the yellow plastic box and viewing them was a special event in itself. I remember the photos and the projector rather than the cakes themselves. Although we were all proud of my mother’s creative efforts and the time and effort it took to create these prize-winning decorated cakes, few other people ever knew about them. There was no social media in those days.

Social media can be a great way to connect with others, stay up-to-date on the latest news, and find inspiration. But for busy creatives, it can also be a major distraction. If you’re feeling like social media is holding you back from your creative potential, here are a few tips to help you break free:
Continue reading “How to Escape the Grip of Social Media”