Neil Tepper is an interesting fellow. As a creative director for Coca Cola for 10 years he helped keep the brand constantly fresh and new by thinking out of the box and encouraging others to do the same. When he worked with Universal Television he brought us such quirky shows as Northern Exposure and Coach. In his current incarnation as "The Creativity Doctor," Tepper seeks to help all of us bridge our logical left-brain selves with our creative and free spirited right-brain selves to bring more joy and creativity into our lives.
Tepper addresses seven maladies in this short but useful book: Stress and Overwork, Mental Cholesterol, Time Anemia, Information Overload, Lack of Comfort Zone, Pressure, and Faded Passion. In each section there are exercises that serve to get us to focus on ourselves and our lives as we would like to lead them so we can, in short, get our heads out of our butts and start really living well.
Now, these prescriptions are not always easy. To clear mental cholesterol you start by listing 15 things that you believe are blocking your creativity and freedom. Then you take seven days to do conscious breathing for five minutes a day and wrote down your sensations. Then seven days of stillness meditation, followed by "dates with silliness."
Each prescription requires work and focus on yourself, as that is required for any change to place. A small book, yes, but there is so much power here if you follow the prescriptions and actually do the work involved.
Article comments
1 - Margaret
Thanks, Lynda, for sharing this book. I am definitely sharing this with some co-workers.
2 - Lynda Lippin
You're welcome Margaret. It is a short useful way to up your creative juices and make life a little more fun - something we can all use.