Office Mentor

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• Historic Fort York David Spittal courtesy murmur.com
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It takes time to spot new opportunities. It takes an open mind to come up and develop new ideas. Business owners need to explore new information and ways of thinking in order to stay current and develop new streams of income. We benefit most when we keep our minds open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

Lexxeigh reminded me of this recently. She's my three-year-old niece and we spent hours together, trying out new ideas. There are so many opportunities to explore and learn with a young child. Playground equipment can be used in so many ways. The swings and slides can be used in the traditional ways, or not. There's so much more to discover when you're really searching.

The sandbox became more interesting when we added water and developed our new "product". We pretended they were cookies. We didn't get around to taste testing the new line, but we enjoyed staying open to the idea of new shapes and flavours.

When Lexxeigh went for her afternoon nap, she was so tired that she slept for hours. I checked on her a couple of times, but missed the fact that she awoke. When I went to check again, Lexxeigh had found my pen and was exploring how she could use it.

She had covered her body with intricate designs and was writing her first novel on my new Egyptian cotton sheets! She was almost done when I arrived and all I could think of saying was, "Why did you do that, Lexxeigh?" Then I realized how silly the question was. Why would she not take advantage of having my pen with so much time and space to fill? She was finding out what was possible.

How do you carve out time to create? Do you block it off in advance or simply hope it will happen? Do you allow yourself to take time off? How often? Have you ever left your PDA or cellphone home alone to go play? How long ago?

It adds a new dimension when you eliminate all the distractions. Try it this month to see what happens.

Do you try to develop new ideas or products? Or, are you happy running this business for a while and not that interested in developing it further?

Do you have a product or service or have you crossed over? I enjoy pushing the boundaries. While most of my work is service based, I develop ideas and seek to find new products for my specific market.

Would you consider blocking off time for a retreat? I'll bet there's a lot of noise in your day-to-day experience. It could even be a business expense, to write off against your income. Try getting away from your business for a few days to sit down and think. When you write down the random ideas that spring up, they can begin to make sense.

Make time to be alone with your thoughts. Arrange some time to reflect. It could let your next big idea bubble up. It's a truism that quiet times allow us to hear what our mind is thinking.

And, it takes a child to remind me to explore new ideas and ways to approach common challenges. If you get the chance, borrow a child and go exploring. It could lead to something worthwhile.

Elizabeth Verwey owns and operates Small Office Mentors. She can be reached at 416-463-1713.