Almost 90% of all individuals lose their basic ability for creativity by the age of eight years old. One could look to many excuses or reasons why this happens, but it happens. One of the most commonly attributed reasons for this has been the apparent lack of emphasis on individual creative thinking during an individuals normal day at elementary school.

Granted, a greater awareness of this problem and the necessity of creative thinking in life is being addressed, But there are new forces brewing that continue to adversely affect creativity. The most commonly pointed to being the multiplicity of mindless video games.

Recreational playing (meaning occasional playing) of video games may not be too harmful. Taking into account the nature of the individual games and their unnecessary levels of violence (another subject to be addressed). But when individuals become obsessed with the play, one is wasting all too much time in this mindless entertain-me-attitude activity. It then completely removes the opportunity for real creative play and activity.

At any rate, the purpose of this writing is not to discuss my personal feelings on the subject, which I suppose are obvious, or even not to discuss what not to do with ones time. The purpose is to discuss what one can do to turn the tide and rejuvenate creativity inside oneself.

There are so many positive activities that encourage creativity. The following list is by no means comprehensive, but may, at least, stimulate you thinking as to all the many others at your fingertips:

1. Hobbies requiring physical activities

2. Hobbies requiring the use of the mind in collecting, assembly, and research

3. Journal writing

4. Creative writing and poetry

5. Various means and expressions of art

6. Scrapbooking

7. Personal analysis of problems or challenges in the world around us (armchair scientist)

In order to foster creativity, one must frequently think outside the proverbial box. Often there are more possibilities and solutions than we presently see. But we must be willing to open our minds to see the broader spectrum of possibilities.

One can increase their ability for creative thought with simple daily exercises. Functions performed in the mind while actually doing something else.

Something such as mathematical progressions: 17 plus 17 plus 17....etc. What is X squared, squared, squared....etc. Or something like how many words can be made ending in ed?

Something I thought of the other day: Create new words, then create their definitions. Some may actually already exist.

Someone mentioned the word happify. Thats a real word. It means to make happy.

Here is a list of new words I created:

* beautificate: to administer beauty upon a subject.

* liftificate: to discover the most elementary methods of raising an object up.

* felicitate: assisting the pursuit of happiness (not to be confused with facilitate).

* euphoritate: assisting the achievement of absolute joy.

* ecstatify: to lift ones attitude into an intense delight.

* imagification: to assist others in enabling them to conceive of new concepts or ideas.

* fantalization: to fully imagine the reality of positive pending situations soon to come.

* studiousation: the act of applying oneself to intelectual pursuits.

* antiquantification: being engaged in the act of refuting seemingly solid evidence contrary or totally irrelevant to the research at hand.

* hyperstatistification: aggressively pursuing a research discipline requiring immediate attention.

Will any of these words make it into Websters Dictionary? Will any of yours? Who knows....unless you write them!

So get on your thinking caps and get busy. There is so much potential locked away in your mind, just waiting to be discovered and revealed to the world.

Imagination awaits the desire of your own heart.