A good friend of mine said something to me at dinner this week that really hit me: “Aim Up, Compare Down.”

So many of us drive ourselves crazy by comparing “up.” Rather than enjoying our own circumstances, we lust for the things and traits possessed by others. We crush our own spirit by comparing ourselves to those that are smarter, younger, better looking, more successful, taller, wealthier, better athletes, etc. Unfortunately, this is just a recipe for feeling like shit.

In always comparing up, we lose perspective of where we stand. Instead of appreciating what we are, we obsess about what we’re not. We fail to savor our accomplishments and natural gifts, always grasping for something more in a never-ending futile effort that depletes our confidence and sense of self.

Comparing down, in contrast, helps you realize and enjoy where you are in the moment. It helps you recognize that while there’s always room to grow on your path, you’ve already accomplished the things that only exist in the dreams of others. Sure, there’s always someone with a bigger boat, but never lose sight of those with much less.

I’m sure there are many different ways to interpret the idea of comparing down. To me, it’s not about comparing yourself to other people or being boastful. It’s about comparing “down” to a previous version of you. It’s about recognizing how far you’ve come and realizing that things could always be a lot worse.

Now comparing down isn’t an excuse to stop pushing ahead and striving. That’s where “aiming up” comes in. As far as I can tell, the purpose of life is to realize your full potential and make your biggest possible impact on the world. You won’t get there by aiming (or dreaming) small. Aiming at a target in front of you will propel you to play your best possible game. It will allow you seize the enormous opportunity that’s waiting for you.

So many of us have the formula backwards, don’t we? We aim down because we’re afraid of putting ourselves out there and failing. By playing it “safe”, we end up filled with regret for all the shots we never took. And to top it off, we compare “up.” Envy overwhelms us, starving our own sense of well-being and fulfillment. And with every step forward, we immediately seek something new and shiny to covet instead of appreciating our accomplishments in the moment.

It’s time to turn conventional thinking upside down. It’s time to embrace a fresh perspective that will push you to new heights while embracing the joy you’ve earned at each step along your path.

Forget the traditional approach. Aim Up, Compare Down.

Some things just “can’t” be done, right?

Up until 1954, the top scientists and athletes agreed that running a mile in under four minutes was physically impossible. Never been done in all of history. That is, until Roger Bannister did it on May 6 and shattered this preconceived notion. Just 46 days later, another runner broke the four-minute mark and from then on, times continued to decrease.

With a fresh year ahead of you, you’re probably reflecting on the things you want to do. It may be to fit into that new pair of jeans. Or perhaps you have bigger goals: to drive social change, launch a business, or heal the sick.

Throughout the journey, you’ll be met with challenges that will test your resolve. You’ll be dealt that inevitable setback, making it easy to play the victim card. When you say something “can’t” be done, you are relinquishing your power. It is the world’s fault that a goal wasn’t met, not yours. It may be easier to rationalize in that moment, but in doing so you end up settling instead of achieving.

Often the difference-maker for high achievers is that they are willing to do what others won’t, not what others can’t. They own their outcomes, and take personal responsibility for seeing it through rather than playing the blame-game. Tough spots don’t have to indicate game-over status. Also-rans may crumble, but champions never waiver.

What if Martin Luther King Jr accepted that racial equality was impossible and not worth pursuing? What if Google felt that cataloging the world’s information couldn’t be done? The minute we stop pushing the limits as a society, civilization crumbles. And the same applies to you.

The next time you’re faced with an obstacle, stop focusing on all the reasons you can’t conquer it. Instead, pivot your thinking to “What steps need to happen – even if they are difficult – in order to see this through?”

If you are pursuing anything worth doing, they heat is likely to get really hot. Before you forfeit your dreams, perform a careful examination to see if you are really in a “can’t” dead-end or just a “won’t” situation. Turns out that 90% of the things we think are impossible just require some extra grit and determination to make them a reality. Bottom line: mojo is the antidote for adversity.

2012 is your time. Your time to shatter conventional wisdom. Your time to do the never-been-done-before. Your time to crush the impossible. Your time to make a difference.

After I graduated college, I launched my second business – Innovative Computer Solutions. We sold computer hardware and provided networking and other computer-related services. After 11 months of business, I was doing well. But as Jim Collins likes to say, “Good is the enemy of great.”

In 1994 the computer world was in the midst of massive upheaval. And an introspective look in the mirror revealed a company that was on the path to mediocrity. I was making money and winning clients, but our products and services were a commodity. A me-too player. And let’s face it… the world doesn’t need another me-too player. The world doesn’t need another me-too anything.

So with less than one year of operations, I decided to sell a business that appeared to be full of success and promise. This was a hard decision, since the business was making money and growing rapidly. But I knew that it wasn’t my destiny. I knew that I needed to let go of one opportunity in order to seize a bigger one.

Letting go is never easy, especially when things are “okay.” Many people find themselves in “okay” jobs, “okay” relationships, and living “okay” lives. It takes boldness and courage to let go of the known to pursue the wonder and magic of what’s possible.

As human beings, fear often immobilizes us and keeps us grounded to the “okay.” But then we eventually look back – filled with regret that we never went for it. Never took that big risk. Never chased down our true potential. We end up playing it “safe”, only to realize that playing it safe is the riskiest move of all. Because playing it safe gets in the way of your real trajectory and robs you from reaching new heights.

We all have “to do” lists. What would be on your “letting go” list? What are the things you need to release in order to make room for the new? What are you clinging to out of habit or perceived safety that has lost its enduring value?

Sometimes, you simply need to let go. You must let your own grit and determination become your new safety net. And in the process, you’ll make room for the possibilities while liberating your spirit.

We’ve all experienced déjà vu, looking at an unfamiliar situation and feeling like we’ve seen it before. It turns out the most successful and creative people flip this around and consciously practice Vu Déjà – looking at a familiar situation as if you’ve never seen it before.

Our brains are hardwired to play a devious trick. We are masters at pattern recognition, so our brains quickly scan our memory banks when stimulated and identify how we handled a situation before. The problem is that our first instinct is to quickly reach a previous conclusion rather than re-examine a situation with a fresh perspective. This is great for some things (walking, using a fork, language) since we don’t need to re-learn those skills each time they’re needed. However, this brain trap can be deadly when we fail to advance our thinking.

The way you solved a customer issue or launched a product in the past may have worked great, but the world isn’t standing still. Quite the opposite – every night when we go to bed and wake up the next day, things have changed. Those that get stuck in the past and lean on the golden ways of a time gone by are playing Russian roulette with their future.

Even when something is still working, it’s time to look at the situation with a clean set of eyes. When you look at challenges from a fresh perspective, it breaks you out of the rut and allows your creativity to shine.

To get started with Vu Déjà, here are some fun techniques:

• Pretend this is your first day on the job. What do you notice that your currently breeze by?
• When dealing with an issue, imagine you have a different profession. If you’re a chemical engineer, ask yourself how an artist may solve your problem. If you are a graphic designer, how would an astronaut think about your situation?
• Pretend you are a different person altogether. Instead of brainstorming as you, try pretending you are Steve Jobs, Rush Limbaugh, or Bono. Pick your favorite movie star, sports hero, business leader, politician or author and take on their persona.
• Imagine you are a time traveler and look at a challenge from the perspective of 100 years in the future. Or 200 years in the past.

Each of these exercises will help you shake things up and get away from existing patterns. A fresh perspective on team meetings, employee issues, product development, efficiency gains, hiring practices, marketing strategies, or even financial metrics can help you bust through the mud and find new, elegant solutions.

Make the familiar as unfamiliar as possible. Vu Déjà.

The scuba industry in Hawaii was facing a real problem. Declining sales, increased competition for shrinking entertainment dollars, and new consumer alternatives were creating a downward spiral. While scuba diving was an incredible experience, it was a real burden to customers. It requires certification, carrying heavy tanks, and restrictions on when you can fly home afterwards. Plus it’s expensive.

As the industry clammed up and did nothing but cut prices, one company dared to be different. SNUBA used their creativity to remove the obstacles that were keeping customers away. They developed a radical new approach, and were rewarded handsomely for the effort.

Instead of divers lugging heavy tanks, SNUBA keeps the tank up on the surface in a raft and connects to customers with a 20 foot hose. Divers get a similar experience to scuba (breathing underwater), but SNUBA requires no certification, training, heavy-lifting or flight restrictions. And the activity is a fraction of the cost of the old-school model. The fusion of snorkeling and scuba diving created a fresh new category and allowed this company to blast off. Now considered the safest form of diving, over five million people have enjoyed SNUBA worldwide.

Very few businesses today are enjoying steady growth simply by riding the old model. Financial crisis, global recession, soaring unemployment, intense global competition, and increasing speed have wreaked havoc on nearly every industry. As the world is in the midst of massive upheaval, simply tweaking the old model or finding how to save a couple pennies per unit just won’t carry the day. To win in the new era of business, you need to reinvent. Change the game. Find your own version of SNUBA.

Developing breakthrough ideas is hard work, but “playing it safe” with incremental improvements to an outdated model is actually the riskiest move of all. To begin your bold journey, give a technique called EdgeStorming a try. EdgeStorming is the racy, big-thinking cousin to brainstorming. Similar to brainstorming, you list a challenge and generate lots of ideas without judgment. But with EdgeStorming, the only acceptable ideas are ones that go to the edges. Ideas that go all the way.

To qualify, and idea must be radical, big, and game-changing. Improving a product by 3% doesn’t count. Completely inverting your business model or inventing a new product category… these make the list. You can always ratchet the ideas back later on, but going to the edges will help you break through traditional barriers and unlock your best thinking.

Give it a try, and see if you can invent the next Starbucks, iPod or Swiffer. This week, unleash your imagination and explore the never-been-done-before. And if all goes well, you and your company might just SNUBA your way to tremendous success.

Imagine you had the challenge of inventing a better mousetrap. Literally. A typical brainstorm session may yield incremental improvements in the spring on a mousetrap, or the bait, or the construction materials.

The whole essence of igniting your curiosity is to question and challenge everything. Why does a mousetrap need to use a spring at all? What other ways are there to catch a mouse? How could a mouse be contained in a completely different way?

The more radical you allow your curiosity to wonder, the better. “What if we pumped water into the house and filled the entire house in order to flood the mice out?” This type of breakthrough thinking is exactly what you should seek. Of course you would not actually ruin an entire house with water, but perhaps you’d invent a mousetrap that catches mice in a water-based trap. The essence is to push yourself and your team outside of normal boundaries and let your imagination run wild. You can always tame it back later as needed.

Best-selling author and professor of psychology at the University of Chicago Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi said, “Creativity generally involves crossing the boundaries of domains. The most creative among us see relationships the rest of us never notice.”

True originality has never emerged from a formula. Rules are precisely what innovators and other paradigm shifters break. And to reach these new heights of creativity, let an unbridled sense of curiosity and awareness serve as your building blocks.

The old expression, “Curiosity killed the cat” couldn’t be more useless and out of date. A more appropriate phrase in light of today’s global business climate would be, “A lack of curiosity killed the cat”, or, “Curiosity helped the cat catch the mouse.”

Especially with your new patent-pending, revolutionary, groundbreaking water-based mousetrap.

There are two types of people in the world – Zappers and Sappers. When you are with a Zapper, you feel energized. You become engaged, you lean forward, you feel stimulated. This enhanced state is ideal for creative expression.

On the other hand, there are the Sappers. These are the folks that drain your energy. You could have just gulped six shots of espresso and four Red Bulls, yet you want to fall asleep after speaking with them for five minutes.

The thing is, we all have both types inside of us, and we have a choice as to how we impact others. In meetings and brainstorm sessions, what do you do? Do you Zap your colleagues with energy and inspiration, or do you Sap them dry of their creativity and motivation? With an increased sense of awareness and empathy, it’s up to you. You get to decide if you want to be a Zapper or Sapper.

In their book, Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment, Authors William Byham and Jeff Cox talk about the impact of Zapping in the workforce. The results? Improved productivity, quality, and employee satisfaction.

In the same way you are used to managing the clock or managing a budget, you should think about managing energy… especially in creative brainstorming sessions. The collective energy of the room can build into a frenzy, unleashing brilliant ideas while having a great time. Or it can devolve into yet another boring, BlackBerry-checking, clock-watching, drone session.

Do everything you can to keep the energy up. High-fives, cheers, and positive vibes for all. Don’t allow negativity and energy-draining commentary to suck the life out of the room while sucking the life of your creativity. Energy is the raw material of creativity. Engender it, and the creativity of your team will soar. Extinguish it, and you’ll end up with yet another set of watered down, group-think, same-old-same-old, not-so-exciting ideas.

This week, make a conscious effort to Zap everyone you come in contact with. Instead of random acts of kindness, try random acts of Zapping. Energize those around you, and you’ll end up energizing the creativity and imagination of your team. That energy will build momentum and help you achieve the results you seek.

Ready….set…. Zap!

If you wanted to start a groundbreaking business in 1981 where you could express your creativity and beat your competitors, I bet you wouldn’t have chosen the nail polish industry. At the time, it was a mature industry with deeply entrenched leaders such as Maybelline and Max Factor. Going head-to-head with these giants who were well capitalized, enjoyed extensive distribution, and owned highly-recognizable consumer brand names would be a crazier bet than taking your life savings to the track.

George Schaeffer, however, had a different idea. He believed that creativity could differentiate his new company even in the highly competitive world of cosmetics. He launched his new company, OPI, and he’s been beating the odds ever since.

George used curiosity to question the status quo. He realized that other nail products were sold at drug stores and department chains, so he sold his products only through salons. He also used the Magic Three Questions (why? What if? and Why Not?) around the names of his nail polish colors. WHY do the names of colors have to be boring? WHAT IF we developed names that were fun, romantic, and mysterious instead of boring? None of the competitors sell adventure and intrigue, WHY NOT?

Today, OPI is one of the hottest and most successful nail polish manufacturers in the world. Their various collections represent exotic and romantic places around the world such as the Mexico Collection or the South Beach Collection. Instead of the boring names used by competitors such as “bright pink” or “dark red”, OPI’s names are a riot. Here are a few of my favorites:

• I’m not really a waitress
• We’ll always have Paris
• Lincoln Park after dark
• Your cabana or mine?
• Yes, I can-can
• Your royal shy-ness
• Keys to my Karma
• Sand in my suit
• My private jet
• Text me? Text You!

By questioning conventional wisdom and challenging the status quo, OPI went on to become a tremendous success. Their original sparks of curiosity led to a new approach to distribution and product names. Their fresh approach broke through a mature, commodity business and led to great results. If they can create groundbreaking change in the nail polish industry, just think what you can do you your industry.

EXERCISE: You and your team have just been hired as Creative Directors at OPI. Your job is to invent new names for various OPI colors. Take five minutes and brainstorm a list of new names for nail polish. Make sure the names are fun, suggestive, mysterious, adventuresome, sexy, and/or alluring. Post your best names as a comment to this blog. Let’s show our goods here as part of the Creativity Generation!

Remember when you were a kid and you read Where’s Waldo books?

“Where’s Waldo? Where’s Waldo? Where’s Waldo ?!?” The fun of the books was not in the story line, but scanning the complex illustrations to find your friend in a red striped shirt hiding in the crowd.

During the process, your level of awareness skyrocketed. You noticed things that you would have never noticed at first glance. You noticed what color balloons the little girl was holding. And how many chickens the farmer was chasing after. And the funny pants worn by the flower delivery man. In fact, you noticed just about everything on the page. Your antenna was up, and you processed every nook and cranny of the page.

Think about what would happen if you brought that same Where’s Waldo level of awareness with you to work, and specifically to your own Creative Challenge. You would notice all sorts of things that you probably skimmed right over in the past. Nuances of your customers and your surroundings and your competitors. Insights on your industry and your production processes and your sales strategy.

Achieving a Where’s Waldo level of awareness is easy – you can simply turn this on and choose to become more aware. Try it! In doing so, you will uncover many fresh ideas and opportunities for improvement. Those opportunities are all around us. Some are large opportunities that could lead to groundbreaking change which will boost your company and your career. Others may be small improvements that, when many are added together, lead to meaningful results.

EXERCISE: To practice the Where’s Waldo Awareness technique, set a timer for three minutes, and then write down everything you can see in the room that could be improved. The small chip of paint in the lower left corner of the room. The sloppy cords around the projector. The painting that is slightly tilted to the right. The one out of eight fluorescent bulbs that is missing from the light fixture. The small coffee stain on your chair. This quick exercise will get you in the Where’s Waldo mindset and is a great warm up for brainstorming sessions. It works well both individually and for teams.

Ross Sanders is the Executive Director of Bizdom U , a not-for-profit entrepreneurial academy to help promote hope and economic prosperity in urban centers. He asks his students, partners, and contributors to keep an eye out for “dagnabbits”. These are moments when you are frustrated about a situation, product, or service. A dagnabbit is akin to stubbing your toe. That flash of gosh-darn-it disappointment or frustration that makes you wish the world was different (of course, feel free to substitute any expletive you choose).

Rather than just getting annoyed and moving on, keep a running list of these moments. Looking back on them, they can become one of your most powerful sources of creative inspiration. In fact, many of the greatest inventions came directly out of dagnabbit moments. Pierre Omidyar founded eBay when he was frustrated there was no easy way to grow his Pez collection online. Frederick Smith was outraged there was no reliable way to send overnight packages, so he launched Federal Express. Don Wetzel was upset he couldn’t withdraw cash from his bank account during non-banking hours, so he invented the now ever-present Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

To use dagnabbits to your advantage, start by thinking through, discussing, or observing your daily life in action. Even better, interview people who are deep in the flow of your creative challenge (the target of your creativity). Talk to customers, colleagues, investors, partners, suppliers, politicians, the media, etc. What are the natural pain points? Where do people get hung up? What bottlenecks exist?

Sick of standing in line at a retail store? What about an iPod/iPad app that lets customers check themselves out saving time and money for both the customer and the store. Fed up with that co-worker who never uses deodorant? Why not build an online anonymous friendly tip system to tell people things they need to hear but that you are too embarrassed to mention. Frustrated your laptop battery runs out on airplanes? What about a battery rental service that rents extra batteries by the hour from one airport to another?

This week, savor those frustrating experiences rather than curse them. Look for them and keep a running list. They just might be that burst of inspiration you’re looking for. Find the dagnabbits, and you will quickly uncover a powerful jumping-off point for creativity.