It’s late. The final Pink Bat manuscript is due tomorrow. From my office I can see several Chicago landmark buildings lit with pink lights. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Amidst this pink glow—the posters, the ribbons, and special events—we are all reminded of the search for solutions to save lives. The color connection to this cause… and my book title… is obvious. Less obvious, but more relevant, is the thinking found inside.

For every problem, there exists a solution… and at the very least, an opportunity. Breast cancer is no different. But it takes an open mind… imagination, purpose and passion… to find it. In time, this “problem” will be viewed differently… and an unseen solution will appear. Perhaps an outsider will see what experienced insiders have missed. Someone less influenced by perceptual blindness… an unlikely suspect.

My reasons for writing Pink Bat were to plant some seeds, capture imaginations, and inspire people to see the world in a new light. I hope I’ve accomplished these objectives in some way.

You can live each day in a world filled with “problems,” or rise each morning and embrace a world filled with unseen solutions… eager for you to find them. The decision is yours… both worlds exist. The one you choose is the one you will create.

A year has passed… and much has changed.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and about 465,000 will die from the disease. This is unacceptable.

On a personal note, my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer a few months ago and my father-in-law with bladder cancer. They are both currently in treatment. Hopefully these cancers were caught in time. Whether it’s breast cancer or any other kind of cancer, prevention and early detection are key.

As I write this post, Pink Bat is back at press—again. It has done well and I have received many positive responses—personal stories, examples and insights. Thank you. In light of all that’s happened since releasing it, and all that remains, I’m discounting Pink Bat this month to $11.95 and donating a portion of the proceeds to cancer research for every book sold.

Be inspired! Watch the Pink Bat video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“What if I stood at a real whiteboard and you actually filmed me drawing?” I suggested. Ryan agreed to give it a try but stressed, “We won’t be able to refine or manipulate your drawings to look perfect… like those in the UPS commercials.” After purchasing a 4’ x 8’ sheet of whiteboard material, we set up a makeshift studio in Ryan’s living room and did a few quick tests. Before long, we concluded while this approach was somewhat problematic—and not real plausible—it was possible. That was all it took.

After writing an outline and creating visuals to support my words, I had another friend, Megan Kearney produce my drawings in Adobe Illustrator for reference… and then I flew to San Antonio to deliver a 90-minute keynote to an audience of educators, followed by a Q&A session with the leadership team. Feeling somewhat exhausted, I arrived back in Chicago late Thursday night only to realize we were scheduled to make this video in the morning.

Running on few hours of sleep and many cups of coffee, I arrived at Ryan’s house Friday morning to find him bright-eyed and ready to go. “I’ve been thinking, I really like the idea of making this video in the spirit of early recording artists,” he said. “What do you mean?” I asked, trying to appear awake. He cited numerous songs, examples and musicians including Robert Johnson, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan. “They just went into the studio and performed. They didn’t rely on digital manipulation, special effects or post-production tricks to make the work appear ‘perfect’… like most current artists and the UPS commercials do. They’re real, spontaneous, unique, authentic and unrefined… and that’s what makes them great.”

I knew Ryan was being sincere… I also knew he was aware of the fact I can be an extreme perfectionist at times. Additionally, not being a professional cartoonist… he didn’t want to spend hours recording me, making refinement after refinement. By connecting words like “real”, “spontaneous”, and “unrefined” to “being great”, he established our paradigm for the shoot.

“Okay, Ryan, your idea resonates with me,” I said, reflecting the “unique” and “unrefined” but “great” garage bands I played in when I was younger. Besides, I didn’t have any extra energy to debate him.

“Great… let’s do it. One camera and one take—you and me—start to finish!” Ryan announced. That’s exactly what we did. While I would have liked a do-over (or two or three), we agreed that “keeping it real” was more important.

After all, “Pink Bat” is about “Turning Problems Into Solutions”… and that sheds much light on the making of this video. I hope you enjoy it. Click here to purchase the book.

What started me time traveling was realizing many of the people that influence my thinking had left this world before I ever arrived. Compelled to meet and understand my influencers, I started visiting them. After several trips, patterns started to emerge. I found many of my heroes weren’t heroes at all… at least not during their lifetimes. Some were rejected by society. Many were considered radical, dangerous, or even insane. Traveling forward from these places in time, I observed how it took future generations to start understanding the courage, brilliance and insight these individuals possessed. Looking back from the present, it’s hard to believe these people weren’t celebrated. Then again, future generations will see us in the same light… and wonder the same.

During one of my journeys, a great hero of mine from the 1400s explained that expending too much time and energy trying to convince people from your own time period is unproductive. “Think, write and create for the unborn,” he said. “They will come to understand and value your insight and effort.” In his case, no truer words could be spoken… and I told him so. I appreciate his advice and often heed it.

The more you travel, the clearer one thing becomes… time exposes the truth. As it turns out, many past “heroes” weren’t heroes at all. They were popular charlatans, people of privilege or barbaric leaders driven by self-serving agendas. These individuals weren’t whom they claimed to be… or what they were perceived to be during their time. Many were truth twisters and propaganda creators on a mission to gain power and prestige in their lifetime… and were willing to achieve it at any cost. Whether it’s past, present or future one thing remains consistent—leaders need supporters and followers to succeed.

Most real heroes remain unknown. Very few are recognized by their society, peers or by future generations. They are called regular people. But they are far from regular. Rhetoric, propaganda or popular chants don’t influence them. They think independently and seek the truth. They take action and do what they believe is right—regardless of whether it’s popular at the time or not. Like all real heroes, these individuals realize that life continues long after they’re gone. They understand, like other real heroes before them, that we each have a responsibility to future generations as well.

By traveling in the future, this becomes obvious. Once while in 2060, I met a distant relative of mine (no pun intended). While his language was derived from English, it sounded much different than what’s spoken today. Regardless, we were able to communicate. To my surprise, some things had changed drastically while others appeared much the same.

You might imagine; I had many questions about his world… but not nearly as many as he had about mine. As he shared his understanding of history with me, I was both amazed and saddened by my lack of understanding of our present. While some of his information was inaccurate, much of it was spot on (with additional insight). Some things are difficult to see in present tense. Many of the “important” issues today are considered insignificant by future generations… if they’re considered at all. As with our past, many of today’s leaders and heroes are considered criminals by 2060 standards. Likewise, many of our outcasts are considered as brilliant visionaries… real heroes.

If you’re new to time traveling, I suggest starting with your own life. Travel back to your childhood and then project yourself into the future. Reflect on the decisions you’ve made over the years. If you’re like me, you’ve made some good and some pretty bad ones along the way. Each decision provides a lesson… and establishes a pattern. Notice how some of your most difficult decisions turn out to be the best… at least in the long run.

Chances are you knew they were right when you made them, too. How? After you gathered information, consulted your brain and listened to your heart… you intuitively left the present, scanned your past and then traveled to the future. This makes most decisions seem obvious… the benefits of time travel are powerful.

Here are three questions to ponder:
1. What side of history will you be on?
2. Who are your past and present heroes… and why?
3. How will you be viewed by future generations?

Only time will tell…

Easter Island is the most isolated habitable piece of land in the world. It lies in the Pacific Ocean more than 2,000 miles west of South America. According to scientists, when its inhabitants first arrived around 400 AD, they must have thought they landed in paradise. The mild climate, fertile soil, rich vegetation and forests would have provided all the resources needed to build homes, canoes (for fishing), fuel for fire, making rope, weapons, thatching, and so on. Over time these islanders developed a complex social structure, centralized government and religious practices… and at some point, they began creating statues.

But by the time Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered the island in 1722 on Easter day (hence its name), it was far from a paradise. There wasn’t a tree or bush standing higher than ten feet tall. The native animals had vanished and the islanders were raising chickens to survive. According to Roggeveen and others who followed him, these famished natives certainly weren’t capable of producing and moving such massive statues. So what happened on Easter Island? There are many theories. Not only about why and how these statues were made… but what happened to the islanders who made them… and what happened to their paradise?

According to Jared Diamond (Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA), “…they began erecting stone statues on platforms, like the ones their Polynesian forebears had carved. With passing years, the statues and platforms became larger and larger, and the statues began sporting ten-ton red crowns—probably in an escalating spiral of one-upmanship, as rival clans tried to surpass each other with shows of wealth and power.”

“In just a few centuries, the people of Easter Island wiped out their forest, drove their plants and animals to extinction, and saw their complex society spiral into chaos and cannibalism.”

Read Diamond’s Article: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/042.html

While some question Diamond’s hypothesis, few dismiss it. Whether he is 100% right isn’t the point. The point is that his hypothesis has merit… it provides insight and serves as a warning. When we destroy ecosystems and deplete natural resources, we endanger our lives and the lives of future generations.

Things rarely happen overnight. There are turning and tipping points along the way. There are always those in society who support the status quo and those who challenge it. No doubt some islanders downplayed the situation and embraced the unsustainable norm. I can imagine them chanting “Cut, Baby, Cut” and mocking those who were concerned over the destruction, while dismissing those brave heroic souls who were searching for alternative solutions.

What if the situation had been acknowledged? What if this society had embraced creativity and innovation? What if rather than doing the same thing over and over… they had tried something new? What if the natural resources had been protected? What if they had conserved resources and worked together toward finding healthy sustainable solutions? What if these people had embraced change? What if they recognized they were part of the ecosystem… not superior to it? Countless questions like these fill my head and I realize they not only apply to Easter Islanders… but to you and me and our world today.

As barrels of oil shoot into the Gulf of Mexico and destroy our environment, some Americans are still chanting, “Drill, Baby, Drill” and mocking those who object to offshore drilling. Many of those supporting this chant fear change and consider innovation and alternative thinking a threat. To me these people are similar to the islanders who were more focused on statues than progress or survival. Instead of using their creative capacity to find sustainable solutions for the greater good, they blindly kowtowed to the power that be. In the case of the islanders, it was the chiefs, bureaucrats and priests. In the case of these Americans, it’s politicians, special interest groups, and big business.

What Erich von Däniken overlooked is man’s ability to create and innovate. This ability should never be dismissed. Creativity is our most powerful asset. Without this capacity we wouldn’t have survived… let alone progressed to where we are today. We don’t need visiting aliens’ “Chariots of the Gods” to teach and guide us… we already have the most powerful force in the universe—creativity. The question is: How will we use it? We can continue destroying our planet by building bigger and bigger statues… or we can work together and create positive change. The choice is ours… where do you stand?

A few years back, Deere hired me to design a coffee table book that would capture its rich history and more importantly, convey its core values. The title of the book was Genuine Values. I, along with the CEO and a few senior executives, built this idea around the following values: integrity, quality, commitment and innovation. We felt these words best reflected the core values exhibited by its founder and that have successfully guided Deere up to today.

In my new book, Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions, I share the John Deere story from a different perspective… from its very inception. It’s easy to talk about the after effects… the success story that followed. But when you realize this international corporation started when one young man saw a “problem” as a solution… the story is even more amazing.

Let me take you back 173 years: For U.S. farmers in the eastern states, a cast-iron plow worked fine. But for farmers who tried using it to cultivate crops in the rich Midwest soil, it was a disaster. In fact, attempting to cut through tough prairie ground with a cast-iron plow was problematic to say the least. Trying to use one in the sticky rich soil without it getting clogged was nearly impossible.

Many knowledgeable people (experts) focused on this problem. Perhaps that was the problem. The more they focused on it, the bigger it seemed to become. In time, most people and experts alike concluded it was too big… they accepted the “problem” for what it was and gave up.

Then a young blacksmith (an outsider named John Deere) moved to the Midwest from out east. He learned of this “problematic” situation. But he was a “Pink Bat” thinker… so instead of focusing on the “problems,” he focused on solutions instead. He tried many different plow concepts and while none of them were successful, he learned from each failure and refused to quit.

One day as he walked to work, a glint of sunlight reflected off an old discarded saw blade. To the sawmill, this old blade represented a worthless, worn out piece of steel… a problem. To young John Deere, it was a beautifully honed piece of smooth steel… a perfect solution. After pulling it from the junk pile, he took it to his shop and created a plow that worked great in the rich (previously considered problematic) Midwest soil. The rest, so to speak, is history.

History is filled with Pink Bat examples (unseen solutions mislabeled as problems). What’s more important is that today’s world is full of them, too. They surround us every day. Often they are mislabeled as problems… but they’re really solutions just waiting to be seen. Like John Deere, we are each capable of turning problems into solutions… the key is seeing things for what they are and what they aren’t… and using our imaginations to see them for what they can be.

This content is based on my newly released book: Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions, available at our store.

In 1951 a new team of researchers rediscovered the formula. But this time, rather than reject it, one of the scientists was intrigued with its bonding properties. By viewing it for what it really was (and by contrast, seeing it for what it wasn’t), he set his imagination to work and saw it for what it could be.

His solution? Cyanoacrylates made for an amazing SUPER GLUE! In fact, it could bond almost anything you could imagine. The stickiness problem became the solution… or so it seemed.

Paradoxically, when it was discovered that the formula really did bond nearly anything, including human skin, its strength quickly became its perceived weakness. For the company planning to produce this new product, the potential legal issues and dangers far outweighed the benefits. Once again, cyanoacrylates became a problem.

That is, until the U.S. military heard about it. At the time, doctors in Vietnam were looking for a quick way to suture wounded soldiers. This “problem” substance once again became a great solution and saved many people’s lives in the process. Cyanoacrylates in one form or another are still being used today in medical applications around the world.

By adding a warning label to the tube, Super Glue quickly became a household solution. In addition to fixing broken items, mending wounds, cyanoacrylates is a solution for many other things as well… including a forensic tool to capture latent fingerprints on non-porous surfaces like glass, plastic, etc.

And to think it was once considered a problem! How many solutions have you mistakenly rejected and shelved as problems? Maybe it’s time to revisit some of them—through new lenses. The key to finding solutions is to see things for what they are… and not what they’re labeled… or what we want them to be. By keeping an open mind, and applying our imaginations, we can create a world filled with new solutions and endless opportunities.

This content is based on my newly released book: Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions, available at our store.

Since our brain filters through volumes of random data each moment, selecting and rejecting evidence to support our beliefs, we need to consciously define and focus our attention on what it is we are seeking.

Look at the following words and quickly say the actual color aloud (not the word).

If you’re like most people, even this simple challenge requires effort to reprogram your brain. With practice, this task becomes easier once you focus more on the color and less on the actual word.

What we believe and focus on… becomes our reality. If you go out looking for trouble, you’ll find it. If you focus on happiness, it will appear. Once you decide what you’re looking for, your brain will go to work to find it and make it your reality. Whether you’re focused on problems or solutions, it doesn’t matter… your brain will subconsciously gather evidence and make it your reality.

Remember, evidence that could disprove our beliefs is marginalized or blocked by our brain filters, while weaker or even false evidence is distorted or enhanced to support them.

Since labeling something helps make it so, why not start by labeling a “problem” as a “solution”? While this may seem counterintuitive at first, successful people have been seeing problems as solutions since the beginning of time.

The next time you’re faced with “problems” consider this… unseen solutions (Pink Bats) seem to emerge more frequently when “problems” are abundant. In math, when you multiply negative numbers, you get a positive solution. The same often holds true with problems (negatives). As they multiply, “Pink Bats Solutions” appear… the key is to suspend our judgments, use our imaginations and remain open-minded enough to see them.

This content is based on my newly released book: Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions, available at our store for a special introductory price of $12.

There’s one very vivid memory I have never shared before… but under the circumstances, I’d like to share it now. Besides, the statute of limitations for second grade violations surely has lapsed by now… right? I’ll let you be the judge.

“SEE ME!” was written in red ink at the top of my paper. After making my way to Mrs. Storm’s desk, she said, “Michael, a period is a small dot… why do you insist on making yours so large?” I glanced down at my paper. The nearly dime-sized dots sprinkled about suddenly seemed to be the only visible things on the page.

“Um, I really don’t know,” I responded. My answer wasn’t truthful. I knew exactly why I made my periods so big. I also knew I couldn’t tell her. In kindergarten I learned our imaginations were good things. In fact, kids like me with overactive imaginations were actually celebrated. But this celebration stopped—abruptly—in first grade. By the time I reached second grade, my glory days of sharing unusual ideas and observations with others had ended. But Mrs. Storm was a nice person and the fact I couldn’t tell her the truth made me feel terrible.

My punctuation problem (large periods) started one cold and rainy fall afternoon. Instead of going right home after school, I hung around the playground with some older kids until it started to get dark… until only Jim and I were left. Jim didn’t attend our school and I didn’t know him too well… only that he was considered a hoodlum of sorts by many parents, including mine.

“Hey, McMillan, do ya wanna go down in the window well?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“What’s wrong… you afraid?”
“No,” I replied.
“I bet you’ve never even done it before.”
“Yes I have!”

My answers were total lies… I was afraid and I had never gone down a window well before. I had seen older kids do it during summer vacation… but I had been too small to join them.

“Then do it… unless you’re too scared.”
The peer pressure was too much for me. So I went to the window well, climbed through the guardrail and hung from the bottom rung.
“What are you waiting for, McMillan?”
“Nothing,” I said as I let go and landed at the bottom.

Not only had I violated a serious school rule, but from my new perspective the window well seemed much deeper than I had imagined.
“See, I told you I’ve done it before,” I said, looking up and trying my best to sound cool.
“Yeah… but you haven’t gotten out yet.”
Jim had an excellent point. As is often the case, it’s easy to get into trouble… getting out of it is the challenge. Try as I might, I couldn’t reach the top of the ledge to pull myself up.
“Hey, Jim, can you give me a hand?”
“No way… you said you did it before!”
“I know… I just need a little help.”

I kept jumping up trying to reach the ledge as Jim laughed and taunted me. I was feeling angry, humiliated and near exhaustion when Jim said, “See ya later, McMillan… someone’s coming!” To my astonishment, he took off running just as I heard a car pull up and then a door slam. Fearing it was a teacher or the principal, I curled up in the corner and remained silent until the car pulled away.

For a while, I thought Jim may return to help me… but he didn’t. It was getting darker and I started to cry. I sat against the wall to gather my thoughts… and that’s when I first became aware of all the papers that had somehow made their way to the bottom of the window well. The concrete floor was covered with all kinds of debris… stories, tests, spelling worksheets, and art projects… it was like a library of sorts. Many were stuck together. In some cases, construction paper dye had run from one project to another. The really wet pages were translucent… you could see writing from both sides at the same time. I picked a few papers up and studied them closely. And that’s when I noticed the missing periods! I concluded the papers that had been exposed to the elements the longest were completely void of periods… while those less exposed were well on their way to losing them.

By this time, I was rested up enough to refocus my energy, and after a few more tries, I managed to jump up and grab the concrete ledge so I could pull myself out.

“Where have you been?” my mom yelled as I entered the kitchen.
“Um… at school… playing.”
“With who… and where at?”
I knew it wasn’t in my best interest to answer either of these questions truthfully.
“Um… we were all playing on the playground with the monkey bars.”
“No, you weren’t… I just drove down to the school and there wasn’t anybody on the playground.”

Whew… what a close call… it was my mom’s car that had pulled in and left! I suddenly felt relieved that Jim had run away… it could have been a bad scene. After receiving my punishment I vowed to always come straight home after school… and to never dilly-dally again.

That night as I lay in bed, I made three more vows: 1) I would never discuss my window well experience; 2) In the event any of my papers ever fell into the window well, I would make certain the periods wouldn’t fade… hence the oversized periods; and 3) The next time I saw Jim, I would let him know that he was the baby for running away.

After a few more “SEE ME’s” from Mrs. Storm, I went back to making normal-sized periods, but I never shared this story with her. I was afraid to tell her the truth back then, but things change over time. We grow up and often the things we once feared become the things we most cherish.

So in honor of Mrs. Storm, I’m finally sharing this story. If you have a memory to share with someone, don’t wait until it’s too late. The special people in our lives won’t be around forever. Neither will we—PERIOD.

Having spoken for 45 minutes, I was nearly finished when I said, “Before I close, does anyone have any comments or questions?” A woman toward the back of the auditorium stood and raised her hand. “Thank you for coming to Alaska and sharing your inspiring insights on creativity with us… I have thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. But I do have a question for you.” With everyone’s undivided attention, she continued, “What can we do right now to improve our creative ability?”

Before I share my response, there are a few things I need to tell you:

1) I had just arrived in Alaska that morning.  2) Chicago is 3 hours ahead of Alaska… and while the clock read 9:30 pm… to me it was 12:30 am.  3) This was not a religious event.  4) I am a truth seeker and don’t like being misled.  5) Sometimes when I’m tired, my brain filters stop working properly and I become brutally honest.

My response: “That’s an interesting question… and I would say to improve your creative ability, you should embrace the Golden Rule.”

This answer seemed to silence the crowd as they awaited my follow-up. I believe, like me, they were somewhat taken aback by my answer. I took a drink of water and continued:

“Yes, the Golden Rule… the ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ Golden Rule. I realize this answer may sound strange at first… but let me explain. The Golden Rule, also known as the ‘ethic of reciprocity’ has been around for a long time. In fact, long before today’s religions adopted it, it was being practiced and discussed. Confucius believed no other guiding concept was more important for a society to follow. And I agree… Socrates and other great thinkers did as well. But you’re wondering what does all this have to do with your question—right? Everything. You see… practicing the Golden Rule requires us to put ourselves in another person’s position… to walk in their shoes, so to speak.

“This is no easy task. It takes focus and imagination. Getting outside of our own mental boxes and experiencing the world through others’ is an incredibly creative act. This practice expands our EQs (emotional quotients), too. It connects us and provides us with countless perspectives and new understandings of the world. In fact, I believe children who aren’t taught the Golden Rule and encouraged to practice it are at a major deficit. Those void in this area are often creatively bankrupt. Imagining how someone else feels… and treating them how you would like to be treated if you were in their position… is an excellent way to expand your creative capacity. And you can start right now… tonight.”

By the time I finished speaking, signing books and shaking hands, it was past 11:30 pm (Alaska time). I was exhausted but exhilarated. I can’t tell you the number of people who wanted to discuss the Golden Rule with me. My spontaneous answer seemed to have trumped my prepared keynote. Until that night, I had never really thought about the Golden Rule being a creative act. Maybe my impromptu answer was a result of being tired… but I really don’t think so. As that woman was asking her question, I used my imagination and put myself in her shoes. By the time I had transported myself back on stage, I knew the answer she needed… it was the one I would have wanted someone to share with me if I were in her position.

If everyone embraced the Golden Rule, or whatever one wants to call it, the world would be a better place… and yes, people would be more creative.