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oct-web-Kids Standard Magazine_Oct Issue_For Web
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PARENT’S CORNER<br />
THE LAST WORD:<br />
INNOVATION IS ALL AROUND US<br />
Maggie<br />
Razdar<br />
Publisher/<br />
Founder<br />
Innovation. We hear about it all the<br />
time in the news. Innovations are<br />
happening every day in technology,<br />
education, politics, science and<br />
math. Yet, even though it seems to be<br />
the “in thing” these days, the definition<br />
of innovation is not as clear.<br />
What exactly is innovation? And who<br />
is considered an innovator?<br />
In the simplest terms, innovators<br />
are people who create new ideas,<br />
processes or products. But innovations<br />
are more than inventions; they<br />
are revolutionary. Innovations bring<br />
about positive change. They make<br />
life easier, address new needs and<br />
improve upon existing methods. The<br />
iPhone, for example, was one of the<br />
biggest innovations of our lifetimes. It<br />
vastly improved upon the cellphone<br />
of the time and solved a problem we<br />
didn’t know existed.<br />
So how can we recognize innovation?<br />
And can people become<br />
innovators?<br />
To support our “inner innovators,”<br />
we must first learn to recognize the<br />
characteristics that innovators share.<br />
Who knows, after reviewing these<br />
ideas, you might recognize you have<br />
an inner innovator in you just waiting<br />
to break out! Here are a few things all<br />
innovators share:<br />
1. Passion: Innovation requires starting<br />
each day with an enthusiastic mindset.<br />
Innovators recognize their work<br />
is more than a job or chore. There is<br />
purpose behind what they do.<br />
2. Curiosity: Innovation is sparked<br />
by recognizing opportunities for<br />
change. Yet, to see these opportunities,<br />
innovators must be<br />
curious about their surroundings<br />
and willing to draw connections that<br />
no one has noticed before. They do<br />
this by asking questions: How can<br />
this be improved, and what how can<br />
I contribute<br />
to that improvement? Opportunities<br />
for innovation are all around you;<br />
you just have to look at things<br />
differently.<br />
3. Creativity: Innovators see problems<br />
as opportunities that require creative<br />
solutions. When a challenge arises,<br />
innovators don’t complain; they ask<br />
questions. And from these questions,<br />
they can begin to think about<br />
outside-the-box solutions. Creativity<br />
in innovation is all about looking at<br />
things from new angles.<br />
4. Bravery: Innovation doesn’t happen<br />
in isolation. It requires a connection<br />
with the world around. Innovators<br />
are brave; they like to meet new<br />
people, make contacts and try new<br />
ways of doing things. And they’re<br />
ready to stand behind and defend<br />
their ideas.<br />
5. Resilience: One of America’s great<br />
innovators Henry Ford once said,<br />
“Failure is simply the opportunity to<br />
begin again, this time more intelligently.”<br />
Innovators are determined.<br />
They try and fail. But they don’t stop<br />
when something doesn’t work out.<br />
They try again and keep going.<br />
The truth is we have an inner innovator<br />
in us, and with practice, we<br />
can all learn to become more innovative.<br />
The key is embracing the innovator<br />
mindset. Stay passionate, curious,<br />
creativity, brave and resilient. Then,<br />
you can start making innovations big<br />
and small in your life.<br />
October 2015<br />
23<br />
Publication INC.
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