You don’t need to be creative. You just need to create. — Marketing professor Dr. Renaud Lunardo was browsing bottles of wine when he noticed how much time consumers spent reading the labels before deciding on a purchase. An idea came to mind — why not make the labels more entertaining? …

Let’s reconsider what this productivity obsession is all about. — Dr. Rebecca S. Guest is a psychologist who specializes in treating medical professionals. In 2011, Dr. Guest began focusing on cancer surgeons. A staggering one-third of respondents reported abusing alcohol and prescription medication to cope with the stress from their jobs — while simultaneously letting paid vacation go unused. Some…

When two Nobel prizes almost cost Niels Bohr his life — Nazi soldiers were marching through the streets of Denmark straight toward the laboratory of Niels Bohr. Dr. Bohr had helped two German physicists escape — one was Jewish, and the other was an outspoken critic of the Nazi Party — but their Nobel Prizes had been left behind. The Gestapo…

The best way to produce something dull and unoriginal is to start with knowing exactly what you want to create — The first time Sylvester Stallone heard Eye of the Tiger, he complained “it doesn’t have balls.” He wanted the opening theme to the Rocky III film to be iconic — something to be remembered for generations to come — and this song simply didn’t meet his expectations. Stallone sat down…

You don’t need an idea. You need follow-through. — J.K. Rowling stole the premise for Harry Potter from Jane Yolen. In the late 1980s — long before Harry Potter was a twinkle in Rowling’s eye — Yolen wrote a book about a teenage boy who attended wizarding school. Henry is despised by his classmates and thought to be inept…

Creativity grows fastest when nobody knows who you are — Almon Strowger had a problem. Strowger ran the most successful funeral home in town — but everything changed when his competitor’s wife became the city’s telephone operator. Whenever a potential customer asked for Strowger, the call was “misdirected” to the wrong business. Angered by this injustice, Strowger rang the phone…

I didn’t appreciate what I had until it was far too late — Josh and I had been unhappily married for twelve long years. Although it’s easy for me to demonize him, looking back I realize he was just as miserable as I was. It wasn’t unusual for Josh to arrive home well past the time when the first streaks of daylight were…

An analysis of 10,000 writers reveals the ultimate list of publications you should be using (but you’re probably not) — Are you having a hard time figuring out where to submit your next article? Try throwing darts or asking a monkey to help you make this important decision — and you might do better than your fellow writers. I made a bot that scraped through 10,000 writers here on Medium…

Making America great again — with a little help — Make America Great Again! Save America Again! Please make sure to support the local economy by reminding everyone to purchase products that were proudly MADE IN AMERICA. Oh, but wait. I just realized something. All those promotional banners are expensive. How are we going to pay for them?