1. In this course you must
promise to avoid the
“7 Deadly Sins of
Students”
Miss Vanstone on…
“The 7 Deadly Sins of Students”

2. Sin #1: Lack of knowledge &
attention
Deeper level (creative/innovative)
thinking cannot be productively applied
until a certain level of knowledge is
gathered.
Absorb yourself in what is already known
- Give it your attention!
If you don’t have the knowledge,
creativity will drown in misdirection.

3. http://stephanievanstone.posterous.com/8
Absorb yourself in knowledge - Watch this!

4. Sin #2: Lack of passion, positivity,
& enthusiasmEnthusiasm is the lifeblood of
success.
Success happens when you are
passionate, positive, and
enthusiastic about what you are
doing.
It’s extremely difficult to pioneer
creative solutions for things you
have absolutely no interest in.
When your mind is stimulated by curiosity
and a fundamental interest in the subject
matter, your creativity and motivation will
automatically accelerate.

5. http://stephanievanstone.posterous.com
Enthusiasm is the lifeblood of creativity-
Watch this!

6. Sin #3: Doing exactly what
you’ve always doneThere’s a saying that the definition of
madness is doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting different
results.
If you keep doing what you’ve been
doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve
been getting.
We are all a product of our past
experience, but we must step outside of
our comfort zone and attempt unfamiliar
activities if we hope to achieve
breakthroughs in our future. The
foundation of practical success is
simply trying new things to see what

7. http://stephanievanstone.posterous.com
Make a movement- Watch this!

8. Sin #4: Fear of failureMost successful ventures (breakthroughs)
step into the unknown, slowly taking you in
a direction you haven’t gone before. Any
journey into uncharted territory holds a
certain level of inherent risk.
Many people are scared to accept this
risk, which in effect squashes all their
creative ideas before they have a chance
to develop them.
If you hope to exercise your
creativity/deeper-level thinking, you must
get over your fear of failure. Confidence
and passion together provide the solution.
Have confidence in yourself and passion for

9. “There is no use trying,” said Alice. “One can’t
believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t
had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was
your age, I always did it for half an hour a day.
Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six
impossible things before breakfast.”
Lewis Carroll
If you hope to be successful, you must get over your fear
of failure – Read this!

10. ttp://stephanievanstone.posterous.com/lear
Have confidence in yourself and passion for your ideas –
Watch this!

11. Sin #5: Never pausing for a
break
Where are you when your most creative
ideas / deepest thoughts come to you? I’m
guessing it’s not when you’re sitting at your
desk working, or consciously trying to think
creatively. Rather, it’s when you’ve given
the logical side of your brain a rest and
you’re doing something else.

12. Give the logical side of your brain a rest and do
something else – Like this!

13. Sin #6: Never testing the impact
of your creative outputSome of the most amazing ideas never make it
into the public eye simply because their
creator doesn‘t realize the significance and
impact of what he or she has produced.
There’s more to learning than simply having
an idea and executing it once behind closed
doors, or only in the classroom. Ideas that
leave an impact on the world are
relentlessly tested, modified and tested
again.
Scientists do this in a laboratory with other
scientists. Painters do it by
painting and then displaying their art in a
gallery. Bloggers do it by translating their
thoughts into stories and articles, and

14. http://stephanievanstone.posterous.co
Some of the most creative ideas and inventions never make it into
the public eye . You must test the impact of your output – Be
brave… and watch this!

15. Sin #7: Confining yourself to
boundaries others set upNo matter how creative you are or much progress
you make with your ideas, there will always be
negative people who insist that whatever you’re
trying to do is impossible.
When you come across these people, don’t try to
reason with them. Instead, forget that they
exist. They will only drain you of your
creativity and waste your time.

16. Sin #7: Confining yourself to
boundaries others set up

18. I ,________________________ , promise
(and pinky swear) that I will avoid Miss
Vanstone’s “7 Deadly Sins of Students”