Creativity fuels innovation, and innovation is essential to business. So I’m sharing my thoughts on creativity, yet I’m using one of my favorite formulas: a simple list of ABCs.

While the ABC approach itself may not be entirely creative, I think the message will bear me out. I have covered nine of the topics that I believe are the most important concepts in business over the years: customer service, leadership, networking, negotiations, sales, dreams, entrepreneurship, public speaking and team building.

Now it’s time to dissect creativity. Truly successful people understand the fundamental value of setting yourself apart from the competition or finding a creative way to stand out from the crowd.

A is for advertising. Expand your brand beyond media-generated advertising. For example, we painted our company name and phone numbers on top of our delivery trucks so they were visible to people who worked on upper floors of tall buildings.

B is for bold. People are not inspired by ordinary messages, so give them a reason to remember you.

C is for curious. Curiosity may not have been good for the cat, but it’s a winning formula for people.

D is for different. Don’t be afraid to do things that have never been tried before. You have to have enough faith in yourself to trust your instincts.

E is everyone. I firmly believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative, if only they allow themselves to be.

F is for funny. Most products or services can benefit from a creative and humorous approach. When you make people laugh or make them feel good, they are more likely to remember.

G is for genuine. Creativity does not include stretching the truth.

H is for head. Use yours to go to the head of the creativity class.

I is for ideas, which are like rabbits. If you can get a couple, pretty soon you have a dozen.

J is for January, which is International Creativity Month -- a time to remind individuals and organizations around the globe to capitalize on the power of creativity. Creativity is important all year long.

K is for kids. Kids are unafraid to take gigantic risks. They haven’t been trained yet to take the safe approach. Creativity comes naturally to kids.

L is for listen. We learn more by listening than talking. That’s why we have two ears and only one mouth.

M is for mistakes. Give yourself permission to try things even if you’re not sure they’ll succeed. Often, you’ll stumble across a different strategy or a better path along the way.

N is for nature. New evidence suggests you can boost your imagination and creativity by getting outside and spending some time in nature. Take a walk and clear out the cobwebs.

O is for open mind. Like parachutes, minds work best when they are open. Let ideas develop before you dismiss them.

P is for patience. You can’t hurry creativity, so take time to ponder your ideas. Sit back and think things over. Let the seeds of ideas bloom into full flower.

Q is for quest. When you are on a quest for new business or promoting a new product or service, you need to employ every creative strategy that you can muster.

R is for relax. Most people are at their creative best when they are relaxed and not under pressure.

S is for simple. No, this is not a contradiction. Creativity need not be complicated to be effective. Sometimes a simple approach is the most creative.

T is for thinking outside the box. Look for a fresh perspective or unconventional method instead of the same tired approach.

U is for understanding your limitations and then finding a creative way to blast beyond them.

V is for variety. Variety truly is the spice of life. Changes and new experiences make life more interesting.

W is for wonder. Creativity embraces the wonder of novelty and ingenuity, and turns them into wonderful results.

X is for exceed expectations. (That is my creative spelling.) Find creative ways to achieve awesome outcomes.

Y is for yesterday. If you did it yesterday, it’s not creative today. Look toward tomorrow instead.

Z is for zeitgeist. Catch the spirit of creativity!

Mackay’s Moral: Start every day with a healthy dose of vitamin C -- Creativity!

Once upon a time, there was a king who wanted to pick the wisest person among his subjects to be his prime minister. He decided to put three finalists to an unusual test.

He placed the three candidates together in a room at the palace and told them the door had been fitted with the most complicated lock ever designed by the royal locksmith.

“Whoever is able to open the door first will be the prime minister,” the king declared.

The pressure in the room was palpable. The three set to work immediately. The first began to work out complicated mathematical formulas in search of the secret combination. The second scoured thick volumes on lock construction. The third sat quietly by a window, lost in thought.

Watching the clock and feeling the need to come up with a solution as soon as possible, the first two worked feverishly to open the door, growing ever more panicked. But then something unexpected happened.

The third candidate walked over to the door and simply turned the handle. With no effort, the door swung open! It had been unlocked all the time.

For this common-sense and active approach, the king named the third person to the coveted post. Such a shining example of grace under pressure convinced the king that he had indeed chosen well.

Pressure, stress, angst -- call it whatever you want. If you let it take control of your mind, you will struggle to open every door that you need to walk through. You must learn to master that pressure or stress in order to make it work for you.

An article in Bits and Pieces magazine describes how certain types of stress can actually be good for you. Citing the Mother Nature Network, the article explains how moderate and intermittent amounts of stress, such as a project deadline that gets moved up, can actually help us become more aware of our situations and motivate us to find creative solutions to problems. In addition, stress teaches us how to operate outside our usual comfort zone.

Life will hand us occasional curveballs. Understanding how to approach them is the first step to navigating the next one that will inevitably present itself. True, it may throw us off-balance at first. But reacting appropriately and swiftly becomes more manageable each time.

A recent survey published by the American Psychological Association found that as many as 70 percent of Americans reported suffering from workplace stress. Separating work-related tasks, such as resisting the urge to catch up with emails in the evening, from leisure and family time can help prevent workplace stress from spilling into other areas of your life.

The Society for Human Resource Management found that more than half of workers who put in more than 40 hours a week do so not because of pressure from management, but because those demands are self-imposed. For them, working hard isn’t necessarily so much a stressor as a source of fulfillment.

I personally thrive on pressure. The more balls I’m juggling, the more I feel like I’m spending my time well. I turn pressure into purpose. True, there are necessary tasks and projects that I don’t relish and work to finish simply so I can cross them off my list. The payoff comes when I see that list with a number of accomplishments at the end of the day. That’s my motivation.

Learning how to deal with pressure and stress is critical to your health and success. Whether that means an attitude adjustment, a job change or a heart attack is up to you. Don’t make your situation more difficult by doing things the hard way.

In other words, walk right up to the door and try the handle first.

Mackay’s Moral: Pressure turns a diamond in the rough into a precious stone.

Albert Einstein believed that “only a life lived for others is worth living.” I believe that is one of his most significant observations. And I couldn’t agree more.

While most of us can’t pretend to compete with Einstein’s contributions to society, we all have the capacity to do some real good for others. My father counseled me that a full 25 percent of my time should be devoted to volunteering. I have worked hard to follow his advice.

So, here’s my occasional plug for the importance and benefits of volunteering your time and talents for whatever cause, organization, community or individual you choose. I am certain you can find a worthy opportunity.

First and foremost, you can make a difference. Your individual skills, your dedication, your determination -- all are gifts that keep on giving if you share them. A nonprofit needs accounting help, a city garden would welcome an experienced weed-puller, a struggling student could use help with reading. There are plenty of ways to put your abilities to good use.

Sharing your strengths has a built-in benefit for you too: It’s a great way to enhance your current talents and master new skills. My friend volunteers to coach basketball for a team of 10-year-olds. She played the game throughout high school and college, and enjoys working with kids. They think it’s cool that she can shoot three-pointers. “Guarding these little hotshots is a better workout than I get at the gym,” she jokes. And she claims she has improved her defensive skills by teaching the kids the proper way to guard someone without committing a foul.

Another offshoot of volunteering is the positive energy you spread and receive. Back to my basketball coach friend, the kids and parents are so grateful that she makes the time to work with them. She maintains that what she learns from the kids are valuable life lessons. Win-win all around.

Not everyone has the time or the desire to make a long-term volunteer commitment, but that doesn’t stop them from helping when they can. A number of local churches and companies in my city organize individuals and groups to pack nutritious meals for starving children around the world. It takes just a few hours, and can be a one-time event or a regularly scheduled time slot. Training is provided, so forget that excuse!

One of my favorite volunteer days occurs every December in Minnesota when I ring bells for the Salvation Army. Three hours of frigid fun -- usually on one of the coldest days of the year -- but when I hear about where the money goes, I get all warm and cozy. Try it sometime!

A musician friend plays his guitar at a memory care facility a couple times a month. In return, he has made many new friends, from residents to caregivers to family members. “I will never be good enough to be on a national tour,” he says, “but this audience makes me feel like Eric Clapton!”

Community events are often begging for help. What better way to network with your neighbors and local businesses than to lend a hand? I’ve made lifelong friends through my civic involvement -- including several who became good customers! And for the record, I’ve done business with many people I would never have met otherwise.

While prospecting for business was not my goal when I signed up to volunteer, it was a pleasant result. As I worked with other volunteers, we developed friendships and trusting relationships that transferred over to our professional lives. And whom do you think I call for help when another volunteer opportunity arises?

If you are still unsure about getting involved in a volunteer effort, consider this. Studies show that there are benefits to your physical and mental health, as well as your self-esteem. It’s good for your brain to explore new activities and challenges. Doing for others can change your perspective and open up new ways of approaching problems.

Bottom line: Volunteering presents opportunities to showcase your talents, meet new people, master new skills, spread joy and have fun, all while making a difference in other people’s lives.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned through my volunteer life, it is that I should expect nothing in return. When I do something for another person or organization, I do it because I can. And that makes me the luckiest person in the world.

Mackay’s Moral: When you help someone else, you also help yourself.