Free Yourself From Your Ideas: Day 8 of 30

The sidelines are not where you want to live your life. The world needs you in the arena. – Tim Cook

There are times like today, I get so married to my own ideas I end up putting them on a pedestal that no one else can touch. Those times are my least creative moments as I reflected today, because having to much ego at that point is tied up in the idea.

It got me researching and thinking about all the ideas others have around us, how much we can learn from those people, and how much more creative we could be. Yet, we’re so slow to immerse ourselves in someone else’s over our own.

My best creative moments come to me when I take things less seriously and just ease up my mind. What can you take less seriously? Some of the things I take the most serious are the ones that I’ve allowed to become important standards because they are tried and true. What would happen if I let go of that standard?

Some ways to loosen myself up is laughing at things. When I find the humor in something that is way to serious and I have fun with it, it’s refreshing. And, it becomes a spark of creativity when it’s done in groups respectfully. Now, I can’t misuse sarcasm as humor and a way to laugh at it. I said laugh at it, not make fun of it. In a group, sarcasm overused can be perceived as passive aggressive towards other’s ideas. That can create a hostile environment.

Even more as I reflect on it, it is not surprising to me that “ha-ha” laughter and “aha” of discovery are so strikingly similar. Maybe if I can laugh at a situation or problem I could eventually overturn some assumptions and come up with a fresh idea. But why does this work that way? Well, the mental strategies that are used by our minds to generate humor are the very same ones we use for problem solving. When I have asked unusual “what if” questions and begin parodying the rules I can come up with all kinds of problem solving ideas or techniques.

I challenge you like I challenged myself today to take a stab at making light of your current situation. What do you find particularly amusing about it? Use that amusement and create something else from it. And, if you feel confident and free enough, list that results below in the comments section of this post.

Thanks and I hope you’re enjoying your week.

✌🏻 Shawn