Boost Your Creativity With Adventure Day
By Christine Kane
"The best way to open your mind is to apply a jolt of unfamiliarity." - The Big Moo, by Seth Godin and The Group of 33.
Do you notice that your most juiciest ideas never come when you're staring at the computer screen? Do you ever wonder how to get the creativity flowing or how to generate a zest for life? Are you in the midst of great change and know there's something new out there but don't know what it is? If you answered yes to any of these, then it's possible you need to shake things up a bit. You need Adventure Day.
What's Adventure Day?
Adventure Day is a day devoted to breaking out of the same old patterns of every day existence. It's a day set aside once a month when you do something different. That's all. The scheduled activity is up to you.
- It can be something you haven't done since you were a kid - like roller-skating at the local rink.
- It can be something that scares you a little - like eating a new foreign cuisine, or going to the symphony if you don't know classical music.
- It can be something tourist-y and embarrassing - like gem mining, or a carriage ride through the city.
- It can be something totally cheese-y - like going to the carnival in the mall parking lot. (The one where Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is invariably blaring through the cotton-candy-drenched air.)
A combination of fun, a little scary, and really cheese-y is optimal. Adventure Day can last a day, or an overnight, or a few hours. You can do it with your spouse, a friend, a business partner or your mom. Keep it simple and somewhat local. In other words, don't make it into such a big deal that you never even do it. The goal is just to do it.
What's the point of Adventure Day?
I know. I know. You might be reading this and snorting. "What's the point of that?" Or, "How is THIS going to help me change direction in my life?" Well, it's organic. And it works like this:
1 -Adventure Day gets you OUT.
We get into creative ruts when we stick only with what we know, when we stay confined to our insular worlds, when we think we've had all the experience we need. Getting OUTreverses this trend. Itblasts the boundaries and breaks the mold. In Seth Godin's entrepreneurial gem, "The Big Moo," one writer said: "Too often in the business world we preserve and revere experience, when we should be challenging and renewing it. Go out and get some inexperience."
2 - Adventure Day fills yourIdea Well
One of my coaching clients asked me why she feels most alive and creative when she's traveling in a foreign country. I told her that all of that yummy newness requires full present-moment awareness every minute. So, not only are we receptive and open to new things - but we're experiencing them with our highest level of attention. This IS creativity! It's important to be proactive and productive. But we also need to open up and be receptive because this is what replenishes the well of ideas. This keeps us from burning out on productivity.And you don't have to wait til you have the time to travel to Italy!
3 -Adventure Day shows you how to be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Ask anyone who has ever performed, spoken in public, had a job in sales, or run a marathon. Success involves learning how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Once you can do that, you can do anything! My theory is that the world has turned into The Olive Garden. The mantra is, "Keep us safe. Don't challenge us. Fill us up with pasta and the same salty salads no matter where we travel." There's nothing wrong with The Olive Garden on occasion, of course. But a key component to success, to creativity, and to accomplishing great new things is learning to be okay with not knowing what the entrée will taste like in advance!You order some falafel and see what happens!
Your Assignment
Get out your calendar. Open up to February. Call a friend or partner and read this article to them. (Or email it to them.) Schedule Adventure Day in ink. Show up. The unfamiliar is all around you. Go find it.
About the Author:
To discover more about how you can Make Your Life a Masterpiece, go to http://www.christinekane.com. |
