WE ALL HAVE IT
… the business of being creative
Thursday Apr. 17, 2014
When we were children without impulse control, without correct vs. incorrect concepts, we leapt. From idea to idea. Like frogs switching lily-pads.
We can get it back if we try.
In grown-up smartness we function in clearly defined behaviour boxes: what is correct, best practice and pretty much same-old ways of doing everything. We older-dogs have greater difficulty in a no-rules environment than our younger colleagues. There are rules, conventions and protocols in every group. Bah .. humbug!
What can change that?
Moments of inspiration come from within sometimes. More often they come from external sources – ideas we’ve read about, heard or seen someone else doing.
We say, hey, why didn’t I think of that?
We often have extraordinary ideas, but because we’ve not heard them before we are doubters. Our mistake is when we dismiss our notions as unworthy rather than thinking them through as potential game-changers worth risking.
We all have these opportunities to try/fail, try/fail, try/fail. We don’t do it with an expectation of failing. Acceptance of miss-steps, failures, course-changes and recognition that each mistake is new and can, of itself, take us in new experimental directions is scary. Exciting. Invigorating.
Yoda said, “Do or do not … there is no try.”
Opportunity stares me in the face every morning.
I stare back.
Reaching out to grab one is easy – see it, grab it. Simple.
Do.
Do.
Do, do, do, do …. just do, just do it.
What do we have to lose?
It can be a creative life.
Or it can be routine, ritualistic torture.
I believe opportunity is our most under-worked talent, our most un-tapped talent.
Mark Kolke
198,584
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: -2C / 28F, overcast, a bit more snow overnight – very slippery, but today we at least got part way up the hill with some traction; the weatherman says ‘nicer tomorrow’ so we’ll come back tomorrow
