No Cats Were Harmed in the Pursuit of Curiosity

They say curiosity killed the cat, but I grew up with cats and never once lost one due to curiosity. They always seemed to survive whatever predicament they got themselves into. Maybe that is why they say they have nine lives too! A recent article in the Houston Chronicle invited the reader to think like a genius. Apparently the secret of Albert Einstein's creative genius was that he refused to follow the assumptions that were made by every other scientist. Einstein along with other geniuses "recognize that some truths are what we know as a matter of observed fact while others are what we think we know as a matter of received wisdom" (Roberta B. Ness - Houston Chronicle - Think Like a Genius - 6/5/17). By not realizing the difference between the two we can get ourselves wrapped up in a lot of incorrect assumptions. If we do what everyone else is doing and think like everyone else is thinking, we will miss out on the opportunity to engage our creativity and come up with innovative solutions to everyday problems. As a credentialed coach we are trained and encouraged to remain curious to assist our clients in making progress. The power of our work is in not knowing and allowing the client to figure out their own solutions. Our powerful questions allow the client to self discover and experience delightful ah-ha moments and insight. Get curious - leave behind the assumptions you know - ask questions - broaden your world view - a more adventurous exciting life will be yours! The best way to practice? Make the phrase "What If?" part of your vocabulary. What If there were 48 hours in a day? What If I am wrong about my boss being difficult? What If the state of the economy really has no effect on my success?... I'll be presenting a lunch hour talk on Unleashing Your Curious Creative Genius next week Tuesday August 15 in South Houston for ATD (Association for Talent Development).  The event is free and open to the public - lunch is on you. For details and registration - click here.

It's Wishing TIme!

 

My husband and I recently vacationed in Cozumel Mexico for my birthday. We were staying at an all inclusive resort that had a number of activities throughout the day. One of my favorites, that happened three times a week at sunset, was Wishing Time.

This gentleman above would dress up in this outfit and bring his conch shell horn to the pier with all of the wishers following behind in a procession, my husband and I included.  He claimed it was an ancient Mayan tradition to throw shells into the water at sunset, one for each blow of the horn, making a wish each time. For a lover of fairy tales, sunsets, wishing on stars and all things related, this was one of my favorite events (besides my husband's performance in the TV game show-like Minute to Win It the night before on the hotel stage!).

Once we reached the end of the pier, we all lined up single file so that each of us had room to throw our shells without hitting anyone in the head. We paused to contemplate the three wishes we desired and waited for the horn. Each time he blew the horn, we would make a wish as we threw one shell, (very tiny shells - they really wouldn't hurt anyone if we hit them in the head!), into the sea.  We delighted in the possibility of our wishes coming true. Before we knew it, the ceremony was over.

When we returned home to Texas, I grabbed the conch shell we use as a doorstop and attempted to make beautiful music like our ceremony guide. It actually did work for a few short seconds. I am determined to practice and make a decent performance at the next sunset we decide to honor with Wishing Time.

I believe wishing time would be a great habit to incorporate into our day or week. Taking the time to think about those things we want to happen and dream about happening can open up our creative minds to possibilities.  Then, we just need to take the necessary steps and associated risks to have the dream come true. Some are more work than others, some aren't any work at all.

What will you wish for at the next Sunset Wishing Time?

Ace Was the Place with the Helpful Hardware Woman!

I have fond memories as a teenager working in the hardware store as a cashier and hardware retail assistant. My dad loved the discount he received on all of his purchases there because I was an employee. I loved working in the store - mixing paint (we had to measure everything manually back then!) and helping people find the plumbing and hardware parts they needed for their home repair projects.  Maybe that is where I picked up my inclination for engineering.

One thing I'll never forget is what often happened at closing time. The doors would be locked, the registers closing down and there at the door or window would be a poor soul looking so desperate as he held up an old plumbing part or dropped to his knees in a begging position. You knew they had something break at the house and they just needed one little thing - and we were closed. It was definitely after closing time - we didn't lock the doors early, I always felt so sorry for them. Much to my delight, one of the managers always did too. He would open the door and listen to their story and help them out, letting them buy the part they needed even though the registers were closed - sometimes just letting them have it for free if it wasn't too expensive. I'll never forget the look on their faces - of gratefulness - and it just felt SO good to be a part of it.

Then there were a few very different experiences I had looking in from the other side of the door.

I needed to get a package out after the post offices were closed and ran to a little package shipping store around the corner. Their sign said they closed at 6:00pm and it was 5:50pm when I arrived. Plenty of time, I thought. As I grabbed the door to pull it open, it resisted! It was locked. I could see the owner in the store standing at the back table. He looked up at me, I pointed to my watch and he looked back down, completely ignoring me. I had a few choice words for that one and never returned to that place of business.

I experienced a similar situation at the eye doctor's office. They closed at 2:00 on Fridays and I had received a call that day notifying me my contacts were in. I was out of contacts and really needed the new ones. The employee told me that if I could get there by 2:00, I would be able to pick them up. I headed out right away and was walking up to their door at 1:52 - which is before 2:00 in my books. I was shocked and fairly upset to find the door locked, the front desk obviously vacated, lights out and not another car in the parking lot. What was up with that? I no longer get my contacts at that office!

So what does this have to do with creativity or risk taking? We take a risk when we close up shop a little early. How happy was that guy that came to the hardware store after hours? What kind of message was he spreading to friends, family and others? How happy was I at the shipping store or the eye doctor's office? What kind of message did I spread?

A little bit of empathy and kindness and a few more minutes before locking the door or turning off the phone will make a world of difference in your world and mine.

Skipping Stone Ripples

“We’ve got to get to the water before we leave”, she pleaded. We were on one of the most beautiful islands I’d ever been to, the Isle of Capri. It was the vacation of a lifetime with my sister-in-law, nieces and their friend. We’d been traveling about the island walking, riding a bus and a ski lift to see the views but hadn’t actually touched the water yet. We made our way down to the tiny cove of rock and pebble covered beach before jumping on our ferry back to the mainland. She slipped off her shoes and started searching on the beach for the perfect smooth rock specimens. Delighting in her finds, she started pitching them back into the water one by one, counting the skips as each one skimmed the water’s surface. Each time improving on her skip count little by little. I tried too, but my stones failed miserably, sinking quickly after a mere half skip or so. Satisfied with her last pitch, she watched the small rock sink back into the clear water. Then we grabbed our shoes and headed toward the boat dock for our ride home.    

There is something special about standing on the shoreline and skipping stones across the water. The beautiful ripple produced by a perfect skip is mesmerizing to watch. The small changes we make in our lives are like the ripples on the water. They affect everything about us in a subtle way – and we continue on for the better. What small change or risk will you take today to send positive ripples through your life?

And What to My Wondering Eyes Should Appear - Girl Scout Cookies!

I was a Girl Scout when I was young and always enjoyed selling Girl Scout cookies. When you knocked on doors and had Girl Scout calendars to sell it was not the same delightful reaction you received when they opened the door and found out you were selling cookies. 

And I loved eating them too.

As an adult I've always supported the Girl Scouts by purchasing more boxes than I should of my favorites, like the thin mints. I thought I was clever and put them in the freezer - thinking that would slow my consumption. It didn't. They actually tasted better frozen!   

This cookie season they came out with a new gluten free cookie. I don't have to eat gluten free but tried it because it was temptingly chock full of oatmeal and chocolate chips which are favorites of mine. And they were pretty good, especially straight out of the freezer. But they were hard to find. I was delighted when I found a troop at the grocery store with them, scooping up their supply and sharing with a friend that has to eat gluten free.

But inevitably my supply was depleted and I craved that oatmeal and chocolate chip combination but could not find them anywhere.

One Sunday as I was headed to Galveston Island to host a yoga on the beach, I traveled south on the freeway. When I reached the island, for some reason I missed the exit for the seawall. I've been to the beach countless times and know the route well, so I surprised myself. I had to wind from the main street on the island through one way streets and dead ends to get to the beach. Somehow I ended up right next to the Kroger store by the seawall. I honestly couldn't have found it if I tried but there it was and there was a Girl Scout table out in front. I decided to check and see if they had any of the prized gluten free gems. They were out but told me the leader ran home to get more cookies and would be back in a few minutes. They weren't sure if she was bringing the gluten free ones since they were so popular and usually gone in minutes. I ran inside for a quick errand.  When I returned I noticed from a distance a few of the famous bags sitting on the table and quickly moved to purchase them. I was delighted with my prize stash, slipped them into my cooler and headed to the beach.

Desire.  You can have goals, you can make plans - but the key is desire. When you set out to take a risk and make a change - add desire to the mix. Imagine what it will be like to have accomplished the risk goal and made the change. What will life be life and how will you feel? I know it's only cookies - but obviously my desire was so strong and I could definitely imagine what life would be like with them. The way to get them came to me in the least obvious and strangest way - missing an exit. But desire along with persistence will get you to where you want to be.

From Wasted Time to Walking on Sunshine!

When I was in grade school I had a classmate that was the epitome of bubbly and outgoing. She was into everything and talked about everything (much to some teachers' dismay) and wasn't afraid of anything - or so it seemed to me at the time. She was plain fun and had a super positive outlook on life. I was reminded of that energy at my recent high school reunion. There we were on the dance floor together, both dancing wildly to the song "Walking On Sunshine" - throwing our arms into the air, kicking high and low and just having a grand time with no other crazy people coming close to our free spirited dance.

I mentioned to her how much I loved her spirit growing up (we went to Catholic school for 12 years together) and how I was so shy back then, but not anymore. "Wasted time", she replied. "Yes", I thought, "maybe it was wasted time knowing what I know now". How often do we hesitate to do things because of fear, confidence, lack of something and miss out on extraordinary? 

I recently heard a country song on the radio by Keith Urban called "Wasted Time" and thought again about her comment. This song was exactly the opposite of the wasted time above. The artist relished the wasted time hanging out in the summer, swinging from a rope over the water and sneaking out the window and running back roads with his hand in hers. Sometimes we do need to waste time and relax and enjoy what is.  

What is holding you back right now from doing that thing you really want to do? Take a risk! Stop - or Start - wasting time. Start Walking on Sunshine!!

Three Keys to Success - Personally and Professionally

What are the three keys to success in your personal and/or professional life? I won't make you wait - here they are: 

1. Busting Assumptions
2. Unleashing Creativity
3. Risk Taking

Busting Assumptions

We cannot live without making some assumptions. But so many of our problems arise from the thoughts we hold in our head. We tell ourselves that things cannot be done, it will always be this way or we don't possess certain qualities we need to be able to make things happen. Taking time to assess the real truth of the thoughts in your head and looking at what you would do if those things weren't true will really give you the kick you need to make progress.

Unleashing Creativity

We are all creative, we just don't take the time to connect to our creativity. When do you have your most creative thoughts? For many people it is in the shower, when driving or running. Make sure you record those thoughts as soon as possible or they will be lost. Play with creativity exercises like random words - writing down everything that comes to mind when you think of that/those words. Bounce ideas off of other people. Exercising your creative mind will assure it is ready when you need it. When you have a problem to solve - write it down in the morning and let it go. You will be amazed at how many ideas, people or events come to you during the day to help you solve the problem.

Risk Taking

You know you want to do something but you hesitate. What is holding you back? Most likely fear. Fear of what? Fear of success, failure, repeating past mistakes, not having the energy or the nohow or whatever it is you need to make the risk successful? First, write down the risk you want to take and what it will give you if you were able to accomplish it. How will things be different and better for you it you were to get it done? Then assess the different ways you could do it - let your creativity unleash. Select a few options that coincide with your personal level of risk taking - not too comfortable for you - a little out of your zone. Make a plan and just do it!! Reassess and adjust and keep on keeping on!

If you want more ideas or assistance with the Three Keys to Success - contact me at margaret@ideasandbeyond.com