What Box?^®

Sometimes I have wondered if anybody is really learning and applying the lessons shared in What Box? My resistance to complacency and letting things slide can be more of a misery than a pleasure. You just never know where the next inspiration will come from. Just the other day I received a letter from a fellow What Box? reader who has warmed my heart and has stoked the fire of my creativity. This week I want to share Coops letter as a perfect example of how the continued practice of What Box? thinking can enable you to break-out-of-the-box. Think it doesn’t work? Take the time to read the letter below.
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If you happen to be reading this article in The Chronicle, then that means that Mr. Ruth saw fit to take a chance on me and my ‘talents’. It also means that Sean Griffin may be onto something in those What Box? articles. Now I have to admit, I’m one of those people who reads an article like Sean’s and says, “Man, that sounds great, but that just doesn’t work for me. I’m not convinced I can ‘project’ and ‘visualize’ what I want to be able to do and Shazaam! it’s a done deal.” There’s more to it than that, but you get my drift. So, I just kept reading the Spout, the Bum, Bart and all the other articles . . . which kept me reading What Box?

I can’t remember how long ago it was when I first started thinking about how great it would be to have an opportunity writing for The Chronicle, but it has been quite some time. This is where the proverbial boxes came into play. The “You’re not good enough to tackle something like that.” box. The “Don’t even waste your time, what makes you think they would want you writing for them?” box. Boxes, boxes everywhere!! I know I wasted, at the very minimum, one year just talking myself out of even trying. Pretty sad, huh?

Sean has mentioned in past articles how we are born with our minds being an empty slate and what happens to us in our young lives help (or hurt) us as we get older. How true that is! You see, I grew up with 3 brothers. I was brother #3 and brother #2 had to have something to do, so what do you think he chose as his first occupation? Tormentor of brother #3! Now don’t get me wrong, I love all 3 of my brothers, but the teasing I put up with made me create the wrong boxes for myself. He used to call me four eyes and made fun of me when I crinkled my nose trying to keep my glasses up when they would slip down. He mocked me mercilessly for constantly pulling up my socks because I was the one person in the universe who saved all the rest of you from getting the defective ones that wouldn’t stay up. He especially excelled when there were other people around. I know there are plenty of you out there who know what I’m talking about. All that is pretty normal when growing up with other siblings. It’s ok; it can make you a better person.

My point is I have allowed things like the teasing and mocking I went through as a child affect my decisions as an adult. Case in point: Pursuing a possible opportunity writing for The Chronicle. I just couldn’t risk putting it on the line and not getting hired (or, in effect, ridiculed in my mind), so the safe alternative was to DO NOTHING. Pretty brave of me, huh? Well screw it. It’s on the line and if it’s not good enough, I understand, because I have a very high opinion of The Chronicle and I don’t want to be the one to cause it’s readership to dwindle. I also know if I don’t get this opportunity it’s ok, it may not be the right fit. I can deal with that. Thank you, Sean, that box is gone.

In addition to giving Sean’s advice a try, I had a former school-mate pass away a few days ago at the age of 41. That seemed to scream at me, “Do it now before it’s too late!” Then, I read about David Smalley going on to bigger things. When I told my wife about that, she said, “Maybe that’s a sign. You’ve been talking about this forever; I think you’re a great writer, go for it.” I then asked her for a kick in the butt to get me started, but she declined. She did her job.

Be warned, while this article was meant to walk you along the path that got me here and to sincerely acknowledge those people that influenced me, I have plenty of satire and sarcasm to make a few of you mad at me eventually. Uh-oh, it’s the “Don’t make anyone mad at you!” box. Oh well, it’s bound to happen!

So there it is, in black and white. I hope this will help some of you who have been doing the same thing as I have (nothing) to get up and try to pursue something you have been wanting to do for a long time. I wish you Grand success!

Today’s Quote: “Prejudice is a great time saver. It allows you to make judgments without having to waste any time getting the facts.”

God Bless -Coop.
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Let me know what you think.

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If you have a story of how you have been inspired to break-out-of-the-box that you would like share? I would love to hear it.

Remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

Inside of each of us is a virtually unlimited power plant of creativity and, like any power plant, we need to feed it continually if we are going to be able to apply these talents to our lives. When you constantly stoke your creativity you are working with the natural flow of all living things, in essence, satisfying your need to achieve your life’s purpose.

I use many different methods to continually stoke my creative power plant. On occasion I take a boat ride to Mooney’s and lubricate my brain a bit. Here I am able to free my mind and interact with people in a fun and non-traditional environment, inspiring me to write down my ideas and thoughts in one of my sketch books which I always carry with me. You just never know what creative inspiration will happen when you are hanging out at a place like Mooney’s.

Another one of my favorite ways to enhance my creative power is to take the time to just “be” by taking in the wonders of nature: the sights, the sounds, the smells of the wildlife that surrounds me. When I am able to slow down long enough to just sit and take in nature’s marvelous moments I am able to experience things that I would otherwise miss.

Just the other day while floating around Grand Lake, on an unusually warm winter morning, I spotted two Eagles. Any day you can experience Eagles is a great day! These two Eagles were not just flying around looking for their next meal. Instead, they were flying into the trees, breaking off big branches from dead trees and building a nest. I was so inspired and focused on experiencing this incredible work of nature, that I did not realize over an hour had passed since first spotting these incredible birds building their new home. I was living in the moment. There was no past and no future, only me and the amazing Eagles doing their thing. I was in a state of wonder and the furnace of my creativity was being stoked as I brought myself back into the realities of my own life.

How are you taking the time to stoke the furnace of your creativity?

It takes a lot of practice and continual experimentation for creativity to grow and become more powerful in your life. I start every day with the thought of how I am going to expand my creative abilities and apply them to my work, life, relationships, and the unknown.

As an example, I have been part of starting, founding, or consulting on the creation of over 27 businesses and 7 non-profit organizations. You may say, “27 businesses and 7 non-profits. How the heck is that possible?” Out of all of those, three businesses remain standing in some form or another and two non-profits remain supporting the building of community. Here is how it works. First, you have an idea for a business or someone else has an idea for business. Then you reach a point where you believe that there is potential in this business, you have explored the options and you proceed to creating a plan. The plan looks good and there is a potential it could take off. Instead of just thinking about it and wishing you were starting that business or non-profit, you go for it and start the sucker up.

Experimentation with creativity means you will not succeed all the time. Quite the opposite, you will, in all likelihood, fail more than you succeed. The key is to learn from what you perceive as a failure, and turn that into a steppingstone for future successes.

This takes dedication and determination. The odds are stacked against me whenever I start-up a business or a non-profit. It also takes tremendous creativity. This is where the rub is. Because things do not always go the way I would like them to go and, in fact, almost never do, I have to engage the power of creativity to think differently about any new situation.

When I was starting an Internet based art auction house in 1992 called Universal Art Support, this is before ebay, I knew the model would be of value and would work. In fact, my partner and I were able to raise over $65,000 to start it up. What we did not know was that the technology of the day was not capable of allowing the vision to happen. When we made this discovery, the money had been burned through and the technology limitations stopped us in our tracks. Instead of giving up on the ideas, we turned around and started another business based upon what we learned had worked from the previous business. Vital Pathways was born and I started the practice of graphic facilitation with my partner Gordon Rudow. I continue to use visual communication tools to sell and grow businesses today.

What opportunities are you letting slip by?

The key is to constantly learn, be open to something different, be willing to change direction, and never ever give up. You can do it!

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
I was fascinated by your drawing in last week’s What Box? Living Your Mythical Journey. I would appreciate it if you would explain how you have learned to follow your instincts? Do you have any examples of how that works for you?
Curious

Dear Curious,
Great question!
Everyday holds numerous opportunities to follow your instincts. My very favorite technique is to pay close attention to my first reactions in any given situation. That is, what is my first thought? What do I feel inside? These are the first instincts that can make a major difference in how you make decisions on which way to go. The challenge is that most of us do not pay attention to our first instincts and instead let these instincts pass. This allows our mind to take over and limit our potential. Who knows how many times we say to ourselves, “I should have followed my first instincts.” Go ahead pay more attention and follow these first instincts and see where it takes you. My guess is very far.
Keep On Keeping On,
Sean

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

Back in 1995 when I was involved in the founding and running of technology companies at the epicenter of the Internet revolution in Silicon Valley I would share my insights about the coming Creative Age whenever I was interviewed by the media. At that time not everyone embraced this idea because we were at the very beginnings of our transition from the Industrial Communication Age into what is only now more clearly being defined and understood as the Creative Age. With the accelerated pace of change the transition from one economic engine into another has happened faster and faster and now the Creative Age is here. It is hard to believe that only 10 years ago most of the world had not yet experienced sending their first email or buying a product on the Net. Just think about how much has changed in this short period of time.

So what does this Creative Age mean to us and our future?

In 1995 only about 10% of the population was working in creative industries such as science, entrepreneurialism, entertainment and advertising. Today, just 10 short years later, approximately 50% of our population in the United States is working in creative industries, and in some countries this number is getting close to 75%. Creativity is touching every aspect of our lives. Think about the car you drive. Think about the restaurants where you eat. Think about the clothes you wear. Think about the kitchen you cook in. Think about the furniture you sit on. Think about anything you consume or bring into your life. It’s not so much about whatever you consumer or bring into your life that attracts you as much as the design, experience or positive emotions they generate.

At an ever increasing pace, everything that we consume in our lives is coming from creative people meeting and exceeding the demands of a growing population. Thomas Edison, the greatest inventor of our time, is a wonderful example of someone who not only utilized his own creativity to invent things that had never been thought of before, but he also surrounded himself with equally creative people to help make his creative visions a reality. Edison was a rare individual in his day who blazed a creative path that we are running down today. Edison said, “There is a better way to do it – find it.” Now we are surrounded by “Edison’s” all over the world expanding and stretching their creative skills.

Here is the challenge – many people are scared to death of the change that is generated and used by creative people. More and more of us are happy with the way things are and do not see a need to embrace creative people and the productive gains of their creative energy. Embracing change is one of the greatest challenges we face as humans. Change is accelerating at an ever increasing pace and if we do not learn to embrace, or at a minimum accept, the changes taking place globally we will in all likelihood wake up one day and say to ourselves, “Was I sleeping? How did we get so far behind?” The world has learned from American creativity and has now embraced it with open arms. We are not the only open and creative country on the planet anymore.

If we are going to stay globally competitive and move away from the homogenization of our cities and communities we must overcome. We must expand our membership into the creative experience. Back when my Grandfather was a young man returning from WWII he was willing to do whatever it took to increase the quality of life for his family. He was relentless and highly creative in his pursuit of a better life for his family, friends, and community. Today we have become a more complacent and self-focused as a nation. We have lost our edge and the rest of the world has not only caught up but they are starting to take the creative lead.

“The cynic says, ‘One man can do anything.’ I say, ‘Only one man can do anything.’ One man interacting creatively with others can move the world.” John Gardner

Someone somewhere out there is working harder and longer than you on the next invention, book, ad campaign, event, or even fundraiser. The time is now to tap the creative potential sitting idle inside of all of us. Your creativity, our collective creativity, is quite possibly our single greatest gift. How are you using your creativity to make a positive difference?

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Thomas Edison

If history is any lesson, and it usually is, we can and will overcome this challenge and embrace the Creative Age with open arms and the gusto that has made our country one of the greatest in history. We need to turn this ship around and get serious about expanding and exercising our creativity as individuals and a nation. This means thinking different about how we go about interacting, relating, and doing business with ourselves and the world.

Never before in history have there been so many opportunities and challenges for us to learn and grow from. It is going to take creative minds working together to maximize these opportunities and overcome the challenges at hand. For the first time in history we can align our growth as humans with our creative and economic growth potential. What an amazing thought.

When you are living a creative life you are working with the natural flow of all living things and coming closer to living a more satisfying and purposeful life.

And what could be more important than that?

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
My family had a very enjoyable holiday together . . . because we didn’t travel anywhere and didn’t have any visitors. The phone calls have already started from our extended family about our plans for next Christmas. How do we balance our need for peace and quiet and time with our immediate family with the obligation to visit with our other relatives?
The Grinch in Owasso

Dear Grinch,
The holidays are probably one of the most challenging times of year from many of us. There is usually a struggle between what we need to do for ourselves and our immediate family and how we can meet the needs of our extended family and friends. The important thing to keep in mind is that taking care of ourselves and immediate family should be our first priority. It is also important, of course, to make connections with our relatives and friends. You might want to consider making your connections with them at some point before the holidays, at the beginning of the New Year, or at some other time during the year that will work for everyone. It’s the quality of time that you spend together that is most important, not what time of year or the length of time together. As I have shared in this article, change is very difficult. What your family and friends are asking you for is to spend time them, working together you will be able to redefine how this can take place.
Keep On Keeping On,
Sean

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.