Creativity Information

Creativity and Communication Lessons from Crossing the Street


Spring is in full bloom, which means it's 'get back in shape time!' For me, that means strapping on the sneakers and going for a run (well, at this stage it's more of a slow loping jog...).

I live in a city (Philadelphia) so I have to deal with traffic and crosswalks when I jog. A few days ago I was out for a run and I came to a red light. I jogged in place and looked for an opening in traffic so I could cross the street and continue my exercise.

After a few moments, all the cars had passed but one. This one was approaching the intersection with it's turn signal blinking, meaning that it was going to turn before it reached me. In theory, I should have been able to safely cross the street.

I was about to go, but then I stopped. Something about the car didn't feel right. Maybe it was the speed, maybe it was the position, or maybe it was just a gut feeling. Whatever it was, I decided to wait.

Sure enough, the car whizzed right past me while its turn signal flashed on and on. I may not have gotten squashed if I tried to cross, but there probably would have been a big scene with screeching tires and honking horns.

Once the car was past, I safely proceeded on my way.

So, what does this have to do with creativity, improv, business, and life?

I personally take two powerful lessons away from this experience:

1) Always look beneath the surface.

If I took what the car claimed it was going to do (turn before it got to me) I might have ended up in a body cast. I paid attention to details in addition to what it was explicitly telling me.

Similarly, when talking with someone, it is important to pay attention to more than just what comes out of the person's mouth. Watch their body language. Listen to their tone of voice. Just because a person says one thing doesn't mean that they really fully feel that way.

2) Get out of your own head.

People spend a great deal of time wrapped up in their own thoughts. I find pedestrians and drivers to be two of the guiltiest of this. If I had been lost in my own thoughts I may have just glanced at the car's turn signal and started crossing. By putting my attention out on the world around me I was able to learn a whole lot more about the situation.

This idea is fundamental to both Creativity and Communication. Put your attention on things outside of you and your creativity will start to freely flow. Get out of your own head and your ability to listen and communicate effectively will grow exponentially.

All that just from crossing the street. Maybe I should jog more often...

Avish Parashar has a refreshingly unique approach to speaking and training: identify the fundamentals of success and then give people the tools to implement those fundamentals. Avish's approach can be deceptive; it's fun, funny, interactive, engaging, entertaining, and ridiculously simple. Success isn't complicated, it's simple. So visit the web site to learn more about the "Ridiculously Simple Ideas That Everybody Needs and Nobody Uses."

Learn More: http://www.avishparashar.com

Free Creativity Mini-Course: http://www.avishparashar.com/creativity-free-minicourse.html


MORE RESOURCES:

Creativity goal of state panel
The Republican - MassLive.com, MA - 14 hours ago
The new law calls for a 23-member Creative Economy Council to measure the sector's contributions to the state, and to develop strategies to promote and ...


Employers should encourage employee brainstorming
Arizona Republic, AZ - Oct 11, 2008
I thrive on creativity, and brainstorming is creativity at its grass roots. Unfortunately, most of us have been in brainstorming sessions when something ...


Fluid Creativity add Pay Per Click specialist
How Do, UK - 4 hours ago
Pay Per Click (PPC) specialist Simon Rattray has joined Fluid as the company look to increase their PPC and search engine optimisation offerings. ...


Lori Sturdevant: State's needs won't go away; money might
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - Oct 11, 2008
But for at least the next several years, transportation improvements will have to be made with a surge in what she called "creativity," not tax revenue. ...


Architecture as a subject allows immense creativity
Financial Express, India - 8 hours ago
My son is currently pursuing IB course. He has taken visual arts, mathematics, physics at the higher level and English, Hindi and business management at ...


Magazine publisher to speak at conference on creativity
Charleston Gazette, WV - 22 hours ago
Dale Dougherty, editor and publisher of MAKE magazine, thinks being creative goes beyond stereotypical art. "In some ways, our culture is a little bit ...


Wall Street Journal

In Defense of Piracy
Wall Street Journal - Oct 10, 2008
But enough owners insist on permission to have touched, and hence, taint, an extraordinary range of extraordinary creativity, including remixes in the ...
Now you can buy song or game on YouTube Indianapolis Star
all 2 news articles


Creativity’s not a 9 to 5 job’
Times of India, India - Oct 10, 2008
Creativity is not a 9 to 5 job, it comes from enthusiasm. The day I’m not enthused to create comething novel, I’ll stop working, because then I would have ...


'Story Time' At Guam's Andersen Air Force Base Library Fosters ...
Pacific News Center - Oct 11, 2008
"Story Time is designed specifically to allow children to be creative while at the same time providing an opportunity to encourage reading and promote ...
Guam's Andersen Air Force Base Team Members Attend Leadership Seminar Pacific News Center
Guam's JFK High School Honors Longest-Serving AFJROTC Instructor ... Pacific News Center
all 3 news articles


Good authors immerse themselves in creativity, not just skills
Jakarta Post, Indonesia - Oct 10, 2008
In his article, which appeared in this newspaper on Aug. 23, Setiono Sugiharto wrote, "Writing competence can only be acquired via reading. ...

Creativity - Google News

home | site map
© 2006