I remember seeing a video of a speech that John Cleese made about creativity. He said the most creative people are those who see the value in doing nothing, having fun, just for the sake of it, with no purpose.
Let me say that again; “doing nothing, having fun, no purpose”. Sounds mind blowing to most people in corporate jobs, and generally in our western society focused on “doing”, results” and “action”.
It makes sense however, when we bring mindfulness into the picture. To calm down to be able to speed up. To stop so that we can see the beauty around us. To seek stillness so we can manage the noise.
A client told me yesterday that she was so glad her computer broke down. Which would be a nightmare for most people. But guess what, she was forced to do something else with her time, for example painting the house – and that’s when inspiration came! Not trying to force it through in front of the computer.
How often do we think about getting some fresh air before an important meeting? Maybe that would help negotiation, finding solutions, bringing out ideas? When would we ever think about going to the beach for an hour before finishing a report? Maybe it would give more energy and the possibility to write “in flow”? Most of us would rather dip our nose deeper into the office air and work as a mouse in a wheel. Because that’s what we do!
There are companies that are dependent on their worker’s creativity and therefore provide more space for flexible schedules and different ways of working. But, I think “us regular people” can also break more often out of the standard and create our own creative space. Even if it is just a simple thing like a 3 minute guided meditation from the book and CD “Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World”.
Try something different one day, be bold! And enjoy more inspiration, creativity and mindfulness.
