1. Start at home
I’ve got a spiral staircase outside at the lake, it adds a whole different dimension to the look and feel of the place. Why would anyone ever create such a thing? The first spiral staircase was built in a convent chapel in France in the late 1800’s. The architect died suddenly and after the builders had completed most of it they realized that there was no stairway to the choir loft. Because it was a small chapel a standard staircase would not fit and a ladder wasn’t appropriate for the Sisters due to their long robes. In true religious form, a miracle took place. A shabby looking stranger straggled in and said he would build a staircase. He asked for total privacy and locked himself in the chapel for three months. As soon as the staircase was finished the carpenter was gone.
It’s not earth shattering, take a look around at where you’re at, what you have, the space you have and create a new space for your thinking. This might be in the form of:
time ~ a specific amount or time of day
head space ~ clearing out your thoughts to make room for different approaches, solutions, ideas through meditation, exercise, hang-gliding, or a different environment
assumptions ~ identify your assumptions by writing them down, test their validity with others, and throw them out or embellish them.
Starting where you’re at seems like a common sense thing to do and it is. Recognizing where you’re at and acknowledging how things are will give you the freedom to push beyond.
2. Go deeper
Create tension in order to get to the soul of the matter. Tension isn’t always wanted or needed for innovation. In order to push down to the next level of thinking it just may push you farther than you’ve every gone. Create tension through:
Physical limitations ~ take away the coffee, the chocolate, the sugar.
Social experiments ~ make the world your lab and smile at the people you walk by on the street, communicate with silence at the dinner table, talk with the person next to you on the bus or in the elevator or at the grocery store. Collect the reactions you receive and reflect on them, with the people you’re smiling at or talking to.
Spiritual intimacy ~ host a salon with people you know from different and conflicting political, sexual, spiritual and value bases. Together explore the tension.
Taking steps to create tension is usually not something we tend to do because it’s uncomfortable. It’s also valuable and important in going deeper.
3. Embrace Nature
When was the last time you got outside and had a look around? This picture is a natural left-handed helix, made by a climber plant. What else have you missed when walking, driving, biking? We’re very removed from nature in our human built environment. A few easy ways to get in touch:
Plant trees every summer ~ dedicate them to friends, family or a cause.
Take a silent walk ~ no talking, no thinking, when your brain starts to chatter quiet it and remind yourself to listen to nature, watch the trees, the sky, the snow, the bugs. Take deep breaths and soak in the sun, wind, fresh air.
Head to the wilderness ~ collect rocks, branches or twigs. Bring them home to use as inspiration and/or to give away or to create a centre piece.
Nature inspires writers, inventors, musicians, architects, lovers. Give yourself the gift of connecting with something that is beyond what we can create. Through the wonders of nature become inspired.
4. Know where you’re going
A slinky always made it to the bottom of the stairs, not always the way that you wanted it to walk down the stairs, in fact most of the time it kinda fell all over the place, rolled half the way and it just wasn’t what we wanted or expected. But it pretty much always made it to the bottom of the stairs (sometimes with a little push or nudge). What’s the bottom of the stairs for you? If you see where you want to go it’s more likely that you’ll end up there. It may not be via the path that you planned but you’ll get there. Staying focused is not always an easy task especially for those of us who are distracted by shiny things. So here are a few things to consider:
Write it down or just know what it is ~ know what your vision is and play with it. Look at it often change the words, find the best words, the most outrageous statement, the kindest thought. Keep it with you in your wallet and/or mind at all times and visit it every day.
Take action ~ if you do nothing, nothing will happen. All those great ideas are wonderful but if you leave it at that you’ll stay at the top of the stairs.
Nudge yourself ~ motivation is a tough nut to crack. Keep your eye on the prize, have fun, turn things upside down and be a slinky. There’s more than one way to get down the stairs. Play seriously, no really seriously play. There’s a whole movement afoot called Serious Play, check it out.
Push yourself to embrace your vision, nobody elses and you’ll Spring to Excellence!
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