1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: What has happened for most of us is that our 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: minds are now trained to think in limited, restricted, compartmentalized ways, 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: and we want to change that. What you want to 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: do is become a critical thinker and ask yourself what 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: is a problem that you're facing, and I want you 6 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: to deeply think about what it would take to solve 7 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: that problem. But in imagination, with no limits on time, energy, money, 8 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: you may say, well, Jay, that's stupid because I won't 9 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: be able to do that because I'm not limitless in time, energy, money. 10 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: But what you're doing is you're training your mind to 11 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 2: think that way. 12 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome back to On Purpose. I'm your host, 13 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 1: Jay Sheddy, and I am so grateful that you've decided 14 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: to tune in again. I'm so deeply moved by your commitment, 15 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: your consistency, your dedication to growing and bettering yourself because 16 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: we as humans are wired to keep progressing, to keep moving, 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: to keep evolving, and when we used to do it intentionally, 18 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: life can become phenomenal. 19 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: I want to thank you all for being here, for 20 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 2: trusting me. I appreciate you. 21 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: I've loved seeing all your reviews of late keep those 22 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: coming on Spotify and Apple. 23 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 2: They helped the podcast so much. 24 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: Please subscribe on YouTube and now a lot of you 25 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: been watching this show as well, and we've had segments 26 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: that are only there. Thank you so much again for 27 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: being a part of this growing community. I am so 28 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: grateful for you, and I couldn't do this without you. 29 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: And today I want to dive into something because I 30 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: find that creativity is such an important part of life. 31 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: Yet we were never taught in school how to be 32 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: more creative. If you think about how school worked, it 33 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: was learning to know the answer to something, and the 34 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: answer is either right or wrong. Now, this makes sense 35 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: in subjects like math, but it doesn't necessarily make sense 36 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: in subjects like English. Like if you were reflecting or 37 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: you were introspecting about a paragram that you read, and 38 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 1: you were doing a comprehension exercise where you had to 39 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: write about how you felt about it or what you 40 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: thought about it, there was still a finite number of answers, 41 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: Whereas in life it's so important to have that freedom 42 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: to be creative, to be curious, and so everything in 43 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: school was pushing us towards having a right answer, having 44 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: a final answer, having a conclusive answer, and creativity is 45 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: anything but being conclusive or final. The point of creativity 46 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: is that it's open, that it's abundant, that it's seeking, discovering, 47 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: revealing itself. But we've been trained to think the opposite. 48 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: We've been trained to believe that it's either yes or no, 49 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: when in fact it could be well, why is it yes? 50 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: Or why is it no? That's a far more interesting question. 51 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 1: We've been told it's either there or it's there, it's 52 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: either this or it's that, But it's like, well, why 53 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: is it this? 54 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 2: And why is it that? Is a far more in questions. 55 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: So our creative proclivities have been limited from our education, 56 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: and therefore we ask less questions. Therefore we feel stupid 57 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: when we ask questions. How many times have you ever 58 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: said stupid question? But I had to ask right or 59 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: you're saying it in your head? And so often we 60 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: feel scared or judged. And how many of us push 61 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: to judge and assume? How many of us is judging 62 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: and assuming our first reaction to something as opposed to 63 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: curiosity and questioning, as opposed to being creatively thinking about 64 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: an idea that's put in front of us. How many 65 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: of you hear an idea from one of your friends 66 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: about a business or a podcast or an app, and 67 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: straight away your mind goes, no, that's not possible, instead 68 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: of being creative and thinking how could that be possible? 69 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 2: When and where. 70 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: Could it be possible? What could we do to make 71 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: that a reality? And what I find is that just 72 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: as we shut down other people's creativity, we often shut 73 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: down our own. How many times have you said in 74 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: your own mind, oh, that's a stupid idea. Where does 75 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: that voice come from? How many times were you told 76 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: growing up that your idea was a stupid idea, or 77 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: it was a bad idea, or that it would never work, 78 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,559 Speaker 1: or that it was guaranteed to fail. How many times 79 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: did you hear that? I remember when I was starting 80 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 1: this podcast, I remember people saying to me, Jay, people 81 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: like listening to you for four minutes. People don't want 82 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: to listen to you and a guest or a friend, 83 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: or whoever it was, for an hour. People don't want 84 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: to hear that. And the reason I'm sharing that with 85 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: you is just to help us recognize that if you're 86 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: limited in your creativity, if you've been restricted in your 87 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,159 Speaker 1: creativity internally or by others around you, you're not alone 88 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: Sir Ken Robinson and his TED talk, which is called 89 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: How Schools Kill Creativity, talks about how we need to 90 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: reconstitute our conception of the richness of human capacity and 91 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: says that creativity is now now as important in education 92 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: as literacy. And he talks about this idea of how 93 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: we shouldn't be making people feel they're wrong just because 94 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: they're thinking differently. And if you think about all the 95 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: things that we love, all the things that we admire, 96 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: all the things that we think are incredible in the world, 97 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: are usually fresh, they're new, they're enlivening, they're abundant. They've 98 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: come from a place of someone being creative. Right, when 99 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: you look at a building and it looks different to 100 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: all the other buildings, we're like, Wow, that's special, that's amazing. Right, 101 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 1: there was creativity there. When you see a book cover 102 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 1: that's different, it's like, oh, there's creativity there. When you 103 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: are looking for furniture for your home or a color 104 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: that's different, there's creativity there. Creativity is so much of 105 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: what we notice as being special or beautiful or admirable, 106 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: yet we often restrict our own creative capabilities. Now there's 107 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: an incredible book by Keith Sawyer called Zigzag the Surprising 108 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 1: Path to Greater Creativity, and if you really want to 109 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: dive into this subject, I highly recommend it. Keith Sawyer 110 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: is a research psychologist and an author, and I think 111 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: some of his advice in this book is fantastic. So 112 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: I want to start off with what is one way 113 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,679 Speaker 1: that you can start to get that creative spark going, 114 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: that creative juice flowing. And I want to start really 115 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:24,720 Speaker 1: small because I think sometimes when we think of being creative, 116 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: we think I've got to build something big or I've 117 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:28,920 Speaker 1: got to come up with something unique, and that can 118 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: feel quite intimidating. I feel like me, it can definitely 119 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: feel intimidating. And I love the idea of watching Ted Talks. 120 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: I love the idea of listening to podcasts. I love 121 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: the idea of learning as a form of creativity. But 122 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: I want to try and give you something specific. One 123 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: of my favorite things to do is to walk into 124 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: a bookshop. I love being in a bookshop because I 125 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,919 Speaker 1: feel like the titles, the covers, the amount of research. 126 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: If you just think about what you're doing when you're 127 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: walking into a bookshop, you're actually walking into decades of research. 128 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 2: Learning and art. 129 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: That's literally what it is. Like, let's really think about that. 130 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: And I know bookshops are getting less and less popular, 131 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: but hey, I love going to a good bookshop. And 132 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: finding a good bookshop is really really awesome because, like 133 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: I said, the covers, the titles, the work that's gone 134 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: behind them. Even though people say, don't judge your book 135 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: by its cover, one of the reasons I love bookshops 136 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: is because you feel you're surrounded by some mu's thought 137 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: and intelligence. Now, if you think about it, a bookshop 138 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: is marketing you ideas. When you're on the streets, you're 139 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: being marketed products. Think about that for a second, Right, 140 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: when you're walking down the streets and you see a billboard, 141 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: or you see a bus stand, or you see an 142 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: advert on the train or of course on your phone, 143 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 1: you're being marketed products. In a bookstore, you're being marketed ideas. Now, 144 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:52,559 Speaker 1: products improve your life in a certain way, for sure, 145 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: but ideas define your life. Ideas teach you how to 146 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 1: navigate life. Ideas teach you how to make decisions on 147 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: even the products that you'll use. Right, it's the idea 148 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: that's almost like a compass to your life. And so 149 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: while products do improve our lives, and buying products is 150 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: a part of our day to day life. We all 151 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: need to eat, drink, and live and everything else. The 152 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 1: ideas are what helps us make better decisions in our 153 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: life and for the products and everything else. And so 154 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: I love the idea of being marketed ideas. When I'm 155 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: in a bookshop, and one of my favorite things to 156 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 1: do inside a bookshop is to try to pick two 157 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 1: random books, and what I'll do is I'll flick to 158 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: a chapter in one book that seems exciting. I'll go 159 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: down the contents page. I'll be like, Okay, which chapter 160 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: is something I'm struggling with, something I'm working on. Let 161 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: me go to that chapter. Let me do the same 162 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: in another book that maybe on a completely different topic. 163 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: But what am I fascinated by? And I'll try and 164 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 1: find what is similar about those two chapters or how 165 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,079 Speaker 1: are they connected? How do they agree or disagree? How 166 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: can I reflect on them both together? Maybe there's context 167 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: that crosses over, Maybe there isn't. Maybe I've just learned 168 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: about two new ideas that are completely disconnected. But the 169 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,199 Speaker 1: point being that what you're doing is you're actually pushing 170 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: your brain. You're pushing your mind to connect dots where 171 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: otherwise there is no connection. And Steve Jobs famously said 172 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: creativity is just connecting things. If you look at what 173 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: Steve Jobs did with Apple, he combined calligraphy with technology. 174 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: He wanted shape things like calligraphy. He wanted the type 175 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: font to be beautiful. He wanted everything to feel like 176 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: art and calligraphy, even though it was technology. He wanted 177 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: it to feel that fluid and that beautiful. When you 178 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: think about the rise of Pokemon Go, if you remember 179 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: Pokemon Go, I'm sure some of you played it. I'm 180 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: sure you forced your parents to play it with you. 181 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: If you don't know what it was, it was an 182 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: augmented reality game where you could go out under the 183 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: streets and augmented reality would help you catch pokemon on 184 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 1: the streets. What's really interesting about this game is that 185 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: the founder talked about why he created it, and the 186 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: reason he created it is that he said that when 187 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: he was young, his father would take him out and 188 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:14,320 Speaker 1: observe wildlife, insects, animals, and they would talk about them 189 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: and he would learn about them, and he said that 190 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: he missed the fact that parents were no longer going 191 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: out with their children. So he wanted to find a 192 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: way that technology could make people more interested in going 193 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 1: outdoors and being outside. So it's really interesting that when 194 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: you're connecting two ideas that seem opposite, Like at that time, 195 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: people said kids just want to stay indoors and play 196 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 1: video games. That was what society was saying, and he said, well, no, 197 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 1: maybe we can find a way of getting them outdoors 198 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: through a video game. Right, maybe that is a possibility, 199 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: And that's creativity. So when you go into a bookshop 200 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: and you pick two random books and you see how 201 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: they can relate, that's what you're doing. You're pushing your 202 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: mind in a very small way. Next time you hear 203 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: two opposing arguments, try and see if you can find 204 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: the similarities by and see if you can find the 205 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 1: connection as opposed to the opposition. Because it's not hard 206 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: to tell the difference between something, right, it's not complicated 207 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: to be like, that's different from that. 208 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 2: That makes sense. 209 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: But to find the correlation where other people see anomalies 210 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: is a real art and a real skill. People may 211 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: not have seen art and technology together. People may not 212 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: have seen the digital world and nature through the same lens, 213 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 1: but that's what creativity is about. So this is a 214 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: really sharp, smart, small way that you can start to 215 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:38,160 Speaker 1: do that. Now number two is really really interesting for me, 216 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: and Sawyer talks about it in the book quite heavily. 217 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: And what I want to talk about or address here 218 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: is this idea of asking better questions of yourself and 219 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: of others. The reason why we struggle with creativity is 220 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: because we ask the wrong questions. And I actually want 221 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: to take that back. You're never asking the wrong question. 222 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: We just need to ask more questions. We need to 223 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: ask deeper questions, and we just need to ask more questions. Right, 224 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: We often just limit it to what do you do? 225 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: How do you like it? Do you enjoy what you do? 226 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: Notice how all those questions are very very basic. We 227 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: don't necessarily ask, well, what do you enjoy about it? 228 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: Or on a scale of one to ten, how enjoyable 229 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: it is? What could make it more enjoyable, what could 230 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: make it more fun? What is it that makes it 231 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: so complicated or difficult? Notice how all those questions are different. 232 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: Now Sawyer talks about the beginning of Starbucks. Now, this 233 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: is really really interesting because the first question that they 234 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,240 Speaker 1: were trying to answer was how can I recreate the 235 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:48,080 Speaker 1: Italian espresso bar in the United States. That was the 236 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: original goal, That was the original target of Starbucks. Now, 237 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:54,679 Speaker 1: think about what question you have. Maybe your question is, 238 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: how do I start a huge podcast, how do I 239 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: build my YouTube following, how do I launch my own brand, 240 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: how do I get a promotion, how do I move 241 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:05,959 Speaker 1: to this city, or. 242 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 2: How do I live in this place? Right? 243 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: Maybe that's your question, and maybe you've just been banging 244 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: your head against the wall. Maybe you've just said, you 245 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: know what, I can't figure this out. It's just not 246 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: working for me because every time I ask that question, 247 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 1: I get stuck. How many of you have ever felt 248 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: that way that whenever you ask the question you've been asking, 249 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: You've been asking the same question for a long time, 250 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: and you keep getting stuck. I have a friend who 251 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: really really wants to launch a YouTube channel, and he's 252 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: always getting stuck because he's thinking, well, how do I 253 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: do it? When do I start? When's the right time? 254 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 1: That's the question he's asking, when is the right time? Now, 255 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: if he was listening to this episode, what I would 256 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: say to him is, well, instead of asking when is 257 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 1: the right time, what's a better question. How do I 258 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 1: make now the right time? What does the perfect time 259 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: look like? Right? What am I waiting for? What is 260 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: good timing? 261 00:13:57,480 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 2: In my eyes? 262 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: Let me talk to people about whether the time is 263 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 1: the right thing that matters when it comes to social 264 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 1: media at all. Right, So what ended up happening with 265 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: Howard Shortz is the question changed from how can I 266 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: recreate the Italian espresso bar in the United States? To 267 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 1: how can I create a comfortable relaxing environment to enjoy 268 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: great coffee? Think about the difference in that question, how 269 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: can I create a comfortable relaxing environment to enjoy great coffee? 270 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 2: Now? 271 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: Kevin's sistrom also did the same with Instagram, where initially 272 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: he just wanted to create a better location sharing app, 273 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: but the question turned into how can we create a 274 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: simple photo sharing app? And that slight change made all 275 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: the difference. So what problem are you trying to solve? 276 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: What are you trying to create? What are you trying 277 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 1: to build? What is it that has been blocking you 278 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: because you're asking the wrong question? 279 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 2: Now? 280 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: Number three, A great way to get creative, to get 281 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: your creative mind working, is to solve the real problem 282 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: in your life, but in your imagination, so you don't 283 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: need to go raise money. You don't need to go 284 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: in build a website or an app, But how would 285 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: you solve it? So what you want to do is 286 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 1: become a critical thinker and ask yourself, what is a 287 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: problem that I'm really truly struggling with. Maybe it is 288 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,720 Speaker 1: to come up with podcast episode ideas, right, Maybe that's 289 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: something you're struggling with. Maybe something you're struggling with is 290 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: I don't know how to communicate with my toxic family members. 291 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: Maybe that's what you're struggling with. Maybe what you're struggling 292 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 1: with is I want to be more focused at work, 293 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 1: but I keep getting distracted. Right, what is a problem 294 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: that you're facing? And I want you to deeply think 295 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: about what it would take to solve that problem. But 296 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: in imagination right, with no limits on time, energy, money. 297 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: Now you may say, well, Jay, that's stupid because I 298 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: won't be able to do that because I'm not limitless 299 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: in time, energy, money. But what you're doing is you're 300 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: training your mind to think that way. See what has 301 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: happened for most of us is that are my are 302 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: now trained to think in limited, restricted, compartmentalized ways, and 303 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: we want to change that for our minds to think 304 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: in limitless, unrestricted, infinite ways. Right. I had a mentor 305 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: called Thomas Power, who's a good friend, and when I 306 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 1: first met him, he presented this idea to me about 307 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: how a lot of people are what he called CSC closed, selective, 308 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 1: and controlling. They're closed, They're thinking is very very closed 309 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: into what's possible. They're very selective. They selective about who 310 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: they spend time with, them who they don't spend time with, 311 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: and that often leads them to miss out on incredible possibilities. 312 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 1: And finally they're controlling. Right, there's a sense of a 313 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: know it all or they know what's going on. And 314 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 1: then on the other side, he said, there are people 315 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: that are open, random and supportive. They're open to new ideas, 316 00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 1: They're open to their ways of thinking being changed. Really 317 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 1: important part of being creative that how open are you 318 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: to saying I know my values, i know what's important 319 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: to me, but I'm still open to new ideas. And 320 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 1: I find this to be one of the most fascinating 321 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,160 Speaker 1: things in life is that you can have a philosophy, 322 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: you can have a set of principles and guidelines that 323 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 1: you agree with, yet you can be open to better ones. Random. 324 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: He talked about this idea of being random, like, how 325 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 1: many times have you just bumped into someone in a 326 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: random way? How many times have you come across an 327 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: idea because of something random? Some of my best ideas 328 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,639 Speaker 1: are random and then supportive. How many of us actually 329 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:36,880 Speaker 1: come up with great ideas because we're helping someone else. 330 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: While we're supporting others. While we're helping others, we may 331 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: create something phenomenal. So solve a real problem in your 332 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: life to expand your thinking. Again, you're not going to 333 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:48,719 Speaker 1: solve it. You may not create the products. You may 334 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,640 Speaker 1: end up creating the product, but you're gearing and guiding 335 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: and training your mind to think limitlessly about a problem 336 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 1: that makes you feel limited. Now, question number four, think 337 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: about the next place you're traveling. Where are you going 338 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 1: to next? Maybe you've booked a vacation to Ballei. Maybe 339 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: you've booked a vacation to Australia. Maybe you've booked a 340 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: local weekend get away right like a staycation. Almost what's 341 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: the next place you're traveling. Here's a couple of things 342 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: I want you to think about. Learn some of the 343 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 1: language of your local area to ask for basic things, 344 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 1: just the local language, so you could get about in 345 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,920 Speaker 1: the local language, maybe to order your favorite food, maybe 346 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: to ask where the bus stop or the train station is, 347 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: maybe to ask to get to the restroom. Learn some 348 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: of the basic language that can help you operate. This 349 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: gets your creative juices flowing. The second thing is learn 350 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: about the history. Maybe there's something you can learn about 351 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: a building, the area, something that is a bit random, right, 352 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:57,360 Speaker 1: something that you may not even care to learn about. 353 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: I remember when I first moved to La I was 354 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: being told about so much history, so many events that 355 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:05,360 Speaker 1: happened there. And when you think of La you think 356 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: of Hollywood and you think of movies, but you forget 357 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: the history of entertainment. There's so much history of Hollywood there. 358 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 1: I remember when I watched this movie Babylon maybe you 359 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: saw it with Margot, Robbie and Brad Pitt. They show 360 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: what bel Air was like before it became bel Air. 361 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,600 Speaker 1: You see what Hollywood movie sets look like before they 362 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: look like they do now, And that idea is incredible 363 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,160 Speaker 1: to look into the past, right. And the third thing 364 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,399 Speaker 1: is read a local paper or listen to a local 365 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: radio station. What this does is it disrupts your pattern. 366 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 2: Right. 367 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,920 Speaker 1: The way we live our life currently is you get 368 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: into your car to go to work, you listen to 369 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:44,120 Speaker 1: the same radio station, you walk in the same direction, 370 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: you take the same train, you take the same route 371 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: to work, or you walk down your stairs, or you 372 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 1: sit at the laptop at your bedroom. Right, we have 373 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,000 Speaker 1: a very routine life that doesn't get disrupted often. And 374 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: allowing yourself to disrupt it by reading a local paper 375 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 1: or listening to a local radio staf to discover some 376 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: local music of a place you're about to visit, or 377 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: a place that you're going to visit, or maybe the 378 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: last place you went to, it disrupts that pattern. It 379 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: starts allowing creativitis seeds to be planted. That's a really 380 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:16,680 Speaker 1: powerful one. As you can tell. I'm giving a really practical, 381 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: simple things that you can all do. That doesn't mean 382 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 1: learning a new skill or trying something crazy. 383 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 2: Now. 384 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: Number five playing with toys. George Bernard Shawce famously said, 385 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: we don't stop playing because we get old. We get 386 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: old because we stop playing. I found that when I 387 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: try and play with legos, when I'm playing with my 388 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,199 Speaker 1: niece and nephew, or I'm playing with one of my 389 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 1: friend's children and we're playing with their toys, We're building 390 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 1: a tower, we're building a car, whatever it is. All 391 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: of a sudden, the tangible physicality of that is so 392 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: powerful if you think about it. Right now, we don't 393 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: really build anything with our hands anymore. We don't do 394 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: a lot of If you're not doing pottery, or if 395 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: you're not doing painting, we're not actually engaging that part 396 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: of our brain. When we were at school, you were handwriting, right, 397 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:07,119 Speaker 1: We're not really using that much anymore. So if you 398 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: can do pottery and painting, great, But at the very minimal, 399 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: helping your niece or nephew, and if you have children, 400 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: helping them build something, create something can be a great 401 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: way of getting your creative juices flowing. And watching how 402 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 1: they look at things, right, I think that's what's really fascinating, 403 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 1: is observing how they observe things. This is something that 404 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: I actually happened to me this weekend. So number six 405 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: is ask your friends what do you think I should do? 406 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:34,440 Speaker 2: Now? 407 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: I say this not because they're going to have the 408 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: best ideas, but you're going to be thrown a lot 409 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:42,639 Speaker 1: of different ideas that help you connect dots. So I 410 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 1: didn't ask this of my friend. I didn't say, what 411 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: do you think I should do? But one of my 412 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,879 Speaker 1: friends this weekend was like, Jay, I can't wait for 413 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 1: you to start a school one day. 414 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 2: And I was like, what way do you think of that? 415 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 1: I've never thought about that, and by the way, I 416 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: really have not thought about that. I was like, that's 417 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:58,680 Speaker 1: not something that I envision doing. I think schools are 418 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: very difficult to I think we need to do a 419 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: lot of research around child psychology to get it right. 420 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: I think there's a lot of a lot of work 421 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: that needs to go into that and so much to 422 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 1: be improved. And so that was my reaction. I was like, 423 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,239 Speaker 1: I'm not qualified to start a school. And that's fascinating though, 424 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:15,920 Speaker 1: I was like, that's really exciting. And then I thought, 425 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: wait a minute, maybe that's what I want to study. 426 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: Maybe I'm really fascinated by how our education system has 427 00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: developed our brains and why it's made us so limited. 428 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: And maybe even though I don't have the answers to 429 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 1: build a school, maybe that's what I want to do. 430 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 1: Maybe I want to go and study schools. Maybe I 431 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,239 Speaker 1: want to go and spend time with children who are 432 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: a part of alternative schools. Maybe I want to map 433 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:44,120 Speaker 1: people's trajectories when they're taught about mindfulness, creativity, abundance from 434 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: an early age. Maybe that's what I'm really passionate about. 435 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: And so it wasn't that his idea was the idea 436 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:52,399 Speaker 1: I thought I should do. It was actually completely the 437 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 1: opposite that instead of building something, I was like, that's 438 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: what I want to study. And so sitting down and 439 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 1: asking your friends what do you think I should do? 440 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: Is a really great way of then reworking it. Right, 441 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 1: So your friend says to you, you should start a restaurant. 442 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 1: You're amazing. You may think, oh, you know, I do 443 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: really enjoy food. Maybe I should go and take a 444 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,240 Speaker 1: culinary course. Maybe one of your friends says to you, oh, 445 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,719 Speaker 1: you should start a YouTube channel where you talk about football, 446 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: because that's all you do is talk about football on 447 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: the weekends. And you go, well, maybe I should find 448 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: a friend and maybe we will start recording something together, 449 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: just because we have so much of. 450 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 2: A passion around it. 451 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:28,160 Speaker 1: Right, what is that idea that sometimes you don't see 452 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 1: in yourself that your friends might do. So today I 453 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 1: want you to ask your friends, if I could do 454 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: anything in the world, what do you think I should do. 455 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,159 Speaker 1: What is it that I do well for you that 456 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: you think I could do for the world. And like 457 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 1: I said, it may not be the exact answer, but 458 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: when you flip it you might discover something. Number seven 459 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,400 Speaker 1: is redecorate. And what I mean by this is I'm 460 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: not telling you to go spend tons of money and 461 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,040 Speaker 1: do a full home makeover. I'm saying, how can you 462 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:53,720 Speaker 1: place things strategically. So one of my favorite things to 463 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: do is I found a few years ago that when 464 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,480 Speaker 1: I was tired and coming back from work, I wanted 465 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 1: to sit in front the TV and switch it on. 466 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: And I wanted to stop doing that because I never 467 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: felt fulfilled after watching TV. That's a personal thing. 468 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:08,639 Speaker 2: It's me. 469 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:11,879 Speaker 1: I kind of felt dissatisfied. I felt like a wasted time. 470 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: I didn't feel like I gained anything from it, whether 471 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,199 Speaker 1: it be rest, refuel or whatever it may be. And 472 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 1: so for me, what I started to do was, first 473 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: of all, I've removed TVs from every room where I 474 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: would spend time after my work days over and we 475 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: only have a TV in one room. And on top 476 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 1: of that, I placed books strategically in places where I 477 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: would want to often do something else. So I put 478 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: a book open next to my work table. I have 479 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: a book by my bedside table. I have a book 480 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: open by my living room area, and so naturally I'm 481 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,119 Speaker 1: being pushed to pick up a book and read a 482 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 1: page as opposed to something else. 483 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 2: So read. 484 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: Decorating doesn't mean changing your wallpaper. It means repositioning things 485 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: so you feel differently. You may find you want to 486 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: see a piece of art when you wake up. Maybe 487 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,719 Speaker 1: you want to smell a certain candle and light it 488 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: when you slide down on the couch. Right, whatever that 489 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 1: may be, how can you redecorate more intentionally? And that 490 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: starts creativity as well, because you're now again disrupting the pattern. 491 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,960 Speaker 1: That's the key to creativity is disrupting patterns that have 492 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,120 Speaker 1: become machine like. Right, So we start off as humans, 493 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: we then become machines, and then it's about becoming human again. Now, 494 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,360 Speaker 1: there is something to be said for machine like discipline, 495 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: which is really powerful in your life. But at the 496 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: same time you need these disruptions of creativity. And that's 497 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 1: why point number eight is find random friends. We need 498 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:47,680 Speaker 1: friends who have different backgrounds, different languages, different walks of life, 499 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,239 Speaker 1: different cultures. I realized as I started to do that. 500 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 1: As I started to expand my friend network. I recognize 501 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: what cultures I'd missed out on, what foods had missed out, 502 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: and what music and movies had missed out on. As 503 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,679 Speaker 1: I grew up in my own bubble, It's time to 504 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: burst that bubble as we get older, not just for creativity, 505 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: but for community. I want to thank you so much 506 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: for listening to this episode. This segment about inspiring creativity 507 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,199 Speaker 1: is brought to you by AT and T. AT and 508 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 1: T believes connecting changes everything. I'm always looking for new 509 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 1: ways to get my creativity going. With technology. It's like 510 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:26,199 Speaker 1: an ongoing adventure where each day brings a chance to 511 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: find something fresh, whether I'm calling a friend to chat 512 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: about cool book ideas or sharing interesting videos. I've noticed 513 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: that my creative energy peaks the more I bounce ideas 514 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: off people in my life. I want to share with 515 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 1: you a few quick methods that are going to help 516 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: you be creative with other people connecting via technology. I 517 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 1: love taking calls from different settings because you see, creativity 518 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: can hit you anywhere. If you keep taking a call 519 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 1: from the same place, you're gonna have the same ideas. 520 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: But if you choose to take it outside, maybe while 521 00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:59,880 Speaker 1: you're on a treadmill or actually walking back and forth 522 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: or taking a walk in the park. Changing your atmosphere 523 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: and connecting changes the ideas that flow to you. One 524 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: of my other favorite ways to be creative through technology 525 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:15,119 Speaker 1: is I'm always writing notes, and I'm always searching for things. 526 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: So I write notes about ideas that come to my mind, 527 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:19,399 Speaker 1: and then I'll search them. I'll literally just put it 528 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:21,320 Speaker 1: in and say where's that? Maybe I'll search it into 529 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 1: chat GPT right to be like, what does this look like? 530 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: Or what research have I not read on this? I 531 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: find asking questions and jotting down, copying and pasting answers 532 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: into my notes is a great way to document that. 533 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:34,919 Speaker 2: And here's one last one. 534 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: Try and learn an idea and then teach it to 535 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 1: a group of friends over a zoom call and get feedback. 536 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: The more you share the ideas you're learning, even the 537 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: ones on this podcast, the more likely you are to 538 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 1: remember them and practice them in your own life. Remember 539 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:52,959 Speaker 1: it's not just about learning. The more you share and 540 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: teach them as well, the better you'll practice them. This 541 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: has been brought to you by AT and T. AT 542 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: and T believes connecting in spires unites, heals, and helps 543 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,800 Speaker 1: us grow. Connecting changes how we live our lives for 544 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:09,440 Speaker 1: the better