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:

MSN India

DFW to combine luxury with creativity
Times of India, India - 9 hours ago
Luxury and creativity will be exhibited in full throttle at the inaugural edition of the Delhi Fashion Week (DFW) that starts at the Emporio Mall here ...
Two Indian Fashion Shows To Feature Short Skirts AHN
Hot, skip and jump! Times of India
all 17 news articles


PR Web (press release)

Creativity and Technology Transform Georgia Students' Writing Skills
PR Web (press release), WA - 5 hours ago
... at Woodstock Middle School in Georgia were struggling with writing, she addressed the problem with creativity and a new Web-based learning tool. ...


Creativity important in winning prizes at Amherst’s Halloween Parade
Chronicle-Telegram, OH - 10 hours ago
Amherst’s annual Halloween Parade is just a couple weeks away and in order to walk away with a prize, you need to be creative. The parade has been going on ...


TOI@Campus: Championing creativity
Times of India, India - 15 hours ago
In her presentation, she stated that every MBA programme should include creativity as a part of course work. Although many schools are moving in this ...


Lessig: Five proposals for ending copyright wars
ZDNet - 1 hour ago
It is time we recognize that we can’t kill this creativity. We can only criminalize it. We can’t stop our kids from using these tools to create, ...


Overcome Economy and Wall Street Worries, Regain Creativity and ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 9 hours ago
Rather than thinking of new ideas and approaches in the face of great crises, many seem to abandon creativity and turn to old, limiting ways of speaking, ...


Creativity, Innovativeness Key to Withstanding Financial Crisis ...
Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service, Jamaica - 2 hours ago
Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica's tourism industry will require an infusion of creativity and innovativeness by all stakeholders, ...


MLive.com

Giving up luxuries can be an exercise in creativity
MLive.com, MI - Oct 13, 2008
"Times are tough financially, but I see this as a time of creative opportunity," said Breczinski, a legal secretary and the single mom of three grown ...


Young artist combines technology, creativity
Eastern Wake News, NC - 50 minutes ago
By Denise Sherman, Staff Writer And Robertson does it so well she was one of six students in Region Three of the NC Professional Educators of North ...


Perseverance, creativity keys to success, Tyler lecturer says
University of Delaware, DE - 16 hours ago
Saaty: “Creativity involves originality, novelty and risk-taking, and the question is not so much whether we are smart enough for a challenge, ...

Creativity - Google News

home | site map | Ocean Art
© 2006