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/cre ativity-free-minicourse.html

---

Macrovision

These days it's all about breaking things down into manageable... Read More

Five Basic Steps to Benefit from Your Creativity

The ability to exercise your creativity is even more important... Read More

Characteristics: Creative Types VS Clods!

Here are some odds & ends I have observed in... Read More

Creativity Management ? Intellectual Cross Pollination

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Are You Inventive Enough to be an Inventor? Some Guidelines to Invention Success!

Inventors make a ton of money when the invention is... Read More

True Power: Understanding the Source of All Creation and Creativity

"True Power" is a series that will focus on proven... Read More

Connect with Your Inner Artist

In the "Roadblocks to Creativity" e-course, we look at the... Read More

Dancing On Your Brain: The Cha-Cha Effect

My grandmother used to say that the secret to living... Read More

Overcoming Artists Block (part 2)

Once you are ready to start working again you will... Read More

Tap the Creative Inside You

Imagination is the source of creativity. It's a place where... Read More

We Tend To Make Up Our Own Truths: What Stories Are You Making Up?

Someone once said that man keeps looking for truth that... Read More

Inspiration, Creativity, and Channeling ? Opening Ourselves to Greatness

Channeling is much easier to do than most people suspect.... Read More

3 Clever Creative Strategies!

I've got a confession to make... there are many ways... Read More

Creativity

Creativity is the gift to mankind. This is not the... Read More

Creativity and Broken Eggs

In 1420, the dignitaries of Florence held a competition.They offered... Read More

Sharing Our Creative Work with Others

In my "Roadblocks to Creativity" e-course, I ask the question:"What's... Read More

Make Yourself Creative: Two Easy Idea-Generating Methods

Here are a couple of exercises to force yourself to... Read More

Sing & Be Well

When people find out that I'm a music therapist, the... Read More

Top Ten Creative Strategies for Inspiring Creativity Where You Work and Play

Websites, automobiles, milk cartons, living spaces. Design saturates every aspect... Read More

Produce Creativity: 4 Ways To Motivate Your Melon

It was 8:00 PM and I'd hit a creative wall... Read More

9 Ways to Live Creatively

Creativity ? according to Webster's it means having the ability... Read More

Mindfulness and Teaching: Lessons From Dynamic English

Back in 1983, I was hired to teach English in... Read More

Recharge Your Battery

It was 4:15PM on a Thursday when I arrived at... Read More

Mind Power Games

Want a fun way to tune up your brain? Why... Read More

Tips on Breaking the Creative Block

There's no question that creating anything is hard to do.... Read More

5 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity

We're born creative. However, this innate characteristic becomes buried as... Read More

Connect with Your Surroundings

Clutter is one of my favourite topics, and I've written... Read More

The Power Of Your Intuition

We all have enormous reserves of mental capacity that we... Read More

How To Let The Subconscious Mind Do The Creative Work

From time immemorial mankind has wished for an Aladin's lamp,... Read More

Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon

It seems like this week a ton of people have... Read More

How to Generate Ideas for Info-products?

Dear friends the current study shows that there are more... Read More

Creativity Management ? Collaboration NOT Competition

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

7 Techniques to Supercharge your Creativity and Solve your Problems

Do you ever encounter problems, challenges or obstacles in your... Read More