Fredrik Härén's Blog, page 6
October 1, 2024
Frosting – The Art of Taking the Road Less Traveled (Episode 230)
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost.
In a world where so much of creativity seems to revolve around conforming to what is popular or profitable, there is a different path, one that few dare to tread. This path is about believing in something no one else believes in, a kind of creativity that thrives on challenging the status quo. I call this mindset “Frosting,” inspired by the poet Robert Frost and his famous poem “The Road Not Taken.”
Frosting is the mindset of believing fiercely in an idea or vision, even when it seems absurd or counterintuitive to everyone else. It’s about embracing the unexpected, the uncomfortable, and the unknown – and finding magic there. I will exemplify the concept of Frosting through the story of the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö, Sweden, a vivid example of how thinking like no one else can make all the difference.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅: 𝑨𝒏 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈
When you hear about a museum, what comes to mind? Perhaps paintings, sculptures, or historical artefacts? Now imagine a museum dedicated to the most “disgusting” foods from around the world – everything from fermented fish to century eggs, from maggot-infested cheese to pungent durian. Why would anyone create such a place, let alone expect people to visit it? This is precisely the kind of paradoxical thinking that defines Frosting.
“We wanted to create an experience that we ourselves would love as visitors,” said the museum’s co-founder Andreas Ahrens whom I met at the museum: “Something that wasn’t just educational but also fun – a memory that you carry with you for years.” The museum invites visitors to confront their biases around food and culture in a way that is both humorous and thought-provoking. Each exhibit challenges preconceived notions about what is “normal” or “acceptable,” forcing people to confront their evolutionary biases about disgust and fear.
The idea behind the museum was sparked by a simple question: Can we take something that everyone else thinks is a terrible idea and make it work?
The founders believed in their vision so strongly that they spent months exploring the world of food, prototyping exhibits, and even tasting everything themselves – including insects and fermented shark. They refused to settle for an easy path or a conventional idea. Instead, they chose to “frost” – to take the road less traveled and push the boundaries of what a museum could be.
“We wanted to create something that would not only educate but also provoke a deep emotional response,” said Andreas Ahrens. “We wanted to force people to feel something, to walk away changed in some way.”
Frosting was evident in every decision. Instead of just presenting information, the museum incorporated interactive elements that engage all the senses. It isn’t just a static display of foods behind glass; it’s a rollercoaster of an experience. Visitors are invited to smell, taste, and even vomit if they feel like it – and some do. In fact, the ticket is a vomit bag, and they proudly track the number of visitors who have been pushed to their limits. (When I was there the last person to vomit had done so two days prior…)
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When asked about their strategy, Andreas replied, “We are constantly asking ourselves: ‘How can we make this difficult?’ We wanted to find a way to do something in a way that no one had done before, to elevate the experience beyond what people expect from a museum.” Finding a difficult way of doing something is a good way to achieve Frosting, since most people go for the easy way.
This was no blind conviction. It was “informed conviction” – a deep belief rooted in understanding and data. The founders did their homework. They studied tourist behaviors, cultural biases, and even human psychology to ensure their unconventional idea would connect with visitors. But more importantly, they trusted their instincts and experience to guide them through the unknown.
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
Frosting is about going against the grain and seeing potential where others see only risk or failure. It’s not just creativity; it’s positive contrarian creativity with conviction. As the founder explained, “I never wanted to be like everyone else. I’ve always sought out how to do things completely differently. It’s not about being contrary for the sake of it, but because I truly believe in what I’m doing.”
This mindset comes from a deep-seated belief in oneself. “Why would I want to fit in with people who treated me poorly? Why would I want to be like them?” Andreas recalled from his early experiences of being bullied as a child. Instead of conforming, he chose the opposite – to stand out, to be different, to think in ways that others wouldn’t dare.
And this is the essence of Frosting. It’s not just creativity for creativity’s sake, nor is it about rejecting mainstream ideas purely to provoke. It is about looking at the world differently, finding paths that others are too afraid or too conventional to take, and having the courage and conviction to walk them.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅
In a world obsessed with formulas for success, Frosting reminds us that the most transformative ideas often come from those who think differently. The Disgusting Food Museum is just one example, but its story illustrates a powerful lesson: creativity flourishes when we dare to believe in something that no one else does. And the museum is a hit! They were profitable from day one and now have 55,000 visitors per year to their venue. More locations are to be opened in the near future. People love the unusual experience.
Whether it’s a new way of thinking about food, business, or life, the power of Frosting lies in its ability to inspire us to take the road less traveled. To see potential where others see none. To trust our convictions even when they seem absurd. And, ultimately, to create something that makes all the difference.
So next time you find yourself at a crossroads, remember the words of Robert Frost, and go Frosting.
(This text has been edited by AI to help me look less non-native speaking.)
The post Frosting – The Art of Taking the Road Less Traveled (Episode 230) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 27, 2024
An Atribal Mindset (Episode 142)
Interview with Ling Hai, President for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa at Mastercard.
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The sense of belonging to a tribe is deeply human. It is the force that fosters our sense of belonging and connection. In many ways, our urge to be a part of a tribe is what makes us human, and it has been a key factor in our species’ success.
However, the ability to see beyond the tribe is a skill that can make us even more successful and, arguably, even more human.
Let’s explore the concept of an “Atribal mindset.”
The word “Atribal” is a newly coined term, but if it were to be included in a dictionary, it would be defined as follows:
Atribal (adj.)
Definition: Exhibiting a perspective or mindset that transcends traditional tribal affiliations and loyalties, enabling an inclusive and universal appreciation of humanity. Characterized by the ability to understand, empathize with, and value individuals beyond one’s own cultural, social, or ethnic group.
Usage: “Her atribal approach to international diplomacy allowed her to foster cooperation and understanding among diverse nations, emphasizing our shared human values over cultural differences.”
Positive Connotation: Highlighting an open-minded and empathetic view of the world, where connections are made based on common humanity rather than divisive tribal identities. Encourages unity, mutual respect, and a broader, more inclusive sense of community.
A tribal mindset helps us create social divisions within society, consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture.
An atribal mindset helps us see past those divisions.
I had the privilege of discussing the advantages of an atribal mindset with Ling Hai, President for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa at Mastercard. Ling Hai was born and raised in China, completed his formative university years in the USA, has worked in China and Southeast Asia, and is now based in the UK. In his current role, he interacts with people from all over the world. Ling Hai has been with Mastercard for about 15 years and has a strong affinity to the “tribe” that is Mastercard, but he, as all of us, also belongs to other “tribes” as well.
His international career and life experiences have schooled him in developing an atribal mindset. Being able to think both as a Chinese and as an American, but -crucially – also being able to think as neither a Chinese nor an American, was instrumental when he was part of the team that secured a banking license for Mastercard in China.
I asked Ling Hai for three tips on how to acquire an atribal mindset. He provided these three suggestions:
Develop Your Ability to Observe Commonalities
Ling Hai recently returned from a trip to Romania, where he visited a daycare center for Ukrainian refugee mothers sponsored by Mastercard. He was struck by the universal need for support for single parents. This need is not specific to Ukrainian refugee mothers in Romania; it is a universal need for parents everywhere. Learn to look for needs that we share in common.
Celebrate Differences
Ling Hai emphasized the importance of diversity of thought. At Mastercard, one of their core pillars is “candor”—the quality of being open, honest, and frank. Candor is crucial in the fast-paced world of technological innovation. It works best in an environment where people of different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences share their opinions. (After all what is the need for candor in a group where everyone thinks the same?) Diversity of thought and perspectives should not just be encouraged; it should be celebrated!
Take the Approach of Un-understanding
Ling Hai noted, “The skill – yes, it is a skill – to be able to say ‘I do not know the answer’ is powerful. It sends you on a path of exploration and discovery. It’s not about being ignorant or not trusting your skills. It’s about taking a curious approach, knowing that you only have one perspective based on your experience and expertise, and that there are always other ways of looking at the same problem. To find those other ways, you need to train yourself to feel that you do NOT know THE answer. Only then can you be open to see the other answers.”
The mindset should be, “I need to learn” rather than “I know the answer.”
In Summary:
Developing an atribal mindset is not about losing the advantages that come from belonging to a tribe. It is about being able to see beyond the tribe. Embracing an atribal mindset allows us to appreciate our shared humanity, fostering unity and mutual respect in a diverse world.
Assignment:
Identify what “tribes” you are part of, what “mental blindfolds” belonging to these tribes might have created, and identify what you could do to decrease how those mental blindfolds might obscure your perspective.
The post An Atribal Mindset (Episode 142) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 26, 2024
𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐓
)The post 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲. first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 18, 2024
The Creative Process: Decisions at the Core (Episode 228)
“Creativity is 99% decisions and 1% inspiration.” This reimagining of Thomas Edison’s famous quote about innovation captures a fundamental truth often overlooked: creativity is not merely about sudden bursts of inspiration. As Alice Liu, Partner at innovation consultancy ID8 Innovation, emphasized, creativity is deeply rooted in the decisions we make throughout the process.
Now, if creativity is indeed about making decisions, then honing our decision-making skills is essential to becoming more creative.
Alice Liu, who has a rich background in both innovation strategy and neuroscience (she got her PhD in neuroscience around how humans make decisions), offers a unique perspective on this. She explains that decision-making is at the heart of creativity, whether you’re building a startup or creating a work of art. “There’s a lot of decision-making in creative pursuits,” Liu notes. “Knowing when to prune your idea, when to converge or diverge in your thinking – those are all decisions that move you forward.”
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The Role of Decision-Making in Creativity
At every stage of the creative process – defining a problem, generating ideas, refining concepts, and implementing solutions – decisions are crucial. Liu’s experience in venture building highlights how decisions can shape the outcome of creative endeavors. “In the venture studio, we had to make constant decisions based on data from the market,” she says. “Is there enough evidence to continue down this path? Should we pivot or persist? These decisions are central to the creative process.”
Even during ideation, which is often viewed as the most “inspirational” phase, decision-making plays a critical role. Liu points out that while ideas may come to us unexpectedly, choosing which ideas to pursue and which to set aside requires careful consideration.
The Neuroscience of Decision-Making in Creativity
Liu’s background in neuroscience offers valuable insights into why decision-making is so integral to creativity. She explains that our brains are constantly making decisions, often unconsciously. “Our brains are really good at synthesizing a lot of information, even more than we can consciously articulate,” Liu says. This unconscious processing helps us make decisions that feel intuitive, but are actually based on complex neural computations.
Liu also discusses the concept of “prediction errors,” a key mechanism in how our brains learn from decisions. “Every time we make a decision, our brain calculates a prediction error – how much the actual outcome differed from what we expected,” she explains. “Over time, this process refines our decision-making, helping us make better choices in the future.” In the creative process, this means that each decision, each experiment, and each failure contributes to developing sharper creative instincts.
Enhancing Creativity Through Better Decision-Making
Given the centrality of decision-making in creativity, how can we improve this skill? Liu offers three strategies:
Practice Decision-Making Deliberately: Like any skill, decision-making improves with practice. But Liu emphasizes the importance of practicing effectively. “You need to test ideas early and iterate quickly,” she says.
The more decisions you make, the more your brain refines its prediction models, leading to sharper instincts and better creative outcomes. Creative people train themselves to effectively come to the point where they need to make a decision.
Desensitize Yourself to Fear: Fear can often paralyze decision-making, particularly in creative endeavors where the stakes can feel high. Liu suggests that overcoming this fear is crucial. “You need to confront the fear of failure,” she advises. Because fear can stop you from making decisions, or trick you into making the wrong ones.
“The more you expose yourself to situations where you must make decisions despite fear, the more you desensitize yourself to it.” Over time, this builds the confidence to make bold creative choices without hesitation.
Think of a person who is pushed to ask 100 strangers for a date. After 100 rejections the person will have lost the fear of approaching a stranger. After that the decision to approach one more stranger becomes easier.
Respect fear, but work on desensitizing it so that fear doesn’t give you non rational or emotional reasons for not making the right decision.
Optimize the Path to Decisions: In creativity, it’s essential to make decisions as efficiently as possible, but not hastily. “Find the most efficient path to a decision, but don’t rush it,” Liu advises. “It’s about balancing speed with quality.” This balance allows you to move forward in the creative process without getting stuck in indecision or overthinking.
In short: Make decisions as fast as optimal, but not faster.
Conclusion: Creativity is Decision-Making
As Alice Liu’s insights reveal, creativity is not just about moments of inspiration. It’s about the countless decisions that shape, refine, and ultimately bring an idea to life. The creative process is littered with instances where you have to make decisions – decisions that will profoundly influence the creative outcome.
By focusing on improving your decision-making skills, you can enhance your creative potential. Whether through deliberate practice, overcoming the fear of failure, or optimizing your decision-making process, each step you take improves your ability to create. And as Liu’s perspective suggests, “Creativity is 99% decisions and 1% inspiration.”
The post The Creative Process: Decisions at the Core (Episode 228) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 17, 2024
The Creative Process: Decisions at the Core (Episode 141)
Interview with Alice Liu, Partner at innovation consultancy ID8 Innovation.
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“Creativity is 99% decisions and 1% inspiration.” This reimagining of Thomas Edison’s famous quote about innovation captures a fundamental truth often overlooked: creativity is not merely about sudden bursts of inspiration. As Alice Liu, Partner at innovation consultancy ID8 Innovation, emphasized, creativity is deeply rooted in the decisions we make throughout the process.
Now, if creativity is indeed about making decisions, then honing our decision-making skills is essential to becoming more creative.
Alice Liu, who has a rich background in both innovation strategy and neuroscience (she got her PhD in neuroscience around how humans make decisions), offers a unique perspective on this. She explains that decision-making is at the heart of creativity, whether you’re building a startup or creating a work of art. “There’s a lot of decision-making in creative pursuits,” Liu notes. “Knowing when to prune your idea, when to converge or diverge in your thinking – those are all decisions that move you forward.”
The Role of Decision-Making in Creativity
At every stage of the creative process – defining a problem, generating ideas, refining concepts, and implementing solutions – decisions are crucial. Liu’s experience in venture building highlights how decisions can shape the outcome of creative endeavors. “In the venture studio, we had to make constant decisions based on data from the market,” she says. “Is there enough evidence to continue down this path? Should we pivot or persist? These decisions are central to the creative process.”
Even during ideation, which is often viewed as the most “inspirational” phase, decision-making plays a critical role. Liu points out that while ideas may come to us unexpectedly, choosing which ideas to pursue and which to set aside requires careful consideration.
The Neuroscience of Decision-Making in Creativity
Liu’s background in neuroscience offers valuable insights into why decision-making is so integral to creativity. She explains that our brains are constantly making decisions, often unconsciously. “Our brains are really good at synthesizing a lot of information, even more than we can consciously articulate,” Liu says. This unconscious processing helps us make decisions that feel intuitive, but are actually based on complex neural computations.
Liu also discusses the concept of “prediction errors,” a key mechanism in how our brains learn from decisions. “Every time we make a decision, our brain calculates a prediction error – how much the actual outcome differed from what we expected,” she explains. “Over time, this process refines our decision-making, helping us make better choices in the future.” In the creative process, this means that each decision, each experiment, and each failure contributes to developing sharper creative instincts.
Enhancing Creativity Through Better Decision-Making
Given the centrality of decision-making in creativity, how can we improve this skill? Liu offers three strategies:
Practice Decision-Making Deliberately: Like any skill, decision-making improves with practice. But Liu emphasizes the importance of practicing effectively. “You need to test ideas early and iterate quickly,” she says.
The more decisions you make, the more your brain refines its prediction models, leading to sharper instincts and better creative outcomes. Creative people train themselves to effectively come to the point where they need to make a decision.
Desensitize Yourself to Fear: Fear can often paralyze decision-making, particularly in creative endeavors where the stakes can feel high. Liu suggests that overcoming this fear is crucial. “You need to confront the fear of failure,” she advises. Because fear can stop you from making decisions, or trick you into making the wrong ones.
“The more you expose yourself to situations where you must make decisions despite fear, the more you desensitize yourself to it.” Over time, this builds the confidence to make bold creative choices without hesitation.
Think of a person who is pushed to ask 100 strangers for a date. After 100 rejections the person will have lost the fear of approaching a stranger. After that the decision to approach one more stranger becomes easier.
Respect fear, but work on desensitizing it so that fear doesn’t give you non rational or emotional reasons for not making the right decision.
Optimize the Path to Decisions: In creativity, it’s essential to make decisions as efficiently as possible, but not hastily. “Find the most efficient path to a decision, but don’t rush it,” Liu advises. “It’s about balancing speed with quality.” This balance allows you to move forward in the creative process without getting stuck in indecision or overthinking.
In short: Make decisions as fast as optimal, but not faster.
Conclusion: Creativity is Decision-Making
As Alice Liu’s insights reveal, creativity is not just about moments of inspiration. It’s about the countless decisions that shape, refine, and ultimately bring an idea to life. The creative process is littered with instances where you have to make decisions – decisions that will profoundly influence the creative outcome.
By focusing on improving your decision-making skills, you can enhance your creative potential. Whether through deliberate practice, overcoming the fear of failure, or optimizing your decision-making process, each step you take improves your ability to create. And as Liu’s perspective suggests, “Creativity is 99% decisions and 1% inspiration.”
The post The Creative Process: Decisions at the Core (Episode 141) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 13, 2024
I dare you to dare. (Episode 227)
The slide of Åsa Gabrielsson of Epiroc said “Dare to think new”, and it got me asking myself: “Am I daring enough around thinking in new ways?”
I am afraid the answer is “no”.
Do not get me wrong, I think I am good at coming up with ideas that make my life better in some way. But I am not much of a risk taker. (An example: Often when I write my books, I already have a number of buyers for them before I start to write them so that I already know that I will make a certain amount of money before investing the time into writing them. It’s smart, but it’s not very brave.)
Often I hear: “Creativity is about taking risks!” – but actually, creativity is about being brave enough to take that risk. Or more specifically: To dare to think in new ways, and to act on those ideas.
And while I think it’s a bit misguided to think too much about the risk-taking aspect when it comes to creativity, I think it is absolutely spot on to think about daring.
In Epiroc’s case it was about investing in developing electric vehicles for mining, something that has now gotten them to be one of the leading suppliers of that in the world.
Listening to Åsa, I made a commitment to dare more around both how I think, but also around how I choose to implement my ideas.
I dare you to do the same.
Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.
Åsa spoke at the opening of the innovation house at Knightec in Västerås, where I had the privilege to be the closing speaker. It was such an inspirational evening full of innovation where I also got to listen to Karin Hasselström, Dimitris Gioulekas, Caroline Åkerblom of Tesla and Niclas Sigholm. I left the event inspired to innovate more.
And to dare more.
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The post I dare you to dare. (Episode 227) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 11, 2024
Do not be a problem solver, be a problem preventer. (Episode 140)
Interview with Peter Mehlape, Managing Director, Southern Africa for Medtronic.
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You know the saying “If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem?”
Well, it’s time to start saying: “If you are not part of the prevention, you are part of the resulting problem.”
To think about creativity as “solving a problem”, as many people do, is actually a very limited way of thinking around creativity. Instead, we should think of how to use creativity to prevent a problem from even arising.
After all, why wait for a problem to become a problem before solving it, when you can stop it from ever becoming a problem?
The idea of being a problem preventer might sound obvious, yet when we take a look around the world, we can see unlimited examples of people wasting energy on solving problems that they easily could have prevented.
If we want to improve the world immensely we should really teach people to solve problems before they are problems.
It’s like there is a bug in our human system that makes us partially incapable of preventing problems.
As any parent will know, we can learn to be preventers. New parents suddenly run around the house looking for potential accidents waiting to happen so that they can prevent them.
And sure, we prevent a lot of problems from ever happening, but my point is that we could be so much better at it if we dedicated more of our creativity to problem prevention instead of problem solving.
So why don’t we?
I recently discussed this conundrum with Peter Mehlape, Managing Director, Southern Africa for Medtronic. Medtronic is a global medical technology company that produces medical devices and technologies such as pacemakers, defibrillators, insulin pumps etc. Peter has spent virtually his whole working life in healthcare, and he has been getting exceedingly annoyed at the healthcare industry’s tendency to solve problems (sickness) instead of trying to prevent them (health).
Peter: “If you wait for a problem to happen and then solve it, it tends to be much more expensive. Think of fixing a water leak vs making sure water pipes are in a good condition.”
So what is the reason we do not spend more time on prevention? According to Peter, there are multiple reasons.
1) Because prevention requires a much deeper understanding of the issue at hand.
2) It’s usually harder to get buy-in and resources for prevention as people do not want to use resources to fix a problem that doesn’t exist (yet).
An example: According to Peter, many health ministries in African countries cannot see the value in investing in safer roads even if it’s clear to the experts that safer roads creates fewer hospitalizations, which means lower healthcare costs for that country. In some of these countries the reason for not seeing the problem is that the countries do not even have the right statistics for costs of traffic accidents so they cannot even see the problem that exists.
So how can you get people to get more excited about preventing problems?
Peter recommended:
1) Show data
Weather forecasts predicting flooding can get people to prepare.
2) Paint a picture
A prevention is a story from the future. A happy ending to a story that hasn’t yet been told.
If you want people to invest in prevention they need to see that happy ending. So paint a picture that people can relate to.
Think of the story of the three little pigs.
3) Create short term benefits.
Since people have a problem seeing positive gains in the future, “trick” them by giving them a short term gain.
Want people to prepare to avoid floodings in their homes? Have the insurance company offer a lower insurance fee if the home owner agrees to an inspection of the pipes.
When you think about it, health care should really be 99% prevention and 1% curing. We will never get there, but we should be more passionate about prevention of problems.
People like Peter, who are ambassadors of preventive creativity, should get more recognition.
What problem are you going to prevent today?
The post Do not be a problem solver, be a problem preventer. (Episode 140) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
September 5, 2024
Creativity inspiration from Davos (Episode 226)
Today, I am in Davos and after giving my speech I decided to go for a hike in the mountains.
While being there I recorded a short video about embracing creativity inspired by how The World Economic Forum – that is held in Davos – has ranked “creativity” the #1 soft skill of the future.
Keep exploring creativity so you can discover your full creative potential!
//www.fredrikharen.com/catalog/uploads/2024/09/The-Creativity-Explorer-in-Davos.mp4The post Creativity inspiration from Davos (Episode 226) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
August 28, 2024
BIG news: Partnered with Wiley to publish The World of Creativity! (Episode 225)
Since writing my first book – 30 years ago – I’ve been dreaming of this moment – to partner with Wiley for the global launch of a book.
I am “The Creativity Explorer” and I feel it is so aligned with Wiley’s motto of: “We champion the seekers.”
Celebrate with me today for signing with Wiley! I cannot wait to publish “The World of Creativity” with them.
I would LOVE a supporting like or comment on the post! 🙂
****************
As I reflect on my 30 year journey as an author, from self-published, to using local Swedish publishers, to working with Penguin South East Asia – to now getting a global publishing deal with Wiley, my insights are:
1) NEVER give up on your dreams – at least as long as there is still a chance of them coming alive!
2) Be ok with the process taking time.
Take one step after another to make your ideas come true.
3) When an opportunity presents itself – drop everything else and go for it.
Now go out there and take a step to make your dream idea one more inch closer to becoming a reality!
The post BIG news: Partnered with Wiley to publish The World of Creativity! (Episode 225) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
August 27, 2024
“The Thirst” (Episode 139)
Interview with Sebastian Sanchez, MD at Heineken in Panama.
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Have you ever wondered why most people give up and some continue? It’s true for endurance sports like triathlon and it’s true for creativity. People give up in marathons, but some people don’t, and people give up creative projects, and some people don’t.
So can we learn something about persisting with creative projects from endurance athletes? I decided to find out.
It started with an observation: Some people quit even though they shouldn’t have.
And some people endure.
The ones who endure have “The Thirst.”
The Thirst can be defined as “When you feel like you want to quit – but you do not – because you shouldn’t.”
I learned about The Thirst from Sebastian Sanchez who is both an innovator (he has been the Director Global Innovation at Heineken and is now MD at Heineken in Panama), but he is also ranked as one of the Top 1% Triathlon Athletes in the world. (He has done 75 half-marathons and countless marathons during his endurance career.)
Sebastian explained that people look at endurance athletes and think: “These are people who never give up!”
But that is a myth that Sebastian learned about the hard way: During a marathon in Frankfurt he collapsed after pushing himself too hard.
Great endurance athletes do give up sometimes.
The secret to endurance is not “never give up” – it’s “do not give up when you shouldn’t, even if it feels like you should.”
According to Sebastian the mentality that endurance athletes have is the ability to be pushed forward when they feel that they should give up – but ONLY (and this is key!), when pushing forward really is the right decision.
Sebastian calls this “force” that pushes endurance runners past the instinct to stop for “The Thirst”.
And this mindset is just the same for creativity. Some people keep pushing on with creative projects that are futile, or should have been killed long ago. But even more people quit creative projects just because they get that feeling of wanting to quit – even when they should really have been going.
They lack The Thirst.
But truly creative people have the ability to push themselves past that feeling of wanting to give up but ONLY when that push is the right thing to do.
They have The Thirst.
So what is the secret to being able to push through when you should?
According to Sebastian it’s; “When I hit that wall of wanting to give up I tell myself, ‘Yes, it’s hard, but I can do it’. I remind myself that I have a higher goal. And I have trained myself to stay calm and not be over-run by bursts of wanting-to-give-up-feelings.”
JK Rowling was rejected 12 times before she got a publisher. She shouldn’t have given up, and she didn’t. She had The Thirst.
Be inspired by endurance athletes like Sebastian and learn from their ability to push through with something even when they feel like giving up – but only the times when they know that is the right thing to do.
The next time you contemplate killing a creative project you love, ask yourself: “Do I have The Thirst?”
Should you really give it up, or should you actually keep going?
The post “The Thirst” (Episode 139) first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.
