May people have asked me to explain the building block LOSE. Before I go into some ideas let me back up and talk about what LOSE is really about. This is from the HOW & WHY page…
Lose: get lost mentally and physically, lose track of thoughts, go out of comfort zone for new experiences
When we let our thoughts go and just wander off our brains actually kick into high gear. New studies have shown that losing our thoughts can lead us to wonderful new places. fMRIs show that the problem solving and executive decision making parts of our brain become highly active even though we aren’t aware of it. Physically, feeling lost by trying new experiences helps us ignite new synapses in our brains. We are efficient creates so for the day-to-day our brains create short-cuts. We need to break free from our experience-dependant thinking and the best way to do that is to try something new, to get lost and get some new synapses firing.
As science often discusses, our brains are actually very lazy. They prefer to use experience-dependant thinking. What does that mean? Well, it’s like taking a shortcut. Your brain knows you are going to turn left when leaving your driveway so a very quick short-cut in your brain sends the appropriate signals to the appropriate places. You recognize the same names in your email box so your brain takes a leap from point A to B when processing that information…another short-cut. Our brains do this to save us time and energy. If everything, everyday were a new experience we’d be totally overloaded. It’s a way for our brains to manage all the stimulus we take in.
That leads me to imaginative thinking. How are we supposed to think imaginatively if our brains are using the same synapses and short-cuts over and over again? If you answered it can’t then you are correct. This is why infusing your life with new experiences is critical to unlocking your creative potential.
Some prefer to take their new experiences to the extreme and try new sports or even bungee jumping (OK, I did that once in Costa Rica). I’m all for it but that takes a lot of planning, time and money. While I hope you try a new sport, restaurant or movie I also want you to gather new experiences on a small, accessible level.
This is why my suggestion today is to physically get lost….walk a new neighborhood. But, don’t just walk, observe, take in and really experience a new neighborhood. Now, please don’t get yourself totally lost but do find a place outside of your daily comfort zone.
Do you remember the last time you were driving on the highway and weren’t sure about your location? What did you do? More than likely your brain started coming up with creative ways to determine your location. Visual cues, relationships between streets, the direction of the mountains or ocean relative to you…do you see the big picture here? We become more creative, even on a subconscious level. Our problem solving skills kick in and then some.
As another example, think about the last time you hiked a new trail or even walked a new mall. Do you remember the sense of discovery and wonder, not knowing what was around the corner…..a river, more people, a Barnes and Noble. This is why I think it’s often very important to take people out of their day to day world to do creative brainstorming. That can be a café or even a different room of the house.
So the next time you have 10 minutes park your car at a new park or neighborhood, get out, take a walk. Check out the trees, the sounds, the cars driving by, the style of the houses and more. A good walk will help you clear your head, get lost and rediscover your imaginative side. Don’t forget your walking shoes – it’s hard to do this in heels!
Dream big. Dream often. Carry a gym bag everywhere!
It’s official, we’ve launched Blog Talk Radio – Imaginibbles Chats @ 10am every Tuesday starting February 2nd. We bring the imaginative and the inspiring to your desktop.
Tags: comfort zone, creative exercises, fMri imagination, imaginative exercises, imaginative play, imaginibbles, lose track, problem solving brain
