The Takeaway on Doing Less and Creative Thinking
Key Points:
1. In the midst of a rapidly advancing technological revolution, where AI is coming to the forefront of many industries, creative human thinking is becoming increasingly important. Human creativity cannot be coded.
2. Creativity and happiness emerge from being present and attentive, so regularly give yourself time to be mindful and your life will begin to improve.
“Creativity is part of human nature. It can only be untaught.”
We are living through one of the greatest revolutions in human history. Microprocessors have given us the internet, mobile phones, and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI). AI has the potential to dramatically influence and disrupt the workplace in the coming years. Self-driving cars are the obvious next disruptive technology, but AI will also impact law, banking, medicine, and other industries. With the advent of AI, creative thinking becomes ever more critical.
The stream of breakthrough ideas that will make the world a better place relies on us developing novel strategies, techniques, and experiences that leverage new technologies. As Bob Moritz, chairman of professional services firm PwC, was quoted recently at the World Economic Forum’s annual summit in Davos, Switzerland: “We’re still looking for creativity, because that can’t be coded. Robotics and computers and coding actually give you a very straight and narrow path to go down a fine course. The world we’re living in today is a lot more zigzag, and people are going to be important to that equation...”
The issue of creativity versus productivity can be super confusing. There is a difference between what you need to do to be creative and what you need to do to be productive. I think they’re very different things.
I’ve only started to figure this out based on some work that I did in the mountains of India, where I took my family to explore meditation and mindfulness and attention. I discovered that if you’re 100% attentive to the moment, with no other thoughts other than what exists in that moment, you’ve found the pure state of existence. It is so easy to be joyful when you are in that state: it’s where you can access happiness, it’s where you can access deep thinking, it’s when you can access your true potential as a human being. I actually think it’s the resting state for humanity.
Open yourself up to those aha! moments that can change the course of a life. Go further, higher, deeper—bring newness into your life. As you continue to learn how to relax and tap into your creativity, make sure you find ways to feed and continually improve your projects and ideas.
Today’s Call to Action: Start, Stop, Continue
That’s the end of the Do Less to Achieve More module! Do you have any habits or routines that you’d like to start to help you get into a theta brainwave state and unlock creativity? Use the Start, Stop, Continue exercise on page 27 of the Rest, Refocus, Recharge Workbook.
Today’s Bonus Video
Check out this video of Greg discussing creativity and the fear of failure.
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.