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

Wall Street Journal

In Defense of Piracy Wall Street Journal - 13 hours ago But enough owners insist on permission to have touched, and hence, taint, an extraordinary range of extraordinary creativity, including remixes in the ... 'Remix,' by Lawrence Lessig San Francisco Chronicle all 2 news articles

Stolen Signs Prompt Creativity KBTX, TX - 14 hours ago Local political parties on both sides of the isle are spending time and money to replace stolen signs. Brazos County republicans say they've had around 15 ...

‘Creativity’s not a 9 to 5 job’ Times of India, India - 12 hours ago “Creativity is not a 9 to 5 job, it comes from enthusiasm. The day I’m not enthused to create comething novel, I’ll stop working, because then I would have ...

Good authors immerse themselves in creativity, not just skills Jakarta Post, Indonesia - 13 hours ago In his article, which appeared in this newspaper on Aug. 23, Setiono Sugiharto wrote, "Writing competence can only be acquired via reading. ...

What is creativity? Thought Leader, South Africa - 47 minutes ago On more than one occasion, recently, the subject of creativity has crept into discussions I have had with architecture students, and every time I was struck ...

Creativity is economic engine for cities Sudbury Star, Canada - 7 hours ago "Canada's creative economy is in transition. The face of Canada is quite literally changing-- we are getting older and much more diverse. ...

Schools awarded creativity grants Worcester Telegram, MA - Oct 10, 2008 The Massachusetts Cultural Council recently approved two-year grants to four area school districts as part of the council’s Creative Schools grants. ...

REVIEW: Creativity, wonder shine in ‘Ember’ Colorado Springs Gazette, CO - Oct 9, 2008 "City of Ember" is an obsessively creative and wondrous film, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hollywood need not dumb down its fare to appeal to ...

Sponsors add creativity to conservation Orillia Packet & Times, Canada - 7 hours ago While most of our corporate members provide financial contributions that are much appreciated, some have also come up with creative ways to show their ...

OCRI keynote speaker calls for greater creativity in business Ottawa Business Journal,  Canada - 21 hours ago In the report – All of Our Futures – he said creativity should be fostered in schools to get children used to thinking outside of conventional patterns, ...