Life lessons from a hyperactive four-year-old
By Brent Dixon on November 30, 2006
Today on the train, this little kid hopped on with his mom. He never stopped looking around, drinking everything in. The adults surrounding him stared straight ahead, focused on their newspapers, or worked in other ways to avoid making eye contact with anyone else. Meanwhile, he stared people down without shame, shouted “Hi!” to strangers, and asked me “what’s that?” when I pulled out my iPod.
I once heard someone say something like, “As you grow older, your experiences whittle you down to a finer and finer point, until you become so specific that it becomes difficult to relate to anyone else.”
The logic that drives that mindset says that experiences provide more and more answers and understanding as they happen. But that’s not true. Experiences create perspective, yes, but not answers.
Staying child-like in observation means that your experiences unveil more questions than answers, as they should. In this mindset, the more experience you have and the older you become, the more fresh, wide-eyed curiosity will drive your life, your joy, and your ambitions.
What some people call “the ideation process” or “brainstorming” or “strategic planning” our brilliant friend Cam calls “playing.” I love that.
Blogging, podcasting, and this whole drive to deliver “quality relevant content” can make me feel like I need to be delivering answers and understanding constantly…like a pizza guy delivers pizza.
Honestly, I just have a lot more questions than answers.
Denise Wymore on December 14
One of my favorite books in the world is “Orbiting the Giant Hairball—A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace” by Gordon McKenzie. He worked at Hallmark Cards for 30 years, where he inspired his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit – to a mode of dreaming, daring, and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind set.
My favorite chapter in the book is called “Where have all the geniuses gone?” He believes that from cradle to grave there is tremendous pressure to be “normal”—so society, schools, peers, beat the fool (creative genius) out of us.
I am proud to say that I regularly make a fool of myself.
Brent on December 15
You’re in good company – If being foolish is grounds for genius, call me Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
I’m going to have to snag that book.
Brent on December 22
Update:
Denise is a sweetheart, and gave us “Orbiting the Giant Hairball” as a Christmas present along with a copy her own book, ” Tattoos: The Ultimate Proof of a Successful Brand.”
I can’t wait to dig into both of them. Thanks Denise.