The Nuthatch Way to Greatness: Your Superpower of Uniqueness

#BestPractices

We often get caught up trying to be like others, emulating their success and following in their footsteps.

But the true path to standing out is to double down on what makes you unique.

The nuthatch, highlighted in the pic above, is a tiny, unassuming bird. But it has an amazing superpower.  It’s the only bird species in North America that can walk head first down a tree trunk.  This enables the nuthatch to find  niches that other birds miss. 

It’s all about perspective. 

This unique talent isn’t something nuthatches learned – it’s simply how they are.

The greatest businesses and leaders don’t succeed by simply copying others, but by leaning into their own experiences, talents and perspectives-their genius!

Apple didn’t go toe-to-toe with Microsoft by making a better Windows, but by blazing its own trail. The most successful find their individual superpower and wield it unapologetically.

Learn from the nuthatch.

Best practices are those superpowers that are unique to you and/or your team.

Identify your special skills and strengths, and leverage them in new and innovative ways.

That’s how you’ll truly soar.

Getting Creative Under Pressure: How Artificial Constraints Can Unlock Innovation

We’ve all experienced that feeling of being creatively stuck, with no idea where to start. Total freedom can ironically make it harder to be creative.

One way to get the creative dynamo spinning is to, counterintuitively, create our own constraints.

Research shows that limitations, pre-existing or self-imposed, can activate our problem-solving skills and stimulate unconventional thinking. When we have all the time, resources, and options in the world, it’s easy to keep deferring decisions or go in circles. Limitations force us to prioritize and make choices.

The key is finding the right balance.

Too many constraints,  too much limitation, too much pressure, will increase stress and backfire. 

What are some examples of artificial constraints that spur innovation?

Budget Limitations – Inspires resourcefulness and simplicity. How would you reinvent something to be 97% cheaper?

Materials Restriction – Minimizes options and  stimulates unconventional uses of mundane items. Think of new uses for household items or tools.

Make New Requirements – Use size, weight, colors, sounds, tastes as starting points to channels thoughts down non-obvious paths. If something fits on your lap, think of it your hand.    Weight and size drove NASA’s Apollo team to “think small” in a big way.

Tight Deadlines – This one is easiest to impose, super poweful and also the most dangerous. Be wary of the anxiety-inducing ticking clock effect.(ask any chef in a cooking competition!) If you are self imposing this constraint, play with it and be kind to yourself when the buzzer sounds and you’re not done. Use it to motivate, not punish.

Switch’em up! – Shifting between constraints squeezes multiple rounds of fresh perspectives out of yourself or your team.

Remember, when you’re imposing your own constraints,  you want them tight enough  to motivate and engage, but not so tight you’re getting frustrated and flustered. 

But what if you’re still spinning your wheels with new constraints?

Don’t create ruts by staying in the same place. Switch up the constraints- consciously play  instead of focusing on   accomplishment.

The key is to move.

If you must focus on accomplishment, make smaller goals and take smaller steps so they can become inspiration for the next steps. 

Then make a new goal.

Limited options should ignite glowing embers of creativity, not douse them with a heavy wet blanket.

Light, joy, creative flow, are already within you. Impose limitations mindfully and purposefully, letting the pressure gently pull creativity out of you rather than pushing (and perhaps crushing) you. Before you know it,  you’ll find yourself drinking from the refreshing, deep well of creativity that lies within.

Insights into the Creative Life from Tina Turner

Things were not always easy in Tina Turner‘s life, but these two quotes wonderfully summarize a beautiful approach to living a bountiful creative life.

Children do not only have an insatiable wonder, but they also have short emotional memories. They can fight with a friend one minute, let it go, and the next minute they are best friends hugging and playing.

Embrace your inner child and let him/her lead the way.

Love her/him. Feel the child’s freedom in life.

Express your creativity from the depths of your soul.

Create abundantly, critique meagerly.

You will experience a richer life, and the world will be a better place.

Rest in peace, Tina Turner. Thank you for sharing your life so generously!

Embracing Your Creative Life Journey- Rest in Peace, Gordon Lightfoot

“Will you gather daydreams or will you gather wealth? How can you find your
fortune when you cannot find
yourself?”
— Gordon Lightfoot

The road of happiness, of contentment, of being the best, authentic you, is a road of discovery and wonder, risk and joy.

Your life brings light to others when you venture upon this road and embrace your unique and beautiful genius. 

The fortune you find is the fortune you are.

Rest in peace, Gordon Lightfoot. I sang along and played your music growing up. You kept searching, finding yourself, and sharing from your bountiful creativity. I, and countless others, thank you for the beauty you shared.