The "I'm Ready Now!" Podcast
Ideas to help you when you're ready for change.
The "I'm Ready Now!" Podcast
EP 27: Unlocking Creativity: Embracing Stillness and and Walks in Nature to Spark Innovative Ideas
In this engaging episode, we’ll discover the profound benefits of walking in nature and the importance of allowing boredom to work its magic on the mind. Walking without distractions invites deeper introspection, while boredom engages the brain's default mode network, pushing us toward action and self-reflection. I'll share practical tips for incorporating these insights into daily life, like scheduling boredom breaks and practicing mindful stillness. Reflect on when your best ideas emerged, and consider how these practices can enhance your creative process. Get ready to embrace stillness and harness the power of nature for a more creative you.
Welcome to the I'm Ready Now podcast ideas to help you when you're ready for change. I'm your host, isaac Sanchez, here. I share my musings on whatever it is I am reading at the moment, as well as any other ideas that I believe will help you break free from a standstill in your thinking in order to get you dreaming again. Thank you for joining me today. Well, I'm ready now. How about you? Excellent, so let's get started. Welcome back everyone. I hope you're doing well, as this new year has already moved into the second month. Here we are. In February, we're back to our regular content today. I enjoyed having my wife, lydia, with me for these past four episodes, as we shared our values and goals for the new year. You know we were simply hoping to encourage you to live intentionally by showing how we were doing our best to thrive in our marriage and in life by living with intention. So I encourage you to listen to episodes 23 through 26 for that. I think that will be helpful to you. Let's get to the regular housekeeping mentions. My standard reminders I like to share right at the top. So first there are chapter markers on this podcast, so if you want to get straight to the content. Hit those. They'll show up for you there. Also, remember that in the description of this episode there's a link you can tap to text me there. You can leave your feedback on the topics we're addressing as well. You can always email me at IsaacSanchez, at Maccom. As always, I look forward to hearing from you. What's up in your world? Well, it's back.
Speaker 1:This segment is, and here's what's happening for me music, recording music. I was back in the studio the other day for one night. I just love recording. This is an open mic recording session at a local studio here in a town nearby. A friend of mine owns it and she's the chief engineer there, shanti Haast. They're at Studio 770 in Brea and people buy slots of 15 to 20 minutes to record a song with the band, and this band consists of myself on drums, a legend of a piano player here in Orange County, ron Kobayashi himself, and our good friend and wonderful bassist, sam Montooth. So from 7 to 10.30 pm we hunker down and record the songs these fine folks show up with. Every 15-ish minutes, another singer and sometimes instrumentalist hands us a chart or what looks like a chart. These things don't always make our work easier, as charts are supposed to do. Nevertheless, we do our darndest to bring our creativity to their song. The neat thing is that Sam and Ron are so much fun to play with that, even when it gets a bit taxing the evening as it goes on, there's always a laugh to be had. But mainly the creative process with these guys is really a whole lot of fun. It's just a gift to me every time we do that.
Speaker 1:Now this particular evening was a bit more fun, as it wasn't quite bring your wife to work night, but Lydia was there. She was helping our neighbor demonstrate her coffee vending machines to the guests who were in the green room waiting. So Lydia and our neighbor were all fixed up and schmoozing with the people there, sharing treats and caffeine for the whole night. I got to get in there and have a cup or two. It really was neat to see that happening. Lydia and her neighbor have gotten along really well, as her husband and I have. So I know it's a treat when Lydia is able to help her share her budding business, and they did that night. So music, caffeine, friends, neighbors and family it was a good mix that night.
Speaker 1:Let's move into our learning time together today. Last week in order to set up this week's topic, I said let's think about thinking. So what do you think we'll need in order to be so thoughtful? Think about sinking into a seat, or sneaking into your favorite sneakers what the heck Exactly? So let's get into today's topic and find the meaning of this gibberish. Well, ideas come to those who wait.
Speaker 1:Today, dan Miller hits hard on the notion of being too busy. Not because you're being too busy, but that by being so busy, running yourself ragged, you are missing your best ideas. So he gives us a few examples in history to make his point. One of them is Henry Ford. Dan Miller tells us that Ford was not a fan of busybody executives in his business, insisting that their flurry of activity at their desk was actually not very productive. Ford's philosophy instead, dan Miller says, was that only he who has the luxury of time could originate a creative thought. Imagine your boss telling you to just relax, slow down, dream a little. Why don't you? Another example is the Apostle Paul. Dan shares that the Apostle Paul would use his long walks between speaking engagements to think and talk, be creative. He wrote about 25% of the New Testament. The third one is Henry David Thoreau, and in this example, dan Miller shares, that Thoreau understood the importance of this practice. He would make his way through the woods around his home, walking, knowing that original ideas would come to him in time. This is some pretty excellent company.
Speaker 1:This made me want to know a bit more about this, so I dug, dug a bit and found something interesting. Two areas of interest that popped up were the importance of walking for creativity and the importance of boredom for creativity. So let's take a moment and look at each of these. So let's first talk about walking and creativity. This comes from two sources that I found roaming around the internet Opezo and Swartz. This is called Giving your Idea Some Legs, the Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking, and this is the Journal of Experimental Psychology, learning, memory and Cognition. And the other one is why Walking Will Make you More Productive and cognition. And the other one is why walking will make you more productive and creative, and this was from the Stanford News. Okay, so here's some benefits of walking and creativity. I mix these all up together and these two sources, just so I can share it with you all in one big lump.
Speaker 1:So one increased creative output. Okay, so studies have shown, they say, that walking can significantly boost creative inspiration and output. This Stanford University study found that walking, whether indoors or outdoors, increased creative output by an average of drum roll please 60% compared to sitting. Okay, that's that fascinates me. I love walking, so this this really really, really catches my attention. I just walked four miles this morning, so I'm actually actually pretty excited about this. Ok, another one Enhanced cognitive function. Walking promotes new connections between brain cells, staves off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age, increases the volume of the hippocampus and that's a brain region crucial for memory and, as well, it elevates levels of molecules that both stimulate the growth of new neurons and transmit signals. Another one improve mood and reduce stress. Walking releases endorphins, which have mood boosting and stress reducing effects. A relaxed mind is more conducive to creative thinking.
Speaker 1:Two more on this Fresh perspective. So walking helps you with a fresh perspective. Walking can help you break away from your usual environment and routine, providing a fresh perspective and new ideas. And finally, mindful connection. Mindful walking, where you focus on the present moment and your surroundings, can foster a deeper connection with yourself and the world around you, which can be a source of creative inspiration. All right, that's great. So I love this I've heard so much about walking and creativity. I have my own experience with wonderful ideas that would come to me, solutions and just a lot of peace from just out walking. But this was great to see this again.
Speaker 1:Okay, so how about this? How can you incorporate walking into your creative routine? Here's a few steps that they give us. There are three. One schedule regular walks, so make walking a part of your daily routine, even if it's just for 15 to 20 minutes. I know that for a fact. Folks Just get out there and do it. Schedule it. You know, if you're not doing that already, schedule it. I believe you'll really, really, really enjoy that.
Speaker 1:Okay, the second one walk in nature. Yes, this one. I was going to say this earlier and it showed up in the notes here the benefit of actually walking out in nature and not just a walk down the street, which is helpful, it just is. And if that's what you need to do, do that. But the walk in nature is great. Here's what they say If possible, choose a walking route that takes you through a park or other natural setting. The sights and sounds of nature can be particularly inspiring. That is very, very true.
Speaker 1:And then the third and final one walk without distractions. Leave your phone behind or put it on silent so you can fully focus on your thoughts and surroundings. Now let me just say this real quick On my four-mile walk this morning, I did this intentionally. I walked two miles over listening to a podcast one of Michael Hyatt's, one of his books your Best Year Ever and then on the way back, I intentionally turned it off and just was with my thoughts, just thinking and prayer time, as what I use those two miles for on the way back. So that second, particularly that second two miles back, that second half of the walk was this walking without distractions and just kind of thinking, kind of speaking out in prayer and thinking through things, talking to myself and just paying attention to what I wanted to say and what was thinking, what was coming back at me as I was doing these things. So, yes, walk without distractions, okay. So I think it's it's really helpful to do that and I have some.
Speaker 1:I'm bored, all right, how about boredom and creativity? So you know this just kind of makes me laugh, because I know you can just imagine parents when the kid says I'm bored, go outside and play, which you wish more would happen, instead of them being stuck on a screen somewhere. But really, really, if the kid knew any science, they'd say mom, you want me to be bored, dad, you want me to be bored here. So let's find out why there are some benefits of boredom and creativity. This comes from two articles. One is the Surprising Power of Boredom, unlocking Creativity and Problem Solving. This comes out of Global Leaders Institute. And then the other one is why being Bored is Good for your Creativity. This is by Edward Nishant from mediumcom. All right, so let's find out. Here's what they say. There's a few of these and then there'll be some. I'll tell you how they suggest these can be incorporated into your creative routine.
Speaker 1:Okay, so one, the benefits of boredom and creativity. It triggers default mode network, so boredom allows the brain to enter convergent thinking tasks, improving the ability to find innovative solutions to problems. Next, motivates action. Boredom can motivate individuals to seek new experiences and engage in creative activities. Another facilitates self-reflection. So boredom provides opportunities for self-reflection, leading to personal growth and self-awareness. That was a good part of what I was doing on my walking today, actually. Another stimulates new stimuli. So boredom encourages the search for new and interesting stimuli, which in turn increases creativity. Three more for you. It breaks thinking patterns. So boredom forces individuals to break out of routine thinking patterns and come up with new and innovative ideas. Also, the next one, second to last, enhances mental clarity. Boredom allows detachment from work and provides mental space for clearer thinking, especially during stress or overwhelm.
Speaker 1:And the final point they make here in these articles is precursors to creativity. Boredom is a building block of creativity, allowing for risk-taking, experimentation and trying new things. You know, this fascinates me a lot because I've done some listening and some reading on sleep and man it sure. Just look at this. A lot of these remind me of what we learn and what we understand the body is doing at night, at rest, and here it's almost like us putting ourselves in an artificial rest when we're bored and a lot of these things start to happen. I like that a lot. Okay, so here are four ways that boredom.
Speaker 1:We can incorporate boredom into our creative routine. One schedule it. Schedule boredom breaks, just like you schedule meetings or appointments, schedule time for doing absolutely nothing. This could be 15 minutes a day or even longer if you can manage that. A second one is embrace stillness, find moments of quiet in your day. This could be taking a walk in nature we just talked about that earlier Meditating or simply sitting in silence. Wow, that's helpful. Second, to last resist the urge to fill the void. Good Lord, that's me.
Speaker 1:When boredom strikes, your first instinct might be to reach for your phone or find something to distract you. Try to resist this urge and allow yourself to simply be bored. And then the last one here is observe your thoughts. Use boredom as an opportunity to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment. This can help you gain insights into your own creative process. This is very much a metacognitive practice, right? Thinking about your thinking, see what's working, see what's happening. That's wonderful. Well, I hope that fascinates you as much as it fascinates me. I had heard some of this before, but it really was interesting to revisit it all up close. Well, before you get too bored and walk away, see what I did there, let's have you grab your notes and get busy with our application time. It's going to be pretty straightforward as we wrap this up today.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Dan Miller asked us two important questions, and this may require you spend a bit more time, as you are being asked to think a bit about your own creative process. So here we go. Question number one when have you come up with your best ideas? Now, this question is a bit on the general side. We'll get a bit more specific on the next one. This is a time issue here. Consider if it was in the morning, afternoon, evening, was it on a vacation? Or while you were at work. Were you alone? Okay, so that's how we're dealing with the first question when have you come up with your best ideas? Question number two what were you doing at the time? So now let's get a bit more specific. What were you actually doing as these great ideas came to you?
Speaker 1:You can see where Dan is going here. He's trying to get us to understand for ourselves when it is that we find ourselves in our most creative state. Whatever it is, do more of that. So, not only are we trying to find out, when did this happen, but now, more specifically, what were you doing? Was it a walk? Were you in a state of boredom? What was going on, boy, maybe you just got up from sleeping and the ideas were there. Maybe you need to have a pad next to your nightstand to just start to scribble some ideas before they disappear. Okay, so that's the idea there. So, whatever it is, do more of that. So please take your time on this and then try and duplicate the process that works for you. Most importantly, when the creativity flows, for heaven's sake, don't lose that momentary magic. Terry Magic, here's a pretty foul question to ask you Do you want to fly or flutter? Did I stutter? Pick a side carefully, because one will get you fried. Let's see how all that flies next week when Dan Miller walks us through this choice from his book the Rudder of the Day.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me send you away with the quote. Here it is If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets, even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. That comes to us from Dr Martin Luther King Jr. That's it. That's the quote. Think about it, act on it.
Speaker 1:Hey, thanks again for spending time with me today. Friends, please join me again next week as Dan Miller continues to lead us to a better way to start our day. In the meantime, be well. Thank you for listening. If you found this time together useful, please consider following this podcast and leaving an excellent rating. If you feel you can't do that yet, please reach out to me and let me know what I can do to get you to leave a top rating. If you are already excited about what you've heard, please consider sharing this podcast with a friend. I really would appreciate it. Also, I'd love your feedback, both on today's topic as well as what you'd like to hear me address in the future. I would really appreciate that input. Again, I'm your host, isaac Sanchez. I hope today's thought serves you the way it has served me. Remember your next move is just one inside away. Have an amazing rest of your day. I'll see you next time.