ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

Think for a moment, what did you drive by yesterday? What did you not notice because, well, you were more focused on where you were going, than where you were right then?

If you dare, sometime this week drive (or walk, or bike) home a different way than normal. Chances are, you'll see something you had missed until then!

In my profession, it's important that I facilitate strategic learning opportunities. People I coach are looking to learn something, and implement that learning immediately. So, I figure it's important to "look for what I'm missing."

Think for a moment...what do you consider to be Creative, or New, or Innovative, or Simply Cool?

Chances are, that whatever it is did NOT actually exist at some point in time. Take ANY modern necessity - a microwave oven, a glue-bound stack of papers, a wax-encased string - back to its root. There, at that time, someone had a problem to solve.

Whether you are heating a snack, reading a book, or enjoying a candle-lit dinner, look around and notice what you don't notice each and every day.

As I started writing this entry, I reflected on an event here in Ojai last spring: The Heart and Sole 10K race. I came in first place in my age group, but I lost time turning the corner from Carne to Thatcher. There, I looked over and saw a whole new nvew I had missed on every other drive, run and ride along that roadway. Slowing down just a little bit gave me a view of the mountains that surprised me: It was beautiful!

That morning, that moment, I had a realization. "I've got to slow down to notice more!"

I agree and will echo most people when I say, "Time is of the essence, and we must be productive." However, what would happen if, just once in a while, we slowed down.

Look around right now, can you notice something new, or something old from a new perspective?

Nowadays I tend to "stop" every now and then. You might see me do this in town, or while running one of my favorite trails above Ojai. While I'm out, I practice "noticing." While I'm at the airport, waiting for breakfast, walking down the stairs to the subway in New York...just looking for something new.

Try it yourself. Next time you finish a meal, sop and look around. You might just see or say something for the very first time. Now, THAT'S being creative!

*PS: here's info on that Heart and Sole race:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3019868