Rethink Creativity

In today’s corporate world, many companies invest time and money in innovation, but overlook the most important thing of all, which is to stimulate the creativity of their employees, as they are the true driving force behind all innovation. In fact, eight out of ten people say they neither have the authority nor the opportunity to be creative at work. Human beings have evolved to enjoy their own imagination. When we are unable to do this, it can cause us stress, and this sometimes turns into serious disorders, such as burnout, which is a physical or mental breakdown resulting from overwork. The World Health Organization declared that burnout is one of the most widespread diseases of our time: over 264 million people suffer from depression and anxiety as a result of their job, and this costs the global economy 1 trillion dollars a year.

Training our mind to be creative has numerous beneficial effects that go beyond simple problem solving, and include greater open-mindedness, a readiness to collaborate, understanding, and patience. Our schooling, and subsequent employment, often quash our inclination to ask questions, but when we stop doing this, we also stop learning. The following story about a simple baked ham is a perfect example: a little girl notices that her mother always cuts off the ends of the ham before putting it in the oven, and she is curious to know why. When she asks, her mother is taken aback, and simply replies that she has always done it this way, because that is what her own mother did. The little girl then asks her grandmother, who says that she always had to cut off the ends of the ham, because her oven was too small. The curious little girl’s mother never asked why; she just followed the rules and wasted a great deal of meat for many years.

Being creative means always looking for extra details, being curious, and wanting to learn new things. When life becomes monotonous, and the days all blend into one, it means it is time to make a change, and to start questioning all the small, predictable things that we do every day: for example, instead of taking the bus, we might decide to walk to work; instead of having lunch in the office, we could try a new restaurant in the surrounding area; or rather than going to the usual bars and pubs, we could attend events where we hardly know anyone. All of these little changes will help us feel that spark of energy again, which puts us in a good mood.