Henricus? I have seen that sign while traveling south of Richmond, VA numerous times. Who names a town Henricus? It always sounded like the Latin version of Henrico to me. That was about the extent of my exploration into that name until yesterday. So what does this have to do with anything? Keep reading and I’ll tie it in to how this can help you improve your innovation, problem solving abilities and even deepen your relationships.
I have researched a fair amount on the topic of why some people are successful by seeking and finding opportunity. What is the special concoction they drink every morning that gives them the power to see the world as a smorgasbord of potential positive outcomes. One thing I found out along the way is that your brain loves routines and habits. Once you learn something a few times, you can “wire” the brain to do all sorts of subconscious activities. Think about it. How you back your car out the driveway, how you brush your teeth, where you go out to dinner, where you vacation, what you do on a weekend, your conversations with your significant other, the way you approach challenges at work….Wait?! What just happened? We are still talking about routines and habits, right?
Yes for some of us, embracing a routine is helpful, it’s dependable, predictable and It can even ultimately lead to mastery of any given skill. It also helps tremendously in a life-saving situation, especially when you need your brain to go into automatic pilot so you don’t have to “think” about your training, you just “do.” On the other hand, a life full of routine and habit can have a negative side effect…it can stifle growth.
Experiencing opportunities to do something differently is an aspect of emotional and intellectual growth. When it happens, the brain literally writes new neurologic pathways as it takes in (through the senses) the new experiences. Do it enough, and that is the new “habit” you can form, the habit of unconsciously wanting to look and find new experiences and opportunities. In children, this is done most every day and is chalked up to learning. Because as adults we have more years and experiences under our belts, it gets harder and harder to “find” new stuff to do and we get out of the habit of looking for new things to do. The benefits of re-wiring your brain to search for new things, experiences and opportunities are far reaching. Don’t believe me? Where in your life and career could you benefit from more:
- Problem Solving Abilities
- Innovation / Creativity
- Risk Taking
These abilities are paramount if you are a lawyer, writer, business owner, teacher, manager, wilderness EMT, web designer…you name it. Anywhere you could benefit from seeing and finding the opportunities in a situation, not just the challenges. So how do you start re-wiring your brain?
One of the easiest ways of getting your brain in the habit of looking for new opportunities is to start feeding it new opportunities. Here’s one way how:
Plan to do something completely different this weekend. Depending on your personality, you can plan every single detail out or you can be spontaneous; whatever you feel comfortable doing. This Monday was our 13th wedding anniversary and we had a few options on the table. Go to a place that we went to last year that was wonderful. Go to a place I have been but Amanda had not, or go to a place neither one up us had been. We elected the latter. Henricus it was. We had our daughter in tow and it was a beautiful April 1st day. We learned Henricus was one of the oldest English settlements in the United States, founded in 1611, and just up river from Jamestown. It was also home to one of the first hospitals in the new world. Next, we wanted to do some hiking so we took the adjacent four-mile loop around Dutch Gap Conservation Area. It was beautiful. The ospreys were nesting, turtles were pulling themselves out of their winter mud naps, and Logan was squealing and laughing all the way. We even found (see what happens when you are looking) a Boy Scout shelter tucked away in the woods where we had a quick lunch and enjoyed the afternoon. All of this was less than 45 minutes away from our home.
Not a bad day and it eventually inspired me to write this article. So what are you waiting for? How could you get better at what you do by experiencing new opportunities? Maybe you need a shot in the arm? As a bonus, are you looking for an opportunity to reconnect to a loved one or friend? This weekend, plan to do something different, and then plan on doing something different the following weekend. See how many different weekends you can string together.
Warning: This can cause improvement in creativity, better problem solving skills, increased quality time with your significant other, a better outlook on your life & career, and can be extremely habit forming!
