A couple of years back I went to a conference in Atlanta called Catalyst. It was amazing! I love experiencing conference and this was probably the largest conference I had ever attended. It also allowed me to meet some great people, listen to authors, pastors, entrepreneurs, musicians, and so many much more. I plan to get back to one again this year!
The more you get to know me the more you will find that I have a wide range of ideas and hobbies that are just all over the place. I have also had many jobs that are all over the place. I tend to not stay in one job for extended periods of time, not because any of them are bad I just move to the next open door that is a better spot for me at the time. I like to dream.
I recently had a conversation at work that reminded me of one of the speakers that spoke at Catalyst. He spoke on creativity and community. Creating those wow moments instead of becoming a critic. He goes on to describe how we shut off people’s creativity when we criticizes their ideas. I guess I have experienced that in the past and I know I have done that to other’s ideas. On my drive to work today, I realized that when I threw out an idea last week and discussed it a little more this week, that it was a wow moment from one person and a shut down from the other.
The more I sat and analyzed it (because I am almost always in my head) I realized how much it shut me down. The wow moment was shut down. I had felt great about it, it had me dreaming big for what the next years could look like. However, it took a turn when I was shut down. It actually got me thinking of what is the next step. How long do I want to be here?
I do not want to seem like I cannot take criticism, which no one really likes. (Yeah, I know it lets you know what you need to work on, blah blah blah). But I am saying it can shut down creativity, it can also kick trust out. I want to be a sounding board for ideas, I want people to be encouraged to reach for their dreams, and I want to build creativity and trust in others.
Let’s use “WOW” more than “NO” or getting caught in the details.
Let’s awaken the wonder!
A journey of self-discovery and happiness 