I’m a genius! I come up with brilliant ideas, creative marketing tools and solve all the world’s problems Every. Single. Day! I’m clear headed, focused and driven! Nothing can hold me back!
And then… it goes away.
As quickly as it comes, it just as quickly leaves. I go back to being my usual fuzzy- brained, overworked, distracted self. But just before the fog takes over, I try to make mental notes of what my smart brain came up with so I can remember later.
What causes this weird phenomenon?
Quiet time.
We exist in such a crazy world that we never get time of solitude. Our phones are ringing, emails are dinging, text messages are chiming. We have office mates talking, radios singing and televisions blaring. Everywhere we go we are surrounded by noise and distractions. We never give ourselves a chance to THINK.
Every day for about 45 minutes I give myself a chance to think. It’s my genius hour. I don’t journal or meditate. (I’m too ADHD for that.) Instead, I run. I started running to get into shape, and once I was actually able to run without gasping and dying, I started to enjoy it. At first I carried my phone so I could listen to music. But one day my battery died early in the run, and I was left listening to the sounds of nature all around me. That’s when I realized I was happier listening to the animals and birds instead of music. And pretty soon, while running in undistracted solitude, I turned into a freaking genius.
But only on my runs.
I didn’t plan for this to happen. I was quite content with multi-tasking my way through life. I was getting my work accomplished and solving problems as they came up, but what I didn’t realize then was how uninspired and uncreative I had become. Everything I did was in reaction to my life as opposed to being proactive with living. I forgot how to dream.
Think back to high school. Do you remember being given an open-ended assignment where you had to research, develop or create something and were given ample time and free-reign to do so? Remember your teacher saying, “Today, you get the entire hour to brainstorm ideas for your project.” Awesome!
When was the last time you gave yourself the uninterrupted chance to brainstorm, create and reflect? Whether it be through exercising, journaling, mowing, gardening, driving- whatever quiet time you can carve out in your crazy life, try it. Make the effort.
Yes, at first it’s a little uncomfortable and it might seem weird. If you haven’t had a moment of quiet in a long time, it takes a little time to adjust. But after the initial level of discomfort passes, your mind starts to clear and your brain starts thinking creatively. It’s amazing, really. It’s amazing to see what ideas your brain conjures out of nowhere.
So even if it’s only for a short moment of your day, the ideas you come up with will most certainly have lasting benefits for your career. Go ahead. Enjoy a little quiet time. Dream a little bit. Think creatively. Do this and become a genius just long enough to change your life.
Amy Gilpin, Realtor, Associate Broker, Manager, ABR.
Fourteen years of helping clients. Six years of helping agents. All for this crazy thing we call real estate.
Production Realty 517-879-4141 Jackson, MI Amy@ProductionRealty.com
