Many people were born practical, down to earth, on the road to an MBA from the C-R-I-B. But even those of us who were dreamers once upon a time, who fell into fanciful revelries while in the classroom, who tuned out during parental lectures and pictured ourselves in a pastoral scene surrounded by flora and melodiously bleating sheep, have had to replace our rose-colored glasses with the prescription kind for a clearer view of the world.
Some of the results have been positive, kept me and others like me goal-oriented when we'd much rather "go with the flow" and see where it leads us. But the cons have been that we've lost touch with our unconscious, stifled our inner child, ignored our imaginations and can't even remember when we've done something artsy or creative or just “for fun.”
Believe it or not maintaining creativity can enhance our daily lives, not only by making us happier and more fulfilled, but also by establishing a cohesive working relationship between your left and right brains. You must have heard that whenever you've lost an object the last thing you should do is concentrate on finding it. This usually leads to recriminations, head bashing, a lot of time wasting and not much in the way of success. But if you distract yourself, focus on other things, go about your business, you will eventually come across the object you misplaced with less "wear and tear on the mind and body. Why is this? Because the mind when not pressured will use all its resources - many from the right side of the brain - to help you achieve your goal. Similarly, if you have encountered some problem that stymies your progress at work, taking a little time to enjoy the view through your office window, playing a short game on your computer or manipulating a piece of clay you keep in your desk drawer will open up clogged passageways in your thinking.
Some people do not believe they have anything to offer in terms of creative endeavors, but all of us have some latent talents waiting to be tapped into and developed. Gourmet cooking, writing, needlework, gardening are just some of the vast reservoir of skills you can acquire or cultivate. Believe it or not, immersing yourself in the short term in any one of these enterprises can enable you to become a better spouse, parent and employee or boss. Not to mention happier. Which is a good reason to take those rose-colored glasses out of storage. And if you can"t find them? Well, you know what to do. (See above.)
