Mindset Jolt #3 – Seek the space that surrounds ideas, not the ideas

Welcome to our Conscious Innovator® process!

Are you ready for a new, insight-provoking “Jolt” … something designed to “rearrange your molecules” as it elicits your unique, innovative potential in life and work?

Jolts wake us up. They spur new self-awareness, new capabilities and values, and new actions. Paradoxically, we don’t learn from each Jolt – rather, each Jolt “learns us”! That is, a Jolt sits in the background of our consciousness and then prompts new insights and energy over time. 

Jolt #3: Seek the space that surrounds ideas, not the ideas

There’s a South African saying about the best way to get across a fast rushing river – one that could quickly sweep you away: “The shortest way across can be the longest way around.” Being innovative is like that saying. It’s a paradox: it can concentrate our attention while expanding our perspectives.

When we turn our attention inwards to find innovative ideas, we may first feel constrained rather than expanded, with little room for new ideas to arise. Or, our internal flow of thoughts may feel quite dense, streaming wildly one after another.

But when we look more closely within, we can see what surrounds the flow of ideas: a conscious space that encircles but is not the same as the ideas themselves. Each time we seek that space, we have the experience that “this thought arose in my mind.” There is a sense of receptivity, rather than doing – a sense of peace, knowing, and freedom in which the voice of evaluative judgement is reduced.

We don’t have to believe there is a space. We only have to give the space our attention and allow a spontaneous recognition to arise. We don’t have to plan it; just relax and there it is, right in our minds.

We can’t gain that space and we can’t lose it. With conscious awareness, we can come to know that it’s always there within us, always available to guide us with wisdom and clarity, an incubation space from which ideas can start to flow “on their own.”

By default, our typical ideas weave such a strong story of reality in our minds that it can be difficult to be open to new possibilities. But when we seek the quiet space that surrounds our ideas, we feel profoundly supported and confident to act in the world.

-=-=-=- Now it's your turn -=-=-=-

Being a Conscious Innovator® has a 3 phase cyclical process: become aware, capable, and versatile. Try on this Jolt in your life and work, then take self-reflective time to engage in the process:

-=-=-=- An invitation to join our process and share your insights -=-=-=-

If you haven’t already, we’d love for you to join our process and share your own experiences, while learning from the experiences of others! We appreciate what one person said about the Jolt process itself:

Innovation is a world by itself. It can change lives and help people become more positive. Doing a Jolt is already something! A new habit that promotes innovation and reflection.

It’s totally FREE to participate. To sign up and join us, go to this link and follow the easy directions: https://innovate.vci.global/p/the-conscious-innovator. 

Even if you haven’t participated up to this point, it’s never too late to start the process! It’s like a concise gym workout that provides an insightful “pause that refreshes” and evokes your unique, innovative potential in life and work.