Boosting Your Creativity:
The Wow of Wonder
by Maya Frost
You are so creative.
Don't deny it. Whether or not you
consider yourself a creative type, the truth is that
you are constantly creating ideas.
Mindfulness invites you to be aware
of this constantly flowing river, and offers an opportunity
to choose to sit beside it instead of swimming in
it. By watching the ideas from that calm riverbank,
you can more clearly see the ones that float to the
top and sparkle in the sun.
But mindfulness is more
than just mind watching mind. When we are engaged
in the process of creating—whether that's words,
numbers, music, art, or movement—without getting
swept up in the concept of where it might be leading,
that is a very pure form of mindfulness.
If creating is mindfulness in action,
the little push that gets things moving is the thrill
of discovery. As humans, we are fascinated by novelty,
and we are pulled by our joy of seeing something in
a new light.
Mindfulness allows us to
approach the world with childlike wonder, to play
with new concepts, and to see things from a shifted
perspective. You can't always engage in new activities,
but through mindfulness, you can look at the same-old
same-old with fresh eyes.
The Wow of Wonder is what stimulates
us to be creative. Without it, we are likely to come
down with our culture's most malevolent malady—mindlessness. Mindlessness
causes us to move through life without really connecting
to any of it. It's living on auto-pilot. It's living
without wonder—or fun.
Here's a helpful reminder:
fun is good. We don't have to make mindfulness
HARD. There is nothing hard about it. We were incredibly
mindful and creative as children, and guess what?
We had a lot more fun then, too!
The things that captivated you as
a child were objects and ideas that triggered your
sense of wonder. You noticed something new, and jumped
right into the Wow of Wonder. And there were plenty
of things that elicited that response every single
day.
A bug you'd never seen. A card trick.
Something under a microscope. A new musical instrument.
A dance move. A song. An animal. A poem. A historical
fact. A new flavor of candy.
Mindfulness is a catalyst
for wonder. You notice something. An idea
is sparked. A distinction is made. A perspective shifts.
There is a fullness in that moment, ripe with possibilities
but unburdened by expectations.
The Wow of Wonder is what allows
us to transcend what we "know" and float
in that river of ideas without sinking under the weight
of evaluation. In our most mindful moments,
it is wonder that saves us from overthinking
and keeps things light.
There's no need to work
at making mindfulness a part of your life.
It's already there, and you can glimpse it in all
of your favorite memories. Being right there in the
moment, full of wonder, and playing with discovery--this
is you being a creative person!
Pay attention to your moments of
fun, and you'll see that there's a hefty dose of mindfulness
in there. You are smiling. You are fully present.
You are creating ideas and responses. You feel alive.
Becoming mindful is simply
getting reconnected to wonder about the world and
your place in it. Look for the Wow of Wonder, and
you'll find yourself immersed in mindfulness.
Isn't it wonder-ful?
© Copyright 2005, Maya Frost
Maya Frost
has taught thousands of people how to pay attention. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training™, she offers playful, powerful, eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To read her free tips and tricks for everyday awareness, visit
http://www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com.
