I recently completed a road trip to Baviaanskloof, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the four day Leopard Trail hike. Breathtaking, heart expanding, mind altering. Something struck me on the journey. When we were driving in one direction it was hard to look in another one. Have you ever caught yourself doing that in life?
It was only at the start of the hike that I got a chance to take it all in. In creative thinking we call this the creative pause. It is an intentional moment when you stop and direct your attention to what is around you. It lets you appreciate how far you have come, take stock of where you are, and rethink where you are going.
A five step practice
- Stop. Shut the laptop, turn the phone off, take a breath and look ahead in one direction.
- Pay attention. What is right in front of you, right now? Take it in.
- Explore. Turn slowly, one degree at a time. What do you notice that you did not notice before?
- Express gratitude. One moment of gratitude can make a thousand moments of difference.
- Think again. What else could there be? How else could this be? What is possible?
"Life is attention. David Reynolds, Constructive Living."
Such a simple act shows the power of the creative pause as a tool for creative thinking. Take two minutes and have a go. Make it a daily practice.
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