Why Not?

 "The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were." - John F. Kennedy

One of my daily objectives is to be innovative in my approach to everything I do. To dare myself to think differently. To challenge the status quo. 

Everyone is creative. However, as time goes on, it can be easy to just conform to the norms around you and not realize that your creative lens has clouded a bit. We begin to do things 'the way we've been doing things' and expect to get different results. If solving problems just meant doing the same things we always do, we'd all be problem-free. To solve problems in our personal lives, or in the world, we sometimes need wild creativity; we need ideas that might seem crazy at first. Some of those wild ideas won't work. Maybe most of them won't work. But any problem only needs one solution.

We've all heard the phrase "the only constant is change". Times are changing.  The world is changing. People are changing. Society is changing. Especially now, as we live through this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. It's creating the necessity for change in all aspects of our lives.

We are faced with new problems, daily. Retail businesses may never be the same. Restaurants, social gatherings, sporting events, and other things have been forced to adjust how they do what they do. Heck, last week I went to a friends' wedding…online through a Zoom meeting! Times have changed indeed.

But, how can you get yourself out of a rut when you're faced with dealing with a new problem? Stop censoring yourself and look beyond the horizon of obvious realities. Now, more than ever, it is time to think outside of the box. Don't limit yourself.  Pablo Picasso said "Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not." So, why not?  

Growing up in Seattle, I've always been a huge Seattle Seahawks fan. I'm an even bigger Russell Wilson fan. Quarterback Russell Wilson, now a Super Bowl winning quarterback, has always been taught to challenge the status quo. He was told he was too short to be a successful quarterback. Wilson said in an article in Success magazine that he is continually inspired by, and relies on, words of wisdom he got from his father. "Why not, son? Why not you?" His father taught Russell the importance in believing in himself, believe in his God given talent, and despite his short stature and being 5'11", which is much shorter than the prototypical quarterback, he could go a long way.  And he has. 

It's not always going to be easy to be creative. It will take courage. It will take focus. It will take belief in yourself and your creative abilities. You have to believe.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. That is the first step toward creating positive change, to have courage and believe.

Allow your creative juices to flow.  Use them freely.  You can't use up creativity.  The more you use it, the more you have. It's important to be constantly asking yourself "why." But equally important, if not more important, to ask yourself "why not?" You can do it!

Make today great!

Curtis

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." -  Walt Disney Company