How i jump started my year by introducing one thing.

New Year New Me!

I started the new year with the usual vicissitude towards wealth, health and prosperity (as so did the other 7 billion people on earth). Immediately I was challenged by pessimists in my life. "Whats the point of goals'', ''its pointless having resolutions'', ''just live your life'', be real they exclaimed. So I set out on an expedition to prove them wrong and I stumbled on a fascinating lesson.

Now let me validate this lesson. This is not a magic bullet that solves all your burgeoning problems. I adhere to an intentional approach to applying new philosophy in order to learn.  

School Time

The lesson I learnt is that goals and resolutions are accomplished through the Power of Constraints. Constraints can be interpreted differently, intensified, created on purpose or eliminated by design. I personally identified with constraints as limitations that exist towards the pursuit of my goals, and whose presence is imperative in determining my axis of creativity. To put it simply every goal requires strength. However, to only think that strength only is required is ignoring the old adage "work smart don't work hard". 

The science behind this asserts that your brain reacts differently to restrictions and that reaction is creativity. I've spent many a couch hours watch wacky documentaries on prison breaks and I was astonished at how the greater the constraint the more innovative the prisoners were. Immediately what comes to mind is an elaborate plan by a gang of inmates to dig up a tunnel for escape, something reminiscent of Michael Schoefield and gain in Prison Break. Quite the opposite, here is the story of Frank Abagnale who escaped from the Federal Detention Centre in Atlanta. 

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

 Notorious con-man Frank Abagnale escaped from the Federal Detention Center in Atlanta, Georgia in 1971 by convincing the prison guards that he was a prison inspector and not a prisoner, according to The Telegraph. 

When a US Marshal forgot his detention commitment papers upon arrival to the facility, Abagnale worked with an accomplice on the outside to convince the guards he was actually an undercover prison inspector posing as an inmate who was there to spy on the guards. (In 1971 prisons were being condemned by civil rights groups and investigated by congressional committees).

Over the course of several weeks he built up his fake alibi until the guards trusted him enough to meet his accomplice outside the prison walls in a car. Needless to say, once Abagnale walked out of the prison, the guards never saw him again. 

Abagnale evaded authorities for two months before being arrested in Washington, DC. He would serve four years in Virginia before being paroled. Today he advises the FBI on white-collar crime.

*The movie Catch me if you can is based on Frank's story*

Bellissimo!

I found this hilarious and extremely insightful. Frank knew the constraint between him and freedom was prison guards so he set out leverage his creativity in order to shift the constraint. He embraced the constraint, you could say he almost took it as part of his processes. Another example is when I researched art and history I stumbled upon something interesting. Artists in the Renaissance and impressionist movements would purposely create constraints in their art. Patricia Stokes details this well in her book, "The Power of Constraints". She mentioned how Monet had a particular thread in his art in which the relationship between light and dark was his foremost emphasis. If you were to think pragmatically, he would paint however, his aim was illustrating the relationship between light and darkness. Thats the problem he was in a sense solving. In music, this was also sighted with Mozart and how he limited his melodic range to twinkle twinkle little star. As a hip hop fan i couldn't help but think of Pharell Williams and how his music has the distinct four count start. 

Application Please!

So how exactly can we do this thing? 

So the question beckons, are there any right or wrong constraints then? I think that is the wrong question. A better approach is to have a well defined problem. As in the case with goals and resolutions we never get started because we don't have a cognitive precedent as a driver that sets us on a problem solving tangent. Whereas without a problem or constraints we have paralysis of choice and we short circuit our minds in applying steps toward action. And we wonder why we fall of so easily. 

Setting constraints makes something approachable. Starting a business because its fashion to do so is not wise but starting a business because you have zeroed in on a problem and taking steps to solve is way more pragmatic. It makes the process a creative journey. 

Personally, it has made me more outcome driven. I am now focused on action and feedback than i am brainstorming things for the umpteenth time. Whereas i would seek perfection i now find delight in accomplishing. If i don't have time to do my side projects i change the narrative to "doing my side projects for 5 minutes before work everyday''. Though that may be just jotting down ideas or someone to ask what happens is that, that little action turn into a deluge of productivity, its as it where compound interest on each effort applied. The point ultimately is that you move towards our goals and resolutions while fully embracing constraints and allowing them to be a catalyst to your incredible imagination! 

Adapted from "How i introduced one thing that jump started my new year", written by Matthew Tembo on kunditembo.com

If you liked it check out more of my articles on kunditembo.com and be free to say hello.