Leap Into the Unknown: Creativity Applied

BE FREE. Explore the freedom of creativity: bold, fearless curiosity. Leaping into the unknown means you don't know exactly what you'll experience, but you are not passive. You aren't waiting for someone to lead your dream or your desire. You paint that canvas even when you aren't sure what the colors are. I'm here to tell you what you already know: make it happen.

Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Dr. Who (OK, he's not real, but work with me) all have in common the knowledge of leaping into the unknown. So does every atheist and Christian. Uncertainty is present in every decision. Even the most faithful will acknowledge this. Faith, after all, is belief in things unseen.

Any artist worth his salt explores the unknown. So do theologians, philosophers and scientists. Most business achievements are accomplished through this exploration.

No guts. No glory.

You Too!

Why Do We Leap?

Some folks can't help themselves. They see a cliff or crevice and just feel the need to go for it.

Others consider what they believe and apply it confidently. When John Glenn went into space, he left confident he was coming back. Glenn was wise and willing, but he didn't really know.

I respect the John Glenns of this world. They have boldly gone where no man has gone before.

You aren't Picasso? I'm not either. Leaping isn't about who you are or what you do. It is about risk (intelligently). It is about freedom. It is about giving it a go even when don't know where the going is.

So many inspirational speakers challenge you to, as Nike says, "Just do it." Remove barriers and give it a go.

Leapers

These are people who leaped into the unknown. Know their full story and you'll learn they are cut of a different cloth than ordinary people. Join them. Great speeches come from risk and creativity.

Note: Lists like this cannot catch them all. Biases kick in. I'm not intending to be objective. Tell me who I missed.

• Martin Luther: German theologian who risked his life to make his church more honest socially and theologically.
• Steve Jobs: Apple founder
• Bill Gates: Microsoft founder
• Jackie Robinson: Major League Baseball's first black player
• Lewis and Clark: Explored America
• Protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989: They stood up against tyranny and oppression in China.
• St. Francis: He shirked wealth to care for the poor
• John Glenn: First American astronaut
• Madame Marie Curie: Pioneer researcher of radioactivity
• St. Stephen: First Christian martyr
• Sir Francis Drake: Circumnavigated the globe (also a pirate, unfortunately)
• Jim Elliot: Christian martyr whose life inspired many Christians
• Evel Knievel: Daredevil motorcyclist who feats pushed the limits of stunt performance
• Benjamin Franklin: Polymath who was a printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
• Auguste Chapdelaine: French missionary to China, then (1852) an unknown region to most of Europe. Martyred.
• Christopher Columbus: Explorer whose efforts helped establish North and South America as we know it today.
• Edgar Allan Poe: American poet, short story writer and literary critic whose work gave us the modern detective story, science fiction, and more
• William Shakespeare: Greatest playwright ever (Henrik Ibsen is arguably up there as well)
• The Wright Brothers: Invented first successful airplane
• George Washington: First president of the then new United States of America
• Bob Dylan: American musician whose songs influenced generations of artists to follow, as well as society at large.
• Walt Disney: He gave us Mickey Mouse
• Christa McAuliffe: Teacher and astronaut
• Thomas Edison: Inventor of the first successful light bulb and more.
• David Livingstone: Influential medical missionary and explorer in Africa.

Leap!

Look at my ever-growing list of leapers. Many there, if not all, never thought about leaping. They just did it. No self-help books. No long discussions with a life coach. They did it because they needed to.

Who needs to leap?

Everyone needs to leap. Everyone. What chasm is between you and where you know you need to be I can't say. That leap might be as common as asking the girl you love to marry you. Or it could be going to college even though all your friends will stay in the same small town thinking about, as Bruce Springsteen calls them, glory days. That's fine for them, but you want more. You want to explore the world. You've got to leave Dodge to see it.

Anyone who has a dream needs to leap. Anyone. Dreams are not as clear as, say, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" dream. It could be you've got a skill writing or doing art, but you always take the safe route. If so, ask yourself if your dream is real or if you just like saying you are working on something.

A leaper is noble, doing the right thing for the right reasons, come what may. From those who leap, we find heroes and legends. Songs are sung about leapers. Buildings are named after them. Sometimes. You have to be ready for the opposite, and have no delusion that if you risk yourself, you may not win the hero's return.

Leapers aren't safe. Some end up martyrs. Missionaries and explorers leave the comfort of home to go to the great unknown.

Salman Rushdie faced a death threat from Muslim extremists after publishing The Satanic Verses. Within a small passage, Rushdie wrote something that felt offensive to some Muslims, and Ayatollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader of Iran issued the fatwa effectively sentencing him to death. Thankfully, most Muslims who may or may not have been offended chose to let freedom of speech rule than one man's bloodthirsty fury.

Leapers do things that they may be afraid to do. They are bold, leaping when others walk, jumping when others step, and speaking loudly when others whisper.

Leapers fail. They strike out while swinging for the fence. They go bankrupt. Some become famous like Babe Ruth or Richard Branson. Many don't become success stories and wind up working jobs they hate.

Leapers can be ostracized. A true visionary is more than talk. He does something. He chases that vision. He may be lampooned for his ideas, or worse, run out of town. Some are burned at the stake.

Every moment is unknown. Every consequence is unknown. You might have a great guess, but confirmation only happens after it become true.

Are you willing to take that risk?

About Anthony:

Anthony Trendl is the principal speechwriter and speaker at AmericanSpeechwriter.com, an executive communications advisory firm. His work is regularly delivered by Fortune 500 leaders, athletes and notables, and is heard in places like Harvard University, Princeton University, UCLA, Beijing, South Africa, the Netherlands and beyond. His speeches have helped raise millions of dollars, and have increased audience engagement across the globe. For speaking and media inquiries, please see here.

I'd love to talk about creativity to your company. Have me speak at your dinner or event.

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