Other Worlds

Perspective is a funny thing.

So many ideas live just out of our line of sight, hiding in an adjacent space and so close to our consciousness.

How many times have you realized, in hindsight, that something feels *so obvious*?

How did that not occur to me before?

And,

I did know that. I just didn’t… KNOW it.

We have these illusions that we’re operating with a complete picture, making decisions with a full deck of info, and have a firm enough grasp of all of the realities to navigate with confidence.

But that’s not true.

What we know is a drop. What we don’t know is the ocean.

I covered something similar in the article “Not Good”: as you progress into more consciousness, you have a hope to become more competent. But not before.

Similarly, the risk of really digging into a skillset or niche means we’re existing in these smaller and smaller circles of influence and input.

That enclosure presents a huge risk for losing sight.

Lest you think, “but not me!,” consider how much language we use to articulate this, even across functions:

— Echo chamber (sound)

— Blind spots (sight)

— Linear thought (cognition)

These are all negative and fraught with risk. We know that great ideas don’t happen in an isolation chamber. They happen in the real world, where they have relevance and get tested and mean something.

Epiphanies are out of reach when your perspective is limited.

So I think the answer is what Malcolm Gladwell already told us: visit other worlds.

I’m a writer.

I trade in words all day long and am in a close circle of like minded creative professionals. It’s warm and safe and familiar.

But I have to travel to other worlds if I want to see more.

I have to travel to the worlds of music and art, first, which are neighboring countries for me.

Then I have to travel further, to technology or medicine or psychology.

And get my hands into it, cooking and gardening and cleaning.

The more we can max out the range of our human experiences, the more valuable we’ll be… the more clearly we’ll see.

I was talking to someone on my team about this last week: if you don’t do the work of growth, you just aren’t as useful to other humans. You’re blinded by your own pain and needs and voids. You can’t push out and gain real empathy and real powers of communication.?

That’s only for the people who see more.

So all this to say, let me encourage you on this Monday in January: visit another world.?

Don’t just go next door. Think about something (like breakdancing or dim sum or biomechanics or bridge building) that’s so far in the opposite direction of what you do that it changes the way you see the world.

It enlarges your perspective and enlivens your soul.

The people who have touched down on many worlds are the ones who aren’t just fascinating dinner party companions; they’re the ones who can build something new.

My weekend travels to other worlds:

Brunch With Ashleigh (IN PERSON!)

Green Cleaning Adventures

And last weekend... I achieved a slight upper hand in my lifelong struggle with meringue