Get Outside Of The Box To Think Outside Of The Box

Sometimes life calls for a little more creativity. The results we are currently getting are perfectly calibrated to the environment and the level of action we’re taking within it. It functions as a success set point. Cal Newport famously wrote a book about this called “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”. 

The title pretty much summarizes it but to say it another way… If you aspire for more in your life then you need to do something different. One of the barriers to stepping up your action is knowing what that even looks like for you. You need to consider doing things you’ve never attempted to do before. In order to do that, you need to get outside of the box if you want to think outside of the box.

In this case, the box is your current environment. It offers a safe and comfortable refuge for you. The familiarity of it keeps you in the same frame of mind. So to think beyond your circumstances you need to exit your circumstances. Changing your environment getting outside of the box frees you up to think differently. Rather than being pulled back into old and familiar patterns, you explore new ideas that lead to new sets of actions and generate new results.

Taking intentional time to separate from your routine and go somewhere new, invites this type of reflection. It can be as simple as going to a new coffee shop to do some journaling, or as disruptive as leaving town for a highly-immersive experience or retreat. That’s what I did when it came time to start writing my book. I cleared my calendar, visited a friend in Connecticut for 5 days, and dedicated myself to writing and letting old philosophies unfold in new ways. And it worked!

In short - If you’re noticing that you’ve been stuck lately, a change in scenery could do you a lot of good. Go somewhere open and expansive, a place that makes you think bigger, and see what ideas come to mind as you build a bigger vision for your life. 

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