When people ask me how to accelerate their startup or run faster towards their dreams, my answer is simple — fun first. Seriously. You find the optimal and most effortless path when you tap your inner genius. And your genius comes out to play when it’s … fun.
You may have heard about the studies conducted by Dr George Land with NASA. Wanting to recruit highly creative astronauts — after all, ingenious solutions are handy in space emergencies! — Dr Land developed a simple test to assess innovative aptitude. The test was so simple that they decided to evaluate children into adulthood as well. And what they discovered was shocking.
98% of 5 year-olds are creative geniuses. Naturally.
But by the time we’re adults, only 2% of us score at the genius level.
It turns out that child’s play is extraordinarily powerful.
As we age, we’re taught convergent over divergent thinking. We learn to overthink and anticipate risks, which serve to amplify fear and pump the brakes on creativity. When we operate under fear, we use a very small part of our brain. And we lose access to our naturally divergent, or generative, thought. We leave our imaginations in the dust.
At the 2015 Genius Gala Jeff Bezos commented, “You have to have a certain childlike ability to not be trapped by your expertise. And that fresh look, that beginner’s mind, once you’re an expert, is unbelievably hard to maintain. But great inventors are always looking. They have a certain divine discontent.”
Alexandra Poenaru Philp, Parisian artist and our featured maverick, describes evenings with her father who would pose philosophical questions as bedtime stories. This kind of play and possibility is manna for the brain. In his book, The Hidden Habits of Genius: Beyond talent, IQ and Grit – Unlocking the Secrets of Greatness, author Craig Wright says, “The least helpful thing we can say to our children, as well as to ourselves, is ‘Grow up!'” Tales of fairies and fantastical genies, as well as creative retreats allow us to retain or recapture our creative minds.
Alexandra shared, “I need moments of isolation to be able to reach my full creative potential. And then I am ready to collaborate, bringing forth a momentum of insights and the ultimate expression of a creative idea.”
In Fiji I offer Stillness, a retreat and immersion in higher consciousness designed for savvy innovators in business, technology and the arts. It’s an all-inclusive week-long adventure to rekindle the creative fire within. In November 2024 I have 8 openings for this powerful experience. Would you like to join?
When we immerse ourselves in joyous doing versus anxious mulling, we are dramatically more creative. And when we dive in to the wacky, whimsical, silly, goofy and even zany aspects of our genius, we are rewarded amply. Not only with great ideas — but with joy and abundance.
Stop thinking, stop figuring, stop stressing.
Free your inner genie.
Invite your genius out to play.
