industry thoughts from Clarteza

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes” – Marcel Proust.

This quote has been my guiding beacon in life and at work. The ability to see what you have or what you experienced from a different angle, can change its meaning.

In other words, the way you look at things, changes “the things” you look at. 

To acquire a new way of thinking requires learning fueled by an open minded attitude. Lucky for me, I’m a self-proclaimed life long learner.

Think of it. What if a constraint we thought we had, actually became a feature? What if our hobby became our business? What if our childhood skill, you let atrophied, got revived and helped you find a new purpose in life?

To acquire a valuable new perspective, you can try variety of activities that could actually bring you joy, in the process.

For example: learning something new, will allow you to learn something about yourself. Talking to others about subjects you normally wouldn’t, could peak your curiosity you did not know you had. Picking up a magazine that you’ve never read can help you become better decorator/mechanic/or designer (depending on the magazine you chose). Trying a dance lesson will move you out of your comfort zone (and yes, there are even virtual dance lessons). Picking up an instrument can humble you and allow you to fall in love with the music. Trying a new recipe can unlock a new dish you never though you’d like. Wearing different clothes can make you feel differently about yourself (especially in this time!). Try it.

New Routines essentially disrupt our behavioral “autopilot” we all operate on over 90% of our time. While we tend to be our “very efficient self”, we may not always see things clearly and therefore miss opportunities.

If you’re lucky, your next new idea may come from an amazing leap, but much more likely, it will come from your adjacent skills or opportunities and by re-application what you just learned to something else. Here’s why: learning a new skill, doing something you’ve not done before, or even talking strangers (whatever it may be) builds confidence because you conquered your fear. Because you became more confident, you trust yourself “just a little bit more”. And Bam! You now have more courage to try new things and re-evaluate what you already have.

I’m willing to bet that your next new idea will likely come from an emergent, often adjacent field. It may be an incremental improvement at first, but then it can reframe the way you look at what you already have because you now have a new perspective.

Mag Retelewski is a founder of Clarteza, a consulting company focusing on driving innovation for Fortune 500 and midsize companies. Clarteza leverages latest curated technologies to stay on trend with emerging consumer attitudes & behaviors. Mag is a boundary crosser, having moved countries three times. Her study of the violin, passion for dance and travel has influenced her out of the box approach to business. She believes in creativity by design. She often crosses disciplines, categories or industries and connects them.