Stuck in Sydney at Sunrise!
Are you ready for a game-changer? Are you sure?
I was invited to speak in Sydney to 10,000 entrepreneurs from around the world.
Topic: Creativity Unleashed
Imagine you with more CREATIVITY... what changes? Do you have a blueprint to unleash creativity - in your own life and in the people around you?
(For the rest of the story, see pg 137 in Jonathan's latest book, Creativity Unleashed!)
Jet-lagged in Sydney & a Lesson for Unleashing Creativity
I was invited to speak in Sydney to 10,000 entrepreneurs from around the world. Topic: Creativity Unleashed! What do world-class innovators have in common? Is there a blueprint for unleashing creativity?
The most creative people make a habit of asking great questions. More than that... they pursue great questions. Einstein was looking at a clock and asked "What if..." - What if I were traveling on a train away from that clock? What if the train were traveling as fast as the light, iteslf? What would I see? Would I see the hands on the clock moving? Or would I see the hands on the clock frozen in time? What if my train were traveling away from the clock faster than light? What would I see then? "What if..." can be the start of many great questions. Noble prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, likes to ask: "What if we create a world where poverty only exists in museums?" and "What if we approach social challenges in search of solutions that are BOTH self-sustaining and scalable?"
In Sydney, I asked:
"What could I do today that would create a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life?"
BUT... that wasn't the first question I asked. Unfortunately, we usually start with questions that are small, mediocre, survival, yesterday or uninspired. When I bolted out of bed at midnight on my first night in Sydney, I started with some rather mediocre questions: "How can I get back to sleep?" "Should I just get caught up on some emails?" "Is it time for a cup of tea?" Even though I was speaking in Australia on the topic of my latest book - Creativity Unleashed - I still began with questions that don't facilitate much creativity. One of the most powerful lessons we found in researching world-class innovators: the quality of our lives hinges on the quality of the questions we pursue. At any moment, we can look for a better question. At midnight in Sydney, I started to intentionally change the question. It took a few iterations to get me on that train to see the Opera House at sunrise.
Certainly, in pockets and moments of our lives, we pursue great questions. Imagine taking that habit to the next level!
Over the next 10 years, how could your positive impact on the world be 100 times what is was for the last 10 years? What great questions will you build into your life, leadership, family, work, community, world?
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***Get your copy of Creativity Unleashed for the rest of the chapter, "Sydney at Sunrise!" (pg 137) In that chapter alone, you'll hear more about the pursuit of great questions, meet a couple who built an amazing business from one simple question, learn why the designer of the Sydney Opera House was not allowed to see it completed, and find a creative way to pay for a $151,000 fine!
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About Jonathan Fanning
Jonathan Fanning is an internationally renowned speaker, leadership expert, and author of several books, including Who are you BECOMING?, Creativity Unleashed! and I Once Was Lost.
He has been helping organizations find and implement game-changers for over 2 decades.
Jonathan's TEDx Talk was voted "best of the conference!"
He has also built several successful businesses, including a national children’s fitness franchise and Entrepreneur Adventure, to help young people experience business start-up and ownership.
Jonathan brings his amazing gift of combining story-telling, humor, emotion, and tough questions to his acclaimed keynotes, workshops, and coaching programs.
Do you want more creativity in your life? Are you sure...?