It’s 6 am and for a split second, I have no clue where I am – what city , state, province, time zone, hotel room, room number. It’s anyone’s guess.
- 5 weeks
- 2 countries
- 7 provinces
- 3 states
- Cities…many… some of them twice
I actually started mixing up hotel room numbers by the end of it.
I love everything about the last few weeks. Incredible people, conversations, and work leading to big impact in the world. It didn’t even bother me that a lot of people thought I was crazy for signing up for all of it. Yes, Mom, I’m taking care of myself. In fact, I’m more energized, motivated and excited than ever. Here’s why…
There is an incredible upside to shaking things up. Changes in routine have a massive positive impact on creativity, motivation and problem solving.
Let me count the ways…
- Novelty creates new neural pathways in your brain, allowing you to make connections between things you wouldn’t naturally otherwise.
- It disrupts your autopilot. Habits and routine create predictability in your days … and your thinking. Change the patterns, change how you see things, the problems you solve and how you solve them.
- It makes you a more flexible thinker. Adapting to new situations and challenges develops the cognitive flexibility you need to explore possibilities and unique solutions.
- It enhances your creativity. Changing things up increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with motivation, reward and creativity.
- It broadens your perspective. Getting outside your comfort zone forces you to think differently, expands your worldview and fuels new thinking.
- It lightens the mental load. Repetitive routines can lead to mental fatigue and burnout. Changing things up recharges your brain for brighter thinking.
- It encourages divergent thinking. Breaking from routine allows you to explore a wider range of possibilities.
You can get all these benefits without traveling around the world in 80 days. Change your route to work, go work in a coffee shop for a few hours OR …. just walk backwards to the coffee machine. No one will think it’s weird (at least, I won’t!).
In the meantime, as I get reacquainted with my home office, my family and my pets (and remodel my bedroom to look and feel more like a Bonvoy property), watch out world! Big ideas are on their way…I can feel it.
