Curiosity, Innovation and No Limits!
Yesterday I attended the Crystal Classic Show Choir contest in Fairfield, Ohio. (I had a great time, but that is another post). It was a 90 minute drive each way which allowed me time to listen to a few presentations from TED. One that hit the mark for me was a recent presentation by James Cameron. It was excellent and had me scrambling to take notes:). Before I share a couple of my thoughts on this, I recommend you listen to this one:
- Far too many people do not accomplish their dreams. Perhaps the most significant barriers are self-imposed. Yes, society and those around you may tell you that 'you can't', but the reality is that we usually limit ourselves. Mr. Cameron's curiosity lead him to live his dreams. He asked questions, then followed the path that ensued to live his passion.
This reminds me of Gary Vaynerchuk's comments about 'listen to your gut' and that you 'don't have to settle.' See his book: Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion(affiliate link).
- Speaking about not putting limits on yourself, he said that you should, "take risk". He spoke of NASA's "Failure is not an option" philosophy and said that, "failure has to be an option" if we are going to take a "leap of faith". He said, "failure is an option, but fear is not."
Failure is a great teacher; pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on. Taking the approach that failure is not an option kills innovation. More on that in a future post.
- Mr. Cameron talked about trying to 'understand the world and the limits of possibilities'. Instead of looking for why you can't, ask what you want to achieve and how you go about it.
- I enjoyed his comments about creating technology to make his dream happen. He was speaking about the need for new technology to make his dream happen when exploring 'the deep'. Listen, you may not create 'new technology', but you may need to innovate and re-engineer how you go about your life and your business. Don't be afraid to think outside of the walls of your current life in your effort to live your dream.
- He said, "Curiosity it he most powerful thing you own; imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality. I love how he did this ... you can too.
Perhaps technology has robbed us of 'creativity' and 'dream' time. Turn off the TV and find time to dream and consider goals and possibilities.
- On leadership, Mr Cameron said that he learned the importance of respecting your team. He said that this respect is more important than all of the laurels of the world.
What did you take from his presentation?
Rick
