What Do You Want to Be?

By Mia A. Mackman

Whenever I have a client or team that is at a cross section in life or business, I always ask them what they wanted to be when they were 6-8 years old. At this age, life isn’t about “doing” it is genuinely about “being” and being happy. Most people haven’t learned about life’s limitations yet. They are optimistic, creative and immersed in the joy and fun of being a bright eyed child.

It gets easy to bury the things in life we like and want, as time moves on. As we learn to become responsible, well behaved adults we tend to go where we need to go and do what we need to do, often loosing sight of what we want to do. Frankly, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of our busy lives and for most, this requires some digging.

An article by CreatingMinds.org on Age and Creativity from August of 2013 sited “At around about the age of five, we are using about 80% of our creative potential.” They also shared “One of the biggest culprits here is the simple pattern of human habit. Once we start doing something one way, we get comfortable with it and then do not change or vary it.”

As I watched my children grow up, I paid attention to what they loved to do. The activities that captivated their attention for hours were obviously things they loved. Over time, I watched these various games slip away. They started growing up fast and life got busy. Scholastic schedules, sports and friends held high priority and before I knew it, they forgot they ever liked that whatchamacallit, legos or our Sunday art jams.

Whenever they fell into a rut, I tried to plan time to trigger some creative reprieve. If I timed this right, it almost always helped bounce them out of a funk by having an easy outlet and no pressure fun. Nostalgia is a mighty thing. We did this for years. I’m certain it helped us stay close and it helped keep their relationship to their creativity alive.

One of my favorite children’s books is the Kid’s Edition of Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson. This is a quick, timeless, teachable read for children and a fun book for adults. The adult version is good, but I enjoy the illustrations and characters in this edition even more. Generally, most things in life come down to seeking our magic cheese. How we pursue that cheese when it’s gone is a valuable lesson of how we live our lives. This story instills a wonderful understanding that encapsulates the changes in life that are necessary to reap the rewards of seeking their own magic cheese.

According to a Global Adobe Data Study in March and April of 2012 with 5,000 adults in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France and Japan were interviewed in the State of Create Study, Global Benchmark Study on Attitudes, Beliefs about Creativity at Work, School and Home, “Only 25 percent of people believe they are living up to their potential to be creative, and more than 75 percent of people feel that their countries are not living up to their collective potential to be creative.”

Creativity is a cornerstone to innovation across all industries. Creating a safe, friendly forum where people can take the time to reflect on their own Happiness of Being and creativity has become an important aspect of business for company cultures of every kind and size.

TIP: One way to do this in a team building context is to ask everyone in the group to write down (3) things they wanted to be when they were little. This is a quick way to peel the onion way down and get closer to the core of what makes the group tick. They don’t need to include their name, function or reasons why. Have everyone drop their slips of paper in a hat and collect them. This is a fast 10 minute intake and can have unexpected meaningful value.

This can identify some of the shared values and commonalities within the group. It can also identify notable variances and gaps that can inspire new directions that will quickly and collectively serve the best interests and goals of the group, overall. Reserve all judgement and make it a fun process!