“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it." - Vincent Van Gogh
Most people never take the time to see things differently. Let's be honest: Humans are creatures of habit. And habits are not always good. For example, rarely deviating from what's comfortable or familiar may quickly turn into complacency. While it's happened to us all, doing things the same way often results in average outcomes, and eventually mediocrity.
For example, in the world of education, how often do we:
treat school like it's riding a bike?
confuse activity for meaningful engagement?
"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." - Van Gogh
When was the last time we took the time to break up a task we do, into smaller parts, to take a closer look at whether we're doing things in a way that maximizes serving others? When I think about mistakes I made as a teacher or administrator, how many times did I address a group rather than the individual, take what I do for granted, or "get it done" instead of "doing it the right way"? Visiting the Van Gogh Immersive Experience got me reflecting on this idea. We think we know Van Gogh, for his usual paintings. Taking a step back, we come to realize, he produced nearly 900 paintings (not to mention his drawings and sketches) between the ages of 27 and 37. In other words, he averaged a new work nearly every 37 hours. If we paused our current approaches, replacing it with a mindset similar to that of Van Gogh's, about creating art, how might our mindset serve students differently or better?
But how?
Embrace creativity.
James Clear, in the book, Atomic Habits, writes about this idea, as he does in, "Creativity is a Process, Not an Event". Scheduling a few minutes each day for a mindful walk, a journaling exercise, or for a conversation with someone with a different world view can spark creativity. Committing (and recommitting) to this each day over time will accumulate, and will become a process to look forward to, especially knowing it will serve you, so you may serve others better. How will you know your new habit is working? When you skip it and miss doing it.
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? - Van Gogh
When was the last time, or when will be the next time, you take one small step to see things differently? We open ourselves to what's possible when we experiment with and adopt small changes, often unrelated to the actual task at hand. Simple ideas like waking up earlier than usual, drinking more water, or exploring a new route on a typical destination may kick start creativity. Now consider this: What do we stand to gain, if we try something new, and fail? And what do we have to lose, if we never attempt it at all?
