#39 - Creating from the future
The building block of change
Here’s a thought, perhaps there’s something there that wasn’t there before
- The Beauty and the Beast
What’s in front of you is not an article. It is not a series of words. It is an idea. A fresh thought.
An insight.
The words on the page are just a consequence, the inevitable shape insights take when they’re put into action.
In fact, you wouldn’t be here reading this, if not for a series of insights. Yours and other people’s. Some time, some place, it occurred to you to sign up for NoWay. Or maybe you ended up here for other reasons, other ideas that lead you all the way to this page.
The world we live in is co-created, day in and day out, by our collective minds making space for fresh thoughts and our crafty hands giving shape to them.
And every time there is a breakthrough, big or small, a world-shifting event, it originated in someone’s mind, as an insight.
An insight is literally a sight from within. Something that clicks and suddenly we see an opportunity where there was nothing only moments before. You know exactly what I’m talking about because we all experience them.
Rarely, though, we take the time to understand what happened.
And so we explain our insights away as luck, coincidence, or we attach them to certain circumstances (“yes, I had a great idea, but I guess it’s because [I slept well / we closed that deal / I was holding my Dumbo feather]”.
As change-makers, insights are our bread and butter. Like a brush to a painter, that’s how we shape our world. But nobody told us! Too often the global narrative convinces leaders, creatives and other passionate people that the tools of our trade are effort, discipline and willpower. And as a result, we sacrifice the power of a clear mind on the altar of busy thinking.
You may think, “I don’t need an insight, I need resources. I need funds. I need a cultural shift.”
And how are you going to do that?
There are only 2 possibilities when you consider this question. Either you know the answer or you don’t. Now, if you do, it wouldn’t be much of a question anymore. You probably would have done what needs to be done already. If you don’t, where do you think the answer will come from?
Are you after a new opportunity? An insight!
Creating a new business? An insight!
A book? An insight!
A successful fundraising round? Technological breakthroughs? A series of insights!
So, I guess what I’m suggesting is that we’re all just one insight away from a completely new world. One that is fairer, safer and more united.
I know it feels impossible, too simple. Almost outrageous to read out loud. And the reason it does is that we haven’t had that insight yet.
But the good news is that we’re built to have insights. They are part of the design. There’s no shortage of them, if we know where to look.
A few months ago, I was having breakfast with my family. Thankfully that day, I broke past the sense of urgency caused by insecure thoughts in my head telling me how long my to-do list was and how crazy it was to sit at a café instead.
So we went. And after about a wonderful hour of family time, we stood up to leave. As we walked away, the server started cleaning our table, unaware that in that exact moment, a massive chain of events was getting triggered.
Yes, because on the way back, apparently out of nowhere, something occurred to me. Something, in the words of one of my favorite songs from the Beauty and the Beast, that simply wasn’t there before.
Well, that something, lead to what became the “Outlet LEA.P”, which opened (and it’s still opening) many doors, including the one that lead to this very article. I remember calling my friend AY and telling him all about that new idea. And together we built upon that. He added his insights, which drew out more fresh ideas from me, in a wonderful cycle of transformation. And the snowball gained momentum.
The instant that insight hit me, my day changed. And so did all the following weeks. But that’s not it. Projects developed, conversations happened, contracts got signed. Dozens of people’s lives - some more than others - shifted because of that. I guess this includes your life too, as you read an article that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
And the incredible thing is that I didn’t “do” any of it. All I “did” was being open to fresh ideas. Then a new thought came, as they always do. And in a moment, without asking for my opinion or permission, that thought brought me into my future.
Yes, a new insight is the future beckoning. A familiar voice whispering something we can’t fully understand yet. An insight comes from the unknown and pulls us straight into it. As we answer the call, a new “known” takes shape around us and we’re in a different world.
There is an inevitability to insights. When you recognize them, everything’s already changed.
That moment when, after hours spent looking in vain at a spreadsheet, you suddenly see a solution you didn’t consider before. A moment later, you are already following up on the new game plan.
When you see something new, you can’t unsee it. And when what you see is different, so is your behavior.
And this is essential to understand.
We spend an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to change behaviors. Ours and other people’s. That takes effort and willpower, and in the long run, never works. As my mentor Michael Neill says, you can get many things by holding a gun to someone’s head (including your own!). But nothing really changed: when the gun goes down, the old behavior comes back up again.
And the crazy thing is that while we’re busy trying to “make the past work” (in the form of rehashing old thoughts and ideas, ignoring the smell they emanate after about 3 days), the future is whispering the next insight, waiting for us to lower the volume just enough to hear it.
We’re sitting in life’s restaurant, staring at a menu that doesn’t inspire us, hoping that if we keep looking something will magically appear. But what if we knew that there was a wonderful chef ready to cook literally anything we like? Including dishes we never heard of before?
So what now?
Well, this is the easiest part - however, in my experience, it's hard to accept in its simplicity.
All it takes is to recognize that this is how it works. To take the time to connect the dots about any change in your life and see that it always came from a shift in your thinking.
And then, as we stare at the challenges we’re facing every day, have to courage to listen rather than feed that sense of urgency with a busy mind. The courage to say no to yet another thing to add, another gap to feel, another fire to extinguish. Listen deeply. To yourself, to others, to the room you’re in.
What do you hear?
Resist the temptation to double down, rush, push. Start wondering about the place where your actions are coming from. The “feel” of them. If you experience pressure, tension, frustration. If your heart wades in the swamp of seriousness and heaviness. What world can you hope to create from there?
When the stakes are high and you care so much you can’t sleep at night, please remember that - if you let it - you’re just one thought away from a different world. One that is fairer, safer and more united. Ultimately easier to live in.
Can you feel the hope hidden in this truth yet?
As crazy as it may sound - not only it is possible to create positive impact upon a foundation of hope, love, restful nights and inspired days rather than our usual “efforting”. It is our best bet.
Build from insight, not from urgency. Lead from hope. Create from the future.
There’s no telling what may be possible from there. And I, for one, can’t wait to find out!
Love and wonder,
Nico
Listen to the audio version:
NoWay is the voice of beauty, participation and freedom.
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It’s the voice of who wants a world that is more magical, creative and connected.
The voice of dreamers, dancing to the beat of their own drum.
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“Something Beautiful” is a brief column where I share with you a movie, a song, a piece of news, or anything else that I’d love to share with you.
“Something there” - The Beauty and the Beast
I can’t live you without bringing this wonderful tune back up in your memory.
It makes me so happy! Enjoy!