Fresh Start Monday #055: Creating collisions
"Who you hang out with determines what you dream about and what you collide with. And the collisions and the dreams lead to your changes. And the changes are what you become. Change the outcome by changing your circle.” – Seth Godin
I like listening to the podcast, How I Built This with Guy Raz. The specific episode I listened to last week was called cultivating a creative community with Tina Roth-Eisenberg of CreativeMornings.
CreativeMornings is a once a month event series that brings local creatives together over breakfast, coffee, and a talk. These happen all over the world.
The podcast made me reflect on how much of my work nowadays is in isolation. I value independence and freedom, and at the same time I miss the collisions that the quote above put so well.
When I look back on my three years of backpacking abroad, it's so easy to look at that and paint a picture of individualism and going off on my own, how I went off on this crazy adventure and listened to no one.
However, in my half-written memoir one of the themes that emerged was how none of my adventures would've happened without the interactions and conversations I had with people.
My bicycle tour of Tasmania only happened because of the random tent buddy I was paired with at a volunteering event.
My hitchhiking adventures only happened because of the hitchhiker who got sick and spent a day in a hostel recovering and telling me everything he knew.
My meditation retreat only happened because of the meditation teacher that shared the same hostel room in Kuala Lumpur.
The podcast made me realize I'm in another period of freedom, building my own companies but not creating these same collisions.
In today's virtual world, so much of our work is solitary. The flexibility and ability to work from anywhere is incredible and, at the same time so isolating. And the more I think about it, limiting what is possible.
I had one of the best weeks I've had in months last week, and I found myself riding that high all week. The root of it was primarily beautiful conversations with strangers. I spent hours talking with people I had never met before. And I'm hopeful these strangers turn into friends.
Those conversations sparked many ideas, and they've already shifted the ground underneath me.
Journal Prompts
Something to keep in mind is that we can't predict or control collisions. They're collisions, after all! We don't know the direction or change they'll create. But we can invite more of them into our lives.
What types of people do you want to create collisions with?
How can you create more collisions in your professional life? Personal life?
I signed up for the next CreativeMornings event in Denver, CO on October 27th. I'm curious to hear how you're doing it. Let me know!