Chapter 24

Flexibility and Creativity

People who function at their peak cleverly apply the two closely intertwined strengths of flexibility and creativity. These strengths open the mind. Both are built upon a foundation of discipline, so we’ll start our exploration there, followed by discussions of flexibility and creativity.

Discipline

To build on chapter 22, peak performers are situationally aware. This means that they look deeply and with curiosity at the challenges before them, while tapping resources within and outside of themselves. They prepare for challenges by filling their minds with information, seeking input from many others, learning needed skills, and gaining real-life experience. They make intelligent plans and persist when the going gets tough.

Renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1996) has noted that peak performers have efficient habits that help them focus, reduce distractions, preserve energy, and minimize time wasting. These habits include working during their most productive times of the day and dressing simply or in the same way each day. They get plenty of sleep, which pays off in more productivity the next day. They use an efficient retrieval system, such as filing cabinets, to reduce time wasted in searching for what they need. They turn off passive, mentally fatiguing entertainment, such as TV and computer games. They create a workplace that is free of unwanted distractions, and they tend not to divide their focus by multitasking.

Flexibility

Peak performance requires mental flexibility, or the ability to adapt to changing situations. Peak performers can shift gears when standard procedures aren’t working. Let’s suppose you have made a good plan. You are mindfully aware of how things are going, and you realize that your plan isn’t working. What do you do? Will you be flexible? Take the flexibility checkup below to gauge your present level of flexibility.

The Flexibility Checkup

The following scale shows the degree to which you have cultivated flexibility. Rate each statement from 1 to 10 (0 means you are never flexible in the slightest, and 10 means you are exceptionally flexible, as flexible as humanly possible).

I usually have a plan, but I don’t “fall in love with” my plan (that is, I’m not rigidly attached to a plan that isn’t working).

I constantly think of alternative routes to success.

I always have a backup plan, a plan B.

I willingly and rapidly adapt to changing situations.

I know when to change course and devise a new strategy.

When a goal is unachievable, I can accept defeat—to live to fight another day. I know when to cut my losses.

I am willing to take action based on my best judgment, but I accept what I can’t control.

I have a nimble mind; I think well on my feet.

I see when change is needed and welcome it.

I will consider and take risks that are appropriate.

When under stress, I’m willing to try something new.

I don’t let my mental maps (seeing things as I want or expect them to be) stop me from seeing things as they really are. I am open to all new evidence.

I accept what can’t realistically be changed or controlled, but I think of many ways to cope with such situations.

I roll with the punches when things don’t go as planned; I don’t get bent out of shape.

I quickly adapt, but I don’t hurry into things about which I’m not reasonably certain.

I don’t always have to be right.

Effective copers are usually securely rooted in self, values, and methods that work. But they can bend when bending is called for. The opposite of flexibility is inflexibility or rigidity. Those who are always the same might lose their advantage in changing circumstances. For example, a pitcher who always throws a fastball, no matter how fast, will eventually get hit against if he doesn’t switch speeds or the location of the ball relative to home plate. And companies that produce a great product will be overtaken by the competition if they don’t adapt to changing demands.

Additional Flexibility Principles

The idea that winners never quit and quitters never win is inaccurate. Evidence suggests that people who repeatedly fail in their quest for an implausible goal experience a range of health problems. It is thought that frustration increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which leads to inflammation and symptoms of various medical and psychological conditions. Sometimes the wisest course is to disengage from an impossible goal and switch to a new one. As W. C. Fields said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit [or seek a new goal]. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it” (Nixon 2008, 7).

Don’t rely overmuch on past training and experience. And don’t assume that training has totally prepared you. It takes years to become an expert, and experts usually outperform novices. But if something happens to change the rules, the differences shrink. For example, many overconfident, complacent experts rely on old habits and miss new developments. Pay attention. Continue to learn. Don’t be imprisoned by your old paradigm (the old way of looking at things).

Reflections on Flexibility

Please consider these reflections before reading on.

There is no sin punished more implacably by nature than the sin of resistance to change. —Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. —Anonymous

When you discover you’re riding a dead horse, dismount. —Bill O’Hanlon

But change will come, and if you acknowledge this simple but indisputable fact of life, and understand that you must adjust to all change, then you will have a head start. —Arthur Ashe

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few. —Zen saying

Creativity

Flexibility readies us for change. Creativity reveals possibilities. History is full of instances when people used creativity to solve problems and improve conditions.

During World War II, the Allied invasion stalled at Normandy. Over the centuries, the farmers of Normandy had created small rectangular fields surrounded by steep banks of earth, stone, and thick vegetation. The mounds, called hedgerows, were up to ten feet wide and eight feet high. Between the hedgerows were narrow roads. If American tanks moved down these roads, they were blasted by German fire, blocking tanks behind them. If the tank drivers tried to climb the steep banks, they exposed the tank’s unarmored underbelly to antitank fire. While officers debated what to do, Sergeant Curtis G. Culin took scrap metal from German roadblocks and welded teeth onto the front of American Sherman tanks. These so-called Rhino tanks could then punch through the hedgerows and allow other tanks to pass through and fan out. This simple invention saved countless lives.

Creativity means coming up with something new and useful. Often creativity is merely seeing what is already there, rearranging it or giving it a new twist, and making something wholly or partly new. What we come up with might be an idea, strategy, or product that improves our lives—our health, performance, mood, or leisure. Consider, for example, that the bicycle was around for seventy years before someone thought in 1861 to add a chain and gears to the pedals, resulting in a more useful recreational vehicle and mode of travel. Or consider how many hours have been saved by the invention of the zipper around 1900.

Today, creativity is a basic survival tool that is vital to optimizing functioning and coping in a complex, rapidly changing world. Creativity can increase our resilience and reduce our stress when we are under adversity by revealing more options when old ways are not working.

Most people erroneously assume that

In truth, creativity, like resilience, is standard issue. Everyone has creative potential that can be grown with time, discipline, and effort. The generally accepted rule is that it takes at least ten years of immersion in a field before one can make a distinctive mark in that field. For example, Einstein labored for ten years on relativity before the theory came together. Many people who haven’t developed school intelligence are creatively intelligent. Even if you don’t get complete results, you can still enjoy the creative process. You can find satisfaction in partial successes, knowing you are drawing closer to your final goal while strengthening your creative skills.

Creativity can be demonstrated and nurtured in many ways. Because of brain plasticity, neural pathways that are strengthened in one creative endeavor can be used in other creative areas of life. The following inventory helps to reveal how you might already be exercising creativity in your life and helps to dispel the myth that only artists are creative.

The Creativity Checkup

The following are ways that people express creativity. Rate each from 0 to 10, where 0 means you are never creative in the slightest, and 10 means that you are exceptionally creative, as much as humanly possible.

Acquiring money (to meet basic needs, to buy things that are needed to create, and so forth)

Amusing others (such as children or friends)

Amusing yourself

Applying your strengths in a unique way

Bargaining with a salesperson

Beautifying a space; making it attractive or orderly

Bringing joy or friendliness to others

Cleaning

Cooking (tweaking recipes or making something from scratch without a recipe)

Creating an environment that encourages people to innovate

Dancing

Entertaining or planning leisure activities

Explaining or teaching things simply or clearly

Expressing feelings

Finding enjoyment in difficult situations

Finding meaning during difficult times

Finding shortcuts; saving time

Finding ways to calm yourself and maintain focus in crisis

Gardening

Getting ahead of problems (anticipating problems and devising solutions before they occur)

Getting others to work together constructively; building teamwork

Inventing games (or giving old games a new twist)

Looking at situations in ways that encourage solutions (for instance, “My boss isn’t a tyrant; he’s frustrated.”)

Making family memories

Making good decisions after considering different options

Making new designs, processes, ideas, or programs

Making others smile or feel good

Making a satisfying, meaningful life

Making tasks easier or simpler

Motivating or encouraging people

Organizing (for example, a room, an event, a mission); bringing order to chaos or confusion

Playing sports

Putting ideas together in a new way

Putting others at ease

Questioning conventional methods and imagining new ones

Raising children (motivating, encouraging, disciplining, providing, or loving)

Resolving conflict

Seeing several options before deciding

Solving problems; overcoming obstacles

Spotting personal weaknesses and finding ways to improve

Strengthening your relationships

Talking your way out of a jam

Telling stories

Turning complex ideas into simple ones

Turning life’s negatives into positives

Turning mistakes or guilt into growth

Writing (such as letters, stories, reports, or books)

You’ll probably notice that creativity is already being expressed in numerous ways in your life. While few people realistically record 10s, it is also likely that there are few if any 0s—suggesting that your creative potential is already being tapped and is ready for further development. For areas with low ratings, you might simply think, That’s just an area that hasn’t been developed yet.

The Creative Process

Creative people pay attention. They are aware of what is going on outside of themselves. They see the entire situation—problems and opportunities, available resources, barriers to success, and what is needed. They also pay attention to what is going on inside of themselves—inner resources, hunches or intuitive promptings of the mind, and ideas that bubble up. Then they go to work. In reality, it is usually more accurate to say that they go to play, because creative people typically immerse themselves in what they love to do and enjoy the process.

When under stress, most people narrow their focus, operating in old ways and missing new possibilities. Creative people, however, step back and open their minds to new possibilities, breaking through presumed limits to do something new, perhaps something that had been thought impossible. The following principles nurture creativity.

Relax and trust the creative process. The creative process usually takes time and patience. Over time, the brain acquires isolated pieces of needed information until it is able to put the pieces together in a new way. Intense pressure to meet unreasonable deadlines stifles the creative process. Conversely, a reasonable time line can keep us on task. Trust that solutions will usually bubble up with sufficient time and effort.
Reframe a problem as a challenge and an interesting opportunity for growth. Approach challenges with a welcoming attitude of curiosity, rather than negativity. Curiosity fans the creative fires, whereas negativity dampens them.
Observe. Be mindful. Without judging or attaching to any particular outcome, simply notice the situation (What is going on? In what context is this happening? What might help? What resources are available? What is lacking?). Notice your inner feelings about the situation. Pay attention to your hunches. Watch with interest and curiosity.
Get started early. Early activity permits time for ideas to incubate. Procrastination doesn’t. Although many people share the illusion that pressure promotes creativity, the pressure caused by procrastination usually constricts creative thinking and results in a poorer outcome. The exception to the rule occurs when a prepared person is fully engaged in a flow state—in which one gives full attention to a meaningful task and capabilities are not overwhelmed.
Have the courage to persevere. In studying scores of the most creative contributors in various domains, Csikszentmihalyi concludes, “A genuinely creative accomplishment is almost never the result of a sudden insight, a lightbulb flashing on in the dark, but comes after years of hard work” (1996, 1). Creative contributors don’t necessarily have higher IQs, but they do persist. Be willing to work long and hard. Expect to make a meaningful contribution. Stay motivated by writing down why your efforts matter to you. Remember, a cause such as bettering the world or helping others is usually more motivating than causes that are primarily materialistic.
Fill your mind from many sources. Keep your mind open to new ideas. Pick the brains of the best thinkers you can find—experts, friends, family, children, cabbies. Most people like to share ideas and opinions. Attend conferences in the field, and sometimes in unrelated fields, to get different perspectives to draw from. Study other disciplines and cultures, and past contributions. Visit museums. Study how people around the world solve problems. Such efforts might pay off for you later, as you integrate ideas or adapt them to your particular challenge. Gain experience through training and experimentation. As the Navy SEALs creed says, “My training is never complete.” In other words, creativity is a lifelong process.
Give your mind time to spin free. After focused effort, give your mind a break. This allows you to step back, see things afresh, and give the right brain time to connect disparate thoughts. Long walks, bike rides, swimming, or other forms of exercise have been used by the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and other highly creative people. Try meditation. Paradoxically, emptying your mind of cares promotes creativity.
Do something daily to lift your mood. Growing evidence indicates that positive emotions promote creative, flexible thinking and problem solving—and adaptive coping generally (Lyubomirsky 2007). Remember to apply the happiness skills of part 2, especially when under stress—when the needs and benefits of emotional uplifts are greatest. Downplay mistakes. Everyone makes them as they attempt new strategies. After mistakes, calmly ask yourself, “Next time, what could I do differently?”
Replace destroyer thoughts. Certain negative thoughts stifle creativity. Table 24.1 lists common limiting thoughts and constructive replacements. The limiting thoughts are like the expert’s mind, which forecloses possibilities. The beginner’s mind is open to possibilities.

Table 24.1: Limiting and empowering thoughts

Limiting Thoughts

(Expert’s Mind)

 Empowering Thoughts

(Beginner’s Mind)

I’m not creative.

Everyone is creative. Perhaps I’m not very creative in this area yet.

That can’t be done. It won’t work.

That’s what scoffers said about flight, breaking the sound barrier, breaking the four-minute mile, walking on the moon, regulating the immune system, and inventing the telephone, laptops, and countless other innovations.

I can’t.

Maybe I can. Maybe a way will appear.

I must find the right way and follow the rules.

There are often several useful ways to solve a problem. I’m willing to take some risks—even risking “failure”—in order to learn and grow. Some solutions might toss out old ways and replace them with new ways. Others preserve and refine old ways.

Past failure means I won’t succeed.

The past isn’t prologue. Dr. Seuss failed art in high school. Each of his children’s books took about a year to complete, yet he did succeed. Charles Schulz’s drawings were rejected from his high school yearbook, and yet he went on to create Peanuts.

My ego is on the line. I must not fail.

My productivity doesn’t equal my worth. I’ll approach this with a more playful attitude.

We’ve never done it that way.

Perhaps there’s a better way. I’m open to new possibilities. I’ll give it a try.

I must be certain before risking.

Many, if not most decisions in life, are made without complete information.

We tried it that way before.

What exactly was that way? Perhaps there’s a way to improve that approach.
Limiting Thoughts

(Expert’s Mind)

 Empowering Thoughts

(Beginner’s Mind)

I can’t leave my comfort zone. I won’t change.

My survival may require my willingness to change. Is it worth it to resist this change? I have a range of options, ranging from no change, to some change, to radical change.

We must do it my way.

Perhaps there’s a better way I’m not seeing yet. What have I got to lose by being open-minded?
Ask questions to stimulate the creativity process. Creative people frequently ask questions such as: “What would happen if…?” “What if we tried it this way?” “Why not try it this way?” “What would it take to do this?” “Why didn’t that past attempt work?” “What would I (or others) like to see happen?”
Go back and forth between extremes. Csikszentmihalyi (1996) notes that creative people flexibly alternate between extremes as the occasion requires. For example, the creative person, knowing that recreation re-creates, alternates between disciplined work and play. Here are some other extremes that creative people alternate between (Csikszentmihalyi 1996).
Make a creative environment. If you are a leader, create a culture in which people feel safe to experiment and take risks without fear of excessive criticism or competition. Encourage people often with comments, such as “Good work,” “Tell me about your idea,” or “Why don’t you try that out?” Then step back and let your people create.

Seek a team that is supportive, respectful of new ideas, and unified in its goals. Structure the physical environment so that it is most conducive to creativity. You might prefer a quiet, more Spartan environment free of distractions. Others like music and soft furniture. Finally, enrich your marriage. The most creative contributors tend to have stable and satisfying marriages, according to Csikszentmihalyi (1996).

Write down ideas as they come or you’ll forget them. File them so you can easily access them when you have additional ideas.

Activity: Creative Problem Solving

When old practices are working well and efficiently, creativity might not be needed or desirable. However, when difficult real-life situations call for change, creative problem solving can often uncover better practices. People who are skilled in creative problem solving generally have better mental health (for example, suffering from less depression, substance abuse, anxiety, hopelessness, and hostility) because they can devise a greater number of coping options. This strategy teaches one to actively solve problems rather than give in to passive worrying.

  1. Identify a problem you would like to solve, or an area of life you’d like to improve. It could be conflict with a boss, coworker, or family member. It might be excess weight, poor sleep, or disliking your job. Naming the problem creates an opportunity to improve your life. We can’t solve what we are not aware of, and the more we run from problems, the worse we feel. If you can’t identify a specific irritant, identify cues of discomfort, such as feelings of sadness or anxiety, or troubling behaviors, such as drinking.
  2. Describe the problem from many different perspectives. The more ways we can view the problem, the more likely we are to find new solutions. So spend considerable time describing the problem in writing. For example, see if you can come up with a range of explanations: Why is this happening? (Think of as many causes as possible.) What’s really going on? See it from different angles. And try the reverse formulation strategy (Csikszentmihalyi 1996). Let’s say you feel you’ve been denied a raise because the boss dislikes you. Reversing the explanation might yield, “I dislike the boss.” Other possible explanations: “I’ve been distracted by problems at home.” “Maybe I was more concerned with prestige than doing a good job.” “Maybe I didn’t give the boss what she wanted.” The next section lists other ways to view the problem differently.

Creative Ways to View a Problem Differently

In order to see a problem from different angles, you might try the following strategies.

Describe the problem from multiple perspectives. With this strategy (Michalko 2001), you first describe the problem from your own point of view, then from at least two others (such as someone who is close to the problem, a government leader, an entrepreneur, a wise counselor, a spouse, or a reporter). Then synthesize the descriptions. If you are working with others, ask each participant to come up with a personal perspective on the problem and the ideal solution.
Journal about the problem and describe your entry with one word. For example, Don, a cop, was feeling overwhelmed by the strain of having two jobs to support his family, getting too little sleep, and having problems at work. He watched too much television, exercised too little, and ate poorly. Lacking social skills, he had few friends in law enforcement and even fewer outside of the force. He felt tempted to overuse alcohol to calm his nerves. He doubted his abilities. The word that he selected, “inadequate,” suggested a number of possible solutions. Michalko (2001) suggests that further defining the word using a dictionary or thesaurus, or by providing your own meaning, might also help to trigger more solutions.
To jolt your usual thinking, create a metaphor, analogy, or symbol and describe how the problem is like that. For example, negotiating a contract with that client is like talking to a brick wall. Eventually, a solution will suggest itself, for a brick wall can be dismantled gently, one brick at a time (Biech 1996).
Use wordplay to change your focus. Change, delete, or add words to your problem description. For example, the original explanation of “My boss is Satan, an immoral, judgmental underachiever with no leadership ability who must be stopped!” shifts to “He is unhappy and in need of help.”
Formulate a question that captures the problem, and then change the question. For example, Toyota employees were asked how they could become more productive. The question got little response. After rewording the question to “How can you make your job easier?” the executives were inundated with ideas (Michalko 2001, 33). Try switching out the verb in your questions to see what that triggers. For example, “How can I increase sales?” might become “How can I attract sales?” Or repeat sales? Or extend sales?
Ask and respond to questions.
Try describing the problem through artistic expression. Painting, drawing, and sculpting, among other art forms, can yield insight that verbal expression doesn’t. Don’t worry about the quality of the art.
Gather information from as many sources as possible. Seek understanding, advice, and possible solutions from books, the Internet, people you know, experts, and so forth.
Conceive of the outcome. Can you imagine what you’d like to see happen? What would be an acceptable outcome? What would be the ideal? Clarifying the outcome can suggest pathways to reaching it. The following strategies can facilitate this:
Generate a range of possible solutions. Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. When the old way isn’t working, come up with as many new possibilities as you can. The more problem-solving strategies you can conceive, the more likely you’ll be to find the best possible option. Here are some strategies for generating solutions:
Evaluate the options. After generating possible solutions, evaluate each one. Weigh the pros and cons of each. Ask questions: How would that help? Why? How might this be a bad idea? (Thinking like your adversary might help you tweak the solution.) You might allow for incubation time to allow team members to further evaluate the options and how they might be implemented.
Select the “best” plan (or combinations of plans), implement it, and evaluate progress. In making an action plan, consider questions such as who, what, where, when, and how. Write down the specifics. Calendar a time to check on your progress, being open to the need for adjustments in your plan.

Conclusion

Flexibility and creativity are extremely useful skills that can be cultivated. Flexibility and creativity assert that there are always different possibilities for addressing life’s problems. Some possibilities present solutions. When solutions are not forthcoming, perhaps change your perspective or your response. The idea is to keep your mind open, as the beginner or child does. We’ll conclude this chapter with the following reflections on creativity.

Creativity is not optional equipment. It’s a built-in potential, a seedling planted deep in the human personality. And like any other human possibility, creativity can be helped to grow and flourish. —Thomas Kinkade

We are either victims or creators of reality. —Anonymous

We are all artists by birth, realists by training. —Anonymous