Summer seems like the perfect time to momentarily break away from routines and allow your mind to go free. Our brain is an awesome machine that is able to compartmentalize and prioritize information to help us navigate through tasks; some which are arduous or rapid-fire and others that gratefully require less thought. In completing daily tasks we may miss glimpses of inspiration—signs screaming to get our attention, change our direction. Routine and the never ending "to-do" list have become the enemy of our ability to receive something new. This can lead us down a path of mental inflexibility if we're not already there.
In this season typical of small breaks and getaways, I encourage you to "break away" from the mundane and routine "to-do" lists to hear what is subconsciously screaming for your attention but has remained silenced amidst your flurry of activity. New ideas can spring forth if given the opportunity and space to do so. We can experience more creativity by stretching our minds beyond the usual comfort zones to allow for greater dexterity in thinking. There is nothing more dexterous than a child's brain in what it can learn, absorb and create.
How can you "break away?" Read a book. Sit outside. Sketch. Exercise. Talk to people who have great ideas. Take a different route home or to the office. Take a mini-vacation. Do mental exercises. For example: Look at a piece of dental floss and consider five different uses other than for teeth.
Don’t be afraid to open yourself to something new. Often times we cling to what we know, afraid to move forward. Break away from routine so you can break in to the new.
By Nicole Hayes
Communications Associate
Nicole Hayes brings a strong background in consumer outreach, partnership development and media relations to McKinney & Associates. Many of her communications strategies were cultivated during her work with international public relations agency Fleishman Hillard Inc., where she developed and implemented strategies and media relations outreach for large consumer and government clients.
With her skilled foundation, Nicole sought a career to support her core belief that people make the best investments and launched her own D.C.-based media relations consultancy, Pieces of Life, to serve small businesses and non-profit organizations. She is committed to the mission that drives McKinney and its clients.
