Have you ever seen a child make a space rocket out of a washing up liquid bottle?
Or the cereal in their bowl becomes a morass of swimming monsters, all trying to gobble each other up?
Children have a magical ability to see things differently.
To not be constrained by any limitations or expectations that our adult brains often impose on what we are looking at.
Favourite quote in relation to this is from Henry David Thoreau, the American writer and philosopher:
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
Take some time this week to look at things differently, especially mundane or routine things that you see all the time. When you switch out of routine processing mode, take a look – really look – with your eyes wide open to possibility and imagination and see what you see.
Edward de Bono, the Maltese doctor, philosopher and psychologist who coined the phrase ‘lateral thinking’ recognised the importance of this:
Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.
This can refer to many parts of our lives –
With a particularly persistent problem, we can break apart our normal approach and look at it from a different perspective, or through a different lens and therein perhaps find a new, creative solution.
Rather than seeing the limitations and lack in the situation/person we can instead look beyond to see potential and individuality.
We can choose to see beyond the frustrated or angry emotions of the person talking to us to their feelings, needs and motives, and seek to understand.
This week, take time to stop, look, and pay attention to what you see.