Recently at a coaching course I heard this idea that the logical mind is made up of 3 Ls:
- Logic
- Language
- Limitations
Logic? Yes. Language? Also yes. Limitations? Oooooh. This resonated. It just feels so true. How about you? How’s this landing?
Personally I immediately remembered a bunch of times that my logical mind has limited me: in my options, in my thinking, in my happiness.
So what about this limitations thing? Well the logical mind can only do what it already knows.
The source of innovation, creativity, of “the new” is the right brain.
Abstract thinking, imagination, organising information, creativity. These are all right brain things.
So the right brain is where things that never existed before get created. It’s why AI art will not be able to create something new, it can only regurgitate what has already been done. But a treatise on AI is not the agenda today.
Yet how much of our lives are spent on developing the creative side? Or even acknowledging its value?
Take problem solving. We think of it as a skill of logic, and it is, for the straight forward questions.
But the complex problems are problems because we haven’t done it before. So logic alone cannot solve the complex problems of the world.
Logic alone cannot solve the complex problems of your business.
You need to whole brain, left and right, working together.
But if you only train one leg, you’ll end up lopsided.
I bet for many of us our brains are a bit lopsided. We keep training the part that is already strong. The part that the business world values: the left brain.
When we train the right side and the left side, and get them to work together, awesome happens.
Useful innovation.
Elegant solutions.
Effective solutions to the complex problems.
How do I train my right brain?
I coach (very right brain activity). I cook new things, I crochet, I’ve started to embroider. I paint, very badly.
I experiment with new ways of doing things. Like did you know that you can do puzzles without doing the edges first? I thought my friend was insane when she said she didn’t do the edges first. Then I tried it, and I love it.
Whatever you do, don’t worry about doing it right, just do something creative for the sake of being creative.
So what are you doing to develop your right brain?
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Want to talk it through with me? Call me and let’s make a Game Plan together.