Favorite resources for inspiration
Winter 2018: "The Art and Value of Questioning"
"Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking" by Tim Hurson
One of the gems in this book is the idea of "staying in the question", as depicted in the illustration by Jim Ridge. The author describes this as, "Staying in the questions means being okay with the ambiguous. Being okay with ambiguity means being open to the possible."
Tim Hurson also refers to productive thinking which, ". . .requires us not to rush to answers but to hang back, to keep asking new questions even when the answers to the old ones seem so clear, so obvious, so right. One of the characteristics of productive thinkers is their ability to resist the urge to answer, the urge to know. They understand that settling on an answer may be the same as settling for an answer."
"There is no greater joy than the burst of solution to a problem."
Gretchen Rubin's "Happier" podcast is an excellent resource for gaining information related to developing positive habits and creating more happiness in one's life.
She has developed a framework for identifying our individual tendencies related to internal and external expectations. Her Four Tendencies Quiz asks a series of questions concluding in one of the four tendencies:
- Upholder
- Obliger
- Questioner
- Rebel
An expansive place to let one's mind wander and pose questions about decisions, next steps and to allow emotions their release. Let the tallgrasses capture the questions and feel the relief of knowing that the answers will come later.
World Market took a clip of a short film over the holidays and then used it as a broadcast commercial. The ad prompts a viewer to feel curious about the story and ask themselves, "What happens next?", which then leads to visiting the URL. What's so clever about it too, is that it incorporates one of their brand signatures, the white Llama, and builds a story around that.
World Market describes the ad: "See the story of a little boy with his trumpet who finds the inspiration he needs for a Christmas music performance by gathering the support of friendly llamas. Imagine the joy you’ll bring. #GiftThemJoy"