Here are a few of our favorite Big Ideas + Other Cool Stuff from Week 5 of Jason Barger's 6-week course, Step Back from the Baggage Claim.
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The Context
This course is based off of the globally celebrated book Step Back from the Baggage Claim by Jason Barger. Jason spent seven straight days flying 6,458 miles to seven different cities - without leaving the airports the entire time! He studied 10,000 minutes of observations at all four corners of the U.S. and reflected on how our airport experiences can teach us about our lives TODAY.
The airport metaphor leaps to life through funny and inspiring stories that remind us how to change our daily world through compassionate action. In a busy and mobile world, Step Back from the Baggage Claim is a refreshing call for Servant-Leadership, Mission, Culture Change, Innovation, and Social Responsibility. This book has sparked a worldwide movement of people committing to travel gracefully in the world.
Here are a few of our favorite Big Ideas from Week 5 - Turning the Ketchup Bottle Upside Down
Big Idea #1: Turning the Ketchup Bottle Upside Down
Jason recalled how, when he was growing up, the local diner would serve ketchup in glass bottles.
You know the kind - you bang the bottom of the glass or try to shake it to get the ketchup out. Your buddy swears he knows a secret where you tap the tiny numbers on the side of the glass and that makes the ketchup magically flow. Everyone had their own approach.
Why did it take so long for someone to figure out that all you have to do is design an upside down ketchup bottle and the problem is solved? Such a simple and elegant solution.
This tiny change, this tiny adjustment, is waiting to be made in every area of our lives, the personal, the creative, the professional - everywhere. We just have to recognize it.
What tiny creative adjustment is calling out to you?
Big Idea #2: The Ethic of Creativity
Creativity is an ethic, just like professionalism, consisting of many small decisions and small actions. It is commitment to a process that follows an idea worth following.
When we enter the ethic of creativity, we enter a process of asking a large series of small questions. We teach our eyes to see the world differently and teach our hands to participate in the world. We find new ways of looking at old problems and try different approaches to fixing them again and again.
Chris Rock is a great example of this creative ethic. When we hear him on David Letterman, all the jokes seem effortless. What we don't see are the hundreds of hours he spends trying each joke this way and that at small clubs throughout the country. He tries new approaches again and again, and the final product is a shining diamond.
Another important idea when it comes to the creative process is perseverance.
We get so caught up in the "next task" in life, that we throw out our best ideas. We're not willing to let the seed of the idea be watered, to let it grow a little bit, to see what it COULD become.
As a result, we remain in the status quo. It's easier to just return to what we know than to wonder what could be.
How can YOU water the seeds of your creative ideas?
Big Idea #3: Just Try
One day Jason was running late to a meeting. He was scrambling to get dressed and his son, who was three at the time, came into the room and started thoughtfully watching him. At one point his son asked, "Daddy, why do you put your pants on first and your shoes on second?" Jason was already running late. He said, "Well, it's more convenient that way, and it's the right way to get dressed." His son said, "But why, Daddy?" Jason was getting a little flabbergasted, so he said, "It's just the best way to do it, that's all."
Then his son looked at him and said, "Just try!"
So Jason, being the good dad he is, gave it a shot. He sat down on the bed, took off his pants, put on his shoes and tried to put the pants on second. He wanted to show his son that this method just doesn't work.
But the pants slipped on effortlessly past the shoes!
"See, I was right!" his son said happily.
Sometimes that's what we need, a fresh, creative perspective, and the willingness to just try.
Other Cool Stuff:
Click here to join our community site, where we've setup a group to connect with other students in Step Back from the Baggage Claim!
We hope you enjoyed and we'll see you in week 6!
-The en*theos Team
