Jolt!, Phil Cooke [reading women txt] 📗

he couldn’t help shooting the ball through the basket! At Larry Bird’s level of mastery, it’s difficult to be anything but excellent.

Peter Brook is a brilliant theatrical director, one of the great giants of worldwide theater. His groundbreaking productions have transformed the art, and his troupe of actors has traveled the world, changing people’s perspectives on theatrical presentations. He founded the International Centre of Theatre Research in Paris in 1971 and understands more than most the central role that “challenge” plays in breaking through to the next level. In Margaret Croyden’s book Conversations with Peter Brook, Brook stated:

No man reveals his depth, or his truth, without a challenge. This is why freedom, if it’s weakly conceived, like the freedom of doing your own thing, is always feeble in its result. If you put a man against a mountain, he’ll climb it. If you give a man freedom in the face of a challenge, he will use his freedom to wrestle with the challenge. And between freedom and challenge, something powerful comes out. Give a man freedom and no challenge, and the freedom will just peter out. Where acting, directing, writing are concerned, where the creation of plays is concerned, if the actor is given a great part—Oedipus, Prometheus, Hamlet, or Lear—the incredible challenge of doing this will bring the best out of the man. I’ve seen actors transformed in the course of a season through playing Hamlet. Because the challenge to the imagination, to the spirit, to the emotions of having to understand Hamlet turns the man inside out, and challenges him to give his best.

The challenge of personal growth will transform your life, and like ripples in a pond, it will impact those around you. From time to time, I’ll meet people who say, “I’ll never forget what you said at last year’s industry conference. It was such a challenge for me, I went back and changed everything about the way our organization does business.” The power of one speech, one magazine article, or one book can have an impact far greater than we realize.

Chances are you have something inside you that won’t be let out without being challenged. Writer Doris Lessing said, “That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” Learning isn’t just about finding out new things, it’s about opening up what’s already inside you. In writing this book, I’ve found myself writing about issues that didn’t come through research or through my conscious memory. I’ve written many things that I didn’t even realize I knew. The challenge of writing brought up amazing things from my subconscious that I’ve learned over the years but that were deep inside me.

That’s why growth isn’t really about intelligence—it’s about the challenge. When you read, listen to podcasts, attend seminars and workshops, participate in a study group, or engage with a mentor, you’re discussing, arguing, thinking, reflecting—all the things that expand your horizons and give birth to new ideas and perspectives.

The least of learning is done in the classrooms.

—THOMAS MERTON, CATHOLIC WRITER AND TEACHER

Realize that growth is all around you. I learn as much about change from an opera as I do from a textbook. Sitting on a plane just last week, I met a man who produces live events at major theme parks. I grilled him about what’s popular today, where the technology is going, what challenges he faces, and what direction the industry is heading. Others might have politely said hello and then stared out the window, but I was endlessly fascinated by his expertise, and we talked for about three straight hours.

One of my close friends is the principal of the local high school. Learning how he interacts with students, works with diverse ethnic groups on campus, and provides a vision for the teaching staff is endlessly fascinating to me. I’ll never teach at a high school, but understanding how he leads that institution can help me with my business.

Another close friend is a veteran Broadway actor. At my last birthday party (after roasting me), he became serious for a moment and said that one of the best things I’ve done for him is to help him challenge some of his prejudices. I realized that he’s done the same thing for me. We all have prejudices about how we do things, how we think, or how we do business, and it’s fascinating that two people from two different backgrounds and businesses could help each other grow in that area.

Making a wrong decision is understandable. Refusing to search continually for learning is not.

—PHILIP CROSBY, MANAGEMENT EXPERT

Jolt your brain by planning a life of personal growth. Set aside time for reading, listening to great teachers, and personal reflection. Attend conferences and seminars. Develop a relationship with a mentor. Make an appointment with someone who can help you grow. Engage with people who make you think and who force you to challenge your prejudices and opinions.

Your ability to change your life and impact the world lies in direct proportion to your willingness to learn, expand your thinking, and grow.

» JOLT #12

CREATIVITY

The Real Wonder Drug

Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.

—CECIL B. DEMILLE, MOVIE PRODUCER

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.

—AUTHOR UNKNOWN

I had been asked to consult with a major national nonprofit organization that was highly involved in the media. They published a monthly magazine, created a website, and even produced a television program. I immediately reviewed their work and realized it had some serious problems. The style of most of their print and video work was old-fashioned and out of touch, their video techniques were dated, and creativity was, frankly, nonexistent.

I wanted to get to the heart of the matter, so I asked for a meeting with the creative staff. They filed into the room—graphic artists, writers, designers, producers, directors. I spoke for a few minutes about what I had seen in their work, my vision