Why Some of Our Best Ideas Come To Us - In the Shower?

🎵 Some sing in the shower, while others find themselves on the brink of brilliant insights.  So, what's your shower style? 🚿✨ Whether you're scrubbing away worries or simply relaxing, get ready to soak up the secrets of shower-generated wisdom. Tune in, because you never know—remarkable ideas might be spiraling down the drain if you're not paying attention! 🌟🧼🤔

One thing is for certain, extraordinary should not be exhausting. 

In the world of creativity and personal growth, exploring the balance between ordinary and extraordinary experiences - it is important to create a distinction between healthy and detrimental desires for more than the ordinary.

We love to look at the science behind creative insights and innovative thinking. 

Do you ever have your best ideas in the shower? 

"Shower thoughts" are explained as a product of relaxation triggering the brain's creative centers. How can we leverage that same mechanism throughout our day? 

Practical strategies for unlocking creative potential: 

• Mindful breaks, sensory experiences, and walks are advocated for rejuvenating the mind and sparking creativity. 
• Engaging in diverse experiences, from reading across genres to pursuing new hobbies, is encouraged to stimulate innovative thought. 
• Collaborative conversations with people from different backgrounds are promoted as a means of gaining fresh perspectives and generating creative ideas.

Embracing the ordinary and tapping into one's extraordinary self is a journey of self-discovery and growth. If you are exhausted, you are doing it wrong. The pursuit of constant excellence should lead to places of joy, purpose, and growth in all aspects of life.

Transcript

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Welcome back to another week of getting up every day to default to yes, your extraordinary self. That self with all that creative potential. Innovative thinking. Do you ever get really great ideas in the shower? They seem so clear. Ever, all of a sudden knowing exactly what you're going to say to someone in a crucial conversation, as you're awaking up. Or again, in the shower or on a walk. Only to have all of those things, not be so clear once you're in place. To actually execute those ideas. I've had that happen a lot and I have. Honestly have my best ideas in the shower. And by the time I get out of the shower, I might be getting ready and be mulling over those ideas. But by the time it comes to for execution, some of those details seem a little less clear. in talking about all of that in conversation as I go through my day to day. I've had people tell me that sometimes that this personal growth thing as sounds exhausting and what is wrong with ordinary? Before we go any further on how to tap into all that creative potential. I wanted to address that. why? Default to our extraordinary self. And does that ever sound exhausting to you and what is wrong with being ordinary and just taking it easy on yourself and not always being about. Growth and generating new ideas and trying new things. And whatever that may mean to you now, ordinary typically refers to something that is common usual or unremarkable. there isn't anything necessarily inherently wrong with being ordinary. In fact, many aspects of life are ordinary and that's what allows society to function smoothly. No extraordinary means taking the ordinary, noticing it, finding joy, being purposeful, creating mindful moments. It's all in what we make it mean. So where we can see the truth and the beauty that's extraordinary. So extraordinary is a mindset. It's an approach to life that doesn't have us defaulting to meaninglessness and drudgery. It sometimes might feel like it's a sense of dissatisfaction with ordinary because we aspire to uniqueness or excitement or a sense of accomplishment beyond what is considered commonplace. This desire for something more can lead to feelings of restlessness and unfulfillment and the desire for more also comes from a place of seeing what is possible believing that we can experience above and beyond what we can think or imagine that is something that I live by. So I think why not? Dream big. By that, see what our potential is, what we can accomplish, what we set our minds to it. Why not take those ordinary things and live them to the fullest. In fact, one of my favorite quotes is by Florence Nightingale she says, Were there none who were discontented. With what they have, the world would never reach anything better. And that's at the heart of what I mean by being extraordinary is just finding out what is possible. And taking what we have making it better, improving on it. Growing. And again, just seeing the beauty and the truth and what is, what is possible in the moments. So while the desire for something more can lead to feelings of restlessness and unfulfillment, the desire for more comes from a place of seeing what is possible. Valuing the ordinary can also be a healthy part of being extraordinary. Again, finding contentment in the simple and everyday aspects of life. Can lead to that sense of peace and happiness. What matters most is striking the balance between appreciating the ordinary and pursuing personal growth and the unique experiences aligning our goals and values. Now, this is why my in my coaching, we always start with why. Lining values with goals and outcomes Because knowing where we are and where we want to go is important. Knowing why is crucial. It that's, what's going to get us through some of the tougher times. That's what's going to keep us going. many times once we begin to ask the right questions, We open ourselves to discovering along the way, what some of those stories that we've been telling ourselves. A narrative that is driving. Us. That has little to do with truth. It's those soundtracks that play in the back of our minds over and over again. That sometimes we are just so accustomed to them that we think this is the way it is. And those come from a lot of different places. And again, it's really important to unpack those things and know that we are serving and we are existing and living our lives and shaping our future. In alignment with what is true. Now I have these conversations all the time, and it's important for us again, to give more attention. Do what we make things mean. Then the actual experience. So if you feel like those things of personal growth or reaching for the extraordinary. In yourself is exhausting that there might be something here at play for you too. We can remember things, understand things, interpret things, really wrong. And even if someone has said something or done something that is shaping how we live our lives today, even if they did intend it for harm. Whether it was intentional or not intentional. What we make it mean is everything we get to choose that. the pastor of the church we attend told the story yesterday of Joseph. And if you want a great example of someone who had a lesson on what we make things mean. That's a good one. In fact, the story includes one of the most familiar verses from Genesis 50 20 that says What you intended for harm? God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. We just really never know. What are circumstances even as. As in our childhood. I have led us to. Now this was Joseph and he was speaking to his brothers after they had sold him into slavery and eventually over many years and a not so clear path to where he was at the moment became he became a powerful figure in Egypt. And it reflects Joseph's understanding that even though his brother's actions were intended to harm him, God had used those circumstances to bring about a greater purpose. And in this case, it was the preservation of his family. And during a time of famine and many lives were being saved. Now our stories may not be as dramatic as the story of Joseph. We may not have years in prison to decide how we're going to respond to the things that have happened, or been said to us, how to think about things that were said and done in our past. may not be prison and it may not be obvious. But many of us spend years and years of our lives, enslaved to thoughts or soundtracks. Mindsets that don't serve us and aren't based in truth. And Sometimes in our situations, it's so subtle. We don't even know that it's there until someone calls it out. Now I have a client who was describing herself as always having been curious and eager to learn about the world around her. She had a loving family, including her mother who always encouraged her to Excel in school. Now one day, she was in her early teens and she overheard a conversation between her mother and a family friend. Her mother mentioned that she was a bit of a daydreamer and that she needed to work harder in school. She felt like she was distracted and, My client tells a story believing that her mother thought she was not as smart. As other kids and that she valued the grades and that was always a focus. And she had this whole narrative built around this one. Statement that her mom that she had overheard her mom say. No. In fact, she tells a story about up until this moment, She thought she was working hard. And now she knew that despite all of her hard work, she was not doing well enough. And this began to shape herself perception. As she continued through school, she excelled in a lot of different things. And she could recount some of her achievements, but she always felt like she was holding back. There was always a story in her head that believed that she wasn't as intelligent as her friends. And she tended to shy away from pursuing challenging subjects and opportunities that might have pushed her beyond her comfort zone. She settled and believing that she, that was really all she was capable of. Now years later, Forward into our conversation. She felt like she was holding herself back and she was feeling stuck, which is what led her into a coaching relationship. When I asked her what it would look like if she believed that she could do anything, what would she do? The memory of her mother's words came flooding back to her. She realized that she had been limiting herself all these years based on what was most likely a misunderstanding. The truth is that even if her mom did think that she wasn't as smart or focused or whatever, she may have overheard, she couldn't actually really even know what her mom's intention was when we took a look at the facts and the limitations of the statement and what she overheard. Even if her mom did intend to exactly that she still gets to decide what she was going to make it mean. So I just asked her what else? Could that have meant. What else could she make that mean? And with this revelation, her perspective totally shifted. She started to see herself as someone who, with untapped potential. She was inspired by the realization that she had held herself back needlessly and she decided to pursue a different path. One that She had always considered beyond her reach. And that is what we are doing when we choose our default mode. So when you choose to default to your extraordinary self it's really. About reaching your full potential, finding out what's possible. Liking yourself. Telling yourself the truth. Understanding self-compassion and experiencing what you're created for it's about being courageous. And testing the limits. And yeah, that comes with failure, but that can be fun too. When we learn to process that, and we learn to process our lessons as teachers and our emotions as teachers. And we learn that it's okay to not always. When. It's not about any type of success. It's not about really anything external that appears more than commonplace because Wanting more than ordinary, depending on the underlying motivations and perspective isn't necessarily always the healthy thing, wanting more because you believe the ability to learn, adapt, improve. Signifies that growth mindset. It's driven by a desire for personal development and self-improvement the pursuit of new challenges. That growth mindset. That does make extort being extraordinary, a healthy thing acknowledges that. Effort and learning can lead to greater achievements. And the desire for more is rooted in a belief that you can expand your abilities. And capabilities over time. That is really fun. And. Exhausting is not the word that I would say for when we get tired. Yes. You need times to rest and you need times to take a break and enjoy the journey. But it should never be exhausting when it gets exhausting. It's co it's coming out of probably a fixed mindset. Because on the other hand, wanting more out of a sense of inadequacy or to prove one's worthiness. Could be indicative of a fixed mindset. In this case, the desire for more might come from a fear of being perceived as ordinary or not measuring up to some external standard. This mindset can lead the constant comparison with others and a never ending search for validation. And that is exhausting. So if defaulting to your extraordinary self sounds exhausting or feels exhausting. Then you're doing it wrong and we need to back up and look at the mindset and where that's coming from, because. There's something there that you can get free from. So it's worth noting that both mindsets can be influencers in our desire for more. Than what is ordinary, but the perspective. And the reasoning behind that desire determine whether it's a healthy pursuit of growth or potentially detrimental pursuit. Driven by insecurities. And again, that's when it's exhausting. So the question that we want to ask is what does that feeling? What does it feel like to embrace challenges, personal growth and development that brings excitement. is it that embracing challenges and personal growth and development brings excitement and joy and fulfillment. never ending. fascinating possibilities or is the focus on proving yourself? And seeking that external validation. Those are good questions ask. And once we answer that, we can begin to ask why and peel the layers back further and get to know how we really want to show up in the world as our extraordinary self, because this is something that I believe is always already there in you. So how can we tap into our neat creative potential foster that innovative thinking and harness that all of those aha moments that we have throughout our lives. I want to talk a little bit about that and just know that if you're in that place, that you're not sure, and this is getting complicated and it does sound exhausting. It might be time to get a coach. Or reach out to a friend. All right. Let's talk a little bit more about those shower moments that we started with. All right. Because I ran across some really fascinating work. John Cooney. And I hope I'm saying that is a neuroscientist. Known for his research on creativity. He has some work along with mark Beeman. They conducted studies on insights and moments of creativity. Often referred to those aha moments. Their research has shown that these moments often occur when the brain is in a more relaxed state. Such as when taking a shower. that shower, thoughts, phenomenon, where people have creative thoughts while showering has been a subject of interest in understanding the brain's creative processes. And that's really how I ended up on this. Cause I Googled. What about the shower thoughts? Because I was curious about what is it and how could I recreate those things outside of the shower? In my brainstorming sessions or in creative. Conversations. How could I recreate that same brain, this state, that same state of mind that would produce those creative ideas. Like I can have in the shower. These all happen when we're not tightly focused on a particular task, when we're allowing our thoughts to meander and intertwine, leading to those brilliant shower thoughts and the flashes of insight. So again, how can we practically apply this to our life and unlock the creative potential? And I think these things are tied to. When you decide to make a move, like hiring a coach, or when you decide to finally get past some of those soundtracks that are playing some of those things. That are holding you back. This is. Part of getting out of our own way so that we can really show up in the world and the way we want to. Okay. First, some tips. For unlocking this creative potential, first of all, mindful breaks taking a short walk in the park, quiet moments of meditation. Simply just staring out the window. These seemingly small actions can be profound triggers for creativity. During these mindful breaks, your brain gets a chance to rejuvenate and form unique connections. And that paves the way for these innovative solutions and fresh ideas. So when you feel stuck, Just let your mind wander for a little bit, stare out the window, go for a little walk and with no agenda. You're not listening to anything. You're not talking about anything. You're not thinking specifically about anything. Just walk and notice, just stare out the window for a little bit. This is also goes back to the really important. Concept of breaks. Now I know as a nurse, nurses are terrible at taking breaks. noticing a stressful moment, I have offered to let somebody walk away Haiti need to walk away for a little bit. No, I'm fine. We do it all the time and how important it would be and how crucial it is for our health. And for us to take care of our patients. And the way we want to those breaks are crucial. Our brains are so fascinating. Kunos and Beeman's research underscores the significance of striking that balance between focus, thinking, and relaxation. They've shown that our brains are remarkably capable of making unexpected connections. And producing creative insights. When we allow ourselves to shift into a more relaxed and open mindset, how cool is that? All right. So just because it's so fascinating again, let's go back to the idea of what happens. With those great ideas in the shower. The shower provides that relatively distraction-free and relaxed environment. You're not actively engaged in tasks that require your attention. So your brain wanders off. And makes those unique connections between ideas the brain's default mode network is a network of brain regions that becomes more active when the mind is at rest. It's associated with introspection self-reflection and creative thinking. The relaxed state that you experienced in the shower can trigger that default mode network. Leading to that flow of creative ideas. Even the sensation of water on your skin and the sound of water and the warmth of the shower can provide that sensory stimulation that is different from your everyday experiences. So novel sensory input can trigger different neuropathways. This also. is why aroma therapy is so powerful. In in focus and shifting our emotions and shifting the way we think. Because of that sensory stimulation. we have olfactory. Pathways all over our body. All of the neuropathways that are. triggered by. a Rama therapy practice. Is such a powerful thing. Now when you're engaged in familiar and automatic activity like showering, your mind is also free to wander. Now engaging in enjoyable activities, like the warm shower, like joining the Roma therapy can trigger that release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward and dopamine can enhance cognitive flexibility and make it easier to think outside of the box. So at the way that we could recreate this when we're not in the shower or in a meeting would be through aroma therapy, that would be a really great way to promote the generation of theta brainwaves. which are conducive to creative thoughts, which is also explains why sometimes you can wake up feeling like you had this really great way of approaching this problem that you have, and now it's gone. we can know a whole lot by just Understanding the brain's response to relaxation and sensory input. That can help us shed light on how to optimize our environments and activities for creative thinking. Whether it's in the shower or during focused periods of introspection. we can create those environments for ourselves. Okay, so taking mindful breaks and creating some of those environments are important for unlocking that potential. Tip number two is just to embrace diverse experiences, This is also going to stimulate some of that brain activity, read across different genres, explore new hobbies. Visit unfamiliar places. We were recently on vacation visiting. Spencer in Orlando, our youngest son. we go to museums that I wouldn't have gone to. We visited a railroad museum. I don't normally give a whole lot of thought to railroads and trains, and it just took me a little bit on a journey of. Recognizing progress and recognizing Various transportation and problem-solving that went on in the story of the railroad. it also led me to thinking about stepping stones, that some of our creations and innovations. Don't have to last forever. Some of them are stepping stones. some of those things that we have think are going to be the end all and be all of everything that there's always growth that happens. And some things can take on a different expressions. My third tip is to foster collaborative conversations, engaging conversations with individuals that from various walks of life. Collaborative interactions lead to exchange a perspective and generating ideas. We can have a tendency to stick to the, talking to the people that we know, and we know too. Think like us. In different areas. And so seeking out those people with different perspectives. Those interactions can act as catalysts for your own creative insights, helping you see problems and solutions from different angles. I know there are a lot of times when somebody has a different perspective and you just never saw it that way. And it can be a really fascinating thing when we were open to it. Now on a personal note, I've witnessed a lot of these strategies that work in my life. Taking a moment to pause during a busy day and allowing my mind just to wander off. Has resulted in breakthroughs that I couldn't have predicted. So sometimes just sitting back in my chair or like I said, going for a short walk. That power of the short break cannot be underestimated. I know that even at work, sometimes the pop-up ideas are the best ones, not too long ago, just in a pop-up conversation about stress. And about decompressing Tense moments or tense experiences in the workplace. And in healthcare, we have those, we have moments where we interact with people in their crisis moment. And it can get intense Sometimes the outcomes are not what we had hoped for. We need a time to decompress those. Like I said, not too long ago, we were discussing some of that. And the idea came up for having a punching bag at work. And that led to a variety of out of the box ideas for decompressing. And we actually created a pretty nice system for that. As an idea. Now those ideas have yet to be implemented. Like many ideas that come out of the shower. But it's so important to get those down and start working on those then afterwards, because some of those. Are just the very best and creative ideas. So along with generating the ideas, we need to have a way of preserving those ideas and bringing them to life. I have used a variety of tools for this and notepad on my phone. It works best for me. I have a note in my notepad it's called. bright ideas. And I put a picture of a light bulb on the note. So to make it easy to find. So in that notepad, if you've used it, it's so much easier to find that Evernote works that way, too. If you put a picture on the note, You can search for that picture. And then you're not always looking for words because sometimes I don't remember what I call things. So if I have a document I might title it something and then not remember what I called it. I've used audio notes. And so when I have time blocked for new ideas or when it comes up again, And I, and it's time to implement. I don't have to try to remember the details they're already there. If you have something that works great for you to remember your ideas that you have in the shower in the middle of the night when you're first waking up or when you're on a walk. Share it with me. I'd love to hear it. Make sure you're on the email list so that we can exchange ideas. And I can send you these episodes along with bonus weekly tips and fun resources. Do you get on that list? Just click the link below or go to re-imagine wellness.org forward slash yes. Okay. So I feel like maybe I've been all over the place a little bit, my intention today was that first of all, if defaulting to your extraordinary self is exhausting, you're doing it wrong. And it's time to sign up for your coaching session. I've made that super simple for you by including a link in the notes below. Just click the link, pick a time. That's good for you. And we'll chat. if you enjoyed this episode, Share it with your friends subscribe and remember. extraordinary means being able to embrace ordinary moments and make them extraordinary by noticing the beauty and the truth in them. Taking those breaks and allowing our brains and exploring that. Boundless creativity that I know is within you? Remember that you had the power to nurture your creative spark through relaxation and an open mind embrace the they come from unburdened thinking and watch your innovative ideas. Flourish. This week as you take your mindful breaks and seek out collaborative conversations and diverse experiences. no, that extraordinary should not be exhausting. We can embrace ordinary in a way that allows us to see meaning and beauty, to live, to love, to imagine and inspire. If we're doing that from a place of truth and not misguided messaging, old soundtracks playing in our minds that do not serve us. So if it's exhausting, I can help schedule a free coaching session and get on the path to getting past whatever that is. That is holding you back from getting up every day, loving the journey and defaulting to your extraordinary self.