Over the past few days I’ve watched several episodes of HBO’s Silicon Valley. Whatever intentional or unintentional (who am I kidding?) branding of tech superstars is not lost on me. I became intrigued by the tech industry when I became intrigued by mindfulness.
Have you ever had an idea and no content or vision? I’m not sure who the crazy is – the one who rolls their eyes or the one who actually thinks content and vision come before the idea. Insert Brene Brown’s crush on Theodore Roosevelt: it’s not the critic who counts.
Seven years ago I had an idea to build online programming for Social and Emotional Learning – specifically, mindfulness. I had no content outside of ‘the frame’ that I took from Top 20 Teens, and a general course guideline that I had created to facilitate lessons to high school students in a small class setting.
When I searched to see what was already available I only found mindfulness programs (substantial enough to stalk) in the tech community. Google Search Inside Yourself and Wisdom 2.0 became my reference points.
Let’s return to the show, Silicon Valley.
I’m only in the first 4 or 5 shows. The character that created the latest and greatest algorithm turned down 10 million dollars in return for the opportunity to build a brand and grow a business. At this time in the show series, he has a panic attack in almost every episode because he has no clue what he is doing.
Relevant?
Have you ever had an idea with no content (yet) to back it up?
This is not stupidity. This is creativity.
In 2019, educators often come across buzz words such as innovation, creativity, and problem solving – to name a few.
To innovate is to create new ways to do things. Innovators tend to disrupt familiar patterns and routines that are no longer effective, and reliance on them can become problematic – ‘…but we’ve always done it like this.’
Disruption causes change. Change causes discomfort. Discomfort triggers our body’s stress response – fight, flight, freeze, faint.
Practicing an innovative or growth mindset and creating new ways to solve familiar ‘problems’ – in a variety of settings, not just at work; along with practicing tools, skills, and strategies to manage stress (which is a constant), can be a win-win for enjoying an ordinary ‘day’ in an extraordinary way.
day. 