7am. “No pain, no glory.” The bellowing voice of a 6ft 3 scouser – built like a brick outhouse – as we sprinted for the next line on the gym floor. Then back to the start point for 30 seconds of arm burning press-ups, before another sprint. By the end I felt sick.
A world away from this – I was reflecting on the recent creativity training we undertook as a company. Whilst a plethora of useful ideas presented themselves, one of the resounding issues for me was that of the need to personally commit to being creative. A comment made by Peter, our MD, prompted me to make the comparison with fitness training.
You get those with natural abilities; the lucky few may get by with minimal effort and fate on their side. However even the most naturally talented sports people are typically also dedicated to honing their skills. They want to achieve their goals.
So too, some people are gifted with flurries of creative brilliance. But most folks – even the naturally and exuberantly creative – actually put a lot of effort in. There are notepads carried and conversations interrupted, hours of studying inspiring sources and days spent nurturing and refining a single idea.
I’m not going to attempt to do the job of explaining how to be creative, for which there are vast numbers infinitely more qualified than I. But when you consider the need to find personal ways to improve, the benefit of putting the hours in and the positive impact of working with others to achieve goals – it’s remarkably similar.
On a personal note, a knee injury has kept me off my bike for a while. No surprises – I don’t feel as fit or as healthy. Yet somehow when I do try to ‘get back on the bike’ (so to speak) I expect to still be as fast – as if it’s just going to happen with no effort. Surely as a ‘naturally sporty person’ that’s how it works?
Sadly not. However the upside of realising I’ll have to put some hard work into regaining my fitness is that it reminds me there are other things we can all improve at. Sounds like it’s time to get on with those creative reps. No pain, no glorious ideas.