Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Ferris Bueller
When it comes to growing your career, reaching your goals, and achieving your dreams, every book, article and thought leader will at some point talk about getting out of your comfort zone. This advice is abstract and unhelpful.
There is a fun way of getting out of your comfort zone – physically going to a new place. When my clients are stuck, the number one thing I recommend is to get up from your desk and walk around the block. My daily walks are some of the most productive and creative parts of my day. I mull over things I’m currently writing and come up with new ideas.
A Change of Scenery
In the first two weeks of May, I went on a road trip with my dad and stepmom throughout the southeast. My family has a long tradition of road trips and they are always full of adventure. We drove over the third longest bridge in the United States in the Atchafalaya Basin, saw beautiful green rolling hills, explored quaint small town downtowns, toured a cypress tree-filled lake by boat, and stayed in the oldest hotel in Texas.
My stepmom wanted to find a giant ball of string or some other equally enormous tourist trap. Instead, we found a mini Stonehenge and a bar straight out of Captain Hook’s pirate ship.
All the crazy things we saw and did, the places we stayed, and food we ate fueled my creativity. I encourage you to go somewhere new or revisit a favorite place. If you can’t afford to travel or you don’t have time, go exploring in your city. Go to a part of town you’ve never been to. Find a new cool park or try that weird restaurant you’ve been meaning to go to.
Seek new experiences to get out of your comfort zone, change your perspective, and get new ideas. And have some fun. We live in stressful times; goofing off is important.
Here are some road trip inspired writing prompts:
- What is your favorite place?
- Where is the most unusual place you have stayed?
- Pick a painting in a museum and write the story behind it.
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