Class Notes on Creative Thinking Skills
Risk-taking
When you realize that failure and setbacks are part of the process, everything is just that much better. Risk-taking is knowing that challenges will occur and not being shaken or unnerved by them.
Keep going.
“Motion is lotion,” as the physical therapists like to say.
Feel the Risk and Go For It.
Risk-taking is scary. Because risk-taking is growth-inducing, we must take them. Risk-taking is not about randomly doing stuff though. That’s being reckless, and maybe even dangerous. Mapping or at least contemplating what could or could not work out from taking a risk adds context to mitigate negative outcomes.
Fear of failure to the point of feeling seized up and not trying means it’s time to check in - what kind of risk is it? Is it emotional, financial, situational, professional? Take some time to think it through, make it safe and then go for it. As an example, a trust fall must be set up properly for it to work and do what it is supposed to do: engage risk-taking for trust-building.
Risk vs Failure
What’s the difference between risk-taking and failure? In taking a risk, there is an opportunity for failure and success. Either way, growth happens. Failure is more about giving up, not trying at all. In a world of grow or die, risks have infinite value.
Think of risks as thought experiments, pilot programs and trials. This is a great way to buy yourself some margin and the protective padding of knowing failures will happen as a part of the process.
Many companies prototype new products right away exactly for this reason; getting a product right is an iterative process of trial, testing, feedback etc. before going to into production. Consider risk-taking as prototyping your thinking in an experiment and now your process is, well now you’re applying creative thinking into your doing.
Ta Dah!
Failure Risk-taking is the path to success
Still Skeptical? Consider these epic failures:
Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times before he published his first book in 1937.
Van Gogh sold only one painting before he died.
Steve Jobs was fired by Apple, his own company.
Albert Einstein was rejected by the Zurich Polytechnic - he later won the Physics Noble prize in 1921.
Rovio developed 51 video games that failed before their hit Angry Birds.
WoC students learn risk-taking through trust falls
WoC student teams think through risk-taking
Use this language to practice risk-taking
“Give it a go.”
“Take a risk.”
“It’s ok to fail.”
“Go for it.”
“Not yet.”
“What is the worst that can happen?’
“What is the best that can happen?”
Tanya, creatively teaching for creativity
Wings of Change, WoC, is a vocational hospitality school and hotel social enterprise in Nosy Be Madagascar. This blogpost series is from Creativity Through English, a course Tanya teaches via zoom.
