Life is about boundaries and exploring them. From our youngest years when we dare to dare, right up to our dotage, when we recollect on what has been and sometimes what might have been.
From when we form our earliest notions of self and discover our ego, we are experimenting. We collect bumps, scrapes and bruises - both physical and psychological. We drive parents mad. In later life, we sometimes drive partners, colleagues and friends to distraction. But aren't we always just trying to find out more about our environment and our control over it? How far can we go?
Curiosity is an essential part of being human.
So often convention and present mores prevent us from realising our full potential. Some break the mould and make major contributions. Just look at James Dyson - yes he's the "vacuum cleaning - hand drying - no moving parts fan" wunderkind or maybe a Brit-Brat (tough at 65 years old). His company looks for what one might call "thinking personalities" and rewards what his organisation describes as wrong thinking.
Is waiting too long to reflect on where we are and where we might have come from really such a missed opportunity? Some believe it is.
The notion of doing a pre-mortem (literally "before death") review has been around a long while in project management - check this HBR 2007 offering. As an idea, it makes a whole lot of sense. Imagine failure and correct it before it happens. Reminds me a little of the plot of Minority Report. Bring on the precogs. But Minority Report was wrong.
It is in thinking about what makes a breakthrough happen that I am NOT at all convinced that too much pre-mortem analysis is the best route. Sometimes what FEELS right IS right.
I read in the last few days an interesting blog post from Ron Schaich of Panera Bread. He talks about the value of applying pre-mortem analysis to one's life or career. A well-argued piece. I am just left with the niggle in my mind that getting too analytical might prevent that great moment of serendipity. That moment of wrong thinking that might change a life or change an industry. I don't mean being so naif as to be stupid. Serendipity's definition also talks about being wise (sage) - but not always too wise. Too much sage can spoil a dish!
Last week, with my friends from the furniture store, I became Mr Grumpy. I would like to thank them all for being my Mr Tickle. For a slice of this life panacea in 7 minutes, try this episode.
I was grumpy because I had had a set-back on my own journey. Nothing major but something I was rather enthusiastic about was denied me. I never had the chance to make something happen and I felt unnecessarily forlorn. I did my own sort of pre-mortem.
My life is quite pi-esque. I have been serendipitous in finding my own pie and chips with a helping of peas on the side. I guess my continuing curiosity provides the sage gravy.
Like in the book and the film, I am not sure everyone will get that ending. What's for dessert?
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