One of the early topics I was planning to cover on this blog was the matter of creativity.  Because I felt like such a frustrated creative myself, I wanted to do a study of different ways of expressing one’s self; perhaps so that I could find an outlet I hadn’t previously considered for myself beyond the typical poetry, painting, short stories, etc.  Not that there’s anything wrong with those pursuits; I just don’t happen to be very talented in any of them.

Of course, I ended up writing a lot more about leadership and general self-improvement topics, and haven’t really dealt too much with creativity specifically since the very early days of Start Being Your Best.

However, I still believe that developing one’s creativity is a great method of self-improvement.  I would suggest it to anyone. 

I like to think of this blog as “creative non-fiction”.  Although I’m not creating in the sense of “world-building” for a novel, or translating my sensations from viewing a sunrise into a piece of music, I still see what I do as an act of creation.  I bring up a topic and address it in a way that is (hopefully) novel and (again, hopefully) meaningful to other people as well as myself.

In the course of reading about the creative process, I came upon a work by a professor named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.  I’m sure you’ve heard of one of his works, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.  In it, he gives a synopsis of the state talented people find themselves in when working in their area of expertise.  Athletes call it being “in the zone”.

As a follow up to this work, he wrote another book entitled Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention.  It’s based on a series of interviews that came from his studies into the state of Flow.  He interviewed many experts in creative fields and tried to determine what traits they shared, in order to see if he could pin-point a common list of attributes that may have contributed to their having become great at what they do.

One of the areas of Creativity deals with external factors.  While much of creativity seems to be linked to genetics (intelligence in all its various forms, etc.), there seems to be a strong link between the environment in which a person finds themselves and how creative they are.

Csikszentmihalyi claims that environments themselves can inspire creativity in people.  You need to be in the right place for you in order to be optimally effective at the task you’re trying to accomplish.

You need to be in the right place geographically.  A big factor in creativity is synergizing two or more disparate issues to create something better.  In order for this to occur, you need to first be exposed to novel stimulations.  Stimuli are not evenly distributed over the surface of this planet.  In general, you will run into more unique situations, people, and things while in New York than somewhere in South Dakota.  Not because New York is better, but because there are just more situations, people and things in general.

Secondly, you need to be in an environment of your own creation.  It can be as small as hanging a picture or putting a plant in your cubicle at work, but you need to do something to make your environment work for you.  Not everyone is going to like plants in their cubicles, but you get the idea, right?  Do something to make your space feel like your space.

You have to figure out what brings out the creativity in you through trial and error. Once you’ve found that, figure out a way to make it portable. Find a way to transfer that feeling to wherever you go. You should feel at home the same way you feel at work from an environmental standpoint. Don’t allow one place or another where you spend large amounts of time to limit your ability to think and act creatively.

Essentially, what we need to do in order to create is to find the place where we feel more “ourselves” than anywhere else.  It’s not going to be the same for everyone, but in order to ensure that you do everything you do to the best of your abilities, you need to zero in on that feeling.

Back in 2001, I joined the Army.  I did this because of 9/11.  However, I knew I wasn’t going to just take any old job they wanted me to take.  I specifically wanted to be a linguist.

I had always heard that the US military had one of the best language schools in the world, providing “full immersion” training (language instruction in the native language, for those who aren’t familiar with the term “immersion”).  It’s as close as you can get to learning in a foreign country without actually being there.

So, after 16 months of 7 hours a day training, I graduated as a qualified Chinese Mandarin linguist, having passed the Defense Language Proficiency Test.

Learning a second language is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.  But it’s been absolutely wonderful for my personal development, even though there were many times when I wasn’t too happy about the choice I’d made to do it.  Here are 5 reasons why I would suggest EVERYONE attempt to learn a language other than your native one.

1. Another tool in your toolbox. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re the entrepreneurial sort, or someone who draws a paycheck.  Knowing a foreign language makes you more attractive to potential employers/clients.  It opens up new opportunities for you to assist in ways that you simply couldn’t without being multi-lingual.

But, it’s first and foremost another way to serve others.  Because I speak another language, I’ve had the opportunity to communicate with people that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.  It’s allowed me to help them get to where they needed to go.  Would they have figured it out on their own?  Yeah, probably.  Was it nice for them to get to speak to someone in their own language (albeit stuttering ol’ me) in a foreign country that seemed to be confusing to them?  You bet it was.  You should have seen their faces light up when they heard a white guy speak Mandarin.  Priceless.

2. Develop discipline. Language learning requires effort every single day.  It’s not something you can pick up with two lessons a week.  Understanding how to develop a habit of consistency, and why it’s so important, is the single greatest lesson I discovered as I was going through language school.  I can say honestly that the only reason I got any discipline at all from the military was because I went to language school.

3. Expanded horizons, for you and others. Learning a new language requires you to learn something about another culture.  Some cultures are more foreign than others, but every single one does at least one thing differently than what you’re used to.  By taking the time and effort to understand a certain idiom or mannerism necessary to communicate effectively in a new language, you open your eyes to new experiences.

Additionally, you’re going to meet people that don’t think the same way you do.  The process of learning a language allows you to ask all kinds of questions that may be taboo in another culture, or simply not often questioned.  The exchange of ideas, and the necessity to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, provides a growth opportunity for both parties.  Is this going to solve world hunger, or the nuclear weapons problem?  Not hardly.  But it can make a big difference in your life, and in the life of the person you’re speaking with.

4. Gain confidence. Speaking to someone new has always been difficult for me.  Speaking with someone new in a new language, well… that’s exponentially harder. I’m still much better at understanding spoken Mandarin than I am at speaking it myself.

But speaking up in a foreign language, especially when you’re still learning, forces you to become okay with failure.  Not that you accept it as the final end state, but that you realize it’s not going to kill you.  I can’t tell you how many times my teachers, let alone people on the street in China, cracked up at me when I tried to say something.  But, every single time, even the people who weren’t being paid to instruct me taught me how to say something properly.  I thanked them for their help and went on my way, perhaps having learned a new phrase.

I found out that people weren’t looking to pounce on me when I screwed up.  Sure, I got laughed at, but it wasn’t mean-spirited.  It was simply funny (sometimes really funny, depending on how badly I mangled a phrase).  We had a good chuckle, and then moved on.  I learned that you’re never going to be perfect, so why worry about it?  Just do what you’re going to do, and fix it as you go along.

5. Do something difficult. Sometimes, it’s worth doing something hard simply for the sake of doing something hard.  As my dad used to say, “It builds character”.  And, “You’ll thank me for this one day”.  And, “It’ll be over before you’re married”.  I especially hated that last one, and it wasn’t even true in the case of language school.

But, looking back, he was right.  Doing stuff that’s not a lot of fun simply because it’s the right thing to do is sometimes a good enough reason.  Because it’s difficult, you have to look for long-term benefits, rather than short-term gratifications.  Sublimating your desires is a key component in personal development, whether we want to admit it or not.

Now, doing what I did to learn a language isn’t exactly the most traditional path.  I’m not suggesting someone join the military for solely this purpose.  In fact, I think that’s a really BAD idea.

However, if you want to learn a language, and you want to do something great for someone else at the same time, here are two ways to do it:

1.  Join the Peace Corps (or some other similar organization). If you’re a member of an evangelical religion, you can volunteer to do a long-term mission trip with one of countless organizations that offer language instruction as part of their training programs.  For those of you who aren’t, the Peace Corps does a lot of good things for the poorest of the poor.  From my understanding, you don’t have much of a choice in where you end up, but if you just want to do something that will truly impact people on a personal level, I can’t think of a better way to do it than through volunteer (or very low-paid) aid work.

2.  Trade English lessons for other lessons. My wife heads up a language program with refugees, where volunteers take time to practice English conversation skills with those folks who’ve recently arrived in our country.  I’m not aware of anyone taking the next logical step from these programs and offering tutoring in English in exchange for foreign language tutoring.

However, if you’re interested in helping out folks who need a helping hand, this would work on a couple of levels.  First of all, you’re providing a valuable skill to a refugee (or anyone in this country who doesn’t know the language well) simply by doing something you already do well: talk.

Secondly, you’re allowing these folks the opportunity to serve, as well.  I’ve had the opportunity to speak with some refugees who feel as though they’re not contributing to society, and due to visa/Social Security/other issues, aren’t even allowed to do so.  Learning from them can give a feeling of pride to someone who may desperately need one.

So, if you don’t speak more than one language, I’d encourage you to pick one up.  If you’re already multi-lingual, I’d encourage you to learn another.  In our increasingly small world, you’ll be glad you did.

What are some unique methods or experiences you’ve encountered that have allowed you to learn new skills?  Are there any other ways you can think of to simultaneously learn a skill and improve other’s lives?  Share them with us in the comments…