Every one of us want to be novel and creative in every move of ours. But, some of us feel that we are stagnating and not creative enough in our work or lives. Why does this happen and what do we need to do to transcend from stagnation to creativity.

Let us start with our lives. Why do some of us feel, we are always at the dead end of a street while others keep moving forward. We may come from similar backgrounds and have similar resources. But, some of us thrive in chaos, while others stagnate.

I am an avid traveller. Let me share what my experience taught me, when my g p s failed. I was once driving through a ghat section in the interiors of Karnataka near Sringeri. My gps failed. I felt being stuck. It was a dense forest road and no directions or people to guide me.

In such a situation, there are multiple choices before us. One is to sit and cry and curse ourselves or people travelling with us ,for this state of affairs. The other is to consider it as an adventure, with the hope that it will lead us somewhere. If we chose the former, then we may be stuck where we were, for the rest of the day. On the other hand, if we are willing to take the risk and drive on ,with the hope that ,we may meet someone and it may lead us to the destination, it may happen.

In this situation, I moved on and drove wherever the mud path lead me to. I met a few people on the road and when enquired they gave me contradictory directions. But, I did not give up hope and continued my journey. My spouse also told me , let us enjoy this adventure of exploration.

Life is no different. We may at times feel ,that we have reached a dead end in our career or life. We have multiple choices before us. We can feel frustrated and feel low.. Alternatively, we can explore options before us. The pandemic of covid 19, was one such instance. I know people who wasted two years ,of the lock down period. I am also aware of others, who upskilled themselves and also enriched their knowledge, in their areas of interest.

In every situation, the choices are always, before us. If sometimes, we feel ,that we are not able to evaluate the options, we have resources around us. It can be our family members, friends, colleagues or relatives. Nothing prevents us from seeking advice, if we think we are not able to generate options ,for our challenges.

If we look at what differentiates the creative people vis a vis the stagnating people in life – it is their ability to create and explore options, risk taking and trying out new things ,even if they fail. Utilising resources around them when they think they cannot create enough alternatives themselves is their capability.

Let us live creatively and not stagnate in thoughts or action from today.

S Ramesh Shankar

4th April 2024