Changing the Context, Change Your Perspective

I've been in Taos, NM for 7 days now. It has been a great trip and I don't want it to end. I go home Saturday. The writer's conference is very good - I would recommend it to any writers out there. For me, a business writer seeking to develop a more expressive style, it has been extremely beneficial. Why? Because I have shifted my context.

Surrounded by poets, novelists, and narrative nonfiction writers, I am immersed in a different set of conversations, a different set of skills, and an interesting bunch of artists. They write different in ways that I admire and want to learn about.

I have already begun to rewrite the introduction and first chapter of the 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough book based on the mini breakthroughs I have experienced here.

It is good, I think, to put yourself in a new context every now and then. Think about the neighboring "groups" that you could learn from if you hung around with them a bit. Sales spending time in operations. Operations spending time in HR. Entrepreneurs spending time with leaders from medium sized companies. Artists spending time with entrepreneurs. Business writers spending time with poets.

 

Comments

[Dave]

Glad you had a great time, but also good to have you back.

Changing our context is a lot like switching our roles - I play the role of husband, lover, father, friend, etc, one guy - different roles. Each role has a different context, and in order to play that role properly, I have to change my perspective. Learning from others helps me to play those roles better.