If you asked most people if they value “creativity” in their doctor or surgeon, I’m guessing most people would say “NO.” (Tell me where I’m wrong.) I used to think that there were certain professions – like medicine – where creativity is actually not a valuable attribute. I’m beginning to wonder if that’s really true. Are mistakes always bad? Most of us think that medical mistakes are all bad. That the last thing we want is for our doctor to “make a mistake”. Well, I’m beginning to think that by making mistakes “bad” we are limiting the creative thinking that we really need from doctors. Especially now. One of the big walls in my mind that was completely blasted away during my year of training as a life coach and certification in sound healing was the idea that all mistakes are “bad”. First, I heard story after story from real people describing how the biggest “mistakes” in life often turn out to yield unimaginably rich treasures later on (an assertion confirmed recently by Conan O’Brien at his visit to Google). Then, when I began making improvisational music, I realized that some of the most expressive sounds come from playing the “wrong” […]
