Exactly What We Need

Last night, I read a wonderful story to my four-year-old twins, Avi and Tallia. The book, Caps for Sale and the Mindful Monkeys by Esphyr Slobodkina, tells the story of a peddler who ends up with 16 unwanted monkeys in his backyard. After complaining that the monkeys won’t go away, the peddler’s friend Essie provides sage advice:

“Sometimes we decide something is no good before we have given it a chance. Sometimes what we don’t want is exactly what we need.”

As the story continues, the peddler falls on hard times. The unwanted monkeys in his backyard pitch in to help the peddler out of a jam. In turn, they become the lonely man’s good friends.

In these uncertain times of the COVID crisis, economic instability, and political unrest, we find ourselves in unexpected territory. Worry and doubt can easily overwhelm the best of us, inhibiting our growth and progress. But, what if we follow Essie’s guidance, realizing that what we didn’t want could be exactly what we need?

Maybe the extra downtime will lead to much needed rest and reflection. Perhaps the time we save on our morning commute gets repurposed into exercise, in turn making us stronger and healthier. Maybe the changing landscape creates new business opportunities that were previously dormant. Or maybe we’ll form deeper connections with those that matter most.

It may not yet be apparent, but let’s keep our eyes peeled for the hidden blessing in the midst of turbulence. After Essie encouraged the peddler to see what comes to pass, he grumbled back that he won’t like what happens. “Nonsense,” Essie replied. “You cannot dislike what hasn’t happened yet. It’s just not possible.”

It can be difficult to remain open minded in challenging times, but that is our best and only strategy for a brighter future. We can’t stumble over something that’s yet to happen, so let’s focus on the things we can control in the here and now.

Essie’s advice to the peddler rings true for us all. This week, let’s try to embrace her wisdom. Now that we have some context, here are those poetic words once again:

“Sometimes we decide something is no good before we have given it a chance. Sometimes what we don’t want is exactly what we need.”

Read More

New Thinking for the New Era of Business

Albert Einstein famously noted, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that we used when we created them.” In our post-COVID world of ...

When an Astronaut Needs a Pen

Ever get stuck on a problem, only to realize you're solving for the wrong thing? That's exactly what happened when the rocket scientists at NASA ...

How Shake Shack Drives Innovation

Do you prefer the crispy mozzarella, tempura watercress, and black garlic mayonnaise cheeseburger or the pumpkin mustard, bacon, cranberries, and sage hot dog? For something ...

Lady Gaga’s Secret to Creativity

Just before she won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, I watched Lady Gaga dazzle the live audience with a pitch perfect performance of ...

Creativity: Does Size Matter?

For some reason, we’ve been taught that for creativity and innovation to count they need to have a magnitude the size of the 1989 San ...

The Lexicon of Creativity

There’s more confusion around the meaning of the word innovation than the chaos at the airline ticket counter after a cancelled flight. Is there a difference between ...

The Brain Science of Becoming More Creative

When we hear stories about iconic leaders like Salesforce.com’s founder Marc Benioff, or widely celebrated virtuosos like Lin-Manuel Miranda for that matter, we immediately think ...

Correct the Overcorrect

When the misguided leaders at Enron, Tyco and Worldcom committed fraud and marred their shareholders with huge losses, the Securities and Exchange Commission rightfully swooped ...

Learning to Color

Fact: Creativity has become the most needed skill in business. It’s gone from a nice-to-have to becoming mission-critical. Fact: Creativity is a learnable skill. All humans have ...