Sneaking cat (Photo credit: Hans Pama)
Todd Henry (The Accidental Creative) tells the story of Bella the well-fed cat. From his office he noticed that a particular cat (named Bella by his children) habitually roamed through his neighbourhood hunting rodents. Bella tended to follow a predictable path 2-3 times a day, looking intently for prey as she went about her business.
Now this is probably a normal routine for a cat, but what can we learn from it? Well, Bella puts herself in a position to exploit opportunities when they occur.
So, are we building routines or practices that will provide opportunities for learning or insights?
Are we prepared to commit time to look for things that will challenge us?
Are we prepared to put the effort into these routines even when they are not providing immediate returns? There is a fine line between disciplined, purposeful seeking and getting stuck in a rut, so an element of judgement is required.
Some of my well-trodden paths include reading blogs (via RSS feeds), listening to podcasts (like Todd Henry’s) and watching TED talks. One of these recently provided me with an unexpected insight, but that’s a story for another day!
(By the way, I don’t like cats!)
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