A pattern interrupt is a way to alter your mental, behavioral, or emotion state to break the typical habit or reaction.
When you consider all of your clients and focus on the those with the greatest assets, you’ll discover that they: a) were (or are) a business owner; b) inherited it; or c) it’s coming out of the ground. Obviously, the latter two are out of our scope, so I’ll focus only on those who own or owned a business. So where does real wealth come from? Hard work? Yes, that’s a part of it; however, I contend that generational-changing wealth comes from innovation and creativity. Real wealth comes from new ideas and from doing something differently or slightly better, from a new approach, and from a new opportunity or a new product.
Innovation and creativity are the drivers of real wealth. So that begets the next question: Where to innovation and creativity come from? From where do the eureka moments arise? Often, they seem to come out of the blue. But that’s not entirely accurate. Those moments come from the mind being in a relaxed state and also when the mind is fed new inputs. It’s simple: New input equals new output.
Enter the pattern interrupt. The interrupt opens the door for new input, new ideas, new stimuli. When these enter the picture, we get the aha or eureka moments. The pattern interrupt can lead to golden ideas, so how do we “mine” them in order to get more creativity and innovation?
First, raise your level of awareness about pattern interrupts. When you go someplace different (be it a new restaurant or a new country), a different experience unfolds. This difference creates the pattern interrupt and the amazing lode of possibilities that come with it – new innovation, insight, and creativity. When you’re aware of it, mine it. How? Simple. Write stuff down, including what it is that captured your attention, what interests you, and how it can apply to what you want to achieve. Lock down the ideas and concepts you have and then allow the rice to cook.
Each time you do this – creating a pattern interrupt – you’re creating a fertile field for breakthroughs. It may not happen every time, but the more actively you’re interrupting patterns, the greater the probability of the eureka moments happening.
Anytime we allow new input, we create the possibility of innovative output. Keep in mind that while I’ve referred to them as eureka moments, it’s often not a “bolt of lightning” type experience and often results from a slow simmer. In capturing the interrupted moments, you afford yourself the ability to go back and review what you’ve written to see what arises. Repeat this exercise and continually review. What didn’t strike you last week or last month may now hit a chord today.
I mentioned changing location to create a pattern interrupt. But it’s more than perhaps going to a coffee shop rather than your office. Consider what you read. If you’re typically reading nonfiction, try reading fiction. If you typically read crime dramas, try poetry. If you’ve always enjoyed photography, go to a museum of modern art.
It’s always about new input. It’s so easy to fall into patterns and maintaining those patterns is human nature. Adopt and honor pattern interrupts. They contain the steps to innovation, creativity, and ultimately, wealth.
