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This past week, I (accidentally) almost walked a marathon.

It was a much-needed time to reflect on some work, and it was very helpful so I thought I'd share my experience with you.

This practice will help you be brave.

It will help you focus.

And, it may even help you be brilliant.

I accidentally (almost) walked a marathon.
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I didn’t really mean to. I just needed some time to think.
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Often, I’ll think while sitting on my office chair with a pad of paper in my lap, but last week I realized that the kind of thinking I needed to do might be better-served with a “stimulus dive”, a concept I outlined in my book The Accidental Creative. I needed to get out into the world and see what was sparked.
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So, I wondered how far I might be able to walk while thinking. I live about 11 miles northeast of downtown Cincinnati, and for the first time a thought crossed my mind…

“I wonder if I could walk downtown and back in a day?”

Turns out, there’s a road that comes near my home with a sidewalk that gets me most of the way there. (There’s only one dangerous stretch where I was hopping on and off the road to avoid cars.)
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Here are the details:

• I didn’t listen to ANYTHING. I just walked and thought. I took a pen and notecards to write ideas on.
• If someone came to mind, I called them. I had a few really good phone calls during the walk, prompted by their name randomly popping into my head.
• I paid close attention to details in my surroundings. I’d driven those streets numerous times, but didn’t see small details like the moulding around doors or little gardens in the courtyard.
• I let my mind wander, and when something sparked my attention, I zeroed in on it. I had some pretty great ideas, if I do say so myself.
• I didn’t pressure myself to have a great result at the end. This was purely for the sake of the practice, not to crank out some token of brilliance. But, as I mentioned, my mind went in a few surprising directions.
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So, if you have the space, I highly recommend this practice. In my case, I covered about 23 miles in six hours with an hour break for lunch in the middle. But regardless of how much time you have, I recommend getting out into the world to help you spark some ideas and get unstuck.
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​You never know what’s actually on your mind until you spend some time alone with your thoughts.

This Week:

• Center-down on a problem for which you need a breakthrough.
• Find some time to get "out there" and think about the problem.
• Get alone with your thoughts and let the ideas fly.

And, finally:

If you enjoyed this newsletter, my new book The Brave Habit is a practical guide to making brave decisions every day in your work. I hope you’ll read it. (You can download a few sample chapters here.)

Your turn to lead:

Do you know someone who might find this email helpful? Please forward it to them.

​ Todd Henry teaches leaders and teams how to be brave, focused, and brilliant. He is the author of seven books, and speaks internationally on creativity, leadership, and passion for work. ​TODDHENRY.COM​ ​​​​​

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