February Mind Challenge

It's good to be back behind the keyboard, adding a post to the blog. It has been a couple weeks, but that discussion is for another blog post. Tonight I write to bring you the February Mind Challenge.

I would like to start by having you think about the words that you use, and the meaning that they convey. When we are children, our vocabulary and grammar is limited. As we mature, we learn new words, and develop what I would refer to as a density to our language. By learning the perfect word for each situation, we hope to convey a deep texture of concepts with phrase that we choose. There is a complexity of subtle meanings and contexts that we can use to try to paint a very specific picture of what we want to express. I would challenge though, that by trying to control the precise meaning of our words that we may, in fact, remove the soul of our idea. If instead we used simple words and allowed the listener to make their own interpretations, that we would communicate more, and drive much more innovation.

As an example, this evening Q and I were discussing the enjoyment that we get from children's books. What we both have seen is that we often get more depth from these books than from those written for adult audiences. I wondered if it is the power of imagination. Q proposed that perhaps the bigger words lack depth. Maybe it's just that the author, in working from that child like portion of their mind, can tap into something much more natural and inherently deeper.

This month I would challenge you to come at this concept from both sides. First, to continue the Haiku theme, I would ask you each to journal your Hope Challenge experience to date in Haiku. Three lines, seventeen total syllables. Then, I would like for you to journal the same information as if you were telling a story to a child. Please post these on-line. Leave comments as to how each experience was for you as an author. Also, read the postings of others and think about which version conveyed more to you. You don't need to leave feedback on the actual content from others, but rather your experiences reading it in the different forms.