For the past few weeks, my daughter has been excitedly anticipating her third birthday. This is the first year that she really seems to know what’s going on, and she just can’t wait. I’ve got several bags of decorations, craft supplies to make games, treats for loot bags etc., and every time I turn around she is sitting with the contents of the bags spread around her, chatting about who is getting the purple glow stick, who will drink from the pumpkin cup, and whom she will gift with the valuable watermelon sucker.
Watching her and sharing in her excitement is so much fun, but it makes me question when I last had that much excitement about something. Let’s face it: being a grown-up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, sometimes, but having passion for something in your life, trying new things and finding something you love, helps bring that excitement back again.
My sister told me recently about an exercise where you write out two different scenarios: a) if one year from now your life is exactly as it is today, how does that make you feel, what does it look like to you, and are you fulfilled? or b) if one year from now, you’re living your dream life, how are you feeling? What does your day-to-day look like? I guess ultimately, this is about asking yourself whether you’ll be happy if your life is the same in a year, and if the answer is no, understanding what needs to change to get you on the path to that dream life.
At its essence, innovation is simply change, and I bet some of the innovators featured in this issue feel “third birthday excitement” often as they figure out a way to do something in a more environmentally-friendly way, create a new product, or show someone the world through fresh eyes. Perhaps their innovation is on a smaller scale, just baby steps of growth every day on the journey to making their lives more fulfilling.
Innovation is a necessary part of life, but it’s also a scary one. As Krista Rossato says in this month’s “On Design” column, our greatest hurdle is our fear of failure. But without failure, we don’t learn. And without learning, we don’t change. Here is to all the innovators, big and small, and their desire to grow.
