An Author Takes Flights 'For No Reason', The Japanese Concept Of Forest Bathing, And The Inventor Of Velcro: Why Frequent Doses Of LSD Are Needed For Creativity (and it has nothing to do with drugs)
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The 3-Word Quote: “Wonder Requires Walking”
1.
His book Start With Why has sold over one million copies and still sells well a decade after publication.
But the writing of this book was difficult for Simon Sinek.
Authors often have quirky habits and unusual writing rituals. Still, Sinek engaged in a unique 'hobby' while struggling to finish his book.
He often took airplane trips 'that had no purpose.' He wasn't looking to explore new cities; he wasn't trying to rack up airline miles; he had no business dealings in the towns.
He was flying for no other purpose than to be on airplanes.
A New York Times article describes him calling Delta Airlines to book flights that "had a cheap fare on a relatively empty plane."
He told the reservation agent, "I don't care where I go."
Based in New York, Sinek flew to Orlando and back without setting foot in Orlando.
He flew to Phoenix and then back to New York with no real reason to go to Phoenix.
He also flew to Los Angeles and back. This time, however, Sinek did stay in Los Angeles long enough to grab "something at the California Pizza Kitchen at the airport" and was back on a flight to New York within the hour.
Flights for no reason. To cities, he didn't have any reason to visit.
Weird.
Except there actually was one reason that Sinek flew on all these flights.
2.
The average American spends 93% of their time indoors and 10 hours a day on social media.
By 2050, the United Nations Population Division predicts 75% of people will live in cities.
Qing Li lives in Tokyo, the most populated city in the world.
But in 2018, Li authored the book Forest Bathing about the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku about spending time in nature.
As a stressed-out medical student, Li escaped for a week to practice Shinrin-yoku, miles away from civilization. There, he camped in a forest and 'bathed' in the trees, entirely escaping from city life.
The experience was transformational, and he shifted his practice to studying 'forest bathing.' He became the president of the Japanese Society of Forest Therapy.
Studies have long connected the healthy benefits of being in nature. One study even found evidence that simply looking out a window into nature is good for people's health.
And forest bathing is a practice that promotes this connection between spending time in nature and people's health.
Practitioners of forest bathing claim lower heart rates, lower blood pressure, increased happiness, and reduced stress.
But Li recommends doing one other essential item critical to forest bathing, and it has added benefits beyond health.
3.
You might not know George de Mestral's name, but you know what he invented.
De Mestral was an engineer, amateur inventor, and constantly curious.
In 1948, he took some burs from woods near his house and placed them under a microscope.
As he observed them, he saw these burs were covered with lots and lots of tiny things that looked like hooks.
To the naked eye, these hooks seemed straight, but under the microscope, de Mestral could see the curves of these tiny hooks.
These hooks attached themselves to anything with a loop - things like fabric and clothing.
He realized these hooks were what made the burs cling to things and made them difficult to remove.
He also realized that if he could recreate these hooks and loops, he could create a way to fasten fabric together in a new way.
It would be a new way to open and close things rapidly.
He spent the next decade trying to replicate in the real world what the burs did in the natural world.
Finally, in 1955, de Mestral gained a patent after perfecting his invention.
The new product's name came from two French words, 'velours' (velvet) and 'crochet' (hook).
But the trademarked invention was called Velcro.
De Mestral intended his invention to challenge the zipper.
Velcro gained popularity when NASA used it to keep items from moving in space.
Since then, shoe companies, healthcare, sporting goods, and virtually all industries found a use for Velcro.
But Velcro might not have existed if de Mestral hadn't done one thing before examining those burs under the microscope.
The Takeaway:
So what do an author who takes flights for no reason, the Japanese concept of forest bathing, and the inventor of Velcro all have in common?
They all used LSD.
But this LSD isn't the drug often associated with the 1960s, acid, and hallucinations.
The LSD that all three took is an acronym which stands for Long Slow Distance.
Simon Sinek, the best-selling author who booked himself on flights, actually had an excellent reason for all the long-distance air travel.
Sinek took all those flights while working on the book Start With Why and realized he needed to be more productive than he had been.
His writing was coming along slowly, and his ideas were not as crisp and free-flowing.
Then he realized that he had been giving fewer speeches and, as a result, traveling less - and therefore, not doing as much flying as he had.
And he connected the two - lack of flights meant fewer ideas and less writing.
He realized he needed to get back on planes.
So he began to book himself on the flights 'without a purpose.'
When the flights began again, his writing came more easily.
Sinek traveled thousands of miles, and this LSD - the Long Slow Distance - reignited his writing.
Because the flights did have a purpose - they were necessary for his writing. He needed those opportunities of long, slow distance to think and write on the airplanes.
Li, the forest bathing researcher, and doctor, also touts the benefits of Long Slow Distance.
A significant part of forest bathing is walking.
A 2018 article on forest bathing states, "Slow walking is recommended for beginners. You'll have more positive effects after 20 minutes."
But Li says the longer the walk, the better.
Many studies have linked walking with better physical health - no surprise there.
However, these long walks are increasingly connected to creativity.
The walks have "a positive effect on our creative capacity."
Sinek found the long-distance connection to creativity - the flights allowed him time to think. His thinking and writing weren't occurring as often while he sat at a desk.
He needed his LSD, and it worked.
Li's LSD required movement. His slow walks in nature allow his thoughts to flow and connect while in the woods and while walking long distances.
Much of Li's book on forest bathing came while forest bathing - and walking.
And this LSD, Li says, will work with anyone.
And the inventor of Velcro?
Well, it was a long walk in the woods in 1948 that the engineer took with his dog that gave him pause.
While on the walk, his dog picked up multiple burs, and as he walked back home, de Mestral began to wonder how these burs attached themselves so well.
He pondered this on his walking path. Ultimately, he decided to stick these burs under the microscope to see what he could figure out.
His dose of LSD led to his discovery. His long, slow walk gave him time to ponder what made these tiny burs attach to objects.
Taking doses of this kind of LSD - Long Slow Distance - has helped thinkers through the generations.
And it will help you too.
A 2014 Stanford study found walking "increased a person's creative output" by 60%.
Friedrich Nietzsche said, "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."
And there are dozens of stories about people using this type of LSD not for exercise but for ideas.
Running could work, but people often struggle to keep pace as their body works too hard for the brain to wander.
Many writers are runners, but great ideas often come at a slower pace.
Author Virginia Woolf was known to walk all day - with a notebook in hand to capture the ideas that would come to her.
She knew her walks were a creative activity.
Nikola Tesla's ideas about electricity occurred during a walk.
Writer Charles Dickens roamed the streets of London.
His walks were work.
He generated ideas and wrote while covering long distances through the London streets.
Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin came up with crucial concepts by walking.
Wolf, Tesla, Einstein, and Darwin were all LSD users - proponents of long, slow distances to be creative.
The Stanford study said the effects on creativity lasted briefly, even after the walk ended.
While movement is a crucial component, Sinek found the time, the distance, and the solitude to be a winning combination for him.
Countless ideas, businesses, and books have been generated on long flights, cross-country drives, and aimless walks.
People often claim they don't have the time to participate in Long, Slow, Distance.
But Wolf, Tesla, Einstein, and Darwin made time for LSD - they knew this was not extra work but something critical for their work.
The LSD was a requirement for good work.
Sinek, Li, and de Mestral also needed this for their work.
LSD allows your brain to disengage and work subconsciously.
Deep thoughts don't often come while trying to have deep thoughts.
They occur when your body is engaged in another low-stakes activity, and your brain is allowed to downshift to begin making critical connections.
It is then that creativity flows.
Turns out we all can use a daily dose of LSD.
And the side effects are wonderful.
3 things before you go:
Watch: 3 minute TED talk on walking. Nilofer Merchant, “Got a Meeting? Take a Walk.” Quick and insightful.
Listen: The Church, “Reptile.” Going back to older songs lately. Underrated song. Great opening few seconds that grabs your attention. Read the first comment under the video - shows the power of music.
Read: “Healing By Giving: Family Honors Former Ball State Student Memory By Helping Others” By Linda Bagley. Sad but wonderful article about a college student’s death and how his classmates decided to finish his class project in his memory.
See you in 10 days.
-Jeff