Poke the Box

We are taught to follow the rules. We are not supposed to invent, create, change or poke the box. Because that becomes a threat to most systems. In school, we shouldn’t chew gum or talk to our colleagues without asking permission. We had to follow exactly what the teacher told us, in order to get a good grade. The school system is broke. But we are not.  

Poke the box

Seth Godin is an incredibly creative person who posts every day on his blog. Poke the Box is one of his great books.

Even though our society tends to promote rules, we must disobey them. Stop following them. They were not created by some superior force. They were created by people who are no smarter than us.

So why not create our own rules? Setting our own limits? Boundaries? What if our only boundary is that there is not any? Wouldn’t that change a lot of things? We should always Poke the Box.

Reading this book inspired me to start writing on my blog, again. I like to do it. I feel great when I finish writing something. It makes me feel accomplished and really happy. Why did I stop doing something that I enjoy doing?

According to Seth, the most important role we can have in society is being an initiator. Someone who always starts something new. Just to see how it goes. How it plays out. Maybe it won’t work. Maybe it will. It doesn’t matter. When we start something and we finish it, we already won. This a continuous process. It should never end. The more we do it, the easier it becomes. Creativity is a muscle that can be exercised. Creativity is a habit! 

When we start thinking of creating something new, fear will rise. Or, as Steven Pressfield calls it, Resistance. The only way to fight resistance is to start. Start with fear. Soon it will go away. When we realize we have nothing to lose when we try something new, things will become much easier.

Actually, we only lose by staying in the same place, with the same people, following the same rules. That’s scary: Living the same day over and over again.

We can always start something. We can always Poke the Box. No matter what field we are working on. No need to be the boss. Don’t ask for permission. Just start. And see how It goes.

I just finished my 1st year in college. I remember having the initiative of creating videos for a writing assignment, along with my workgroup. We only had to write a paper. But we also decided to create videos. No need for permission. We just did it.