Unexpected

"You'll never stumble on to the unexpected if you stick only to the familiar." 

Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.

This line in the Creativity, Inc., really stood out to me. It's a simple statement about expectation, but unexpected in itself.

Expect the unexpected.

Great expectations.

Living up to expectations.

Can you think of more common phrases about expectations? Are they positive or negative?

Expectations are things that we think we know are going to happen at some point - near or far- in the future. There tends to be positive connotations with expectation, though not always. The unexpected, however, tends to be negative. It implies lack of preparation and foresight.  Catmull, however, is saying that the unexpected is something desirable that you hope to stumble upon by exploring new and unfamiliar places. It can certainly be an exciting way to learn and really the only way to learn something entirely new. The only way to contribute something new and original to the world is to be brave enough to venture into unfamiliar territory and embrace the unexpected.

So we can see how this would be applicable to a person or company that makes it's living being creative. They write stories, tell stories, and create technology to tell the stories in new ways. But how would this apply to a person that is not a creative type or does not have a career that even encourages creativity? 

While we may have no desire to be inventors of any kind, thinking of the unexpected in a positive light can benefit anyone. The unexpected happens to all of us because life is largely out of our control, but when we look at the unexpected as a positive that is there for us to learn from we take control of that circumstance. We can look at the unexpected as a gift from God. We may not like it, but we can and should use it to learn and grow.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/54084100@N00/12304900615">Unexpected</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">(license)</a>