AC Podcast: Bella The Well-Fed Cat

It’s funny how life lessons emerge from the least likely places. Or sometimes, the most likely. Here’s what I learned from Bella, a neighborhood cat, about hunting trails, opportunity, and positioning yourself for brilliance.

Todd Henry

Positioning himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

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6 Comments

Christopher Battles on February 29, 2012 at 8:36 pm

A wonderful observation. Thank you for sharing this example.
Thank you Todd.

K, bye
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- Todd Henry on March 1, 2012 at 10:43 am
  
  Thank you, Christopher. Glad you enjoyed it.
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fjr on March 1, 2012 at 4:32 pm

I listened to the podcast while watching my well-fed dog, who also has some tried and true strategies for getting what she wants. But beyond that, I know many people who I wish would take this message to heart, particularly the narrowing and creativity-stifling practice of seeking only confirming anecdote and rejecting or rationalizing away challenge. Study is a very central part of my practice, both keeping up in the areas I know best and exposing myself continuously to the best minds in fields with some adjacencies to my interests. It is not how much you read or the size of ones network that creates the stimulation but the diversity of ideas within ones reading and network.
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- Todd Henry on March 2, 2012 at 3:06 pm
  
  Agreed. Study is such an important part of my “hunting trails” as well. I don’t have major insights every day when studying, but often enough that I’ve realized that it’s an indispensable part of my practice.
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Escapee 925 on March 4, 2012 at 6:49 am

This was one of my favorite episodes. Creativity is something that is generally hard to describe, but they know it when they see it. Here you have an example of something that people see every day and don’t give it a second thought. You’ve taken it apart and put it back together and suddenly it has new meaning. I think it would make a great second book, or at least the start of a collection of short stories like this.
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- Todd Henry on March 4, 2012 at 7:57 pm
  
  Great to hear! Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed the episode. I’m pretty sure something about Bella will make its way into the book I’m writing this year…
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