How to Find Your Creative Zen

Have you ever entered a Zen-like state of productivity? You know, where your thoughts and execution seem to operate in perfect harmony with one another? It’s a place where you are literally thinking less and accomplishing more, and I’m sure that given the choice, most of you would choose to live on that edge rather than simply experience it every once in a while.

In reality, these Zen-like states are not nearly as unpredictable or as unattainable as you might think. In most cases, they occur as natural fallout from a well-constructed creative process. If you want to live on that free-flowing edge, then you must learn how to force your brain through the sequence of triggers that will result in your own cognitive Zen.

Understanding Your Brain

Ever read an instruction manual?

I’m sure you’ve noticed, then, that the process described therein was stepwise in nature. By design, we humans are quite comfortable with processes like this — we can easily move from step one, to step two, and so on.

It just makes sense.

Instructions, steps, order, and reason are all characteristics of the left brain. They are sensible, practical, and in many cases, obvious.

We’re so accustomed to going through life in a regimented, left-brain-dominated fashion that we seldom realize there’s an entire half of our brain being left out of the equation.

The Zen-like state feels so harmonious because that’s exactly what it is — it’s a method of operation that results from a balance between left and right brain function.

Your left brain is able to follow a process seamlessly, but the problem is that it cannot divine this process on its own. This, of course, is where the right brain comes into play.

The right brain provides the creative direction, while the left brain takes orders and executes them. If you want to operate in the Zen zone, then you’re going to have to balance right and left brain activity in order to find that harmonious flow.

What you need is a good, right brain workout, and I’m not about to leave you hanging!

The Rhythm of the Cerebrum

You can fool your lazy right brain into action by exercising it. One activity that really seems to strike a chord with bloggers (and writers in general, for that matter) is stream-of-consciousness writing.

The premise here is simple: open up a secondary blog or blank word processing document, and commence typing!

As thoughts and ideas pop into your head, record them as fast as you possibly can. Hell, they don’t even have to make sense — in all likelihood, you’ll jump between topics so fast that you’ll look like Frogger trying to cross the road.

Remember, your right brain is the hub of creative thought, so if that side of your brain is controlling the writing, you’ll know because you won’t really be able to perseverate on one aspect of your central topic for too long. In fact, you probably won’t even have a central topic.

Your right brain tends to see the entire picture at once, and as a result, it cannot extrapolate minor details in an orderly fashion. If your writing comes out looking pretty refined and cogent, then that’s a good indicator that your left brain is trying to stick its nose where it doesn’t belong.

The bottom line is that your goal is simply to unleash the creative chaos in the right brain, temporarily freeing it from the suffocating bully that is your left brain.

Your left brain can’t handle the randomized signals coming from your right brain, but the fact is, Zen won’t happen without ‘em!

Everybody likes results…

For the past few days, I’ve been experimenting with stream-of-consciousness writing, and I’ve gotta tell ya that I’m really feeling this. If you’ve been reading pearsonified for any length of time, then you probably know that I rarely recommend you take a specific course of action…But in this case, I think I’m going to have to make an exception.

It really works. It’s like stretching before a workout.

You think a sprinter would go into a race without limbering up first?

Try loosening up with 15 minutes of this stuff in the morning, and just watch as your mental signals clear up and untangle themselves.

I swear you’ll have to go to confessional because you’ll be doing so much Zenning!

How to find healthy airport food

While waiting for a flight recently at Reagan National Airport, Katherine Tallmadge found herself checking out pre-packaged nut mixes, which are loaded with healthy fats but can contain as much as 1,200 calories per bag. The registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association knew that boredom was driving her impulse to eat, but she still struggled to resist temptation.

"I had to shake myself out of it," says Tallmadge, who is also the author of "Diet Simple: Shed Pounds Without Even Trying".

Adding to fliers' airport boredom—and likely poor food choices--is the growing percentage of delayed flights. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, delays have been increasing since 2004. Then 16.1 percent of U.S. flights were delayed; in 2005 it was 17.4 percent; 2006 was 19.6 percent; and 2007 was 20.5 percent.

Fliers also have fewer choices on board: Many major airlines have stopped serving free meals and have instead replaced them with pre-packaged, nutrient-deficient snacks. What's more, travelers face the daunting challenge of navigating outlets offering calorie-dense comfort food that dot terminals nationwide.

It is possible, however, to adopt a healthy approach at the airport. Airport management companies have taken note of a growing consumer demand for fresh and nutritious menu options. Heeding customer preferences can be especially lucrative in the airport concession market. According to the Airport Revenue News 2007 Fact Book, fliers spent $3.2 billion on food and beverages in 2006. Management companies are also increasingly catering to business travelers who expense meals and want gourmet, brand name experiences. With the variety now available at most airports nationwide, even the most harried traveler can satiate his or her appetite without going for the double-cheese hamburger.

Choosing right
Many airport food courts have a decided advantage over the customer: A choice must be made from a small selection. The options improve at a major airport like Chicago O'Hare, which features eateries ranging from Panda Express to Starbucks to Goose Island Beer, but small- or medium-sized city airports often suffer from limited variety.

Regardless of the available choices, it's easy to fall back on the familiar. That might include a Quarter Pounder with cheese at McDonald's, a chocolate chip muffin at Dunkin' Donuts or buffalo wings with bleu cheese dressing at Chili's.

While indulging in one of these items may alleviate stress related to flying or seem like a fun way to kick off a vacation, your waistline might beg to differ. A better strategy? Take a few minutes to look at the menu and order a healthy alternative. Joan Salge Blake, a nutrition professor at Boston University and author of "Nutrition & You", says that at McDonald's that might be the grilled chicken classic sandwich with BBQ sauce instead of mayonnaise; at Dunkin' Donuts it’s a multigrain bagel; and at Chili's, a good choice is the "guiltless" salmon with sides of black beans and steamed vegetables.

Gourmet choices
Experts say this is a good start. Yet to really eat well while on the road, one might want to avoid fast-food outlets all together and instead head to an increasing number of spots offering fresher options.

Atousa Ghoreichi, senior director of marketing in North America for HMSHost, a company that operates brand-name and company-created concessions in more than 100 airport locations worldwide, says that the company's customer research has shown a demand for "bolder tastes," "fusion of flavors" and "fresh and flavorful fare."

Paul Sancya / AP The healthiest option at Ben & Jerry's: A half-cup serving of low-fat Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt, 170 calories, three grams of fat, 65 milligrams of sodium, and 32 grams of carbohydrates.

To meet this need, HMSHost has designed eateries like La Tapenade at the Chicago O'Hare airport. This Mediterranean café features homemade chutneys, hummus, fire-roasted vegetables, high-quality cheeses and grilled meats.

The company has also forged partnerships with celebrity chefs to open restaurants in airports, including one with Todd English, who set up outposts of his Bonfire steakhouse at JFK and Boston Logan airports. The menu draws on Argentinean, European and American steakhouse styles and features crab-meat nachos, a Kobe beef burger and tapas.

"We're taking gourmet food and making it almost artistic," Ghoreichi says. "[The customer] could be in an airport environment but we want to make it feel like the market or city center."

When there are few options beyond potato chips and pretzels, Tallmadge suggests arriving at the airport with a full stomach. "A ravenous person is out of control and won't make as good choices," she says. Additionally, fliers should stick to salads, sandwiches, yogurt and fresh fruit as opposed to pizzas, hamburgers and hot dogs.