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about this creative aspect of learning later in this section.) They are

always searching, inquiring, and wanting to find out more. They are

adventurers who don’t mind challenging accepted ways of doing

things, are open to being spontaneous, and are prepared to take cal-

culated risks. As you will recall from the section on learning and

personality types in Chapter 4, each person will, of course, express

their adventurousness differently.

Hilary Cropper is a good example of someone who does not

like formal learning but clearly has a spirit of adventure. Indeed, at

the FI Group she has made a name for herself as someone who

advocates joint ventures as a way of trading. She says of herself:

I hate being taught anything. But I love being put into situations where I

don’t know what to do and can explore completely new ground.

Sir Bob Reid has similar instincts:

It’s vital that you engage young business people’s sense of adventure. You

must send them out to do things which are beyond them and then be patient

with them as they learn. You must invest in risk.

When you catch yourself saying things like “I couldn’t possibly do

it like that,” you may be becoming set in your learning ways. To

rediscover a spirit of adventure, seek out some simple, not too chal-

lenging but significantly different ways of doing things.

Try this simple exercise to get you in the right frame of mind. Sit on a chair with your knees

out to the front and your hands by your side. Cross your legs. Uncross them. Cross them again.

What do you notice? Did you cross the same leg over the other each time? If so, why?

Now, cross your legs the other way. Stand up. Fold your arms over your chest. Let your arms

drop down by your side. Refold them. Let them drop again. Did you cross the same arm over

the other each time? Now, cross your arms the other way. Was it easy?

Most people naturally cross their leading leg over the other one

when they cross their legs, but find it very easy to do it the other

way round. With arms, most people find the opposite crossing a lit-

tle more difficult, but can easily learn it. You can, in fact, almost feel

138 Power Up Your Mind