Did you realise that from the moment we are born humans are being programmed to behave in a certain way? Our natural creativity that we retain into childhood evaporates quickly as we grow up. We are expected to behave, think and act according to what has gone before. The pressure to conform to the ‘standard’ is drilled into us from all sides; parents have expectations, schools have rules, religion has commandments, society has laws and companies have values and required behaviours.

The problem is that in today’s modern digital world the companies we work for actually require people who do not think the same as everyone else. Large organisations are obsessed with disruption and that requires new solutions and creative thinking. But what genuine creativity is left after years of conditioning and programming?

The good news for runners is that running is a powerful way to de-clutter our minds and find freedom to think. We know how to find space, peace and quiet to focus and think in different ways. We are able to press a reset button and distance ourselves when we run. In this mile we will explore how to maximise our creative power and exploit this to get a flow of fresh thinking and solutions to run a better life.

Me thinks that the moment my legs began to move, my thoughts began to flow.

Henry David Thoreau

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