Holidays serve different purposes for different people. On my recent vacation to Arizona, I was truly looking for some inner inspiration for myself that I could bring home to my business. And what better place to do that than a Tuscon getaway among the undisturbed landscapes of mountain ranges and cacti?

As an agency, it’s essential to continually be creative and explore new ideas for us, and our clients. It is those creative ideas, combined with how and where we execute them, that creates the “aha” moments and magic that leads to “BIG” results for our clients.

Creativity is about exploring new ideas outside the norm. Stepping outside your boundaries to experience a fresh and different perspective, in order to generate innovation in business.

For a digital marketing agency, being creative must flow through our veins, and transfuse into our work at all levels – from witty headlines that will make somebody pause and read, to the designs that will catch someone’s eye, to the media that will get the message out to the right target market. We have to continually explore new creative ways to do what we do.

For other businesses, creativity is also needed to evolve products, services and offerings.  Steve Jobs saw things differently, and pushed completely outside of what was “normal” at the time, forever changing how we listen to music and communicate with one another.

So while I was seeking another layer of inspiration to inject into my business, the epiphanies I experienced on my holiday, particularly through the experiences I had access to at Miraval Resort, are definitely worth sharing with other entrepreneurs who are continually looking for inspiration and new business ideas for themselves and their company.

3 Key Lessons for Business Creativity & Inspiration

Lesson #1: Try New Things! (My Desert Tightrope Experience)

To be creative, you must first be willing to try new things you have never done before. It may look uncomfortable and scary, but you have to get outside your comfort zone and try them, or you’ll never know if you just missed out on an incredible breakthrough for your business. Even if you discover that you don’t like what you tried, at least you’ll know, and you won’t look back and wonder.

What better way to kick off my first day at Miraval Resort than with a Desert Tightrope walk 35-feet above ground, with nothing more than a series of hanging ropes to help maintain balance as you traverse a cable in the air?

Just climbing the pole to the tight rope was intimidating enough, let alone walking across the cable. However, while the experience was frightening, I still pushed myself through it and made my way across the cable, accomplishing my goal to get to the other side.

It felt extremely rewarding and exhilarating… and inspired me to try many new, first time experiences, which I continued to do throughout my stay at Miraval.

Lesson #2:   Don’t Focus on the Bumps along your Path.  Keep your Focus on Your Goal Ahead!  (My Mountain Biking Lesson)

In business, we all come across challenges and bumpy roads. How do you find yourself dealing with those issues? What do they do to you and your business?

I had never gone mountain biking before. But I quickly learned if you can’t maneuver the bike through the bumpy, winding paths safely, you may literally find yourself flying off the bike and into a canyon of cacti at the bottom of the mountain. I’m not exaggerating!

Now I’ll admit, I hit a few big bumps and fell off the bike a couple times, gaining a few bruises along the way and almost landing in a cactus once. Luckily, I got through the experience relatively unscathed, thanks to the instructions and guidance of my coaches telling me, “Never look down at the bumpy rocks below you. Look ahead and just cruise past them, keeping your eyes in the direction you’re heading.”

This method really worked! Any time I focused on the bumps below me, the ride felt bumpier, and I’d get off track.  Ultimately, it was those times that I fell off my bike. However, when I focused on the path beyond the bumps, I would cruise through the rocks a lot more confidently and smoothly. It actually made those bumps feel more fun.

Can you relate that to the way you deal with challenging circumstances in your business?

Lesson #3:  Let Go and Enjoy!  (My Swing and a Prayer Experience)

As business owners and entrepreneurs, we tend to be very tied to every detail of our business. This is especially true for me in running a digital marketing agency, and wanting every last detail to be perfect for our clients. I still demand that attention to detail and perfection – so what did this experience teach me?

The Swing and a Prayer Experience is about facing your doubt and fear, as you swing from a cable 35-feet above the desert ground. Letting go of the rope to suspend yourself on the swing in mid-air was the hardest part. But once you let go, you can finally enjoy the experience of swinging in the air and taking in the incredible view that surrounds you. It’s quite liberating and exciting:

In business, we demand a lot of ourselves and our team.  The key is in building a strong foundation, so that as business owners, we can let go knowing that all the correct pieces are put in place. You can step back and really appreciate the beauty of your team, and the work they do to get incredible results for your business.

As an agency, this all goes back to the creative juices that generally come from trying new things for the first time, that help us create those aha marketing pieces. We need to have systems in place so that our creative team can work cohesively and get through any bumpy challenging obstacles in the road.

Ultimately, we should be able to sit back and look at the results of our work, and truly appreciate the creativity and brilliance that’s achieving new heights of success for our clients.

If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency that’s inspired to explore new business ideas, while keeping our eyes focused on your goals, we’re motivated to take your business to new heights.

Contact us for a free analytics assessment, and gain a better understanding of what’s working for you, and where there’s opportunity to grow.