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138 Power Up Your Mind

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