I’ve always been inspired by Pee Wee Herman’s famous quote, “Connect the dots, la la la la.” Connect the Dots.

I think of it as a reminder to stay inspired. Too often I find myself going back to the same sources for the same kind of news, it feels stale, and I start to get bored. This should never happen. With so much new that is created every day, we’ve gotta keep fresh eyes and a fresh perspective. Keep looking in new places so that we can stay surprised.

For the last six months, I’ve been working from home (as I am currently the lone gunman in the Texas office). Since I’m not working from an actual office I’ve learned to adapt and work really well anywhere: living rooms, hotels, offices, planes, coffee shops… anywhere.

Because I’ve removed the structure of an office, I’ve kind of redefined the way I approach when and where I work. Being able to work anywhere means that you can work at any time. In a job where you can’t just turn your brain on and off, it is nice to have a setup that captures inspiration when it happens rather than an office with set working hours.

This isn’t to say I’m not working during working hours, rather it means that I’ve honed a new ability to jump into ‘work mode’ at a moments notice, from anywhere, which is actually a pretty cool thing. Because I’ve developed a system for making random events actionable, I find myself more alert, and seeking out inspiration.

In the past couple of weeks I’ve found myself motivated to get out and intentionally experience new and different things. Last weekend it was wine tasting, food from the culinary institute, Technocraft at the YBCA, and the worlds largest leather and bondage festival at The Folsom Street Fair. This weekend it was a couple of new movies and Fried Frito Pie at the State Fair of Texas.

While these two weekends were completely different, every new experience is a new little dot that can be connected to something else. The more points of reference we collect, the clearer the picture we’re able to create. Each one can act alone, or combine to act as the spark for a new idea at some point. Check out this teaser for Steven Johnson’s book, Where Good Ideas Come From, here.

Perhaps we don’t need more structure to focus our ideas, but the freedom of framework to explore how far they can go? If our job is to connect the dots, and dots consist of ideas and experiences, maybe we need to get outside and live a little.

That’s the “la la la la” at the end of the quote. The reminder that this is supposed to be fun, and we’ve got to get out and see the world to make sense of it. Thanks Pee Wee.