"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" Albert Einstein.

Have you read a business magazine lately, like Inc. or Forbes? Have you noticed how the typical new gazillionaires are all about 10 years old!?!?!?!?!? Seriously.

The thing is, these kids are not locked into obsolete ways of working and imagining. They lack the conviction that the path to financial security is getting a job for heaven's sake. They're too young to know any better than to try things that you and I know for sure are not going to work.

If you're committed to excellence, I think living in confusion is an integral part of leadership. Leaders are the ones who feel confused and move forward anyway. If your work is fairly predictable by now, it's probably time for a change. 

What happens when you move forward without a clear blueprint?

Sometimes it works out really well the first time. Mostly, you get valuable input that is not what you wanted. Most of the time, we talk ourselves out of taking that leap of faith to move forward.

Today is a great day to shake things up a bit. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. Take your upcoming talk and cut it in half.

Seriously. Edit out half of what you say and see what happens. Put the rest of the information on paper and give it to them. Take the remaining time you have and ask your audience questions. Get them to talk to you.

2. Take some small action on that crazy project you have in mind. The one that just won't go away. (But don't tell anyone about it, just take action quietly.)

3. Do something TOTALLY out of character for you. (Notice I didn't say do something illegal.) If you're usually quiet, be Chatty Kathy for a day, or even an hour. If you never read, chain yourself to a place and read for an hour. Dress up or dress down, just try on part of a new persona and see how it feels.

4. Talk to someone who has NO experience in your industry about one of your work issues. Get input from an artist, a restaurant owner, a teacher, anyone who knows nothing about what you do. This will work especially well if you pay them to consult you.

   Remember problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness at which they were created. You are the status quo – get help and get out!

5. Pretend that everything that happens to you today is exactly what you wanted: the traffic jam, the client who cancels, the delay....everything. Just pretend. Just for today. See what happens.

If you're like me and you want to live on the cutting edge of things in your industry, you have to constantly step out of that comfort zone. You know that. What do you do to stay razor sharp?