I sit in my office, surrounded by papers and to-do lists. I struggle to determine which work project to tackle next. Through the window, cracked beside me to let in a breeze, I hear the two young boys who live next to us, playing swords as they chase each other around the backyard, up the ladder to the top platform of their playground and down the slide. “Follow me, commander!” one of the boys shouts. “We must hurry!” I peek out the window in time to see one of them swinging a plastic num-chuck around his head like a propeller. “The ship is leaving!” he shouts as the imaginary vehicle becomes airborne.

I turn back to my papers and to-do lists. When did work become work? When did life become so routine and common? When did being creative become thinking outside of the box instead of bursting from within?

Children are born with an unprecedented amount of creativity. Imagination is a land of unending possibilities. They build entire populations living in incredible places doing unbelievable things. That’s the magic of creativity—we can make anything happen. With the advent of video games and their predefined stories, and the fear of children spending time outside amusing themselves with whatever the earth might provide, creativity is contained and imagination is quashed. Once children enter school, required tests conform kids’ ways of thinking to filling in bubbles when their understanding of a subject might be better expressed through speech, art, music, writing or some other form. By the time we reach corporate America, we are so entrenched in mainstream thinking that we forget how to be individuals.

I recently finished an inspiring (though slightly predictable) book called The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All, which tells the story of Frank, a sports agent who is caught in a slump until he stumbles upon the magic and innovation of Cirque du Soleil, a modern-age circus with a unique and distinct flavor that seeps into every aspect of its company. The book isn’t about the plot, but rather the message, which uses the backdrop of Cirque du Soleil as its vehicle.

I have an innate interest in Cirque du Soleil, which is why I was drawn to the book initially, but it was the message that has stayed with me. Among the nuggets of wisdom I picked up:

• Walking through an unmarked door can lead to amazing journeys.
• Passion is the key to everything we do.
• Dare to think in new ways.
• Take risks.
• Immerse yourself in all aspects of what you do, and don’t shy away from new, different or challenging parts of your job or task.
• Look through someone else’s eyes to see how happy you really are.
• Don’t make compromises to reach your goals.
• Consider how you define success.
• It’s okay to make mistakes.
• Reinvent yourself.
• Live life with all your senses.
• You will encounter roadblocks. Learn from your experiences and go with the flow.
• Leave your comfort zone.
• Create a community that supports you.
• Be flexible.
• Learn to trust.
• Once you’ve found your passion, give back so others can follow their passion.

This laundry list of suggestions seems straightforward and obvious, but it can be hard to get out of the never-ending wash cycle that forces us to stay in the same routine day in and day out. An overwhelming schedule, mundane but necessary tasks and an agenda pre-determined by “life” get in our way to live outside the over-clichéd box.

I am convinced we need to break the lid off of that box. We are so engrained in doing things the way we’ve always done them that, not only do we blindly go about the way we always have, but we don’t even consider new and different approaches to the ordinary. And we’re content with the way things are, even if we aren’t happy and challenged with life. We placate our unmet desires and potential by convincing ourselves that it’s good enough to have what we have and do what we do. So we’re content and maybe even happy, but are we excited? Are we passionate? Do we wake up every morning thrilled by what our imaginations might invent and our ambitions might compel us to do? Shouldn’t we watch our dreams grow and flourish instead of letting them remain dreams?

Creativity suggests that there are no boundaries and that we don’t have to be restricted by the constraints society places on us and that we place on ourselves. Every day is a new day, and we can take the opportunity to dream, create and play in a way we never have before. Every day is a new day, but if we don’t break free of the reins that contain us, think about things in an entirely new and astronomically different way, be open to the unknown, take risks, live passionately and completely, and take advantage of this opportunity today or tomorrow or the day after that … then work will remain work, innovation will remain a distant dream and the fire that burns inside us will smolder instead of burn.