Most of us live in bubbles. We don't mean to do it, but it happens. We accrue a circle of friends who work in the same industry, come from similar walks of life, carry the same values, and believe the same things. It isn't a selective process so much as it is inertia, our social lives take the path of least resistance. On top of that, humans are naturally lazy creatures, inclined to settling into ruts. So outside of our friends, we tend to settle into the established routines, adopt habits, and close ourselves off to new experiences.

But, the problem with bubbles is that they create blind spots. The more you live in them, the less of the wider world you see and the less you understand other people and problems. Living in a bubble doesn't just make you dull at parties, it makes you worse at your job. 

I'm tempted to qualify this by saying something like "those of us in creative fields like design” but the truth is this effects everyone. Whether you work for a graphics design agent at a marketing firm or as a sandwich artist at Subway, everyone can benefit from having a broader view of society. The more you understand different points of view, the easier it is to anticipate needs and apply empathy, the two fundamentals that are core to customer service. 

Communicating ideas should be the ultimate goal of every business. You need to explain to customers why your service is superior to your competitors in a way that will motivate a sale. You need to receive feedback from clients and customers, process it effectively and improve on your business. You need to build loyalty and rapport with clients and customers - give them a reason to stick with you, forgive the occasional mistake, and get excited when you do something new. 

But if you only speak the language of your own little niche of friends how are you going to do that? If you're only open to concerns that effect people that remind you of you, how are you going to process feedback from customers and clients who don't fit that mold? 

If you want to succeed in business, you need to get out of your comfort zone and burst those bubbles. Make friends outside of your industry, try to network with people from different fields with different points of view. When possible, try to dice up your internal teams, bring on people from different walks of life and with different education and training. Having a fresh point of view on a project can have surprising results and offer unique insights that you're just not going to get with a team of guys who all think the same, work the same, and dress the same sitting around looking at the problem.

While you're at it, try pursuing some different interests, both professionally and personally. 

The traditional model of success says to focus, to tunnel down and get really good at one thing. There is wisdom in this idea, as the oft cited Malcom Gladwell says, it takes at least 10,000 hours of experience to become an expert at something. So you better be ready to pile on the hours.

However, it's also worth coming up for air from time-to-time. Work can become just as much a bubble as our social lives if we're not careful. You know how when all you have is a hammer every problem starts to look like a nail? Well, when you've spent the last six years buried in engineering, every problem looks something engineering should solve (even when it could be a design issue, or a communication issue, or a marketing issue). We get in our ruts and unconsciously start closing ourselves off to other viewpoints. 

Branch out a little. You don't have to change careers or become an overnight expert, but it pays to look at other fields and understand their place in the business ecosphere. If you never do it on the job, try your hand at a little coding, it will help you understand design and engineering issues better. If you never have to present pitches or interact with customers, try writing some instructional materials or blogs. You might be surprised how opaque some of the things you take for granted are when trying to explain them to lay-persons.

Not only will getting out of your comfort zone make you appreciate other aspects of your industry more, it will open you up to new ideas. The brain needs fuel to churn, new stimuli to motivate it. You can't make a meal when you only have one ingredient.

This is the part where I specifically dump on creative fields, because writers, artists, and designers are terrible about falling into this trap. The romanticized image of the lonely, isolated auteur, spinning masterpieces out of stardust from the discomfort of their pathetically unfurnished one-room apartment has destroyed more creative's lives than cheap scotch and rejection letters combined. 

The brain is a wonderful machine that takes in data, images, and emotion (otherwise know as life) and spits out imagination. But with nothing new coming in, how can you expect anything new or original to come out the other side? Even if you're not studying other fields, you need to get out there and give the mind something to snack on. Go take a walk, talk to someone you've never met before, take up a new hobby, anything but stare at the same four walls and desk again for another day. Even Edgar Allen Poe, the most anguished and tormented writer you can imagine, had a dating life (granted, it was with his cousin).

Burst your bubbles. It will make you a more interesting person, a better communicator, and ultimately, better at your job.