Improvisation as a Life Philosophy

Do you know the US Marines commercial where they talk about improvising? I think the slogan was something like “improvise, adapt, overcome”. I always liked this idea. I use to joke when I was a kid first learning to improvise in jazz band, about being like a Marine.

Truth is it’s a great concept to understand and apply to just about anything in life. Being able to improvise well in any situation is an invaluable skill set. Anyone who wishes to advance themselves, be it a technical skill or something more esoteric should consider the idea of improvisation deeply.

For me personally improvisation  is a constant practice. I exercise it while cooking, running my business, dealing with friends and family, surfing, hiking, traveling, of course playing music! We all do really when you think about it. We have to. If not, then adapting and overcoming adversity in life becomes very frustrating and difficult to deal with.

What are your ideas about improvising? Don’t be shy… Join the conversation in the comments below!