Sure, you’ve got to know the specialized stuff in your field, but if you view yourself as an explorer rather than a highly-specialized cog in the machine, you’ll run circles around the technical master in the success department. I know that God has blessed me with creative ideas these steps are great ways for me to tap into new uncharted mind ideas! Pick up a copy today. The best thing we do is learn from our mistakes, but we have to free ourselves to make mistakes in the first place. Stop that. Psychol Bull. You might just find yourself discovering a crazy idea that’s so insanely practical that no one’s thought of it before. Not only is real life ambiguous, it’s often illogical to the point of madness. Don’t allow the editor into the same room with your inner artist. It is the fear of sounding dumb or looking foolish. Trying to Find the “Right” Answer His newest products are the Creative Whack Pack for the iPhone, and the X-Ball. People love to celebrate rebels like Richard Branson, but few seem brave enough to emulate him. Napoleon Hill. Don’t allow the editor into the same room with your inner artist. Just like Neo needed to understand that “there is no spoon” in the film The Matrix, you need to realize “there is no box” to step outside of. It's an inventive thought process which results in surprising conclusions and new ways of doing things. By saying “I can’t”, you’re creating one of the hardest mental blocks to overcome: powerlessness. We’re all limitlessly creative, but only to the extent that we realize that we create our own limits with the way we think. Whether you’re trying to solve a tough problem, start a business, get attention for that business or write an interesting article, creative thinking is crucial. 1. Just try out your ideas and see what happens, take what you learn, and try something else. It’s an innate characteristic of human psychology to desire certainty, but it’s the creative thinker who rejects the false comfort of clarity when it’s not really appropriate. Jun 27, 2017 - The-ten-mental-locks-that-can-stifle-creative-thinking. Your goal is going to take a lot of work, but if everyone else can do it, so can you. Not only is real life ambiguous, it’s often illogical to the point of madness. One of the reasons why metaphors work so well in communications is that we accept them as true without thinking about it. The process: change your perspective and see things differently than you currently do. The emotional barrier. 6. When we gather at the Creative Problem Solving Institute this June, Springboard leaders will use the FourSight assessment to help participants understand their own style of Creative Problem Solving. Many of the following mental blocks can be turned around to reveal ways to find more than one answer to any given problem. Saved by Vicente Comba. The difference is, enough people agree that certain man-made concepts are “real,” so you’re viewed as “normal.” This is good for society overall, but it’s that sort of unquestioning consensus that inhibits your natural creative abilities. Most of what keeps us civilized boils down to conformity, consistency, shared values, and yes, thinking about things the same way everyone else does. The process boils down to changing your perspective and seeing things differently than you currently do. Prejudice . We rationally realize that most every situation is ambiguous to some degree. The fact that most people are uncomfortable exploring uncertainty gives you an advantage, as long as you can embrace ambiguity rather than run from it. One of the reasons why metaphors work so well in communications is that we accept them as true without thinking about it. Saved from billionairesbrain.com. Examples of Creative Thinking Skills . Give yourself a theme (this works for … They can of course be a challenge or an opportunity or a situation. Byron K, Khazanchi S. Rewards and creative performance: a meta-analytic test of theoretically derived hypotheses. 10. Here are some of the most common cultural blocks: 1- only clever , successful or artistic people can be creative Mental Blocks for Creative Thinking October 21, 2009. You’re already enlightened, just like you’re already creative, but you have to strip away all of your delusions before you can see it. Acknowledge that you’re inherently creative, and then start tearing down the other barriers you’ve allowed to be created in your mind. 8 Blocks to creative thinking These are the main eight stumbling blocks that keep us from getting in touch with our innate creativity. You’re already capable of creative thinking at all times, but you have to strip away the imaginary mental blocks (or boxes) you’ve picked up along the way to wherever you are today. However, even if a mental block may hit and reduces creative thinking, There are still ways to overcome the hurdle. … Post was not sent - check your email addresses! There is a reason they say that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. These preconceptions often prevent us from seeing beyond what we already know or believe to be possible. Try not to evaluate the actual feasibility of an approach until you’ve allowed it to exist on its own for a bit. You can't criticize the results. You might just find yourself discovering a crazy idea that’s so insanely practical that no one’s thought of it before. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Logical Thinking. You’re already enlightened, just like you’re already creative, but you have to strip away all of your delusions before you can see it. You’ll often find the benefits of being wrong greatly outweigh the ramifications. In that sense, awakening your own creativity is similar to the path reported by those who seek spiritual enlightenment. About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Prejudice. Try reframing the issue in several different ways in order to prompt different answers, and embrace answering inherently ambiguous questions in several different ways. While … He is the author of three creative thinking classics: A Whack on the Side of the Head, A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, and Expect the Unexpected. Write. Not only is real life ambiguous, it’s often illogical to the point of madness. Edison’s greatest strength was that he was not afraid to be wrong. Get bored. So, rather than looking for ways to inspire creativity, you should just realize the truth. It helps one to make themselves more creative. Creative thinking is necessary in many cases. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 8. Exercise forces … Do not be telling yourself that you are not creative. Top 10 Cleansing Foods for a Natural Detox. We’re all limitlessly creative, but only to the extent that we realize that we create our own limits with the way we think. Quotes. Some blocks occur in our environment. You’ll often find the benefits of being wrong greatly outweigh the ramifications. There’s nothing wrong with that necessarily, but if you can mentally accept that it’s actually nothing more than groupthink that helps a society function, you can then give yourself permission to turn everything that’s accepted upside down and shake out the illusions. Youre already capable of creative thinking at all times, but you have to strip away the imaginary mental blocks (or boxes) that youve picked up along the way to wherever you are today. At some point, you hit a creative mental block that leaves you caught in a cycle of frustration and desperation that simply compounds the problem. Creative thinking is a skill which lets you consider things from a fresh perspective and different angles. Try reframing the issue in several different ways in order to prompt different answers, and embrace answering inherently ambiguous questions in several different ways. These days, the people who can come up with great ideas and solutions are the most economically rewarded, while worker bees are often employed for the benefit of the creative thinkers. Stop that. You’ve heard the expression “work hard and play hard.” All you have to realize is that they’re the same thing to a creative thinker. It’s an innate characteristic of human psychology to desire certainty, but it’s the creative thinker who rejects the false comfort of clarity when it’s not really appropriate. Move more. We hate being wrong, and yet mistakes often teach us the most. You're capable of creative thinking at all times, but you have to strip away the imaginary mental blocks (or boxes) that you have picked up along the way to wherever you are today. In an era of hyper-specialization, it’s those who happily explore completely unrelated areas of life and knowledge who best see that everything is related. We all go through mental blocks from time to time, and when they happen, it can get frustrating. Most of the time this is not a bad thing, but when we want to be creative it can be subtly obstructive, even when we are working alone. Acknowledge that you’re inherently creative, and then start tearing down the other barriers you’ve allowed to be created in your mind. Please wait a few minutes and refresh this page. Logical Thinking ( Log Out /  5. When you realize that “truth” is often symbolic, you’ll often find that you are actually free to come up with alternatives. I’m Not Creative For example, dress codes and tidy offices at work are all subtle signals that remind us that we must conform, even in our thinking. Helpful tips on removing mental blocks to creativity Anyone can be creative, but first, mental blocks need to be removed, and there are different types of mental blocks such as fear and too much freedom. 9. 2. Give yourself permission to be a fool and see things for what they really are. You create your own imaginary boxes simply by living life and accepting certain things as “real” when they are just as illusory as the beliefs of a paranoid delusional. Being a “Serious” Person Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. This post was inspired by Roger von Oech’s A Whack on the Side of the Head, which is a wonderful primer for getting around mental blocks. Do You Recognize These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking? Sure, you’ve got to know the specialized stuff in your field, but if you view yourself as an explorer rather than a highly-specialized cog in the machine, you’ll run circles around the technical master in the success department. This article was taken from http://pm440.pbworks.com/w/page/30701307/Exercises%3A%20Ideation%20Tools%20and%20Techniques. The best thing we do is learn from our mistakes, but we have to free ourselves to make mistakes in the first place. These days, the people who can come up with great ideas and solutions are the most economically rewarded, while worker bees are often employed for the benefit of the creative thinkers. ( Log Out /  One of the worst aspects of formal education is the focus on the correct answer to a particular question or problem. Do You Recognize These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking? We hate being wrong, and yet mistakes often teach us the most. Beware of these 8 creativity blocks. If you tell yourself you’re not creative, it becomes true. And although dividing complex situations into black and white boxes can lead to disaster, we still do it. In that sense, awakening your own creativity is similar to the path reported by those who seek spiritual enlightenment. Creative thinking can be aided by brainstorming or lateral thinking to generate ideas. This goes back to what ad man Carl Ally said about creative persons—they want to be know-it-alls. This is easier said than done, since people will often defend the rules they follow even in the face of evidence that the rule doesn’t work. Change ). What happened when I swapped my children’s toys for beads and cardboard? Quit worshipping rule breakers and start breaking some rules. Draw blindly for half a minute. There’s often more than one “correct” answer, and the second one you come up with might be better than the first. Explore. ( Log Out /  Not only is real life ambiguous, it’s often illogical to the point of madness. There’s often more than one “correct” answer, and the second one you come up with might be better than the first. Denying your own creativity is like denying you’re a human being. The fact that most people are uncomfortable exploring uncertainty gives you an advantage, as long as you can embrace ambiguity rather than run from it. While this approach helps us function in society, it hurts creative thinking because real-life issues are ambiguous. I suggest you keep this list of 10 common ways we suppress our natural creative abilities nearby when you get stuck. And although dividing complex situations into black and white boxes can lead to disaster, we still do it. Sometimes these cultural blocks are so much a part of our upbringing that we’re practically blind to them. One of the best ways to escape the constraints of your own logical mind is to think metaphorically. While critical thinking skills based on logic are one of our main strengths in evaluating the feasibility of a creative idea, it’s often the enemy of truly innovative thoughts in the first place. You’re tearing away the often arbitrary rules that others have set for you, and asking either “why” or “why not” whenever confronted with the way “everyone” does things. Give yourself permission to be a fool and see things for what they really are. About Meditative Breath: It is also known as 4:7:8 Breathing. The persona of the fool allowed the truth to be told, without the usual ramifications that might come with speaking blasphemy or challenging ingrained social conventions. Cultural blocks are created by attitudes in society and among our peers which have the effect of inhibiting creative thinking. Leaders from Egyptian pharaohs to Chinese emperors and European royalty have consulted with fools, or court jesters, when faced with tough problems. I like to keep this list of 10 common ways we suppress our natural creative abilities nearby when I get stuck. The written word is a powerful tool, and one of the many ways to overcome creative blocks. 7. One of the best ways to escape the constraints of your own logical mind is to think metaphorically. 2014;40(4):1142-52. doi:10.1037/a0036577. Many of the following mental blocks can be turned around to reveal ways to find more than one answer to any given problem. 2. Oppezzo M, Schwartz D. Give your ideas some legs: the positive effect of walking on creative thinking. As Children’s Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity. People like to call this “thinking outside of the box,” which is the wrong way to look at it. The older we get, the more preconceived ideas we have about things. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Creativity can be intense. You’re tearing away the often arbitrary rules that others have set for you, and asking either “why” or “why not” whenever confronted with the way “everyone” does things. Trying to Find the “Right” Answer Keeping a journal, blogging consistently, or even doing creative writing can help remove a creative barrier.. Spend time asking “what if” as often as possible, and simply allow your imagination to go where it wants. The persona of the fool allowed the truth to be told, without the usual ramifications that might come with speaking blasphemy or challenging ingrained social conventions. They inhibit us from accepting change and progress. Thomas Edison was wrong 1,800 times before getting the light bulb right. Being Practical The process boils down to changing your perspective and seeing things differently than you currently do. 2012;138(4):809-830. doi:10.1037/a0027652 The third major obstacle to creative thinking is the fear of criticism, or the fear of ridicule, scorn or rejection. 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