Children's day was just two days ago and I got some ideas from it. Today on the blog, Children would be teaching you some creative thinking hacks that can make your world awesome.
Even though you use 100% of your brain's grey matter and not 10%, it is still very much true that the way your brain functions is far away from it's natural potential. The good part is that there are various ways you can make use of your brain to produce creative results in whatever you do.
Everyone might have the capacity to reason, reflect and reach conclusions based on experience and knowledge but the results individual produces differs.
"It's astonishing that until very recently,creative thinking was regarded in industrialised countries as a second class skill for several centuries, people were employed first for the manual labour, secondly, for their machines operating skill and lastly, and only of called upon, for their thinking ability." - Eric Garner [Thinking skills (Bookboon.com)]
From the words above, we can deduce that today, it's different. Companies and economies now realise the need for brains.
During job interviews, problem solving skills, critical and analytical thinking skills are now being tested. These shows that there has been a great shift from physical to mental abilities.
I read somewhere that Henry Ford had an employee whose job was just to think for his company.
Some people's creative thinking has brought about remarkable inventions, innovations and solutions to the world. They are creative thinkers.
They are everywhere. You can find them in the technology industry, banking industry, oil and gas sector, entertainment industry and even art industry. I am sure you had a name that came to mind from each of these industries.
Today, I want you to learn how to engage your creative thinking or improve on your creative thinking by Learning from children.
#1: Let your mind wander
I don't know what category of people whose mind's wander better than children (except for ADHD patients).They somewhat lack the capacity to train their thoughts. I guess, that's why teaching kids new concepts is not so easy.
I read an article on Telegraph.co.u about a research that suggests that children whose mind wander might have sharper brains.
Thought patterns is associated with experience, knowledge, and insight you already possess. Allowing your mind wander makes it randomly pick up signals.
Based on personal experience within college, I have found myself solving some physics problems by ignoring logical thinking and allowing my mind wander about.
The difference between when you allow your mind wander about and that of a child is the superior control you possess.
I don't know much neuroscience but I have had some good experiences about mind wandering. I have gotten so many blog post ideas during few minutes of not consciously thinking about anything.
Honestly, I spend few minutes daily to defy normal thinking process and just let my mind wander on so many things.
You know those times you are just taking a shower or even brushing your teeth and you are not really thinking about anything. Those are your mind wandering moments.
Albert Einstein once asked why he always get amazing ideas while shaving.
Mind wandering is like leaving your brain on autopilot. It might not really be bad after all if done once in a while.
#2: Let your mind wonder (Be curious)
Kids ask a lot of questions. They can be awesome and sometimes annoying especially when they ask the questions at the wrong time.I believe God wired them to be inquisitive at that age so that they can catch up with the information in their environment.
When I was a kid, I asked questions like "Why do we yawn? Why do we have to sleep? How do pop corn pop?"
"If necessity is the mother of invention, then curiosity is the father"- Rupal BhaduI quite agree with the writer above. Curiosity fuels necessity. Many inventions were a product of curiosity.
Speak of Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilee, Archimedes, Isaac Newton and so on. They began their journey to discovery by being curios. They didn't leave any event to chance. They questioned every event they experienced.
When you ask more questions, it can boost your creative thinking. There are so many things around you that you have no idea bow they work. Why not question them. You might just be on the road to another discovery.
Most times, adults tend to condition their thoughts in one direction based on educational background or skills.
You just need to allow yourself wonder about things in other to recapture your childhood curiosity.
#3: Think Silly
Children could be very silly with thoughts. I once imagined myself riding on a dragon to school in primary school.Whenever you think silly, don't be quick to discard. Few months back, I would always propound silly theories of what might happen if all humans and animals fart at the same time neglecting time zones.
All these silly questions and thoughts has personally helped me solve problems faster. I recently took a test which I didn't know was GMAT and my average score was 75%.
I recently read about people using tea bags for artwork. It is amazing. See this amazing art work by Red Hong Yi.
What about this hug me pillow?
You need to think out of the norm sometimes. When you think silly, it can make your mind more relaxed because in the process you can laugh. When you use your mind to play around unusual concepts, it can spark up innovations.
The selfie stick is a silly but amazing invention
What About this portable radio in a straw hat?
Don't just get serious with everything. Feel free to go silly.
#4: Distort your reality
It's limiting to monopolise your thoughts. Things are not always what they seem to be. Don't maintain a single story. There are diverse ways to approach an issue.One way to gather creative thinking aura is to see things in ways that nobody has seen before.
For example, the reality is that a kid can't be a President of a country but thinking beyond reality beget "kid President". He has a lot of subscribers on youtube. Check him out.
Albert Einstein imagined how his theory of relativity could work by lying on a grassy hillside and picturing himself riding on a sunbeam into the universe.
Steven Spielberg, director of "Close encounters of a third kind", a science fiction film, imagined the spaceship he used in the film by standing upside down on his bonnet and looking at the night lights of Los Angeles.
#5: Believe Anything
This is not about accepting all ideas that come your way hook line and sinker. It's about living in the world of possibilities.Children from about age 2 easily believe what they have been told. Kids rarely doubt their parents.
They believe tooth fairies are Santa Claus are real. Kids believe super heroes are real. They don't see any reason why it shouldn't.
One way to stay creative is to never think impossibilities.
Google glass, Air planes, Facebook, smartphone technology and the likes were once impossibilities.
The world impossibility is relative. The only thing that is impossible is what you have defined for yourself.
Conclusion
The mind is the most powerful and dynamic tool you possess. You can harness great amount of strength from it to make the world around you a better place if you can just focus to develop it. You should try out one the hacks I shared.
Your turn
What is your perspective towards these creative thinking hacks I shared. How do you engage in creative thinking? Please, use the comment form below.
