We as children are born with the gift of creativity, freely expressing and exploring our new world around us. But as we grow older, we lose this ability. We become prejudiced as others place blocks, barriers in front of us, telling us what we should or shouldn’t be doing.
Then what goes dormant is our ability to think for ourselves, and as we mature, it becomes buried as life begins to interfere. Then what we do is begin to block our natural instincts, make errors in our judgement, restricting us to more roadblocks than necessary.
The key when it comes to developing a fulfilling life is to regain back, reactivate this dormant creativity that’s within us. What we know, have been told, or believe is that this creativity no longer exists, so what we need to do is unblock these channels.
Never Make Assumptions
What we do is instinctively assume, which is usually the easy way out. What we fail to do is not gather all the facts, know all the information before we make a decision, this when we’re required to act.
So whenever you feel yourself wanting to make up your mind, never assume, collect all the facts, always make sure that you have all the pertinent data, wait until you know the entire situation.
Seeing Other Points Of View
What a truly open mind knows is that others, regardless of who they are or happen to be, can have valid points and opinions, and at times, may even be more valid than their own.
What you don’t have is a monopoly on how things are. Realize that things and events are never always what they appear to be. Always expect and analyze the viewpoints of others, and always make sure that you take them into consideration.
Avoid Emotional Thinking
What most by default will do is think emotionally, radically, think negatively one moment, while having positive thoughts the next. A good novel, movie, or influential speaker is capable of extracting this, drawing out our emotions of the situation.
We have polar mind swings whenever faced with certain events. What we tend to do is think instinctively, from good to bad, happy to sad, negatively to positively, at times in a split second.
This because what most will do is react to the elements, the circumstances which are in front of us, of what’s happening, and we do so without even thinking about it.
This is similar to how a yo-yo works, it’s up one moment and by force back down the next. It’s far better, and a lot more healthier to stay balanced, to view things objectively, be neutral as events unfold in front of you, and not allow your emotions to get in the way.
Always keep in mind that things as well as events are rarely as good or not as bad as they appear to be. So just keep an even keeled mind and judgement.
Never Become Lazy In Your Thinking
What we tend to do is default back to our habits, the good or the bad ones, which can be a stumbling block, this when it comes to developing our creative thinking, by choosing the path of least resistance.
For instance, write down the names MacDonald, MacPherson, and MacDougall. Ask someone to pronounce these names out. Then ask them to pronounce the word Machinery. What most will do is pronounce it incorrectly. This because we think habitually, become lazy, and we don’t like what doesn’t fit.
So never think that just because some things or events happens in a certain way, that it will continue to do so. Just because there’s a pattern formed, never assume that it’ll follow or happen again in the same way.
Dream Think Like A Child
What research shows is that the number of synapses or connections that a child makes is far more active than the average adult. The reason being that children are able to connect the dots easier since they’ve yet to form limiting world views as most adults have.
This is similar to a sculptor who begins with a large block of granite, more than what’s needed, and then what’s gradually chipped away is that chunk of granite until the sculpture is formed.
If we force ourselves to use our brain like a child would, be open and accepting everything without placing any judgment, then we can actually halt and then reverse the aging process.
What one should never worry about is the myth of age or chronologically counting how old we are. Once we develop the proper stimulus, the willingness, and the passion for learning new things, then what we can do is retrain how our brain thinks.
Always Think For Yourself
Radical or individual thinking is still frowned upon in most organizations, as they prefer production and discipline over creativity. Those who work in organizations which restricts creativity, loses the ability to think for themselves.
To become creative, never allow others to think or dictate how you should be thinking. This begins with our parents and our educators, they telling us how we should be behaving, thinking that it’s the best for our development, to keep us safe.
So the next time someone asks for your opinion, be as honest as possible, give it to them straight, and not tell then what they want to hear.
What you need to do is break away from your habitual thinking patterns, then it’ll become easier to come up with fresh new innovative ideas and creative solutions.