How to Have 100 New Ideas Tonight
By Steve Gillman
Introductory comments by Royane Real
Author of “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”
Do you wish you could be more creative than you are? Most people are able to boost their creativity with practice and a bit of knowledge. However, it’s also important to know that simply having more creative ideas is just the beginning of the process of becoming a more creative person.
If you haven’t thought of yourself as a particularly creative person until now, you can still learn to become more creative. People who are less creative tend to filter out new ideas that pop into their minds very quickly, before they are even aware of them. Later, they don’t remember any of the innovative ideas they had, because those ideas were discarded almost instantly.
People who are more creative, don’t filter out their ideas. Creative people welcome their new ideas, no matter how unorthodox, and they enjoy exploring these new innovative ideas.
Just thinking up new ideas is not the be-all and end-all of creativity. Obviously, not every idea has merit just because it is new and different. You will still have to sort through which ideas are useful and which ones have to be put on the shelf for now.
The next step of actually implementing the new and creative ideas is another matter all together.
Some creative people are very, very good at thinking up hundreds of ideas, but they aren’t so good at sorting out which ideas are good and which creative ideas are not very useful. Some creative people are only good at dreaming up new ideas and they have never developed the discipline to carry out their plans. They may have creativity, but they lack perseverance and drive.
The following article by Steve Gillman will give you some ideas about how you can make increased creativity a habit. Why not try his suggestions and improve your ability to come up with new creative thoughts?
(The above introductory comments were written by Royane Real. Learn more ways to boost your brain power in my popular ebook : "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” Download it at http://www.lulu.com/real )
Feature article:
How to Have 100 New Ideas Tonight
By Steve Gillman
Invent new ideas, exercise your brainpower, and have fun while you're at it! There are many problem-solving techniques and idea-generating techniques you can use. One of the easiest, however, is to simply find new applications for existing ideas, products, services and systems.
This technique can be used to come up with new ideas in any area of life. Take an existing product, like a raincoat, for example.
It takes just a minute or two to come up with new applications. How about a line of raincoats for dogs and cats? Raincoats for cattle? Maybe they lose valuable weight burning calories to stay warm during cold rains.
Evaluating the new ideas you come up with is another process. It is best left for later, if you don't want to stifle your creativity. You only need one or two good ideas to make the effort worthwhile, and having a hundred ideas to choose from makes finding a few good ones more likely.
I saw an ad for a company that uses a dog to find mold in your house. Dogs can sniff out almost anything, and it reminded me of the news story from a while back, about a dog that could detect if you had cancer.
My next thought was, "I wonder what else they could be used to find?" One idea that came to mind was to use dogs to find people's lost pets. They track lost criminals so well, so why not a service to find lost pets? A sniff of the lost cat’s favorite rug, and the dog is on the trail.
New Ideas Beyond Inventions and Business
It's easy to concentrate on the invention and business applications. Perhaps these are the easiest areas to come up with new ideas in. However, that doesn't mean this technique won't work well in other areas.
Recently I applied Darwin 's theory of natural selection to my clothing selection. No more sorting laundry! The clothes that don't survive the wash process are tossed and the ones that do are replicated when I buy new clothes. The ones that still fit survive. Survival of the fittest!
I once read about children who were tested for their ability to delay gratification. They were put into a playroom and at some point offered candy, but told they could have one piece now, or wait fifteen minutes and get two pieces. Some waited, and some didn't. The children who could consistently delay gratification were tracked over the years. They were found to be more successful and happier.
What are some new applications for this idea? Hmm... Test all kids and sell a list of the impulsive ones to big companies who can sell stuff to them all their lives. More seriously, what if more tests like this were done, in order to put together a list of "happiness factors?" Perhaps it would lead to a more systemic and scientific way to raise happy kids.
Do you want some exercises to test this technique on? Think of a new use for paper. Find a new application for the idea of selling by phone. Think of several new uses for socks. Imagine how the idea of positive thinking could be applied to making animals happier.
Try this technique, and you'll see how easy it can be to come up with new ideas.
Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower and related topics for years. For more on How To Increase Brain Power, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com
Article source: http://www.999articles.com
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