We often outlive the rules we create. So why hold onto them?
Change is a basic factor of the universe, but we fight it and we like to preserve the status quo.
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. – George Bernard Shaw
If we spend more time in the present moment we can see change actually working. Things are never quite the same from one moment to the next are they when you stand still allowing time to flow around you. So, one of the best things we can do to be at our most optimal creative thinking capacity is to question ALL the rules.
Most people will tell themselves, “As a rule, if operation ‘X’ is done a certain way, it will get these results.” Here, ‘X’ can be a marketing strategy, an exercise training program, an engineering process, a sales focus, or a way to change the oil in a car.
The creative thinker will play with “X” and look for results outside the usual rules and guidelines. What worked last year is probably valid this year, but you won’t know for sure unless you challenge it.
Keep in context that every right idea is eventually the wrong idea. What worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. Innovating is not only about generating brand new ideas, but escaping from obsolete ones.
A great educator Rudolph Flesch puts it this way:
Creative thinking may simply mean the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they’ve always been done.
If you don’t take the time to ask “why this?” frequently and often, somebody will come along to ask “why you?”
Some questions you can challenge yourself with going into our weekend. What rule, way of thinking, or policy has been successful for you in the past but may be limiting you now? Write it down. Now, what sacred cow can you slay in your issue? Unshackle yourself and be the most creative potential you can be!
Have a great rest of the week.
Shawn
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