HOW A BELIEVER CAN USE........Creative Thinking to obtain wealth!

File

CREATIVE THINKING

In life, people are endowed differently.  God made some people big, others small, some are tall, others are short.  But when it comes to beauty, you will see the beauty in all sizes.  

Some people are, by nature, more creative. However, there are a variety of ways you can bolster your creative side. It is very important not to allow your creative talents or skills to waste because you don't know what to do.  In this message, the different ways to increase your creative thinking abilities will be explored, as well as how to market your creative ideas.

Recently, I have observed that creative Salooniss, now weave hair in advance, knit it very well for any woman to buy and use, and in different styles and different makes - Bob Marley, straight, curve and curl etc.  These are someone's idea, though the market has taken it over, it is an example of marketing someone's creative thinking idea.

Approaches to Creative Thinking:

There are basically two approaches to creative thinking.  

1. Creative thinking approach to solving an existing problem.

2. There is another approach to creating a new product or service.

Creating Thinking Approaches to Solving an existing problem

A. A person can approach creative thinking and desire to solve a problem from his professional training and learning. In this type, you are looking for a better way to solve a professional problem or a different way to solve a professional problem.  Here, you are moving from the known to better unknown

B. A person can decide to seek a solution to a problem that has troubled him, though it is not in the area of his profession or training. You start by understanding the problem as it usually occurs, dissecting every strand of that problem to understand it thoroughly, its roots and effect before embarking on solution approaches.

C. Then, you have the artists who depict society as they see it or paint the picture of the society they want to see in the future.  Indeed, everyone can undertake creative thinking.  This is why many think that creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learned. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improve teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits

Creative Thinking Approach to Creating a new product or service:

The person embarking on creative thinking will usually have to gain a thorough understanding of the problem and what people will accept as a solution to the problem.  The person will also have to know the features of the product of the close in that field and its shortcomings in addressing the present need before embarking on creative thinking processes that will eventually produce the solution.

The next level is that your meditation and research and information gathering must lead you to develop a mental product that addresses the need.  If you cannot see the picture of the new products with all the desired features working in the life of people and solving their problem, you have not reached the point to embark on Prototype development.

Once you can see the mental picture of the product, then you can embark on prototype development. Remember that some prototype has solved specific problems of an organization or people, but fall short of commercial viability. If your solution solves your organization's problem, but short of commercialization, don't worry.  It only requires further research and study.

The beauty of doing more or less is that the more you do of what you’re doing, the more you’ll get of what you’ve got.  Creative thinking requires that you continually dig deep into yourself and generate more, newer, better, faster, cheaper, different ideas that you can use to improve the important parts of your life.

Qualities of Creative Thinkers:

There are seven qualities of creative thinkers.  When you practice one or more of these qualities, you begin to prove to yourself that you are truly a genius, and you simultaneously disprove the negative hypothesis.

Ask Questions

The first quality is that creative thinkers are intensely curious.  They are always asking questions.  They ask questions like “Why?” very much like children do all the time. Then they ask, “Why not?”  “Why can’t we do it?”  “Even if it hasn’t been done before, can it be done now?”

Practice Zero-Based Thinking

The second quality of creative thinkers is that they practice “Zero-Based Thinking” all the time.  They continually ask themselves, “If I were not now doing what I am doing, knowing what I now know, would I start?”

And if the answer is no, they cut their losses, discontinue what they are doing and start doing something else.  It is absolutely amazing how many people persist in something that they wouldn’t even get into if they had to do it over again.  And they wonder why they are making so little progress.

Change Your  Mind

The third quality of creative thinkers is that they have a willingness to change. They recognize that in a world such as ours, the unwillingness or inability to change is fatal.  They prefer to be in charge of their lives rather than being caught up in the flash flood of change that is inevitable and unavoidable. The words of the truly flexible person, the person who is willing to change are simply, “I changed my mind.” According to researchers, fully 70% of the decisions you make turn out to be wrong in the long run.  This means that you must be willing to change your mind and try something else most of the time. Mental flexibility is the most important quality that you will need for success in the 21st century.

Admit When You Are Wrong

The fourth quality of highly creative thinkers is their willingness to admit when they are wrong.  Fully 80% of people burn up most of their mental and emotional energy defending against admitting that they made a wrong decision.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Truly intelligent, highly creative people are open-minded, fluid, flexible and willing to both change their minds and admit that they are wrong when their earlier decisions turn out to be incorrect.

Continue To Learn

The fifth quality is that highly creative people can say, “I don’t know.”  They recognize that it is impossible for anyone to know anything about everything, and it is very likely that almost everyone is wrong to some extent, no matter what they are doing.  So when someone asks them a particular question that they don’t know the answer to they admit it early and often.  They simply say, “I don’t know.”  And if necessary they go about finding the answer. Here’s an important point.  No matter what problems you have, there is someone somewhere who has had the same problem and who has already solved the problem and is using the solution today.  

Creative Thinkers Are Goal Oriented

The sixth quality of creative people is that they are intensely goal-focused.  They know exactly what they want.  They have it written down very clearly.  They visualize it on a regular basis.  They imagine what their goal would look like if it were a reality today.  And the more they visualize and imagine their goal as a reality, the more creative they become and the faster they move toward achieving it.

Eliminate Your Ego

The seventh quality of highly creative thinkers is that they have less ego involvement in being right.  They are more concerned with what’s right rather than who’s right.  They are willing to accept ideas from any source to achieve a goal, overcome an obstacle, or solve a problem.

Creative Thinking Generates New Ideas

The most important part of creative thinking is your ability to generate ideas. And the greater the number of ideas that you generate, the greater the quality your ideas will be.  The more ideas you have, the more likely you are to have the right idea at the right time. But generating ideas is only 1% of the equation. As Thomas Edison once wrote, “Genius is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration.”  

Your ability to come up with an idea, to test it and validate it, and then to implement it through creative thinking and execute it in your life to achieve results is the true mark of genius. Every single time you originate a new idea, write it down, make a plan for its implementation through creative thinking and then take action, you are behaving like a genius.  And the more you manage your creativity in this way, the smarter you will become.  And the smarter you will become, the more you will achieve in every area of your life.  Your future will become unlimited.

Ways to Improve Creative Thinking

1 – You need inspirational rituals

One of the best ways to inspire yourself and create new things every day is to develop rituals that you begin to use regularly and routinely. This will condition your brain for better creativity. For instance, your ritual might be reading in the morning, listening to music, meditating for a few minutes or taking several deep breaths.

Build inspirational rituals

Explore media outside your comfort zone. Creative minds are open to change. If you only consume a certain kind of media or entertainment, you're limiting yourself. You will not be exposed to new things and ideas, which can result in a lack of original, creative thought.

Read books, articles, and blogs outside of your own industry. If you work in a film, for example, read some science blogs. If you work as an engineer by day, read some poetry every night before bed.  Most people have a certain type of entertainment they're drawn towards. Make an effort to push yourself to new types of entertainment. If you usually go for light-hearted sitcoms, try watching a drama series. If you love documentaries and true crime shows, watch some fiction.

2 – Try to create something every day

Create something every day, even if it’s only for 5 or 10 minutes. I try to write articles, draw mind maps in meetings, develop business models, logos and I also collect and develop hundreds of ideas. I always have 3 projects in the pipeline, lots of them are not developed but they inspire me. My core business is consulting and training but I work on projects that are not related to my expertise. Here are some examples:

Create something every day

Create something small every day. Creativity is like any other skill. You get better with practice. If you want to increase your capacity for creative thoughts, work on creating something small every day.

You do not necessarily have to create with an end in mind. In fact, this may inhibit creative thought. Instead of focusing on an overarching project, simply schedule some time every day to let your creativity flow freely.

You can doodle, sketch, do some light painting, free write, or write down some spur of the moment poetry.

Make time to be creative. Just as you make time to brush your teeth each night, strive to schedule time for creative pursuits each day. For example, you can plan to do a 20-minute free write every day before bed.

2 – Make a list and select your ideas

Sometimes the opposite of creative block happens – you just have too many ideas! While it’s good, it can also make you confused. You can sort thoughts up by keeping a list. List down each idea that comes to mind and determine which one you think is the best. You can also bring a pen and a small notebook wherever you go so you don’t forget the ideas that come to you when you’re riding a bus, having lunch, reading a book or watching videos on the internet.

Make a list and select your ideas.

Keep a journal. Regular journaling can be a great way to increase creative thoughts. Writing down your thoughts on a daily basis can help you become more introspective and observant, both of which can bolster creative thought.

Many people find dream journals are great creative tools. As the mind is uninhibited in dreams, you can find a lot of great ideas in your sleep. Try keeping a journal by your nightstand and jotting down your dreams as soon as you get up in the morning.

You can also carry a journal with you. This can allow you to write down thoughts as they come and may encourage you to be more observant. You'll end up seeking inspiration everywhere if you always have a notebook on-hand to record your most interesting thoughts and insights as they come.

3 – Ask the right questions

When you need to start a creative session, always start with why, how, what, when the question and try to answer it. 

Abandon judgment. Judgment can inhibit creative thinking. When problem-solving, allow your brain to think of new, somewhat crazy ideas. Avoid judging these ideas too "out there" or "absurd." Allowing yourself to think outside the box, without external judgment, is important to creative thinking.

Understand, in any given situation, you'll have to filter through many bad thoughts before landing on a good one. You may write 3 mediocre drafts of a poem before you hit your stride. You may think of several bad solutions to an issue at your office before finding a good solution. Accept it's okay to filter through bad ideas before you find a good one.

Be open to alternative ideas. Do not be judgmental of ideas that are outside the realm of conventional. Even if you don't follow all non-conventional ideas exactly, simply exposing yourself to the unusual can help aid creative thought.

Be open to new things. Creative thoughts can come from a variety of places. If you open yourself up to changes in your routine, you're more likely to stumble upon inspiration. Instead of feeling anxious about exploring new ideas or experiences, see them as exciting opportunities to bolster your creativity

4 – Build a network

Get creative and inspiring people into your social circle and interact with them on a regular basis. Listening to fresh perspectives and seeing your issues from different angles may help you reconstruct your ideas. The re-focus will help you substantiate the problem and narrow down solutions. Here is a list of 10 profiles you should work or talk with and another article with an explanation on How to Build an Innovation Group in your community?

Building a network.

Reach out to like-minded people. Try to network with other creative people. Surrounding yourself with creative people can make you more creative yourself. Try to reach out to likeminded people to bolster creative thought

Reach out to people whose interests are similar to your own. If you're a poet, for example, join a poetry club. If you're interested in painting, see if you can take a painting class at a local community centre.

You should also get involved outside your personal creative circle as well. As stated, looking for media outside your comfort zone can increase creativity. If you're interested in writing fiction, try to talk to writers who work in other genres. You can learn a lot from people with different interests.

Go to conferences. 

There are many conferences you can attend that help you branch out with others in a creative field. These can provide you with invaluable experiences to network and learn from those around you.

Socialize regularly.

Being around a variety of different people can bolster creative thought. By exposing yourself to people of many different viewpoints and backgrounds, you'll find yourself thinking more creatively. Creative thinkers generally have a large, open-minded perspective.  Regular socialization can also decrease stress levels. If you want to think creatively, you need to take breaks and de-stress. Having a social circle you meet with regularly can help here.

8- Ask for feedback.

Many famous creative thinkers had mentors who looked over their work. If you're stuck on a project, ask another creative person to help. This can be a friend, a peer, or a co-worker. Having someone else provide feedback can help you see your work from an outside perspective, giving you the opportunity to improve.

Marketing your Ideas - Patents etc

In marketing your idea to prospective businessmen, small and medium enterprises or large corporations, note the following:

1. Though the company Executives may be honest, a team of people would be involved in the decision process. It is more likely than not the company would execute the idea without you if the idea is profitable.
2.  Patent your idea, even if it is a widget, a formula or App.

3. Package it into a full product or service, and begin to market it as such.  Get orders and build it to suit your clients.

4. If you are going to approach a big company, put in all the footwork first, get your intellectual property protected.

Make different videos and test the product or services and get all of that recorded in a video.  Then use the different videos within the campaign and drive customers to take some concrete, measurable actions. This action can be signing up for a newsletter, buying a product, signing up for a White Paper, signing up for a free bonus, etc. 

Depending on the product or service, if the product will enhance the product or service of businesses, you are better-off contacting owners of such businesses.  They have more money and experience that you need.

FIRE...