Top Seven (7) Roadblocks to Creative Thought and How to Get Past Them

Seven Roadblocks to Creative Thought and How to Get Past Them

In brief:

Each of us is adept at original thought. It is, above all, the way we think most of the time when we are young. The obstacles we place in our path as we become older are precisely why we lose the ability. I'll walk you through seven methods in this post to help you unleash your imagination and thinking like a kid once more.

First of all,

We are all capable of creativity. It's a fundamental aspect of what makes us human. The issue is that we much too frequently suppress our innate creativity, which leads to poor decisions and unnecessarily complicated situations. These seven techniques can help you maintain clear pathways and unleash your innate creativity.

1. Avoid Assumptions.

We frequently turn "u" and "me" into "ass" when we presume. An example of lazy thinking is an assumption. We just don't await to acquire all the data required to make informed decisions. There's the tale of the bank client who, after cashing a check and turning to go, turns around and says, "I believe you made a mistake. Excuse me." "I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do," the cashier replies. It is proper that you numbered it. We don't have any responsibility when you leave." The consumer then responds, "Well, alright. I appreciate the additional $20.

Advice: Just wait till you've gathered all the facts before drawing any judgments when you feel the need to do so.

2. Consider Things From Different Angles.

Those who have a really open mind are prepared to acknowledge that, in addition to their own valid points of view, other people may have even more valid ones. Pablo Picasso, a modernist painter, allegedly struck into a discussion with a wealthy businessman who disapproved of contemporary art as he was riding a train across Spain. He pulled a picture of his wife out of his wallet and used it as proof that contemporary artwork did not accurately depict reality, saying, "This appears as my wife should appear, not in some ridiculous stylized image." After taking the picture and giving it some thought, Picasso enquired, "This is your wife's face?" With pride, the merchant nodded. Picasso said cynically, "She's quite little."

Advice: Don't control the entire situation. Not everything is as it seems. Be prepared to examine alternative viewpoints.

3. Refrain from Yo-Yo Thinking.

Due to what they observe around them, some people have a propensity to fluctuate between extremely good and negative moods in a matter of minutes. Akin to a yo-yo, it goes up one moment at a time and down in the next. Remaining impartial and controlling your emotions is significantly healthier than letting them control you.

Remind yourself that circumstances are rarely as pleasant or horrible as you perceive them to be.

4. Break Your Bad Habits Of Thinking Lazy.

Another sign of laziness and a big barrier to clear thinking is habit. Take a stab at this experiment. Ask someone to pronounce Macdonald, Macpherson, and Macdougall, three Scottish surnames that you have written down. Now add the term "machinery" after them and see the results. It's likely to be mispronounced by most individuals. This is due to our propensity for habitual thought patterns and our dislike of things that don't match.

Advice: Don't assume that simply because something happened a particular way in the past, it will happen that way again.

5. Adopt a childlike perspective instead of an aging one.

Studies reveal that an average adult's brain has less synapses, or connections, than that of a youngster of two. This is because, unlike a toddler of two, we adults have a restricted worldview. It's similar to a sculptor who molds his work by progressively removing the enormous block of clay that he started with—more than he needed. If we use our brains like children do, accepting everything without passing judgment, we can really stop and even prevent the aging process.

Advice: Don't believe the aging myth. If you have the right inputs and a burning desire to learn, you can really expand your brain's potential.

6. Look at the Details as well as the Big Picture.

You might be familiar with John Godfrey Saxe's poem "The Blind Men and the Elephant." This describes how six blind men from Indostan visit an elephant and attempt to identify it by touching it. Touching the tusk, trunk, tail, and so forth is the first blind man's task. Naturally, unable to grasp the big picture, they draw drastically divergent conclusions.

Advice: When examining minutiae, make an effort to maintain your focus on the larger picture. Putting everything in its right context and position will assist.

Consider Yourself.

Many firms still discourage taking time for thought because they value action above innovation. Individuals who operate in creatively limited environments are more prone to think in ways that conform to social norms, others' opinions, or their own. It's comparable to the narrow-minded perspective that Hans Christian Anderson portrays in "The Emperor's New Clothes." The emperor has been tricked into thinking he is wearing an extravagant outfit for his coronation, but everyone in the country refuses to recognize that he is nude. The only child that recognizes the reality and does not participate in the cultural indoctrination is a sick youngster who exclaims, "Pay attention, everybody, the Emperor has on no clothes!"

Advice: Don't allow other people dictate your way of thinking. Give people your honest opinion when they ask.

You will be astounded by how simple it is to think up original, unique, and inventive answers to any issue that arises in life after you include these seven strategies into your routine thought processes.