Take A Quantum Leap In Your Creativity And Results

One of my all time favorite Einstein quotes:

“The significat problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of think we were at when we created them”

Initially, this sounds like he is making one point, which is, in order to solve a problem we have to think out of the box. That we need to introduce different ideas, perceptions, beliefs, assumptions, etc.
But the second piece to this is the last 3 words. “we created them”. This is the key to anything! Take a minute right now and let this sink in,

Everything in your life right now, the people, circumstances, amount of money, health, problems, beliefs, etc. are the cumulative and direct result of your decisions. You are 100% responsible for it all.

So here’s the magic, the key to unlimited creativity:

Change Your Goal. Change Your Mind.

What do you mean? What goal?
I mean, is instead of trying to be creative and change your results by expecting yourself to come up with some great idea, some new innovative approach, some creative strategy; to take a different approach. Shift your goal to challenge your own thinking. Make it your intention to change your own mind. Take a look at everything you can see and understand right now, then challenge it all.

Just like winning, creativity is a habit. It is the ability to consistently see things differently from the way others see them, to break from the automatic conditioned response, and then having the character or courage to trust yourself. That’s why the most successful people over history are often sociopaths.

The following questions are some of the most powerful ways that I’ve found, that allow you to take a Quantum Leap in your thinking.

• How can I leave room for improvement?
  • Perfection should never be the goal. Make Progress the ultimate goal. This creates space for anything new and is the only way change will be possible when there is opportunity for it to happen.
• What’s missing here?
• What am I not seeing? What are my blind spots? Where am I wrong?
  • I’ve found it usually helps to ask people you trust to give you an honest response, because it’s always too tempting to agree with yourself.
• How can I look at this differently? Can I see it from someone else’s shoes? How would a child view this situation? How would someone from another culture see this?
  • Play devil’s advocate with something widely accepted, popular, thought to be “a given”. Ask, “why is this crazy?”
• Where else have I seen something before? How is this different?
  • Borrow solutions from similar situations in completely unrelated topics. Psychologists know that people create the same type of situations in different areas of a person’s life. For example, a trial attorney needs to feel in control in the court room, but that can also get played out at home when he cross examines his wife and kids.
• Meditate. Doesn’t have to be formal, just plan some time to work with your mind.
  • This is probably one of the most important things anyone can do to spark incredible creativity. Similar to the first one, it creates space. It opens the mind to new and revolutionary ideas, thoughts, perceptions etc. Meditation makes the mind fertile ground for that one small seed that will grow to be a mighty oak tree.

Now, collect your ideas, keep a notebook/journal nearby. Inspiration and creativity come in bursts, sometimes when you’re trying but most of the time when your not. Collect it all, no matter how crazy. Compile it. Read it many times when you’re in different moods. Have others read it.

Bottom line is that everyone has genius ideas. It’s not a question of ability, it’s a matter of trusting yourself to change the world.