Great Things Await You

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO BECOME GREAT

The word "creativity" is becoming fashionable. Today, everyone can create as they please, in any field - fortunately, there are educational materials, inspiring experiences of other creators and the opportunity to share their products with a wide audience. This all-accessibility also has a downside: the contribution of individual people is increasingly lost against the backdrop of endless competition, and the success of a creative project often depends not on the talent of its creator, but on the ability to establish contacts and competently use promotion tools. But this is not a reason to give up and rely on the creative streak of more inventive colleagues: your ideas can change the world, if only you give free rein to creative thinking. There was a time when psychologists seriously believed that a creative person should be born, and the rest simply had no chance. But fortunately, methods have appeared that allow you to develop the ability to think outside the box and come up with original solutions to problems (they appeared, by the way, back in the 1960s, but still have not lost their relevance). Psychologist Edward de Bono was a pioneer in this area: instead of logical (vertical) thinking, when we follow the most probable and widespread opinion, strict school curriculum and social censorship, he suggested turning to "lateral" thinking more often. This means thinking “broadly”: looking for as many ways as possible to solve one problem, looking at it from different points of view, questioning the obvious.

HOW TO TURN INTO A CREATIVE CHILD?

Do you know who is the easiest to create? Preschool children who have not yet learned, as is customary, and are not limited to the correct answers. To develop lateral thinking, you will have to revive your childish curiosity and naivety, even in serious and responsible work. Let your iron logic, the fruit of many years of education and unrestrained growing up, only serve to test risky ideas, and not direct the course of your thoughts. Conservatism is the stumbling block that prevents new discoveries from breaking through the asphalt of mainstream ideas. But if you strive for creativity in the noblest sense of the word, think about expanding the boundaries of knowledge, violating the laws of science adopted before you, directing your efforts in an unexpected direction, where no human has stepped before you. Yes, it may seem that people have already trampled everywhere. But do not give up at the thought that all the most interesting things were invented before you, and look for a challenge in any situation, a problem that asks you to solve it. We hope that we have inspired you enough with our calls to boldly create, and you are determined to be creative for the good of humanity. No matter how trite it may sound, but you have every chance of success if you do what you like. Instead of chasing abstract happiness, try to capture those moments when you feel good, when you feel strong, real. What are you talking about when your eyes light up and your voice becomes more confident? Why do friends and even parents consult with you? Maybe this is your calling? The idea that great discoverers reluctantly hunch back day and night to the detriment of health and family is a myth. Statistics show that scientists, artists and businessmen who are successful in their field take great pleasure in what they work on. Truly creative people work for the sake of their work, and making socially important discoveries and even worldwide fame are just a side effect of what they love. If you have an answer to the question of what you want to do seriously, then you will have to achieve mastery in this area. Prodigies and geniuses are a rare phenomenon, and such fast-burning stars, as a rule, do not get into history textbooks. In fact, you first have to thoroughly master the intricacies of your profession and learn to do well what you came up with before you. But already having an idea of dogmas and traditions, you can deftly break them and add a creative touch to your work.

THERE IS SAFETY IN NUMBERS

The famous psychologist and researcher of creativity Mihai Csikszentmihalyi analyzed for a long time the fate of successful creators: scientists, artists, writers, politicians, businessmen. As a result, he came to the conclusion that creative achievement is never the merit of one person. The recipe for an important discovery that can change the course of history or science includes three ingredients: The Creator, that is, you, provided that you are a guru in your business and have years of hard work behind you. Professional "domain": a system of ideas about how everything works in your field and what is really valuable. Social environment: people and institutions that have gained some experience before you, share it with you and are able to appreciate the significance of what comes into your head. So your product can be considered truly creative if its originality and importance is recognized in your professional circle on the basis of your accepted notions about what you all do and why. In this case, you have every chance to earn fame with your discovery, at least in narrow circles, and even influence the creativity of future generations.

CREATIVITY: INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

If you are already on the verge of a creative act, but still hesitate to start, you can try to follow our plan.

STEP ONE: FIND THE PROBLEM

If everything in the world were good, no inventions and discoveries would take place. Creativity is born of dissatisfaction, so think about what you or the people you know are missing and how you can fill that gap.

STEP TWO: GET AWAY FROM THE GOVERNMENT IDEAS

Think carefully about what most people would do if you were, and play with this idea: imagine a sequence of actions, predict possible outcomes, take this fictional situation to the extreme. The clearer your idea of the familiar is, the less it will dominate your creativity.

STEP THREE: SEARCH DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO THE SITUATION

When working on a creative problem, assign yourself the number of solutions that you come up with - 5, 15 or even 45. Even if you have to generate ridiculous ideas to get the right amount, but this is a great simulator for creative thinking. No wonder everyone loves brainstorming so much, especially when thinking has reached a dead end.

STEP FOUR: DOUBT ABOUT EVERYTHING

Enjoy your own wrong. Ask yourself more questions every step of the way. Learn to pay attention to the insignificant nuances of the task. Make decisions that seem incredible and absurd. To move away from stereotyped thinking, often resort to visual images: diagrams, graphs, color spots perfectly illustrate what goes beyond the generally accepted terminology.

STEP FIVE: RELYING TO THE CASE AND BOLDER TO PLAY

Remember how much open in world history happened completely unexpectedly, by coincidence of unforeseen circumstances. Chance often slips us something that we wouldn't even think to think about, and to help the chance happen more quickly, turn the tasks before you into a game, aimless, chaotic, without rules and winners. Think about what a five-year-old would do in your place, forget about seriousness and have fun for your own pleasure. Mix all the colors in a heap, choose tools at random, surround yourself with unexpected objects and be open to any outcome.

WITH THE WORLD ON THREAD

Finally, we recommend that you consider whether you really need great accomplishments. Geniuses and discoverers are truly unique, standing out from the general mass of people, but this does not mean that everyone else is worthless. You can keep in mind that not a single great discovery or work of art could have been born without the labor of hundreds of laboratory assistants, draftsmen, ordinary workers and ordinary mortals who created the cultural environment and prepared the ground for that very creative explosion. Therefore, we all participate in great things in our own way, even if we do not know about it.