LTM - 14. Get Creative and Think Outside the Box

14. Get Creative and Think Outside the Box

Do you ever run out of good ideas, or go around in circles trying to come

up with a solution for a simple dilemma? I am going to share with you

the best technique I know for stretching the mind to come up with new

and fresh ideas—from finding a babysitter on New Year’s Eve to

choosing the right name for a new business venture. Implementing this

strategy has forced me to be creative and innovative when it would have

been easier to take the standard approach.

Most people probably consider fewer than five possibilities when

exploring their options—the ones that immediately come to mind. The

problem with this basic approach is that you are limiting yourself by

only considering a few familiar choices. If you want to open your mind

to a new world of options, you must start to think outside the box.

The next time you need to solve a problem or explore a better way to do

something, compile a written list of 20 options—not 5, 10 or 15. Push

yourself to come up with 20! The first five things you think of will be

the tip of the iceberg. They’ll probably be the same five things everyone

else would think of in a similar situation because they are the most

obvious answers. The key here is to stretch your mind. You will struggle

getting up to 13 or 14, but your biggest breakthrough will come when

you push yourself to 18, 19, and 20. It is often in those final three ideas

where you find the hidden jewels.

Some examples of how you can apply this way of thinking:

 Evaluating where you want to move

 Selecting the location for your next family vacation

 Considering restaurant options for a special occasion

 Contemplating your career options

 Finding ways to cut expenses

 Distinguishing yourself from your competitors

 Looking for new strategies to drive sales

 Providing a higher level of service to your customers

 Choosing different incentive programs for your sales team.

Here’s a true story that illustrates the power of creative thinking. A

couple’s 20th anniversary was approaching and the wife felt like she and

her husband had grown apart. Bound and determined to prove her love,

she made him an anniversary card listing all the reasons why she loved

him. It became quite difficult after #8, but she stuck with it and made it

to 20. Reviewing all the reasons she had compiled, she realized she

loved him more than she thought! They will celebrate their 34th

anniversary this year.

LTM Challenge

The next time you have to solve a problem or think of a better way to

accomplish something, sit down with pen and paper and make a list of

20 options. Don’t stop at 17. Push yourself to 20.

The intense focus will open up your mind and force you to think of

things you normally wouldn’t have considered. It won’t be easy, but you

might just have fun in the process.

Is there anything going on in your life right now where you can apply

the strategy outlined in this lesson? If the answer is yes, grab a pad of

paper and a pen and get started.

To be creative, go where you have never been.

Expand your mind to new ideas,

opportunities, and a fresh way of thinking.

Only then will you discover

a new world of possibilities.