As you ponder your goals and determine the best course to achieve them, you will need some creative ways of thinking and facing challenges that will arise. The most creative-thinkers out there will encourage you to think outside your box and to consider even the wildest of ideas from your imagination. In fact, the greatest inventions or discoveries have been achieved through the existence of a profound imaginative intelligence. Even if you can boast about a high IQ never lose sight of the power of the imagination.
Imaginative Intelligence is the capacity to originate new ideas and the ability to cultivate them as an individual or within a community. It is characterized by the ability to imagine, the freedom to discover, understanding your voice, speed in working in story, the quality of contradiction, skill in conversation, level of generosity, and the function and feel of space.
One way to bring out this intelligence is to brainstorm with a Nonfiction Mind Map. This is the kind of brainstorming that will help you tell your story. Without knowing your own story (where you come from) you make it that much more difficult to make your dreams (where you’re going) come true.
Download a copy of my Nonfiction Mind Map and start brainstorming your story and capture the particulars of your dream. Make sure to connect each idea to the most relevant topic so you can keep your ideas organized. Feel free to add any additional topics you might need. Do not try to immediately evaluate your ideas—just write them down. Also don’t consider something “too silly” or “too dumb” to write down—just write it down! You can create a mind map for every new idea you have.
Evaluate your ideas in a few days, but not when you’re writing them down. Consider these ideas much like a newborn baby. You must cradle that baby and hold it lovingly and help it grow to a responsible adult. The same goes for your new ideas. You might find that one idea you consider to be the “silliest” turns out to be the key to unlocking the door you’re facing.
Remember the guy who came up with the idea for Post-It Notes? The adhesive was discovered long before they found a use for it—and the person who said, “Let’s make some note pads that are small and can be easily removed,” was laughed at. But now—do you even see one office without Post-Its around? I have at least 6 pads of Post-It’s in my desk drawer alone.
Another way to increase your creativity is to be around others who are creative.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17
If you hobnob with those who are known for creativity, it will wear off on you. You soon will find new ways of looking at things and thinking about situations, as well.
You can find audio-books and YouTube videos that will stir up your creative juices as well. Professional speakers and those who have “been there, done that” often hit the speaking-circuit and can pump fresh ideas and life in your goal and the ways you attain those goals.
I prefer removing myself from the goal-achieving mode and moving to a truly creative outlet—the arts. You may not consider yourself artsy or think you have any ability in this realm, but it’s worth taking a lump of clay and working with it.
You may find, as I do, that when I’m working on a project that I truly love, I free up a portion of my brain that was engaged in my problem-solving. When that happens, I typically find a potential solution to my dilemma. Artistic creativity often sparks other forms of creative-thinking, as it engages a different area of the brain than what we’re used to using. Pick up a paintbrush, a pencil, arrange some flowers, or begin a needlework project. You may find in color and artistry you have a new lease on what you’re doing and where you want to go.
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” - Albert Einstein
An Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee served in small, strong shots and is the base for a number of coffee drinks. It's made from the same beans as coffee but is stronger, thicker, and higher in caffeine.