Use Inherent Creativity in Problem Solving
That’s right, inherent creativity. That implies you already are creative, and you are. When you were young you were very creative. As you grew older you were taught to conform to social patterns, to color within the lines, that the sky should be blue instead of purple. You were criticized for being different from what was expected so you suppressed your differences, your creativity, to conform. Your creativity is still there.
Think about when you labored over a problem for a time and then left it to pursue something else. Then, when you least expected it, the solution to the problem popped back into your mind, seemingly “out of the blue.” And the solution is so simple you kicked yourself for not having seen it earlier.
What happened was your conscious mind passed the problem over into your subconscious mind. There, below conscious thought, your mind used your inherent creativity to solve the problem. When your subconscious identified one or more viable solutions it kicked it back to the conscious mind for identification and action. All of this happened while your conscious mind was working on something else.
Steve, while attending business school at a university, experienced this type of “help” from his subconscious. In his classes, case studies of business problems were used for teaching business principles. Students were expected to analyze the problem in the case then use the principles learned in class to arrive at viable solutions.
On occasion Steve would be studying late, trying to solve a particularly mystifying problem. When he found himself dozing he would finally give up and set the alarm clock for early in the morning, getting a few hours of sleep, then approach the problem with a fresh mind upon awakening.
While he slept a funny thing would happen. Steve would dream about the case and actually solve the problem in his sleep. When he awoke, he’d hurry and write out his “dream solution” and run the calculations. Each time he found the solutions were viable, yet creative, sometimes differing substantially from what others would pose. Nonetheless, they were effective and workable. He was commended by his professor for his originality.
Steve’s intense concentration over the problem caused it to be passed to his subconscious to be worked on while sleeping. When solved, the problem was kicked back up to the conscious mind for action.
Here’s how you put this technique to conscious use. It involves three steps.
Step 1: Find a quiet spot where you can be undisturbed for about an hour. (Sometimes you may want to take longer than an hour to really dig into your creativity.) During this period, focus your thoughts intently on the problem and its possible solutions. Weigh and evaluate all possible solutions. Don’t allow any distractions to interfere. Focus only on the problem. After the time is up, go to the next step.
Step 2: Leave the problem alone and go on to some other pursuit. Your intense concentration has caused the problem to be transferred down into your subconscious mind, where it’s being worked on while you’re occupied with something else.
Step 3: Return back to the problem after you have left it for a time (usually twenty four hours). Begin listing possible solutions on a sheet of paper. Creative ideas will seem to leap from your mind. While you’ve been doing other things, your subconscious has been working over the problem and kicks out solutions.
Sometimes solutions will spring to mind even before you go back to the problem. Ideas will drop out of thin air, or come as flashes of inspiration.
Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history, used this method of problem solving. Reaching a roadblock in his work, he would take a nap. On awakening, he would have fresh ideas on how to overcome the obstacle.
The key to this technique is that you focus on a well defined objective for an extended period of time, and start your creative mechanism churning. Once it’s turned on, and you’ve drawn upon the tremendous power of your subconscious, it will be hard to turn it off.
When you’re faced with a problem from now on, don’t ignore it and hope it will go away. Don’t rush through with the first solution that comes to mind as a quick fix. Instead take the time to employ this technique and see what you get. Your solutions will be much better and you’ll find with practice, you won’t run away from problems. Instead you’ll welcome them as a chance to turn your mind loose. Often, within a problem and its creative solutions, lay the seeds of opportunity.
