Tradition, Fixation & Creativity
Creativity, how many times we find ourselves without success to come up with a creative idea to a problem?
Sometimes, the more we try the more the creative thought drifts away...
The following article will focus on the following questions:
How to overcome mental rut and encourage creative thinking?
What is the connection between creativity and tradition?
Tradition
Among a large part of the leading educators there is a claim that says:
"Education as it is today - just castrate creativity"…
However, this claim is not preserved only for the education system.
From an early age we are taught that in order to get to X we should do Y and that's it.
There is no other way! (Really?)
What happens if you ask "Why?" - Here are a variety of answers:
- That's the best way!
- For years it's done this way.
- Your father also did that, his father did it and also you will...
There is nothing wrong with tradition.
There is no need to change the whole way, if it is indeed good; also sometimes the phrase "If it works fine, there is no need to change it" is true, but not always.
This is true not only for cases of "if this - do that", but also with different beliefs and "facts" that fixate your mind.
Examples? Here are a few:
"Nobody had success with this before, why do you think you will succeed?".
"He was born to a poor family, what are the chances he will be an attorney?".
In this context it's worth asking:
How many people believe that the aim of taxes is to make our lives harder?
What about believing that been successful is… if your child is a doctor?
The fact that something was done for years, in a certain way - does not necessarily mean that's the best way (or at least that there aren't a few more good ways).
Respect for tradition is an important value, beliefs didn't "pop out" just like that, however - good judgement is a value no less important.
Creativity! Here And Now!
On the article "What We Think" I wrote about controlling your thoughts - when it comes to creativity it's not much different.
Here you also employ a messenger that jumps to the bank of your thoughts, and in accordance with your instructions, he pulls out different thoughts.
What happens when you're frustrated from the fact you don't have any creative thought? Your messenger jumps to the bank of your thoughts, and pulls out exactly this thought, which of course does not promote any creativity.
From that moment, the following thoughts will be reasons to why you do not have any creative thoughts.
This negative cycle will increase – yes, it will also recruit your beliefs and traditions.
So what can you do?
Force yourself to change the course of your thoughts, release yourself from traditions and beliefs that fixate your thoughts - by a radical shake.
In other words: send your messenger to withdraw from the bank of your thoughts a few radical thoughts, which will ignite some ideas within you.
I invite you to try the following experiment:
When you meet with some friends ask them to give you the following solutions to:
- How to eliminate Human trafficking within ten years.
- What should be done to eliminate the need for prisons in twenty years.
- How to reduce in thirty years, the amount of road accidents to a number of 0.5% road accidents today.
At first some of them will tell you: "That's impossible!".
Others might tell you: "I believe that prisons always were and always will be needed..."
Force them to think.... tell them something like: "You are all locked in a room, and can not leave it until you come up with solutions, any idea will be considered!".
Just wait for a while and solutions will begin to float... Some solutions might fall into the category of "crazy ideas", some less - what is certain, is that the discussion itself would lead to more creative ideas.
So what happened here?
1. You asked radical questions.
2. You told them to send their messenger to their bank of thoughts, with very
clear instructions: pull solutions to "how to…" (as opposed to "why not"), and they
chose to respond the challenge you've given them.
Summary
Pay attention to the wording and the words you use.
What do what to withdraw from the Bank of your thoughts?
If you want to be healthy and you repeat the phrase "I wish I wouldn't be sick", you won't go far...
Instead, consider saying: "I will do what it takes to be healthy" - the difference will be reflected by the thought your messenger will bring back to you.
When you want to "summon" creativity, it is fair to assume that thoughts like:
"Oh! Why I can't come up with a creative solution!!" or "If I won't come up with a creative solution really soon, I'll be stuck at work for a few more hours…", won't bring the desired solution or the breakthrough you are looking for.
Getting out of "virtual borders " such as traditions, beliefs, and "acceptable solutions" on one hand, and using crazy, radical and odd solutions, on the other hand, can often ignite the spark of creativity and open the door for more ideas.
Just think for a moment how great ideas such as the invention of the airplane, electricity and the Internet began, what thoughts did the messengers of those people withdraw from for their bank of thoughts? During hundreds of thousands of experiments they have failed, did they focus on what didn't work, or what needs to be improved in order to make it work?
Inside each and every one of us these is an endless pool of creative ideas, excellent solutions & breakthrough thoughts - history through its greatest artists, musicians, economists, physicists, politicians, etc. shows there is no argue about that.
That being the case, the only question left to ask is: "Starting today, what kind of thoughts I choose to withdraw from my bank of thoughts?".
To summarize this article, I will conclude with a wonderful quote by Robert Urban:
"There are enough people describing the situation as it is, now we need some to describe the situation as it can be".---
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