Take a moment to consider the people whom you admire most. They are likely
to share similar qualities in that they somehow transcended
hardships to create new realities for themselves or others.
Part of being successful is having the ability to see something no one else can, then convince others that the impossible
can be done. Think
about pioneers like Thomas Edison and modern trailblazers such as
Oprah Winfrey or Bill Gates.
They weren't following the trends; they were making them.
Creating new alternatives takes creativity, open-
mindedness, and risks.
All the same, you don't have to be a genius to strengthen your imaginative abilities. Anyone can do it. Read on to learn about
two techniques that can help you.
Be open-minded
Part of everyone's identity is based on their
preferences. As a
result, people usually know what they like. They also tend to feel
that their experiences make them
experts in certain areas. When it
comes to making business decisions, these two traits can sometimes
have a negative
effect. You may be certain you're right about issues that are really a matter of opinion. Also, by staying so firm in your
preferences, you risk becoming narrow-minded in your approach to work. Try practicing open-mindedness instead.
For
example, imagine that your company was trying to expand their
customer base for its cornerstone product. You may know
from past
experience that one way you can reach new customers is through radio advertising. Because of this knowledge,
your tendency might be to end the discussion right there and take credit for the winning idea. Instead, sit and listen to
other people for a while. Unless you get all the possibilities on the table for discussion (no matter how brilliant your idea
is), you'll never know if there is a more advantageous solution.
It's nice to be credited with the "right"
answer. However, in the
long run it can be even more beneficial to
expand your thinking by considering others' ideas. Changing your mind is
not the key here. Opening the mind to new realities is what's important.
Practice life-long learning from others
Studies of older adults reveal that one of the keys to long-term
happiness is staying curious about the world around
you (McAdams,
1999). Being eternally open to new alternatives means that you are
not afraid of learning. Particularly
in the work world, most people feel pressure to pretend that they know more than they do. In
business you might feel that
not knowing something undermines your
credibility or makes you look stupid to colleagues. However, every
time you
pretend that you know something you don't, you lose an
opportunity to learn.
The next time you're unfamiliar with
a topic, admit that you don't
know much about it and ask someone to briefly inform you about it.
Most of the time
people will be happy to convey what they know and
will respect your candor.
Creativity is contingent upon taking ideas from
different places and building new ones. The challenge is to find people who are different from you and to welcome the chance
to learn about these differences.
Note that being creative
in a productive way becomes much easier when you practice the other success secrets just outlined. For example, when you deeply
listen to other people, you become better able to consider new perspectives and develop your own
