Section guide: [ Creative Thinking ] [ Prosperity ] [ Self-Expression ]

Creative thinking

Some of my favorite ways to come up with new ideas and solutions to problems are explored here.

Mind mapping | Mozart effect | Intuition | Seven kinds of intelligence
Synesthesia | Recommended reading

Mind mapping

The brain consists of two complementary information-processing functions. The right brain allows us to see life holistically, in terms of space/shape, color, the poetry of language, and meta-logical ideas (intuition, humor, paradox, etc.). The left brain brings the elements of logic, order, symbols, and the language of mathematics to the task of thinking. Clearly, both sides of the brain offer invaluable qualities, and it behooves the thinker to harness the powers of the whole brain for best results.

When casting about for ideas, planning a project, or learning a new subject, an excellent method for bringing more of your brain power to bear is through the technique of mind mapping. Mind mapping was invented - or discovered - by Tony Buzan, who also refers to the technique as radiant thinking for the way it engages the whole brain in a non-linear way and expands the field of thought outward.

To create a mind map, you choose a central subject and then add all the ideas that occur to you - in words and pictures - along relative topic branches. The logical connections will be provided by your left brain; while adding the use of color, shapes, and images engages the talents of your right brain. I think of mind maps as 3-D outlines. They cover both the macro and micro view of the subject at hand, in an easily grasped format.

You can make mind maps by hand, with large sheets of paper and colored pens and pencils. But you can also use software which will allow you to refine your ideas continuously and also to create and share multidimensional mind maps with the use of hyperlinks and conferencing tools. The Buzan-approved software is available for free trial from MindJet.

Click on the image above to see the original mind map for this site.

Other uses for mind maps: goal setting, sermon, speech or story writing, curriculum planning, job searching, trip planning, and so on!

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The Mozart effect

Mozart!
Mozart's music has been shown to have a stimulating effect on creativity, mental acuity, and more. Besides that, it's great to listen to! Experiment with playing different types of music while brainstorming. See if one genre or another helps to stimulate your thinking.

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Use your intuition

Many scientists, authors, musicians, and inventors have stated that their ideas came to them in a moment of illumination or inspiration. Mystics believe that the whole universe of information is available to us when we tap into our intuition.

How do you get there from here? In my experience, inspiration is most likely to occur when you least expect it. The lightning of insight and inspiration can strike at any time, and will bring the brightest illumination to those who have prepared for it. Here are some suggestions to get you ready for a sudden inspiration:

Define your problem. Write it down, possibly in the form of a question.
Post it where you will see it during the day, and right before you go to bed at night.
The subconscious really gets to work while you sleep!
Do all the research you need to find the answer. Increasing your knowledge
of the subject will act like thousands of tiny Velcro hooks on which new ideas
can get 'stuck.'
Brainstorm, by yourself or with others, for solutions. The best way to get out of a
problem-solving rut is to temporarily short-circuit your logical (=critical)
left brain by working fast and accepting all ideas as they come. Write them all down,
even the crazy ones, because you can't know in advance what new thoughts
will be inspired even by a crazy idea.
Use the power of affirmations to jump-start your intuition and to attract more ideas.
Affirm that you already know the ideal answer and visualize your problem as being solved.
When you do receive answers or insights, write them down before you forget them.
Or keep a small tape recorder with you to record streams of thought.
This technique is great for people who drive a lot, when writing is contraindicated.

Tap into other forms of intelligence

Our God is multidimensional and it stands to reason that His children are too.

So - does intelligence or creativity exist only within our brain function? And is IQ its best measure?

Author and researcher Daniel Goleman introduced us to the concept of emotional intelligence, and the World Wide Brain Club defines no fewer than seven forms of intelligence:

linguistic - writers, dramatists, orators
logical/mathematical - scientists, engineers
spatial - artists, planners
musical - composers, musicians, music critics
bodily/kinesthetic - athletes, dancers, puppeteers
interpersonal - therapists, ministers, teachers
intrapersonal - philosophers, mystics

Clearly, we all have access to more than one kind of intelligence. Consider the architect, who is concerned with the aesthetic appearance of an edifice; the engineering of its construction; its utilities, such as the electrical and plumbing plants; its safety and efficiency; its environmental impact; and the usefulness of its spaces for the humans who will inhabit it.

According to human potential researcher Jean Houston, "Our genes are universes in themselves, coded with enough information to recreate the world." She describes expanded ways of seeking creative solutions:

In a tribe in West Africa, for example, community issues are looked at in ways that we would find astonishing. The question - say, improving waste disposal in the village - is presented in a village meeting. Then people dance the problem, sing about it, draw it in the sand, close their eyes and imagine solutions, sleep and dream about it, dance some more, and then suddenly - a solution! And a very good one, too, for people have run the problem through many different modes of knowing and have looked at it from many different points of view.

- A Passion for the Possible by Jean Houston

I don't know if dancing about problems is destined to take hold in corporate America, but I'd love to see it used in homes, churches, and special interest groups. I'd be willing to predict that any group that opened its culture to embrace non-traditional problem-solving techniques could become a force to be reckoned with.

Synesthesia

What tune does your mother's homemade casserole play? What does a rainbow smell like? What colors are evoked by the Pachelbel Canon in D? When you are able to appreciate these questions and can actually begin to experience the answers, you have crossed into the subtle and complex mental terrain of synesthesia. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines synesthesia as "the production of a mental sense-impression relating to one sense by the stimulation of another sense." Synesthesia is at the heart of timeless poetry, mystical experience, and some very creative and original problem solving.

In this section, you can:

Expand your life possibilities with Creative Thinking
Discover what true Prosperity is and how can you achieve it
Learn to trust your inner style with authentic Self-Expression

Those who don't feel this Love
pulling them like a river,
those who don't drink dawn
like a cup of spring water
or take in sunset like supper,
those who don't want to change,
let them sleep.
This Love is beyond the study of theology,
that old trickery and hypocrisy.
If you want to improve your mind that way,
sleep on.
I've given up on my brain.
I've torn the cloth to shreds
and thrown it away.
If you're not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words
around you,
and sleep.
Ode 314 by Rumi