Think fast: name five ways to use a teacup!
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Are you ready? Here are ours:
To drink tea from, obviously.
As a holder for small knickknacks.
As a fancy (and fragile) hat.
To eavesdrop on someone from behind a wall.
And, ummm… to draw circles with.
How did you like that little creativity exercise?
No matter what you do for a living, you can bet that creativity is an attribute that will help further your career. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
So let’s get your creative groove on.
Give yourself options
Creative people are prolific in their ideation. They don’t try to come up with the one right answer; they want to find the best answer among many.
So when you’re thinking of how to solve a problem and come up with that first good idea, don’t stop there. Try to think of more options and ask yourself how you might improve on your initial idea.
This will not only get your creative juices flowing and help you uncover previously hidden solutions; it will also give you a ready plan B if your first solution doesn’t work!
For more on the mental processes of creative people, including what Paul McCartney and John Lennon can teach you about collaboration, read our blinks to How Successful People Think, by John C. Maxwell.