Idea starvation is one of the big problems I see business owners struggling with. Often they know what they want, they just can’t create the series of ideas and actions in the few spare seconds of time they have available to make it happen.
So, here are a couple of ways to keep your mind brimming over with ideas:
- Always be present
- Ask questions
Firstly, always be present. Stay focused in the moment, actively engage in what’s happening around you and pay attention. Be curious. Read everything that crosses in front of your eyes. Listen to people – face to face and on the radio. Listen to snippets of conversations.
By engaging with different mediums of information, your mind will become more curious and the creativity of ideas will develop. Research has shown that our level of creativity is directly linked to our ability to think in new ways.
Secondly, ask questions. These could be the silent questions you ask in your mind, or may be questions you ask somebody else. But listen to the answer. And that is a key… actively listen. Forget thinking about your next question, focus on the other person and be genuinely interested.
And here’s some words your mind will wake up and listen to:
How could that possibly happen?
I wonder why they do it that way?
Have they ever considered another way to do that?
Surely there’s a different way of doing that?
What is it you want to achieve?
The most successful people are always looking for an alternative and a miniscule improvement. Journalists look for a different angle. Storytellers focus on the fascinating. Business owners search for something compelling. The shift can be tiny, but just enough to make a difference.
Successful business is about being brave and delivering the next small innovation. It’s the tiny shifts of thinking that make the difference. It’s being brave enough to stand on the stool and shout out “hey, look over here… I’ve got a different way of solving that problem”. And to do that takes bravery. And maybe even having to leave what appears to be the safety of the pack to follow their own hopes and dreams to make a difference in the world.
Making a difference starts with one tiny spark of thought creating the first step on a different path. Can it be scary? Yes. Is it worth it? I think so.