What can we think of if only we try?

Some of my favorite pearls of wisdom are found in the pages of books written by Dr. Seuss. A particular favorite is from his book: Oh the THINKS You Can Think!

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

Imagination and creativity are both key ingredients to creating an uncommon life. It is here that we find innovation. After all, innovation is rarely about what we do. More often, it is about how we do it. Finding new ways to get things done can be exciting and fun.

It all starts with an idea. It may only be a vague sense of something at the onset but it is there. We want (or need) to change something. We want to make something bigger, smaller, wider, deeper, easier, slower, faster – the list goes on and on. The question then is what we can leverage as inspiration to kick our imagination and creativity into overdrive and truly amaze ourselves.

Here are five of the best places to begin when you want to find what you can think of if only you try!

1. People – Read biographies of people that are innovative. Study what they have done and how they went about it. Follow the mental footsteps that you see and find out where they take you!
2. Technologies – A five minute session on Google with creative key words can help you mine for ideas galore. Just start with the challenge, not the solution. Let the solution emerge based on what you find.
3. Failures – What at first seem like failures can be great sources of solutions. Why did it fail in any particular situation? What was missed? Sometimes what failed in one place could be a great success in another.
4. Wins – What did you do that worked before? What did others in a similar situation do? Start with a proven framework but allow some new colors to emerge.
5. Urgency – Some of the most effective questions we can ask begin with “what if?” What if I only had 24 hours to do something? What if I could win $100,000 if I solve this today? Starting with some what if scenarios that carry a sense of urgency with them will push our mental adrenalin into overdrive. Turn on the simulation timer and beat the buzzer!

Five places to help you find “the thinks you can think up if only you try”!

Live (think) today like you want tomorrow to be. Live (think) well!