Free Yourself from Pattern Thinking

We all have behaviors that are automatic and effortless. So you need to start paying close attention to these habits. Because if you don't try to understand them, they can control you.

Habitual behaviors feel safe, they are as they've always been and we have a certain reliance to them. But creativity and innovation needs some risky, out of the "everyday frame", decisions and actions. Being comfortably safe will mislead you.

By simply knowing when you're not breaking the pattern of everyday thinking, you'll begin to realize that there are other ways to solve problems and generating ideas. Now, doing things differently isn't easy, it demands determination from your part. We're not even always aware of our own perceptions of things, if you, for instance, decide one morning to pay attention to everything that has the color red, you'll see details you've never seen before. Another exercise is that you, without looking, try to draw a picture in your house, some people might add on details that doesn't really exist. So the point here is to always try to see things that haven't been seen before. Do this by changing the way in which you see things, you'll detach your own way of doing things and look at the problems you encounter with new eyes.

See the big picture but don't forget the pixels in it

It's important to see all aspects of a problem. When we focus our attention, we get deep into a problem and can get lost and trapped in it. Though, seeing the details of a problem has its positive side to it, it helps us get a better understanding of the problem. The big picture on the other hand is important because it expands our perspective and we gain a broader understanding.

You need Risk

To ever see the sight of success, you need failure. Failure will help you build up your creativity! So just fail, do it, it's incredibly difficult to succeed immediately, you need some experience first. Understand that failure is the nature of how we work and even though it stings, it's here the real opportunities can be explored.

Risks are scary because we feel that there's a 99% chance of failing. But if you keep hiding yourself and turning to safety, very little will be accomplished. You can't survive without new ideas, therefore you always need to take the risk of responsibility for new problems with your ideas.

However, ideas are ideas, so don't fear having scary ideas, because they are simply the beginning of the adventure, not the result. Crazy ideas can develops into great opportunities. So take one step at a time with the perception of winning the war! When you come to realize that there's a competition out there, you might be willing to take some riskier options.