1. Trying to find the " right " answer - One of the worst aspects of formal education is the focus on the correct answer to a particular question or problem.
While this approach helps us function in society , it hurts creative thinking because real - life issues are ambiguous.
2. Logical thinking - Not only is real life ambiguous , it's often illogical to the point of madness.
While critical thinking skills based on logic are one of our main strengths in evaluating the feasibility of a creative idea , it's often the enemy of truly innovative thoughts in the first place.
3. Following rules - one way to view creative thinking is to look at it as a destructive force.
You're tearing away the often arbitrary rules that others have set for you , and asking either "why " or " why not " whenever confronted with the way " everyone " does things.
4. Being Practical - Like logic , practicality is hugely important when it comes to execution , but often stifles innovative ideas before they can properly blossom.
5. Play is not work - Allowing your mind to be at play is perhaps the most effective way to stimulate creative thinking , and yet many people disassociate play from work.
6. That's not my job - In an era of hyper - specialization , it's those who happily explore completely unrelated areas of life and knowledge who best see that everything is related.
7. Being a "serious " person - Most of what keeps us civilized boils down to conformity , consistency , shared values , and yes , thinking about things the same way everyone else does.
8. Avoiding ambiguity - We rationally realize that most every situation is ambiguous to some degree. And although dividing complex situations into black and white boxes can lead to disaster , we still do it.
9. Being wrong is bad - We hate being wrong , and yet mistakes often teach us the most.. Thomas Edison was wrong over 1,000 times before getting the light bulb right. Edison's greatest strength was that he was not afraid to be wrong.
10. I'm not creative - Denying your own creativity is like denying you're a human being.. We're all limitlessly creative , but only to the extent that we realize that we create our own limits with the way we think. If you tell yourself you're not creative , it becomes true. Stop that.
