Lesson 5 Unlock Your Original Thinking
Out of the Box with Original Thinking
Original thinking ____ the ability to think outside the box, to look at a problem, and to figure out a new, creative solution for it.
Many people choose to safely follow the path ____ have already paved, but it is difficult to achieve something exceptional in this way.
More often those who think differently achieve ____ success because to address the challenges of tomorrow, it’s essential to adopt a fresh approach distinct from yesterday.
So, how can individuals cultivate original thinking that leads to outstanding ____
Generate ____ Lot of Ideas
If you want ____ have good ideas, you must have numerous ideas.
Traditionally, people follow the saying that they ____ “quality over quantity.”
However, in the case of ideas, quantity and quality are ____ important.
Highly creative individuals do not actually ____ better ideas than average ones.
____ they produce more ideas.
Their increased idea output means that they are ____ likely to hit on something brilliant.
An excellent example is Pablo Picasso. Picasso is famous for a handful ____ artworks.
However, few people realize that Picasso’s portfolio includes 2,800 ceramics, 1,800 paintings, 1,200 ____ and more than 12,000 drawings.
Again, only a fraction of them ____ famous.
Likewise, Mozart composed over 600 pieces before his death at age 35, only a ____ of which are recognized as particularly creative.
Einstein also had ____ than 248 publications, but many of them didn’t have much impact.
The lesson here is to produce a large ____ of work.
____ way, you have more of a chance that one or two will be outstanding.
Just pour out whatever comes ____ mind and separate the gems from the rocks.
Don’t Rush
We are ____ told that procrastination is our worst enemy.
Almost every self-help book describes successful people as being those who can overcome ____
However, several moments of ____ have stemmed from procrastination.
Great originals know how to utilize ____ as a strategy in their idea production.
Procrastination encourages gradual progress rather than rapid progress, which leaves ____ brain open to a wider range of ideas.
While procrastination may be the ____ of productivity, it can be a resource for creativity.
Few people know that ____ da Vinci was a chronic procrastinator.
It took him 16 years to ____ the Mona Lisa.
Some of the things that took his attention away from work, like learning optics, transformed ____ way he modeled light and made him into a much better painter.
What ____ Martin Luther King, Jr.?
The original script of his speech, believe it or not, didn’t contain the words ____ have a dream.”
The night before the ____ speech of his life, he was up past 3 a.m. rewriting his script.
He was sitting in the audience waiting for his turn to go onto the stage and still writing notes ____ his script.
After he got on stage, 11 minutes ____ he heard Mahalia Jackson, his favorite singer, cry out: “Tell them about the dream, Martin.”
Encouraged by a shout from the audience, he drew upon some of his past talks, and ____ result became the landmark speech “I have a dream.”
By delaying the task of finalizing the speech until the very last minute, he left himself open to the widest range of possible ____
The text wasn’t set in stone, and he ____ the freedom to improvise.
Fight the Status Quo
____ hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and finding out if a better option exists.
____ ability to do things differently, to question and refine the way things work is what makes you creative and different.
Your Internet browser is a pain? ____ it! You don’t like the system?
Say so! You have a new idea? Try it! You see a better way ____ doing things?
Test it! Most people ____ take any risk.
They’ll just stick ____ what they know, thinking it’ll be good enough.
But if you think that you can change things, ____ your originality and your creativity could make a big difference in the end.
The founders of an online eyewear company, for ____ couldn’t understand why it was so hard to find an affordable pair of glasses.
They thought the problem was interesting, so they conducted ____ research.
____ found that just one company dominated 80% of the market.
As ____ result, they created a company that no one expected to thrive.
Instead of depending on only physical stores where customers could try the eyeglasses on directly, ____ created a business where you could simply order inexpensive, high-quality eyewear online.
Using this ____ model, they were able to offer glasses that normally cost $500 for only $95.
In addition, every time a customer purchased glasses from them, ____ make a donation to charities.
____ of this was possible because they sold on the Internet.
The online eyewear company ____ without a doubt, been successful.
It was voted as the most innovative business by ____ world-leading business magazine.
____ company grew to be worth more than a billion dollars.
Anyone could have noticed the problem with expensive glasses in stores, but it took courageous pioneers to find the ____
Rules and systems are made ____ people.
This means they ____ be changed by people as well.
It’s a good idea to challenge ____ defaults.
We often ____ that original insight is primarily a matter of nature: you are either born with it, or you aren’t.
But from a different perspective, it can ____ nurtured.
The above stories, however, show that original ____ can be improved through our effort.
It turns ____ that we are all original thinkers in process.