All of us get stuck sometimes. Whether that’s trying to solve a problem at work, figuring out how to expand our ministry, or maybe even dealing with a thorny personal issue. So how do we break out of our innovation slump and develop new ideas? I think this tip from my years of running companies might help, and you can apply it to any number of situations.
First of all, start with the mindset that you CAN solve the problem. Our thoughts are incredibly powerful. If we continually tell ourselves, “I can’t think of anything; there’s no way I can come up with an answer,” your mind will oblige and just shut off! Remember- our God is a creative God, and you were made in His image. Creativity is in your DNA!
Next, find a quiet, comfortable place, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts, and start writing down (or typing if you prefer) anything that comes to mind about the issue at hand. Don’t judge these ideas as worthy, practical, feasible, too expensive, too crazy, or anything else. Just write down whatever pops into your head.
Once you stop shutting down ideas immediately because they aren’t practical or necessarily productive, your mind will start to flow with all sorts of potential solutions. Spend ten or fifteen minutes jotting down ideas. Once you’ve done that, you can start narrowing down your list of possibilities to a few things that make sense and can help you move forward.
Try it out today, and let us know how it goes!