Overcoming Challenges With Creative Thinking

* Overcoming Challenges With Creative Thinking
By Thom Scott

How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem - and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem lying before you is one you cannot solve? No leads. No options. No solutions.

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain - large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you're hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

Lighten up! There might be some hope yet! With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, it is vital that you re-frame your problem as a challenge. Doing so will equip you with hope of a successful outcome versus the hopelessness of having an unsolvable problem. This positive mindset will enable your mind to recognize potential solutions that you would not otherwise see before you.

This is really no different from a baseball player who experiences the success that they've already envisioned, versus the player who gets themselves in a "slump" because they've determined that "they can't hit against a lefty, or aren't able to compete without steroids, etc..." It may sound simplistic, but Henry Ford couldn't have been more profound when he talked about one of the vital keys to success, "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right!" Now that we believe our challenge can be solved, we are free to be more creative in overcoming it.

Number one; maybe the reason we are having difficulty overcoming our challenge is that we have not taken a hard look at what the challenge really is. Here, trying to understanding the challenge and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral to overcoming it. If you know how it works, what the issue really is, then you have a better foundation towards reaching a successful conclusion.

Look at all sides of the challenge including the positives that may lie within it. I've been told that the Chinese symbol for "threat" is the same symbol used to express "opportunity." How true this can often be. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain and stand to lose from the current challenge. Now you have increased your possibility thinking. With this type of thinking, someone who is in debt may think of ways in which to amass a fortune, rather than just focus on the struggle to get back to ground zero.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have about solving your challenge. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid and which assumptions should be discarded.

Number three; try to solve the challenge in small chunks. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the challenge. This is called the top-down approach. Write down a positive question about your challenge, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that question. It will likely be a large goal that you may still have trouble envisioning yourself accomplishing. But, from here you can develop the solution further, breaking it down to the step-by-step daily actions that will set you on the road to success over your challenge. Our friend, Jeff Olson, addresses this subject better than anyone I know in his book, "The Slight Edge - Secret to a Successful Life."

Number four; although it helps to employ critical thinking to solve challenges, you must also keep a creative voice at the back of your head. When you or someone else comes up with a prospective solution, try first to think how you could make that solution work versus thinking of the ways that it won't. Suspend your analysis and critical thinking until you have developed your list of possible, not necessarily probable, solutions. You will then be able to go through this list and, more or less, rank the probability of which solution will pay off. You will be able to choose the best solution from several possible ones versus straining to come up with the perfect one immediately.

This "Ready, Fire, Aim" approach is one of the secret keys to true creativity. Sure, you miss the mark more often than not - and more often than most people. But, you will also come up with far more creative solutions and ideas than anyone else as well. I employ this technique every day - whether I am coming up with a headline for a new advertising campaign, or attempting to overcome a business mistake or challenge.

Number five; To get outside your own paradigm, it's often good to get outside yourself. This involves enlisting a trusted friend, colleague or mentor who can, perhaps, look at your challenge from a completely different perspective. This is especially true when the person you're talking to has had experience solving challenges similar to yours. You don't have to be a solo superhero to solve the problem. Organizing and evaluating collective thoughts on a subject is often much more powerful.

Number six; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. When it comes to overcoming a challenge, the ability to get up, dust yourself off and try again - a different way - will ALWAYS make you successful in the end.

Number seven; Employ creative thinking exercises to help yourself become a better problem solver. Here is just one you can practice. Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical thinking skills which further your ability to think of multiple solutions to your challenges.

So, think you may be facing a problem that has no solution? Think again, start by re-framing your problem as a challenge and go through the steps I mentioned in order to open up the floodgates of possibility in all areas of your life.

(More articles by Thom are available on his blog at )