The Skill Everybody Needs

The ability to Innovate is the ability to Change the World.

And, in an age where we have every tool available to transform ideas into reality, Innovation is a must-have skill for anyone that wants to create, and stand out from the constant overload of new concepts and ideas.

We need to make sure what we’re creating is of value to the world, and will help us progress and move society forward.

The Key Ideas Behind Innovation

It’s not easy being an Innovative Individual, but we’re here to tell you how you can exercise your brain in order to improve this skill. These tips will help your creativity flow more easily, and get into the right mindset more often.

1. Feed Your Curiosity

Taking the words of Einstein as inspiration:

“All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I believe in intuition and inspiration”
“Imagination is more Important than Knowledge”

So trust your instincts, and feed your curiosity. Explore the world around you and understand how it develops. Knowledge fueled by curiosity always leads to interesting discoveries.

2. Embrace Failure

Understand you will fail, but think of it as progress. Your best ideas will most likely never born without first discarding and getting through the bad ones. Sometimes, you just need to get the obvious and the flawed out of your head in order to get to a breakthrough.

Think of it like a game: if it gets harder, it means you’re going in the right direction.

When you “fail”, you learn what doesn’t work and if you think of it as a learning opportunity, instead of getting discouraged you will eventually, through more trial and error, arrive to a conclusion that works.

3. Ask the Impossible

Breakthroughs are impressive because they prove the impossible to be possible.

Doubt everything and never stop doubting.

Explore your ideas and understand where the human needs lie, be it through observation or through demand.

4. Creative Constraints

Sometimes, the possibilities are so overwhelming we get stuck. And sometimes, the problem in hand is so complex, we don’t even know where to begin.

When this happens, try to put constraints on your project. These self-imposed rules will give you a direction and that will make the problem seem less daunting.

5. Create Possibilities

When something is stopping you, try to create possibilities that will leverage your creativity before giving up. Instead of thinking about why you can’t do something, think about how you could do it if X were possible. Try as many crazy scenarios you need.

This might seem pointless, but sometimes having these scenarios will spark your creativity and will make you think about a solution you hadn’t considered before.

Being Innovative is not easy, but it is something you can practice. If you go through these steps often they will soon become second nature to you, and you will notice how a change of mindset can be a game-changer.

See also: Why Innovation is Essential to Every Business