Academic knowledge is admirable, but often employees look for the ability to work under pressure and find creative answers to everyday problems. If all the PR team is stuck on how to advertise a product, the director will praise the person who invents the most creative idea that suits the requirements. Broad thinking gives you a fresh attitude towards life and power to find a solution; besides, it sharpens your mind. Here are a few ways to practice that.
Another Angle
Our lives are a series of routine actions that dim the ability of our brain to think. We cannot remember what clothes we wore last Monday; what motions we used to drive a car or which key unlocks the mailbox, as this is all part of our everyday routine that does not need much consciousness involved. To think outside the box, we need to approach the problem from another angle. Think of scenarios that would turn your life upside down and then consider the possible solutions. What if your boss required you to only wear red today? How would you open the mailbox if you were to lose your keys?
Travel
Contrary to popular belief, one does not always need money to travel. A great part of traveling is learning the customs of a different land and putting yourself in the shoes of a native. Learn about the organization of a different society and the testaments of a different religion. At the same time, you will see the new way of treating life that another culture has. What would you do if you were the king of an archipelago country? How would your life change if you were a priest in a Buddhist temple?
Take a Class
Outbox thinking means overcoming the restrictions of your own abilities. If all you can do is web-design, why not to take a class on knitting? You can do it online or with a teacher, and explore a new way to create something, and maybe even find out that two different spheres of activity have much more in common than you thought.
Break the Stereotype
In most cases, we refuse to accept something that does not conform to our society’s way of thinking. Influenced by our surrounding, we will frown upon men who are nannies, girls who love football – it is called ‘biased attitude’. In order to gain a more creative approach towards the world, tell yourself that everything is possible. Anyone can be whoever they want to be, and just like that, any problem can have a myriad of different solutions that are all valid.
Ask for Advice
Each person is a whole universe that was raised carefully by years of life’s experience that you will never share. Do not be afraid to knock on the door of someone else’s worldview. You will be amazed to find out how different can be the approach towards a problem from the point of view of a child, an elderly person, a foreigner, a racially diverse person, a person that works in another niche. Listen and analyze, and you will definitely uncover a new truth.
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