Stretch Your Brain

Take a look at the picture below. Do you know what it is? “Of course,” you respond. “It’s a dot!” But what else could it be?

Take a break in your busy day to stretch your brain. On a a piece of paper, write down a list of all the things this could be.

I’ll Wait …….. (Insert theme from Jeopardy here.)

How long is your list? Do you have five items listed? Maybe you wrote down one or more of the following: an Oreo cookie with the cream licked off, a black hole, a bug, a freckle or the top of someone’s hat?

You might be surprised to know that in response to that question, the average six year old will generate a list of about 25 different ideas, while the average 45 year old will think up three possible solutions.

Why? What happens to us as we age? For many of us, that short list is a result of letting our creative muscle atrophy. Our brains are efficient, making hundreds of decisions for us every day. But to keep ourselves sane, we often build rules, look for familiar patterns and take the most obvious answer first.

This is really a shame, because now, more than ever, businesses need creative solutions. As we race to keep up with changing market conditions, we need new ways of approaching old problems, new strategies, new tactics and new tools.