Flexibility and creativity = success

When you are trying to make an appointment with a doctor or a dentist,  do you accept the first appointment day and time they offer you,  or do you try to fit their schedule to yours?  Do you have to cancel or neglect another appointment to meet with your student group at the time they suggest? Or do you negotiate a time that works for everyone?   Is flexibility and creativity a part of your daily thoughts and actions?

I began taking piano lessons in the spring -- 30 minutes once a week.   But after several months of this I found it was a less than satisfactory situation.  The lessons were not long enough, and a week between lessons was too short sometimes.   I either had to endure this unpleasant situation,  cancel the whole process,  or find an alternative.    The solution to this was to have 45 minute lessons every two weeks instead.  I suggested this to my music teacher and he agreed.   This is a much better learning situation for me.

Being flexible and creative in your thought and action is not easy for everyone, and can be sharpened by practice.   Riddles are a good way to improve your thinking.   Can you solve this riddle?   A farmer takes a basket with six eggs to the market.   At the market, six people each take one of the eggs.   How can it be that there is one egg left in the basket?    To find the answer,  think creatively  and  read to the end of this blog post.

This sort of flexibility and creativeness in thinking is sometimes referred to as divergent thinking. The opposite of  divergent thinking is the more common convergent thinking where there seems to be only one correct answer.   Sometimes this is a cultural matter of accepting the answer someone older than you gives just to pay respect to them.   Unfortunately,   this is very limited thinking that produces limited outcomes.    With divergent thinking,  the thinker seeks alternative solutions that may be better than what is common agreed on.    However, this often requires stirring up matters. People usually find life easier and more comfortable with the traditional answer to questions.   They don't like to be challenged about their answers, even if they don't work for or benefit others.



Effective divergent thinking requires an open attitude that believes that there can be more than one solution to every problem,  and that the best solutions suit the person or situation,  and are not necessarily permanent and immutable.  





There are approaches and strategies than can enhance divergent thinking.  You are probably familiar with brainstorming and mindmapping.   Freewriting and keeping a journal can be helpful.  Discussion with other people can also help.   It may not be as easy as accepting the first answer that is given or comes to mind,  but ultimately it will be more satisfying.

Another term for divergent thinking is "lateral thinking" as coined by Edward DeBono.   One of the ways he believed to engage is this kind of thinking is to constantly ask "why"  something is the way it is, or is done the way it is.   It is important to challenge the status quo.



Education and business in North America values divergent thinking.   It does not believe that there is always only one answer to every problem or situation, or that the teacher or boss or superior person holds this answer.   Negotiation and collaboration are good.    A manager will often seek input from and discussion with employees rather than giving them his answer.

Some tips to be more flexible and creative in your thinking

• do some brainstorming or mind mapping first -- and remember not to be critical of possible ideas at this point
• talk to other people
• remember that there can be more than one right answer to many problems
• don't get stuck on the easy answer or on just trying to please other people
• let your ideas simmer for a day or two before narrowing them down;  you may come up with other ideas in this time
• think cross-culturally, which means not to get stuck only in the kinds of answers your own culture finds satisfactory
• try to understand the problem well -- it's different parts and perspectives;  you want to make certain that your solution is solving the right problem;; is it really a problem in need of a solution?
• don't be afraid of mistakes -- the best solutions often are founded on experiments that have failed or been less than perfect
• ask lots of questions
• choose a time of day when your brain is at its best

These are just some ideas to improve your thinking and problem solving.    There are many more.

The important think is to know and understand your own thinking and your own thinking limitations.

And to know ways to think better as a prelude to making better decisions and actions.

Answer to the egg riddle:   The sixth person took the basket as well as the egg.