Fish In The Pool Of Great Ideas

An idea results from seeing differently, better-called innovation or creativity. But as Beau Lotto, Neuroscience Speaker says, it can also be a doubt, for both of them are just possible perceptions one is currently making. While some revolutionise science, others can barely make it to Dunkin Donuts and back. So we better start fishing in the pool of great ideas.

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Avoiding Uncertainties

Every behavior of yours comes with the motivation to reduce uncertainties. Doubting something or worrying in general causes not only stress, which can lead to other severe health problems but damages our mental state. It also makes you a extreme version of yourself. All we ever try to do is to avoid uncertainty and yet the irony is that it is the only way to go, if you want to see differently. That is why both, creativity and doubts begin with the same. A single question.

Every time we take a step, decide over something or react out of affection our brain filters out a possible decision created by its assumptions for the reason to keep you satisfied and alive. You are constantly taking in data which is mostly useless, to then integrate it into the part of making a decision. Evolution formed your brain to take this meaningless data and make meaning from it. That is called creating a perception. The problem is when you hold on to those assumptions; they become stable. Your brain takes them as a fact in consideration while making the next logical step, or decision and before you even recognised it, you became a victim of your surrounding.

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ACCEPT, IDETIFY, QUESTION

The first step to fish in the pool of great ideas is to accept the fact that you are powered by your assumptions. Everything you do is based on your perceptions. Not sometimes, but all the time. If you don’t accept this as a fact you’ll never create the possibility of being able to receive from a different source, so called “seeing differently”. As Beau Lotto says, “Nothing interesting begins with knowing. It begins with not knowing.”

Next, you need to identify your assumptions and give them a name. Followed by questioning what you saw.

But to question assumptions is extremely difficult. You, therefore, doubt what seemed to be true to you already, especially if that assumption defines who you are. It is a task that your brain evolve to avoid and that is creating uncertainties. In fact, uncertainty is a dangerous thing, for which evolution provided a condition called “Confirmation Bias” to protect you and keep you alive.

In psychology and cognitive science, confirmation bias (or confirmatory bias) is a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions, leading to statistical errors.

Confirmation Bias – siencedaily.com

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VICTIM OF HISTORY

Sometimes we rather hold on to the assumption we know don’t work because they look safer than the thought of questioning our assumption. And that’s when we start to get victimised and automated. The pool of out you are fishing a decision captures only past experiences and is reacting based on its history. Therefore safer but less creative. Imagine stepping out of what you seem to know already and experience new insights of possible results by doubting your assumptions. So, if there is a new evidence we should not stay loyal to our previous belief. Start to look for evidence to confirm what you see true already.

SPACE OF POSSIBILITIES

The brain does only small jumps. Whenever you are in a moment, it can only actually shift itself to the next most likely possible, which is determined by its assumptions, called the space of possibilities. That means you can’t just do anything. Some things are impossible for you regarding your conception of the world. What’s possible is based on your history. Creativity names a jump the brain is making to link two consumptions that are far apart together and design something new. But the person being creative don’t consider the two consumptions far apart. Therefore his space of possibilities provides a wider range of options. Creativity in this sense exists only from the outside and not from the inside.

MISSION POSSIBLE

The person that is creating is just taking the next logical step, and therefore fishes from a different space of assumptions. A more sophisticated realm of possibilities, for his more complex view of his surroundings. Formed by a more open attitude, while experiencing other cultures or beliefs. This allows him to have several directions to move while making a decision. We interpret creativity by a big jump the brain is making, while indeed it is just another logical step one is taking while changing options in the space of possibilities. This happens by identifying and then questioning your assumptions.

Creativity, therefore, drives on what you fear most. The uncertainty.  Unattached and observative about your own belief you enter the pool of creativity, which provides you with more possibilities of results. Mission impossible accomplished.

Love, Aya. ©

 

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