1. Creative thinkers value ideasAnnette Moser-Wellman observes, “Highly creative people are dedicated to ideas. They don’t rely on their talent alone; they rely on their discipline. Their imagination is like a second skin. They know how to manipulate it to its fullest.”
2. Creative thinkers explore options
As Albert Einstein put it, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Good thinkers come up with the best answers. They create backup plans that provide them with alternatives.
3. Creative thinkers celebrate the offbeat
Creativity, by its very nature, often explores off of the beaten path and goes against the grain.
4. Creative thinkers connect the unconnected
Because creativity utilizes the ideas of others, there’s great value in being able to connect one idea to another—especially to seemingly unrelated ideas. Tim Hansen says, “Creativity is especially expressed in the ability to make connections, to make associations, to turn things around and express them in a new way.”
Creative thinking works something like this:
Think > Collect > Create > Correct > Connect:
Creative thinkers don’t fear failure: Charles Frankel asserts that “anxiety is the essential condition of intellectual and artistic creation.” Creativity requires a willingness to look stupid. It means getting out on a limb—knowing that the limb often breaks!
From John Maxwell's "How Successful People Think"
