“Creative thinking isn’t necessarily original thinking. In fact, I think people mythologize original thought. Most often, creative thinking is a composite of other thoughts discovered along the way.” – John Maxwell
If you have read my blogs, book or heard me speak, you know that I believe in people having new ideas. There is a world of discoveries out there and great things just waiting for the right people to bring them into reality. I agree with Harvey Firestone who said, “What is important is ideas. If you have ideas you have the main asset you need, and there isn’t any limit to what you can do with your business and your life.” Now having stated that let me say that I believe too much time and energy is lost coming up with ideas that have already been discovered.
BEWARE OF PRIDE
Over and over again I have seen businesses, churches, organizations and people in general trying to create something that has been around for a long time. The hard part is seeing them do this with programs and products that work really well as they are. So why reinvent them? Mainly because they want something that is theirs. Something they can but their name on. That is not creative thinking my friends that is pride.
NEW OR IMPROVED
Success-Minded People are always looking to make things better. That is how we should think. To create something that adds value and makes life easier is not a case of making it new, it may be just improving it. As Thomas Edison (a man who improved on a lot of thinks made by others) said, “There’s a way to do it better – find it!” The same is true with programs and learning methods. There are many that work and work well, so why do you need to spend time and money coming up with something new? Isn’t it more practical to adjust something already created to fit your need – improve it – and go on from there?
OUR BEST THINKING
It works for thinking and teaching as well. I have always used a statement of John Maxwell’s when asked why I use so many quotes: “Most of my best thinking has been done by other people” he said. And it is true. I quote great thinkers and those who have figured things out better than I have. Like all Success-Minded People, I am a learner and one who is hungry for more knowledge. I have learned from Andy Andrews that I am only as good as my best thinking. That means that if I am to improve and get better at what I do, I need thinking better than my best. Thank God that there is an abundance of great thinkers we can learn from.
IT TAKES WISDOM
This does not mean that we should not discover something new. Again, I think we should all seek the new discoveries that are there for us to find. However, be sure they are new and not just laying claim to something that is already being done. Abraham Lincoln said “Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new at all.” But that does not mean they cannot be better. It is a balance and the use of wisdom to know when to create something new and when not to reinvent the wheel. Use your resources well and discovery will take care of itself.
© 2011 John Patrick Hickey
