If thinking beyond what is already in existence and making real what’s not yet real is a key element for success in business, it would be most helpful to know just how to accomplish that. The short answer: curiosity and the willingness to expose yourself to new ideas.

Why am I hesitating? Why can’t I relate to this person/group? Why can’t I combine a healthy lifestyle with my career? Why can’t I incorporate a European definition of success into my American job? Successful people avail themselves to new ways of thinking and of dealing with issues by foraying out of their sphere of reality.

Exposing yourself to new ideas expands your general knowledge, your appreciation, your options. Exposure to new ideas generates understanding and creativity. The more curious you are, the more fun, interesting, and stimulating life becomes. Curiosity also boosts your abilities and your career.

The ability to innovate and generate creative ideas has always been a hallmark of successful businesses and people. Since there’s no such thing as business as usual anymore, no one can afford to rest on his laurels. But that doesn’t mean past experiences aren’t important. In fact, the more experience in different areas of work and life the better.

Exposure to new ideas involves suspending everyday patterns of thought and action and trying something new—improvisation, for instance. Before teaching his students improvisation techniques, instructors typically lead them through a series of games to mentally loosen them up, clear their minds, and redirect their linear thinking of the left brain to the random approach of the creative right brain. Joseph A. Keefe, founder of Second City Communications and head of Humor Resources, a corporate consultancy company in Chicago, says, “We play warm up games because as adults we have to shock our system away from suspicion and concerns. Because we as instructors are approaching this on a fundamental and intuitive level, we have to trick people into doing that, as well. We do this through play, through action. When I start a class I say, ‘Hi, I’m Joe Keefe. Stand up everybody and follow me.’”

Exposure to new ways of approaching things and the discovery it offers via experiences such as improvisation, travel, taking classes, or changing routines, you, too, can increase your awareness, creativity and your ability to think beyond what is already in existence.

Have fun with this,

Pam

FYI, a few years ago my husband and I exposed ourselves to something totally new, renovating a house by ourselves, tile by tile. A she-said, he-said account of our adventure will be published this fall. New adventures require you to develop creativity in areas you may never have suspected.