Paths to success through 21st century skills - Think different
In this edition, we will cover the importance of "thinking differently" as part of our "Paths to success through 21st century skills" series.
If wisdom is one side of the coin, then thinking different and being creative is the other side. You can make sound decisions from your knowledge and experience, and by thinking differently with creativity, you can come with new ideas and thoughts.
Why do we need to think differently?
Improvement needs a change: It is famously said, "If you stick to what you have been already doing, you will only accomplish what you have already done!". If you want to improve, you need to change, and nonetheless to say we always need improvement. This can be accomplished only when we think differently and creatively.
To show the difference: If you want to show the difference, it would be, almost all the time, creativity: whether it is in an interview, building a product, solving a problem, or showing your personality.
There are various other reasons to think differently, and it all revolves around the above two points.
Well, how can you think differently?
To build muscle in your body, the more you work on them, the better you build. The brain is one such muscle, work on them to develop it. Here are the key areas to train your brain muscle:
Think out of the box? No, think without a box - or a box with no boundaries. Be open.
Rewire your brain: Particularly from negative thoughts and preconceived notions. This also improves your psyche and counters depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder which drains your brain activity.
Don't be afraid: To ask questions or try something new or different, do not be afraid. The best leader or learner is the one who faces situations without fear. This makes you more inquisitive.
See from a different perspective: It is common to think from our first thought and stick to it. But the more optimal could be other ones, unless we explore them, we would not be able to discover.
Embrace failure: The fear of failure acts as an impedance to our thoughts. With more exploration, we are bound to meet more failures, embrace them, they are key to a great success in both personal and professional life.