7 Ways to Unblock Your Creative Blocks

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As I mentioned in another post, titled What is a Creative Entrepreneur, we were all born with the power of creativity as human beings. 

The problem is that many of us block our natural creativity without even knowing it. Blocking this power creates errors in our thinking which then cause problems.  

If you're experiencing creative blocks, here are 7 ways to unblock that natural creativity channel of yours:

Unblocking Your Creative Blocks

1.   Don't Assume.

Making assumptions is a no no. When you make an assumption about something, you're just simply being lazy. 

Too many times, making an assumption simply makes you look like a fool. If you feel like you're making an assumption on something, challenge yourself. Question yourself. 

Always wait until you gather the necessary information you need to properly come to a conclusion.

2.    See things from different perspectives - different points of view. 

Keep an open mind at all times. 

Open mindedness allows you to see things from different perspectives. Seeing something or a situation from a different point of view is of benefit to you and others. You may find that these other points of view may be more valid.  

Think outside of the box - outside of your limits (or what you "think" are your limits).

Break down a problem into small pieces, shuffle them around and see what you get. Think of someone you admire and ask yourself, how would that particular person handle the problem. 

Things aren't always as they seem, take other view points into consideration. 

Think about this:

The solution to your problem lies within your perception of the problem

you're looking for a solution for. 

3.    Avoid the "up & down".

Some of us tend to go from one mood to the next in a split second and sometimes this just happens out of nowhere. Going from mood to mood, such as being positive one minute and negative the next, is not healthy for you nor for your business. Stay neutral, don't let your emotions get the best of you. 

Things are rarely as bad or as good as you may think they are. 

4.   Avoid laziness thinking. 

We all have habits, but those habits can become stumbling blocks within our thinking. 

Try this small experiment:

Ask someone to say the following words rapidly:

Macdonald

Macpherson

Macdougall

Machinery

Most people will mispronounce Machinery because we tend to think in habitual ways. 

Don't think that just because things happen in a particular way once before, that they will happen like that again. 

5.   Think like a child. 

The mind of a child has no limits - no limiting world views but we do when we become adults. By using your mind like a child, you will accept things without judgement.  

Recapture your child sense of curiosity, your child like imagination, ask yourself endless questions. Detach yourself from what you thought was real, allow yourself to wonder at the situation. 

See your problem through eyes of wonder and imagination. Regain your passion for learning.

And while we're talking about thinking like a child, I want to include that you should laugh more often. I've read in many places that studies have shown that laughter actually helps you solve problems easier. I'm not suggestion that when you laugh, you'll come up with a solution to your problem but when you laugh, it places your mind in a better state to be able to come up with a solution. 

6.   Don't only look at the big picture, look at the details too. 

When you're faced with one of these creative thinking blocks, don't simply focus on the big picture. Look at the details in that big picture.  

So, not only, should you step back to look at the big picture but also step forward a few times every now and then to look at your situation, your project, your problem, closer.  

7.   Exercise your mind. 

Yes you read that right, be active, exercise your mind.  

Just as your body needs exercise, your mind does too. Do something active such as riding a bike, go for a jog, go hiking, do something that is fun for you. When you do something active and fun, it helps get your creative juices flowing again. 

To stay in tune with your creative thinking, take unrelated things, circumstances, situations, and the likes and use them to spark your creativity, mix things up, combine them, in ways that you can only imagine. Be comfortable with things that don't belong together, that don't quite fit. 

Another thing to do is to remember your dreams.  

Some of us don't remember our dreams very often, but when you do, write it down. Even if they don't make any sense to you at the moment, just write them down. When we are most relaxed, our subconscious mind goes to work on its own and can create great ideas. 

Apply these techniques to your thinking patterns and see how new solutions to what you thought were problems open up to you.