Page 128 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

Intergalactic Problem Solving 119

Caution: Don’t make Intergalactic Thinking too much of an intellec-
tual exercise. For example, I’ve seen some novices listing dozens of
data points from the city galaxy, stuff like “skyscrapers,” “subways,”
“neon lights,” and on and on, then waiting for something to happen. It
doesn’t work that way. Find only a few data points from the foreign
galaxy. Anything to jog the mind out of the obvious galaxy. Then push
for something to connect. Don’t make it a drill in linear thinking. Don’t
rely on logic. Just focus on an unrelated piece of data and find a way
to connect it to the problem. Ideas will come. It doesn’t matter if the
ideas seem crazy or stupid at first. Don’t resist them. Find the bril-
liance. There’s brilliance in almost anything.
I use Intergalactic Thinking in group brainstorming sessions almost
every week and continue to be amazed at how effective it is in jump-
starting the creative process. When some people first try this, they feel
like space shots. “This is crazy.” “This is weird.” “Beam me up, Scotty.”
But stay with it. Before you know it, this alien process becomes quite
natural, and you’ve ramped up your ability to think creatively on
demand. Pretty powerful stuff.

"Headhunter is calling.
I smell a job offer."
Timeline of a great idea (continued)

Timeline of a lousy idea (continued)