Photo by Maia Mikhaluk
Let’s play a game. Imagine a long corridor with lots of doors. They can be wooden, metal, glass or plastic ones – it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they are closed and you have no idea what’s behind them.
Wouldn’t you want to peek in? Would it be possible to stay away from them and have no desire to open at least one of them? I can’t imagine a person with such absolute absence of curiosity.
So, let’s say, you’re opening all the doors one by one and looking inside. Close your eyes for a minute and imagine opening the first door. You’re cautiously touching the doorknob and slowly turning it. The door is opening silently without any squeaking sound which makes you grateful (you hate that sound). You look inside and see… What do you see? What is unfolding in front of your eyes? I don’t want to give you any clues because now is the turn for your imagination to get to work.
First of all, I have to say that a lot of us have seen such scenes in the movies. If you only allow your left brain to work, it will extract pictures with doors and corridors from your memory and prevent your right brain from creating new images. Try to silence the left brain and free your imagination. Relax and let it fly!
This was a little warm up. The images that you saw may tell you about the emotional state you are in, anxieties, questions, issues that concern you. There could be desires and dreams, things you are currently thinking about, or people that are important in your life.
And now we’ll get more practical, but first of all, let me tell you a story. About two months ago, I needed to make a work-related important decision, choose between two options and do it fast. It happened to be the time when I was reading Michael Michalko’s book on creativity “Thinkertoys”. (I definitely recommend the book as it helped me in many different ways.) So, one of the creativity techniques especially attracted my attention, and I decided to try it. It worked miraculously, helped me make an important decision and gave birth to my own new version of it, which I call – The Secret Door technique. The whole idea of this method is based on the hypothesis that we already know the answer deep down in our subconscious mind but just need to get it out into the open.
Let’s do it together. The trick is to first think about an issue you’re trying to solve, a challenge you’re trying to overcome or a choice you’re trying to make. Think about it and then relax. Now, imagine the same corridor with doors and start opening them. Behind the first one you will see some sort of scenery – a beach, a forest, your house, somebody else’s house, your office, etc. Imagine that you’re walking in, slowly look around and try to see everything around you in very small detail. Then, think of a hidden place (a drawer, a box, a safe, etc.) and visualize yourself opening it. In there you can see a small folded piece of paper. Look inside this paper. What do you see? In my case, it was one word that solved everything for me. I suddenly knew what had to be done. Two months passed, and I can say – it proved to be the right decision!
So, my advice to you – try to find your Secret Door and Secret Box with the right answer to your question. It’s there, waiting for you. Don’t be skeptical, stay positive and open-minded. Negativity only helps when analyzing risks, in all other cases it’s poison. Flee from it! Embrace a more positive attitude to life, people, work, yourself, and you will see how all things in your life come into place.
Please, share in the comments below what creativity techniques you know and used to find ideas and solutions.
Nataliya Bazilevych
Enjoy Life!
P.S. Are you interested in learning more about the creative process of finding great ideas? Download the FREE Guide! The best solutions are only a few clicks away.
http://www.changeview.org/creativity-free-guide
