How can you apply the power of your creative thinking to find solutions to problems that refuse to go away?
Here are more examples to make this happen. I have mentioned Kipling’s six honest serving men previously. You can use these servants to better serve you. These servants represent the six basic questions that you can ask yourself.
Kipling’s six honest serving-men are:
What and Why and When.
And How and Where and Who.
So, when you’ve got a problem, just go ahead and ask yourself six basic questions:
What should be done?
Why is it necessary?
When should it be done?
How should it be done?
Where should it be done?
Who should do it?
You could even extend the what question by contemplating what other actions you could take.
This often leads to another an improved, better solution.
You can also think about the problem in reverse given life is, well full of surprises and opposites.
This also uses the what question more creatively.
Just go ahead and consider the opposite actions you could take.
Ask yourself several “WHAT IF” questions:
What if you expand the action?
What if you minimise the action?
What if you personalise the action?
What if you de-personalise the action?
What if you take action right now?
What if you delay taking action right now?
What if you just go ahead and give it your best shot?
Use the HOW question further by altering your environment.
Think about the problem and take it for a walk.
Thinking about the problem and do something unusual.
Just go ahead and alter your perspective by changing your location.
Once you return, get back to the problem and ask yourself:
How do you feel right now about the problem?
How can you now go ahead and solve the problem?
You can use the WHY question to generate possibilities.
Do this by repeatedly asking WHY when you think about the problem.
Do this about three to five times.
For example, let’s just say the problem is considered to be too hard to solve, so the person is not sure what to do.
Why is the problem too difficult to solve?
I haven’t experienced this before.
Why should a new experience be too difficult to solve?
I don’t know what steps to take.
Why not take the first step that occurs to you?
I am not confident this would be the best choice.
Why not just give it a go and see what happens?
I could give it a try I suppose.
Now they can go ahead, or you can go ahead, and consider taking action.
WHY not get into the habit of reversing HOW you think and deal with a problem?
WHAT IF you can connect, create, invent and apply a new way of thinking, a new process to fix, to get a solution?
It may fit perfectly!