Breakthrough

Hello friends!  In this week’s blog I’ve been asked to give a brief summary of Mr. Mitch Ditkoff’s article entitled “14 Ways to Get Breakthrough ideas.”  Which can be located hereà  Mitch Ditkoff - 14 ways     

   Mitch begins with something I’ve always agreed with in saying to achieve a breakthrough you must care about or enjoy.  Follow your fascination as Ditkoff puts it is a necessary step to any and all who wish to create an idea that is truly original or a breakthrough. 

    The second step of Ditkoff’s process is simply immerse, something rarely seen in today’s world of non-stop multi-tasking on blackberries, Ipads, and smartphones.  To become inspired to the point of having a successful breakthrough you must know all there is to know about your topic, or else how are you to know that your breakthrough has not already been done by someone else?  

The third step in creating a breakthrough idea is very difficult and stubborn, and is usually the one that frustrates me most.  Tolerating ambiguity is rough particularly after you have overworked ideas a hundred times, been at it for hours or days, and are about at breaking point.  Its times like these when your ability to power through and realize the trials and tribulations are almost as equally important as the creation of a new idea. 

Next up to the plate on Ditkoff’s agenda is making new connections.  Important for anybody looking for inspiration or a fresh idea, meeting new people and discussing ideas with them will almost always give you a new outlook on the situation.  If the only input you get is from your friends or colleagues you will always be getting the same feedback.  Go find someone new with no previous connection to you and try on their suggestions for size.

Something most of us forget is even a tool when lacking creative thought, fantasizing is an excellent way to jumpstart the brain and get new vibes flowing.  An activity I always associated with youth when I used to daydream all the time, fantasy can be a great way to not only give yourself a break on what could be a tedious and tiresome project it may also be the creative key to unlocking your breakthrough idea.

Sometimes the answer is the true problem at all but the question which you’re trying to answer.  Defining the right challenge is something I have failed to do multiple times in the past.  Whether it’s because I rushed past it to get started on solving the problem, or because I didn’t really understand the dilemma from the beginning  asking yourself the right question is imperative to achieving success on a new and creative idea.

(Steps seven and eight go hand-in-hand in my book so I’ve decided to group them together)  Listening to your subconscious can change your entire game plan on a whim and end up paying off with a one-way ticket on the gravy train.  Gut feeling is what helps us tackle problems in which we know little, so take it up a notch to an idea you’ve been working and examining.  With prior knowledge and adoration for the topic you know your immediate thoughts will we well guided.  While listening to your subconscious it’s always good to realize when it’s telling you to take a break.  Relaxing and taking your mind off the clock for a little will pay off tenfold the next time you step back to the issue.

Step number nine in Ditkoff’s article is to notice and challenge existing patterns and trends.  I would not consider this a necessary step in the breakthrough process because sometimes the greatest ideas to be had are improvements on existing solutions.  It is important to be able to know and identify trends and patterns but sometimes the best way to ensure success is to coattail an existing innovation and improve upon it.

                Ditkoff’s tenth and eleventh points are also similar.  Hanging out with diverse groups of people and brainstorming are always a god method at getting some new insight and obscure insight into an idea that could end up twisting it around into something completely new.  Brainstorming is something I’ve been taught since high school and has been the key to some of my best projects and papers yet.

The twelfth step of looking for happy accidents is definitely something to consider but not what I would say is worth dedicating too much time too.  I’ve always considered myself to possess terrible luck as it has been proven many times so I would guess that I’m more likely to run into the colossal failure than the happy accident.

Ditkoff closes his article with the interesting points of using creative thinking techniques and suspending logic, which both run a similar line.  Both are skills possessed many great thinkers of our time and are necessary to create a truly groundbreaking idea.

For the final step of today’s blog I am to answer a prompt from one of Ditkoff’s points.  I’ve chosen Mitch’s 5^th step, fantasize.  The prompt given is Think of a current challenge of yours.  What would a fantasy to this challenge look like? What clues does this fantasy solution give you?

A major problem occurring in my life now can be easily described, accounting 101.  I have never been a math or logic oriented person and I have yet to find the secret to it.  A possible fantasy solution would be to possess a calculator possible of given me the answers to problems by me merely speaking to it, or a pencil that is along the same lines.  Sadly such a solution gives me no clues or resolution about my real problem but it does offer some small humor and sometimes laughter is the key.