Society doesn’t always appreciate the innovators, because they challenge the status quo. They refuse to play by the rules, and they destabilize systems, question assumptions, and shift paradigms that are usually benefitting a special group for no particularly good reason. Despite the risks of being an innovator, those who take a chance at inventing something—be it a new product, process, or even theory of how the world works—are the ones who shape society and peoples’ daily lives. You don’t have to be a traditionally “creative” person to be a highly innovative individual. You just have to make it a purposeful part of the way you live.
Practical Steps toward a More Innovative Life
1. Write your ideas down and carry them with you. Go to Target and buy a bound journal (anywhere from $5-$20) to write your ideas down in. Choose a book that fits with your preferences and lifestyle. If you are a person always on the go who hates to carry bags, buy a tiny book that can fit in your pocket. If you are like me, and relish owning and using beautiful things, buy a book that makes you feel alive just looking at it. My idea book is brushed leather (feels soft and fuzzy), a soft olive green with gold flourishes all over it. I love writing in it and carrying it around with me in my purse because it fits right in with all my other colorful, eye-catching accessories. Know that no idea is too trivial, too grandiose, or too undeveloped to write down. As I heard somewhere, the faintest ink is better than the strongest memory.
2. Practice Positive Self Talk. Don’t shut your innovative thought process down by criticizing and overanalyzing the ideas that do come to you. Tell yourself that you have great ideas. Allow yourself to imagine and dream up ideas freely like children do. Be the most encouraging parent in the world to that inner child within you that doesn’t yet know all the can’ts and should nots that we absorb from society. If that inner child says, “I’m going to start a business that is a bakery on one side and a dog babysitting business on the other!”, don’t say to him or her, “Oh, that’s impossible. No one wants dogs near their food. Plus, where are you going to get the finances for that?” Just pat yourself on the head, smile, and say, “That’s a great idea! Write it down so you don’t forget.” Imagine if the founder of Zipcar had shut down her inner child with “No one is going to pay to rent a car for two hours! That’s crazy!”
3. Tell other people about your ideas—and brush off the naysayers. One of my favorite things about thinking up new ideas is telling my friends about them and hearing how they would improve the idea. Surrounding yourself with people who value brainstorming, idea generation, and questioning the way things are will encourage you to validate your own innovative thinking. My friends Ben, Charles, and I sat around one Saturday for hours just thinking up businesses we thought it would be cool to start. Understand that anyone who constantly shoots down your ideas is merely reflecting their own limited beliefs about their abilities to achieve something than they are saying anything useful about you and your abilities. If you notice that someone consistently shoots down your ideas without providing constructive and helpful feedback that encourages you to persist in being innovative, slowly weed that person out of your idea sharing circle. As an innovative person, you will have plenty of setbacks without you asking for them in the form of a frenemy
4. Learn about other innovative people, companies, and organizations. Learning the stories of success and failure of other innovative people gives you a universe of mentors to look to in leading an innovative life. You shouldn’t look to the failed ventures of innovative people and limit yourself, but you can learn from their missteps. Furthermore, the stories of success help you say to yourself, “Why not me?” No one on this Earth is more special than any one else—not even Oprah! (Yep, I said it!) Don’t sit back and let someone live the life you want to be living. Go out and seize the life you want—whether there is a clear path to getting where you want to go or not.
5. Observe the world around you. Innovative people are endlessly curious about the world around them—the people, environment, and even the energy fields surrounding them. They observe the world, ask questions, and then see what they can do to make the world a better place—or to benefit from the “market failures” of the world surrounding them. Be alert throughout the day rather than operating on auto-pilot. Having your eyes, mind, and heart wide open will help you see how many opportunities there are to be innovative all day every day.
6. Indulge your strengths and passions. When you are trying to compensate for a weakness, too much of your energy goes to being “good enough” that you can’t truly be innovative. Rather than try and be a “Jack of all Trades”, spend your free time and energy on those things that you are passionate about. Then, become an innovator in that space. I’m passionate about writing, storytelling, and giving advice. This blog gives me a chance to think up a new topic and an effective way to deliver that message every day.
7. Create and start things. Writing your ideas down, surrounding yourself with innovative people, and observing the world around you are all excellent steps toward leading a more innovative life. However, at some point, you have to get your hands dirty. Whatever your passion is, engage yourself with other people who share that passion or who can benefit from what you innovate out of that passion. The more ideas, prototypes, products, etc. that you generate, the better chance you will have of having one or two gems that you can really use. Don’t worry about having the perfect idea that will make you a millionaire. Let yourself believe in those five modest ones that will make you just as rich over time (and after lots of failures).
These steps are the beginning to leading a more innovative life. What other ways can people lead more innovative lives?
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I think part of being innovative (at least for me) is taking care of all of the little, boring stuff first. I can’t create beautiful innovative things if the phone bill needs to be paid or I need to run to the post office. Having a clear desk helps me have a clear head.
It’s funny to hear you mention these steps. As adults we tend to forget the principals that our parents tried to instill in us. Although there methods back then would have been controversial today. My life experiences tell me there hearts were in the right place.
As a child I remember looking up at the star, while day dreaming about my future. But as time went on the criticizing, judgmental, and pessimistic attitude of others became my reality. Instead of me sharing with other my positive thoughts and ideas about the betterment of our society. Regardless if it was about an herb, whom I felt would be a better remedy for a disease vs. a drug, or an innovative way to eat corn flakes before it gets soggy. I hid them, all my ideas by responding to there Idle blab with humor and wit. All along not knowing that my stars were watching me, wondering if what I settled for, in my mind, was worth it…..
Thank you Kaneisha for you nourishing words it was definitely food for thought.