The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel Proust
Dif
ficulty making a decision isn't always about choosing one thing over another. Sometimes it is rooted in a belief that you have no options, or, that the options presented to you, or the ones you are immediately aware of, are the only ones.
But when you think about it, every situation presents endless possibilities for choice. So how about exploring those possibilities?
Brainstorming allows you to open your mind up and to dump ideas about anything, before you decide. And because it allows you to develop a wide range of ideas to a predefined problem, brainstorming is useful because it could lead to new ways of thinking. However, to brainstorm effectively you need to follow some 'rules'. And it isn't only useful in a group. You can brainstorm on your own, for fun, to see how far your mind can wonder, or to help you resolve an important issue.
Start by loosely defining what the ideal solution involves. I say loosely, because you don't want to tie yourself to a framework, but when it comes to consolidating your thoughts after the brainstorming, it is useful to have a reference point.
The key barrier to effective brainstorming is analysis paralysis. Analysis should be the last stage of the process.
To begin, you should merely dump anything; I mean anything that comes to mind. No matter how crazy or impossible it may seem. The minute you find yourself thinking - 'but how is that connected?' or 'where will I ever get the money?' or, 'what will people say?', you are analysing. Stop doing that.
Write or draw everything that comes to mind instinctively, as well as any associations that may arise from one thing or another. Play with opposites, complements and linkages. Imagine.
When you are done look through what you have written. You will notice some things, such as:
- Certain words appear frequently
- Words with similar meanings appear frequently
- Certain concepts are expressed severally, using different words
- Certain words, phrases, or images 'pull' at you, even if you don't know why.
- Certain linkages that you did not expressly articulate show through.
Isolate these things and discard the rest.
Now you can make reference to the solution you loosely defined at the start, and see how the possibilities you have identified can help you close it.
If you open yourself up in this exercise you may end up with a solution you never imagined, or a new perspective on the issue.
This is what we call 'having new eyes'. It is the true voyage of discovery.
