Systems Thinking: How to be More Creative in Thinking
There’s a big misconception in thinking that you’re not creative.
With that mindset, it’s like pushing a boulder up the mountain.
Instead, when you have the default perception that you ARE creative, things are much easier.
‘If I’m so creative, then how come I don’t feel like it?’
It’s because you were rarely rewarded for it.
Take my word that you’re creative.
Throughout this article, you’ll get a systematic breakdown of discovering this truth for yourself.
A creative mind sees the entire picture rather than the individual dots.
Another word for creative thinking is systems thinking.
Our goal is to stop viewing ourselves as a node thinker and be a systems thinker.
It’s a process well worth the effort!
Let’s learn how to be more creative in thinking
Only then can we build the confidence that we desire.
What is Creative Thinking?
At the fundamental level, systems are made up of 2 components:
- Nodes
- Links
Nodes are the parts.
Links are the connection of the parts.
All systems have a purpose.
Without a purpose, a system does not exist.
It’s just a random collection of things near each other.
‘What does systems thinking have to do with learning how to be more creative in thinking?’
As I said earlier bud, creative thinking and systems thinking are the SAME exact thing.
The sooner you realize this, the better.
To help you realize this, let’s do a tangible example and an intangible one.
What are you reading this blog from?
‘My cellphone.’
What are the nodes (parts) that make up your cellphone?
‘Hardware, some software, antenna, etc.’
Will those parts be worth much by themselves?
‘Not really.’
So what do we do?
‘We LINK them together to create the phone.’
Correct!
I’m sure your phone provides tons of useful value.
In this context, the useful value is to read this blog.
Now off to an intangible example of a system:
This blog!!
I have a bunch of thoughts (nodes).
Then I interconnect those thoughts (links) into a blog article.
Then this article provides useful value on how to be more creative in thinking.
‘I’m sort of getting it, but what does that mean for me?’
Excellent question.
Systems Universe
There is a big mistake that we live in a physical universe.
That’s like watching the movie and thinking the movie is real.
No, the movie is simply a plot behind a screen.
All you’re doing is looking at the pixels.
We live in a SYSTEMS universe.
To learn how to be more creative in thinking, learn to spot the systems in your life.
Do it right now.
Look around you and spot 5 systems.
I’ll start off.
- I see the laptop that I am typing on.
- There is a podcast microphone stand.
- There is the mouse.
- My watch.
- And my YouTube camera.
The goal isn’t to just see the final product.
The goal is to see the nodes & links within the final product.
Prime your mind to think like this through practice.
I’ll zone in on 1 of my 5 systems.
My podcast microphone stand.
The microphone is being held by a stand, and the stand is hooked onto a table.
When I look at the final product, I see a bunch of parts that were strategically linked together to provide me an enjoyable podcasting experience.
Pick something simple.
‘Does a book count as a system?’
Let’s answer the question with some questions.
Does a book have nodes?
‘Yes. The cover, pages, words, etc.’
Are the covers, pages, and words linked in a certain fashion to provide useful value?
‘Uh… yea.’
Then your book is a system.
The more you keep spotting systems in your daily life…
The more you learn how to be more creative in thinking.
Graduating to a Creator
It’s one thing to just notice creations.
It’s another thing to create.
The beauty is that you don’t need to be a creator in all fields to learn how to be more creative in thinking.
But you do NEED to create in at least 1 field.
I don’t mean copying other people and just parroting them.
I’m talking about creating some original content.
There is a false platitude that ‘no ideas are new.’
Those who peddle this platitude often just regurgitate what others say without any cognitive effort.
Big mistake.
These people do not view the world in systems.
I want you to try this exercise.
Create 5 nodes with 5 words.
- Example: Mouse, Watch, Clorox, Demon, Risk.
Now I want you to link those nodes together to create a sentence.
“The mouse and the demon looked at the watch counting down and realized it was a risk to use dirty Clorox wipes.”
‘Um….that sentence was useless!
That’s not the point of the exercise.
The point was that you can create unique content by using nodes and links in a personalized fashion.
I guarantee you, before reading my sentence, you would have used the 5 words in a completely different fashion.
The goal of a creator is to spot nodes & link them in new combinations.
This is how you learn to be more creative in thinking.
Golden Era of Creativity
I believe one of the greatest ways to learn how to be more creative in thinking is through storytelling.
Create some form of content.
It requires the lowest start-up cost from what I’ve seen.
That’s not to say that you can’t start gardening.
Or buy a toolbox and build some birdhouses…
But with content creation, all you need are words and an intent to connect those words in new ways!
Did you know that you have 30,000+ thoughts a day?
I’m sure you can gather a few of those thoughts & connect them into a system.
Aka: A story.
The more you practice, the more you rewire your mind to think in a brand new way.
It’s the way of a system…
For more practical insights on how to be more creative in thinking, be sure to check out:
- Level Up Mentality: A Guide to Re-Engineer your Mindset for Confidence
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