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A Tribute to Divergent Thinking: How to Become a Magician In Your Own LifeFor too long, "divergent thinking" has taken a backseat to its more well-recognized and well-respected cousin, "critical thinking."On this page, I want to say loud and clear that I think that building your divergent and creative thinking muscles is crucial, not just for success in the new economy, but in weaving a vibrant and fulfilling life that draws upon the best of who you are. Critical Thinking vs. Divergent Thinking Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, break apart, and arrive at a single "right answer." It is the core competency in well-respected careers like law, medicine, engineering, and business. And for good reason. If you're building a bridge, performing heart surgery, or doing someone's taxes, yes, please find the right answer! The challenge, however, is that educational institutions train us all to critique, break apart, and search for the right answer yet spend little time unlocking your powers of divergent and creative thinking. What is divergent thinking? The ability to create multiple ideas, solutions, or options from a given stimulus. Convergent thinking "converges" to a single answer; divergent thinking "diverges" in all directions.  As a child, art class is the main home of divergent and creative thinking. Yet once we reach middle school and become conditioned in societal norms, "divergent thinking" becomes a domain saved only for "weirdos," poor artists, and creative geniuses who we could never understand anyway. (I'm generalizing of course, but you get the point.) Our lack of emphasis on creative thinking does us all a disservice, because divergent thinking brings powerful and transformative benefits to life and work. Divergent Thinking at Work As I discuss on my Creativity and Intelligence page, I think the rules of intelligence are changing. Creativity, divergent thinking, and innovation are becoming the differentiating competencies in the economy. Think Google, Apple, and Facebook. All of these have thrown out the old rule book, created new paradigms, and literally revolutionized the way people deal with information, media, and relationships. But that's just work. Doing well in your career is important, but I think what's more important is doing well in your life. And, creative thinking is a crucial skill important for creating a great life. Divergent Thinking in Life: The Magician's Skill Creative thinking makes life sweet. In short, it allows you to create magic in your life. "Magic?" you say. "I thought this was an article about thinking?" Here's what I mean. The person skilled in the art of divergent and creative thinking can look at a blank piece of paper and see possibilities. They can look at a roadblock and see solutions. Not just one solution but many of them. They create something where before there was nothing. In this sense, divergent thinkers are magicians. They can break out of the idea that there's a "right way to have your career" (i.e. work hard 9-5 at a job you marginally like until you're 65 and then retire and do something fun. . ). They can turn the rules of life completely upside down and create unbelievable lives for themselves because they see possibilities, solutions, and options everywhere. One book on this concept I admire is the 4 Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferris. The book describes the process of lifestyle design: identifying your dreams and designing your life around them. Critics have admonished the author for being lazy, arrogant, and indulgent, but I think he makes a tremendous point. His brash manner knocks readers out of the brainwashed belief that you "have to" get a job, work from 9-5, work until you're 65, etc. He challenges you to ask:
Now, if you look for a right answer as if this were a multiple choice questions, you'll get stuck. Divergent thinking, however, the ability to create lots of different options for your life, is a powerful skill to get the juices flowing and think beyond your normal bounds. Now, the good news is that everyone can practice creative thinking. So, here's a warm-up exercise before we get to creative thinking about your life:
Got a few? Maybe you said, "Build a house, prop a door open, build a fire pit, line the garden. . ." Come up with a few more! Maybe you say, "Weapon, percussion instrument, mini balance beam, break a window, escape a building. . ." Keep going! See how many you can come up with. Shoot for 20 or more. This is actually an exercise cognitive scientists use to test divergent thinking capacity. To practice, simply identify any object and think of as many uses as possible. Now, here's the real application. Let's try this with your life. If you had unlimited money, and it weren't considered "too crazy," and you didn't care what anyone thought, what would you do?
Creating ideas and identifying dreams is the first step in lifestyle design. Once you're clear about what you want and can move beyond "it has to be this way" thinking, you can then see new possibilities and solutions. Seeing new possibilities where before there was nothing - that's magic. As I mentioned, divergent thinking to expand options is the first step, but it is the most important step. From there, you can get creative about options, logistics, and ways to "make it happen." If you're interested in learning more about the "how" of lifestyle design, I really would recommend the 4 Hour Workweek. As you read, turn off your internal editor and don't think, "Do I like this guy? Do I not like him? Is he right? Is this possible?" Simply use the book to get you out of your own thinking ruts and start considering new possibilities. He also has a good website called the 4 Hour Blog with some good resources. I also like a website called Free Pursuits about lifestyle design. In sum, divergent, creative thinking is the master skill for breaking out of your conventional, patterned, routine ways of living and trying something new. It can help you become a magician able to weave a life that you love. For more exercises on creative thinking, try the creativity exercises main page. Good luck and enjoy! Leave Divergent Thinking and Return to Creativity Exercises Main Page Leave Divergent Thinking and Return to BPGR Home Related Articles
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