I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'think outside the box'. How annoying is that?!
Most of us have been in a situation (usually a stuffy brainstorming session with the boss, his flipchart and all his coloured pens) where this has been said. "Come on lets think Outside the Box here people!!!"... No pressure then!
It's like being directed to do the impossible. So I want you to just forgive yourself for all of those moments when you've ached and strained for the ideas in the back of your brain, only to come up empty. You see, the act of thinking itself requires the box. Thinking has limits (sides), it draws upon your past experience for evidence (lid), and it deals with what it already knows to be true. You can do thousands of hours of analysis and still come up with no new ideas.
New ideas require a lack of thinking, they require intuitive knowing.
So, here are five ways for the brilliant ideas you already have to become conscious, so you can get on with making them happen:
1.Notice the moments in your life that turn a little 'dream like'. You might not have thought to pay attention to them; you might have thought you've just had too much coffee! But there are moments that feel more colourful, louder or just simply more vibrant. Some people describe this as déjà vu which we often think is the feeling we have been somewhere before. But when you boil it down, it's a feeling of the extraordinary. Don't discount it; in fact make a note of it. In these moments your intuition is talking to you, if you pay attention.
2.Intuition could also be described as having a creative Muse working with you. In Greek mythology the Muse is described as a creative spirit that gives art, poems, plays or any other creative work and ideas to its lover i.e you. I see my intuition muse as being a seductive deva of a woman (clearly an archetype of myself! LOL) She only comes to me in liminal spaces, not where I am going and not where I have been. Therefore she finds me when I am in the car, on a train, in a hotel, in a coffee shop. Many writers go to the beach as it's a liminal space: not the sea, not the land. You have to make creative space for her in your life or she will find another lover of ideas and creation. Michael Jackson described his creative Muse as the voice of God, if he wasn't ready with his pen to take down the song at the moment it was given, then God would take it away and give it to Prince. God's not a fickle bitch, but your muse can be, respect her!
3.Become curious! Curiosity can create Point 1 and also call the Muse in Point 2. The more curious in life you are the more open to beauty, gratitude and intuition. Why? Because curiosity is the key to an open heart. When you go traveling or visit a new place, you are curious. Don't you find more people talk to you; your experience of life is vibrant and the chances of getting laid doubles, Just sayin! Try this at home and you will find the same thing happens. You will also find you meet the right people in the right moment to aid you on your mission. By being curious, we are open to the gifts of strangers.
4.If you're being all miserable about your lot, or jealous of other peoples achievements STOP IT! Brilliant ideas love people who will run with them and have gratitude. Now I don't know if this is true, but I have never met a disimpassioned person with a brilliant idea. Have you? Possibly because they were too busy sulking to tell me about it. In all seriousness if you feel bad, you're in the wrong part of the brain to hear your intuition. Do something that makes you happy first and foremost, sing, dance or play the maracas, whatever will float your boat. The more you love life, the more it loves you.
5.Set a purpose. Say for example you want a fantastic idea for an inventive product that will make you vast amounts of cash... ponder upon it. Ask for it out loud if you like, but set a purpose for it to be given to you. Without purpose your intuition is often dormant. Get demanding, ask for what you want then let it go. You can't go out and get an intuitive insight it needs to be received, so put in the request and wait for the results. Steve Jobs and Richard Branson both put down their business creative genius to ideas though intuition. It worked for them!
If you want more tips and ideas on how to get in touch with your intuition. I have my own blog on www.beckywalsh.com as well as my book 'You Do Know - learning to act on intuition instantly'.