Divergent Thinking

Written By Leland Lewis

One type of thinking that allows us to make the most of our creative talents is known as divergent thinking. This is usually defined by thinking outside of the box and being willing to look at things in ways different than what we're used to. There are a lot of benefits to this type of thinking and today we want to cover a few of the ways this can help us.

The Creative Route

Logistics and rational thought are extremely effective but there are some problems where we'll need to use our creativity to solve them. Tapping into our thoughts and emotions is an effective way to do this since they're rooted in the experiences we've had and encompass how we look at the world. The powerful part about looking at things from a creative perspective is that there are substantially more possibilities for accomplishing our goals. It allows us to take into account the things that make us unique and use them in a manner to do what works best for us. Creativity allows us to brainstorm and decide which ideas work and use other ideas for later if need be. It gives us the chance to embrace our thoughts and sort through them in a manner that leads to positivity.

“Logistics and rational thought are extremely effective but there are some problems where we'll need to use our creativity to solve them.”

Daring To Be Different

We're all unique and bring many different talents and experiences to the table. It's the combination of our background and experiences along with the choices we make that determines who we are. The good thing about divergent thinking is that it doesn't necessarily have to adhere to the status quo or expectations others put upon us. Divergent thinking is often necessary to have a successful life since it helps us break free of harmful mentalities that might just be commonplace depending on the environment. How we think determines how we look at the world and we need a healthy amount of divergent thinking to have a worldview that works for us and motivates us to be our best possible selves.

“We're all unique and bring many different talents and experiences to the table.”

We Need Both Convergent And Divergent Thinking

In order to have a healthy mindset, we need to use both a good amount of convergent and divergent thinking in our lives. We need to tap into the rational train of thought when it comes to making good decisions about our future such as for financial security. We need to use the creative side of our minds to find solutions that work best for who we are as an individual since some routes simply aren't for us. Creativity is a reminder that some solutions are best achieved when we think from different points of view. We need it to understand some concepts better due to our emotional ties to things. Rationality allows us to practically apply certain concepts to the problems we face since it's inherently more rooted in reality. There are so many ways that these types of thinking can empower us and the best way to do that is by using both of them in a balanced manner.

Leland Lewis
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