An Alternative to Brainstorming (that’s a bit more effective)

Creating our success is not accidental, although it may seem so at times.  Our success is usually created in our minds with the goals and dreams we want to achieve.  This is why being very deliberate in how we develop and state out goals will lead to their realization.

An old school of thought was to brainstorm ideas. I am going to admit that I’m not a fan of this technique, mainly as it forces one to come up with ideas. I have seen numerous clients who struggle with this way, only to continuously be confused and held back.

However, there is an alternate way to come up ideas that will take our goals and dreams to reality. Brian Tracy, in his book, Flight Plan, describes a very powerful technique called “Mindstorming.”  He says that “it forces you to concentrate intensely on a goal you would like to achieve. 

Here are the basics:

On a sheet of paper, write your goal in the form of a question, such as “How can I find a new job by (date), or how can I start my business by (date)?  You are to then write at least 20 answers to the question.  You may find your first 5-10 answers easy but you may find them becoming harder as you go on. 

Then, when you get your 20 answers, pick one and take immediate action. According to Tracy, doing so will open up your creativity to solve problems and can lead to high performance levels. 

This technique essentially ‘forces’ you to tap into your creativity and come up with solutions to the questions, which are off-the-cuff and more likely the best response. It’s like selecting the first answer when you’re taking a test – you don’t second-guess yourself.

This exercise is not as simple as it seems; as stated earlier, it becomes more difficult as you work towards 20 but I find that it leads to looking at broader solutions.

This technique will work well for any goal you have; just be sure you are clear on what you want. This will be the “how” to get there. I encourage you to give it a try and see how effective it can be.

If you need help gaining clarity on your business or career goals, or in developing your action plan, why not get some help – stop the struggle and call today to get started. I’d love to help you build the career and business of your dreams- call today to get started!

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