How to be Innovative

Identifying Patterns
There are patterns everywhere in life. Things best left unchanged because that’s how it’s always been done. People accept this patterning, projecting it through habits into what’s considered ‘normal’. When this norm is challenged it’s often not recognized as beneficial since it pulls you out if your established comfort zone.

Begin by identifying things around you –could be anything — and ask yourself, how can I make this better?  Design something, and do it again to achieve a different goal. How do you make a chair more ergonomic? How about a car? Something more fuel efficient, maybe throw in environmentally friendly? How do you make a pen write underwater?

Start looking at everything from a unique and challenging perspective. For every complaint you have about your life start thinking about solutions. Tackle one thing at a time.  In my youth, I always went to the library for my fix of fiction. When I ran out of good books to read, I thought to myself, maybe I can write better. Yes they likely stayed buried in my past but I did give myself a star for trying.

Ask yourself why certain things are the way they are, and then ask, why can’t it change?

How to recognize innovation

• Does it reduce the number of steps to accomplish something?
• Does it aid productivity in any way?
• Does it make something easier?
• Does it create a hub of discussion?
• Does it help the world in some way?

Question everything.   That’s how things get better.